How can the Cardinals assure that they will be able to draft their next highly coveted Buckeye?
Arizona Cardinas’ GM Monti Ossenfort said this week that the team’s board is 95% finished and that in the days leading up to the draft he and the draft team will be conducting a number of mocks.
If my hunch that Justin Frye has been pounding the table for his highly versatile guard/tackle All-Star, Donovan Jackson, then much of the focus on Monti’s mocks is going to be how they can maneuver the pick.
I believe that Brock Huard is right on the money in his evaluation of Jackson. It’s a great video. Please have a look:
Here the thing —- while Donovan Jackson is not likely a top 16 pick —- the odds of him be available at pick #47 are pretty low, in my opinion.
Therefore, if Monti wants very much to accommodate his new offensive line coach, then he likely has two choices:
- Trade down from #16 and wherever the first pick is —- take Donovan Jackson right then and there and you have him potentially at LG beside PJJ for 5 years.
2. Trade up from #47 to maneuver the pick.
Donovan Jackson is the main reason, in my opinion, for Monti wanting to trade down from #16, because he can then package #47 pick and whatever Day 2 pick he acquires in the trade down from #16, to then move up in round 2 to where the Donovan Jackson pick can be made.
I acquired the Bengals’ 1st and 3rd round picks for pick #16 and then packaged their 3rd round pick #81 with our 2nd round pick at #47 to acquire the Saints’ pick at #40.
Kenneth Grant and Jalon Walker were off the board. Thus, my hunch is that Monti would take LB Jihaad Campbell at pick #17 in a close call over DT Walter Nolen.
Note: Donovan Jackson is ranked #39 on PFN’s board. He’s #48 on PFF’s.
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