The Arizona Cardinals own the #3 overall slot at the top of this year’s NFL draft. A lot of ink has been used on the team taking an offensive lineman. And GM Monti Ossenfort just may do that.
Then again, the top of the draft is full of elite pass rushers. In rounds 2 and 3, there are plenty of top-tier offensive guards and tackles.
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The point here is that the Cardinals can grab a top-shelf pass rusher early in the draft, and then take whatever offensive line prospect is needed using the high picks in both the second and third rounds.
Not to slight the idea of drafting an offensive lineman with the #3 pick. OT Francis Mauigoa from Miami, Utah OT Spencer Fano, and OT Monroe Freeling from Georgia are all excellent choices and would be a huge welcome in the desert.
Free agency brought in four key offensive linemen, so the need to grab a blue-chip guard or tackle has been lessened quite a bit. No team can have enough pass rushers, and by selecting one early, this would create havoc with Arizona’s pass rush with Josh Sweat on the other side.
EDGE David BaileyDraft projection: Round 1
Cardinals pick: #3
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Specifics:
College: Texas Tech
Height: 6’-4”
Weight: 251 pounds
40-time: 4.5
Career Tackles: 163
Career Forced Fumbles: 10
Career Sacks: 29
Career Tackles for Loss: 42
Career Pass Defenses: 4
Career games: 46
Accolades: Unanimous All-American, First Team All-Big-12, Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year, Pony Express Award winner, DCTF All-Texas College First Team, Lombardi Award finalist
Positives:
Extremely strong, can squat 550 pounds
Builds speed through his rush
Able to generate turnovers
Will make tackles in pursuit
Able to fight off blockers
Negatives:
Gets displaced at the point of attack
Concern about his anchor strength
Can be overaggressive at times in pursuit
Can be indecisive in reads
Has some natural limitations in run support
Expert Draft Site Analysis
Walter Football
Bailey is a lightning-fast edge rusher with devastating speed around the edge. Bailey has tremendous first-step quickness, and he explodes off the ball. Bailey can fly upfield and blow by offensive tackles even when they know his speed rush is coming. Bailey shows a variety of pass-rushing moves as he has an excellent spin move, darts to the inside, and has some functional power. Bailey shows impressive speed to power rushes and has upper-body strength to get a bull rush as a change-up on offensive tackles. The bull rush and the speed to power take tackles by surprise, and that makes Bailey a tough rusher to defend. Along with being fast off the ball, Bailey has easy acceleration to eat up ground in a blur. He is a dynamic pursuit defender and a true speed rusher quarterback hunter.