{"id":6675,"date":"2025-04-28T10:06:16","date_gmt":"2025-04-28T10:06:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/6675\/"},"modified":"2025-04-28T10:06:16","modified_gmt":"2025-04-28T10:06:16","slug":"alabama-og-tyler-booker-plug-and-play-pick-for-cardinals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/6675\/","title":{"rendered":"Alabama OG Tyler Booker ‘plug-and-play’ pick for Cardinals"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n

Alabama offensive guard Tyler Booker continues to be a name making the rounds with the 2025 NFL Draft just days away.<\/p>\n

Will he end up being a first-round pick? Could he really fall<\/a> into the second round after a poor NFL Draft Combine?<\/p>\n

At this rate, it\u2019s unknown how NFL teams truly view the offensive guard.<\/p>\n

But if ESPN analyst Mike Tannenbaum\u2019s assessment of Booker is accurate, he could be the steal of the draft for the Cardinals or any other NFL team that takes advantage of him falling on draft boards.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlug and play. Really smart, tough, durable. Don\u2019t see a lot of downside,\u201d Tannenbaum told Arizona Sports\u2019 Bickley & Marotta on Monday. \u201cIf you want to quibble, is there better value to get a comparable player 25 picks later on? Possibly. But you draft him, you never look back. With someone like Kyler Murray, you try to keep the pocket firm. You could do that with Booker.\u201d<\/p>\n

Booker has gone from no-doubt first-round pick to a potential second-rounder option this draft cycle. <\/p>\n

His NFL Draft Combine had a lot to do with that, with Booker posting one of the slowest 40-yard dash times (5.38 seconds) and 10-yard split (1.96 seconds).<\/p>\n

Still, the tape doesn\u2019t lie on what he could bring to a team like the Cardinals, especially when looking at his impact in Alabama\u2019s run game.<\/p>\n

I know better than to think the #Vikings<\/a> front office will actually grow a spine and do it, but I’ll still put it on record that Tyler Booker @ 24 (if he’s available) is the right move<\/p>\n

You’d officially complete this OL for J.J. McCarthy for years to come<\/p>\n

MIN needs this\ud83d\udc47energy pic.twitter.com\/f4o8hMaeDZ<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Jordan Silveira (@JordanTSilveira) April 9, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

Guard remains a big position of need for the Cardinals after they spent much of free agency revamping the defensive side of the ball with outside additions Josh Sweat, Dalvin Tomlinson and Calais Campbell.<\/p>\n

Offensively, backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett marks the biggest addition on that side of the football.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re sitting at a really good spot. There\u2019s a lot of great players in this draft,\u201d Murray told Arizona Sports\u2019 Cardinals Corner<\/a> on April 8. \u201cIf you want to go on the offensive side of ball, I think there\u2019s great options there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Who makes sense for the Cardinals at No. 16 overall?<\/p>\n

While Tannenbaum had a lot to say on Booker and his potential at the NFL level, the analyst also had a trio of cornerbacks in mind for Arizona\u2019s No. 16 overall pick if the Cardinals decide to go that route.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like Will Johnson. He didn\u2019t run (the 40-yard dash) but he\u2019s long and he\u2019s physical,\u201d Tannenbaum said. \u201cJahdae Barron, I think is a really productive player. He certainly has versatility. Maxwell Hairston from Kentucky is another guy who could run with length.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf that\u2019s the direction they want to go, I don\u2019t think they have to trade up. I think they could sit there and get a player who could come in and start.\u201d<\/p>\n

What about a wide receiver for the Cardinals in the first round?<\/p>\n

As for the Cardinals adding a wide receiver in the first round? <\/p>\n

\u201cI like (Texas\u2019 Matthew Golden). Golden to me, he ran a 4.29 at the combine and he plays that way,\u201d Tannenbaum said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I think from a Cardinals perspective, the best thing that will happen to them at wide receiver will be the improvement from Marvin Harrison Jr. I don\u2019t think Harrison had a bad year in Year 1, but young players typically have a big improvement from their first and second year.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the first time they\u2019re in an offseason program so from a Cardinals perspective, I\u2019m really excited about Marvin Harrison.\u201d<\/p>\n

Follow @Tdrake4sports<\/a><\/p>\n

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