M’m! M’m! Good! Cardinals Mock!

How excited would you be with this draft?

The 2025 NFL Draft commences from Lambeau Field, Wisconsin, three weeks from today, baby!

Which in this week’s Thursday mock, still beaming about the Cardinals’ acquisition of DE Calias Campbell, I am now feeling a tenacious hunger to slurp up a double dose of Campbells this week.

Now, I would still be elated to see the Cardinals select Michigan’s Kenneth Walker, my favorite nose tackle and defensive tone setter in this draft, I am struggling with what the Cardinals’ plans are at inside linebacker.

Before going to bed last night, I saw this tweet regarding 2025 starters on defense from Johnny Venerable:

I think this tweet was nagging at me all night. Because if this is indeed JG’s and Nick Rallis’ plan, I think it’s inherently flawed. The three veteran players whom I believe do not belong as starters for the team’s 1st string defense are:

1. Mack Wilson Sr. at MIKE. First of all, if the Cardinals are serious about improving the poor coverage issues they had at the inside linebacker positions, then Mack Wilson Sr. is not the MIKE the team needs. One statistic that rules him out is his 4.71 speed. What Mack is great at is blitzing from all angles of the defense. Therefore, he can help the team most as nickel LB. His run defense (68.5) was solid last season while collecting 75 tackles (44 solo), but his tackling (60.7) was inconsistent because of a 13.9% missed tackle percentage. His pass coverage (56.8) was below average.

Maybe I have been incorrect in assuming that the Cardinals signed Akeem Davis-Gaither to a 2-year $10M contract with $5m guaranteed to be the new MIKE. While AKD played fairly well as the Bengals’ starting MIKE the last several games of the season, his 2025 grades on 535 defensive snaps are underwhelming: Overall: 53.0; Run defense: 59.0; Tackling: 60.6; Coverage: 57.5. He does however seem to have good ball hawking instincts in pass coverage over the middle. But is he a bona fide starting MIKE linebacker? He runs a 4.65.

2. Sean Murphy-Bunting at starting RCB. Please no. Elijah Jones is more talented. Starling Thomas V is more talented. Max Melton is more talented. Kei’Trel Clark is more of a dawg.

3. Jalen Thompson as starting FS. This one is tough because of JT’s solid history with the Cardinals, but he is an above average SS who does not have the range and ball hawking instincts to be a reliable force at FS. Dadrion Taylor-Demerson is by far the most gifted FS on the roster.

Athleticism Grades (NextGen stats) —- Size —- 40 time:

• Jihaad Campbell —- 82 —- 6’3” 235 —- 4.52
• Akeem Davis-Gather —- 72 —- 6’2” 224 —- 4.65
• Mack Wilson Sr. —- 70 —- 6’1” 240 —- 4.71

My NFL player comp for Jihaad Campbell is Fred Warner. And with the 49ers missing out on re-signing Dre Greenlaw, it would not at all be a surprise to see them take Jihaad Campbell at #11.

Therefore, this morning when I hopped on the Mock Draft Simulators at PFF and PFN, when I saw that Alabama MIKE Jihaad Campbell was available, I felt compelled to make him our pick.

From PFF’s Big Board:

2025 NFL Draft: Player comps, strengths and weaknesses for PFF’s top 100 players

10. LB Jihaad Campbell, Alabama

Player comp: Benardrick McKinney

Strengths

Ideal size and length for an off-ball backer at the NFL level

Long strides make pursuit a breeze

Viable speed-rush option as a pass-rushing OLB

Long arms for batted passes and pass breakups

Low missed tackle percentage

Very slippery between and around blockers

Weaknesses

Anticipation is still a tick slow for where the ball is going

Still developing that “feel” in coverage — he has to see it to make a play on it right now

Could play with a bit more urgency/at a higher speed

Has a tendency to aim high when tackling

Pick #16: Jihaad Campbell, MLB, Alabama

2-Minute Drill Video:

Cardinals M’m! M’m! Good! Mock:

• Campbell —- starter at MIKE day 1
• Jackson —- rotation at 34 DE who gives Cards 3 very good young DIs (with Dante Stills and Darius Robinson)
• Trapilo —- RTOF who could be a factor at LG or RG as well
• Oladejo —- situational edge rusher with huge upside
• Caldwell —- much needed depth at NT
• TeSlaa —- shades of Puke Nacua
• Rourke —- imo most under-rated QB in the draft, played with an ACL all last year and led Indiana to a #10 ranking. Passed for 3,042 yards at 69.4%, big-time 9.4 average per attempt, 29 TDs, 5 int, 176-0 RTG

Other Top MLBs in 2025 Class:

If for whatever reason, Jihaad Campbell is not the Cardinals’ pick at #16, there are some very good Day 2 MIKE prospects to consider:

33. LB Demetrius Knight Jr., South Carolina

Player comp: Bobby Okereke

Strengths

Adequate size for off-ball LB work

Loves the physical aspect of playing LB

Competitive toughness will never be in question

Long arms to stack and shed

Strong tackler with a low missed tackle percentages

Fast processor

Very good athlete for the position — explosive first step, great top speed and a natural lateral mover

Fast hands give him some decent pass rush potential as a blitzer

Weaknesses

All-out play style yields overaggressive angles to the ball

Will be one of the oldest prospects in the class

52. LB Carson Schwesinger, UCLA

Player comp: Payton Wilson

Strengths

Going 100% at all times

Good wiggle/flexibility as a blitzer/pass-rusher

Very quick processor with the acceleration to pounce

Pursuit speed and vision are NFL-caliber

Quick, controlled footwork to not bite versus misdirection/play action

Consistently has his shoulders square to the ball/defenders

Is not shy for physical play despite lower weight profile

Consistent wrap-up effort and discipline

Very slippery between blockers

Weaknesses

Lighter weight does get him in trouble against pullers/climbing OL

Doesn’t have a lot of body density, so he has to wrap up to bring players down

75. LB Chris Paul Jr., Mississippi

Player comp: Daiyan Henley

Strengths

Fluid athlete. Allows him to make plays sideline-to-sideline and stick with RBs/TEs in man coverage

Outstanding tackler. Only missed 6.2% of attempts since 2023

Weapon as a blitzer. Explosive downhill

Excellent communicator pre-and-post snap. Was the QB of Ole Miss’ defense

Weaknesses

Very undersized. Weight is in the second percentile for position, while arm length is in the first percentile.

His lack of size shows up when attempting to shed blocks. Gets washed out of plays by offensive linemen and even tight ends.

He is not as good in tight spaces as he is in the open field.

ROTB Poll:

How did you vote and why?