• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Phoenix Sports Today

Phoenix Sports News Continuously Updated

  • Cardinals
  • Diamondbacks
  • Coyotes
  • Basketball
    • Mercury
    • Suns
  • Soccer
  • Colleges
    • Arizona State
    • Grand Canyon University
    • Northern Arizona
    • University of Arizona

Cardinals OL Kelvin Beachum cracks ESPN’s underrated list

August 29, 2021 by ArizonaSports.com - 98.7 FM



The Arizona Cardinals have just one question to answer at right guard in terms of shoring up the starting offensive line in 2021.

They also have one of the most underrated players in the league in right tackle Kelvin Beachum, according to ESPN’s Seth Walder and Matt Bowen.

Walder compiled 10 players, both overrated and underrated, across the NFL based solely on advanced statistics gathered. Bowen came at it from a different angle, taking a look at said players’ game film.

Especially for what the lineman makes, Walder has Beachum firmly in the underrated discussion.

Beachum has finished in the top 16 in pass block win rate in each of the past three seasons — and across two teams (Jets and Cardinals). His run blocking was below average in 2018 and 2019, but he flew all the way up to No. 2 in run block win rate last season. Even if the run blocking last year were a fluke, a reliable pass-blocking tackle is awfully valuable. And yet, Beachum received just a two-year, $4 million contract from the Cardinals.

RELATED STORIES
  • Hurricane Ida cancels Cardinals-Saints preseason finale

  • ‘Cardinals Flight Plan’ provides inside look to 2021 training camp

  • Cardinals’ Zaven Collins sees jump in NFL acumen as training camp wraps

Beachum joined Arizona in 2020 after spending the previous three seasons with the New York Jets. Arizona quickly slotted Beachum in as the team’s starting right tackle, taking over for Justin Murray, who started at the position in 2019.

Since then, the Cardinals offensive line has taken a step forward with additions like Beachum in the mix. After allowing 48 sacks in 2019, the line cut that number down significantly to 27 last season. The running game also benefitted from the line’s improvement, with former starting running back Kenyan Drake nearly topping 1,000 yards last season and quarterback Kyler Murray chipping in more than 800 yards. The duo combined for 21 rushing scores.

Per Pro Football Focus, Beachum came in 46th among NFL tackles last season with a grade of 69. His pass-blocking grade of 76.8 came in at 29th, while he sported a 59 in run-blocking.

Bowen’s takeaway from Beachum’s tape shows a correlation with PFF’s ranking:

Beachum is a mid-tier starter at the offensive tackle position, who, as you noted here, does give you a boost in pass protection. While he can be a “waist bender,” Beachum displays the athletic traits to mirror and redirect in space, which are necessary tools when facing today’s NFL edge rushers.

But in terms of the run blocking, I have to question that a little bit. You say the metrics view Beachum as a plus run-blocker, but that doesn’t mesh consistently with the tape.

Follow @AZSports

Filed Under: Cardinals

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • Diamondbacks Gameday Thread, #92: 7/8 @ Padres
  • Diamondbacks Reacts Survey: Who’s the first half MVP?
  • 2025 NFC West player, position group rankings
  • Jalen Williams received nearly 30 painkilling shots during playoffs
  • The Durant era is over in Phoenix and Booker’s quiet farewell said everything

Categories

Archives

Our Partners

All Sports

  • 247 Sports
  • ArizonaSports.com - 98.7 FM
  • Bleacher Report
  • Heat Waved
  • OurSports Central
  • The Arizona Republic
  • The Sports Fan Journal
  • USA Today

Baseball

  • Arizona Diamondbacks
  • AZ Snake Pit
  • Last Word On Baseball
  • MLB Trade Rumors
  • Venom Strikes

Basketball

  • Phoenix Suns
  • Amico Hoops
  • Basketball Insiders
  • Bright Side Of The Sun
  • High Post Hoops
  • Hoops Hype
  • Hoops Rumors
  • Last Word On Pro Basketball
  • Pro Basketball Talk
  • Real GM
  • Valley Of The Suns

Football

  • Arizona Cardinals
  • Cardinals Gab
  • Cards Wire
  • Deep Dive
  • Last Word On Pro Football
  • NFL Trade Rumors
  • Our Turf Football
  • Pro Football Rumors
  • Pro Football Talk
  • Raising Zona
  • Revenge Of The Birds
  • Words From The Birds

Hockey

  • Elite Prospects
  • Five For Howling
  • Howlin Hockey
  • Last Word On Hockey
  • Pro Hockey Rumors
  • Pro Hockey Talk
  • The Hockey Writers

Soccer

  • Last Word on Soccer
  • MLS Multiplex

College

  • AZ Desert Swarm
  • Busting Brackets
  • College Football News
  • College Sports Madness
  • Devils In Detail
  • House Of Sparky
  • Last Word On College Basketball - Univ of Arizona
  • Saturday Blitz
  • Zags Blog
  • Zona Zealots

Copyright © 2025 · Magazine Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in