Getty This shutdown CB goes to the Cardinals in PFF's mock draft.
Cornerback is one position the Arizona Cardinals can’t afford to ignore this offseason. Not after the defense allowed 30 touchdowns in 2021, the fourth-highest tally surrendered in the NFL this season.
The Cards need a shutdown cornerback, but general manager Steve Keim likely won’t have the space under the salary cap to acquire one in free agency. He’d be better served trying to find coverage help in this year’s draft.
A leading analytics site believes the Cards can land a cornerback with the 23rd-overall pick who would instantly improve their ability to play man coverage in coordinator Vance Joseph’s defense.
Florida Ace Excels in Man Coverage
The cover man in question is Florida’s Kaiir Elam. He excels playing the type of coverage the Cardinals were weakest in this season, according to Pro Football Focus’ Seth Galina: “One of the worst cornerback rooms in man coverage desperately needs an infusion of talent, as Cardinals cornerbacks were 31st in the league in Cover 1 coverage grade (29.6) last season. Elam allowed just eight catches on 210 Cover 1 coverage snaps in his career.”
Elam cemented his excellence during a superb final season with the Gators. He logged 1.5 tackles for loss, snared an interception and broke up five passes in 10 games, per Sports Reference.
The numbers aren’t eye-popping, but as PFF Draft detailed, Elam ultimately succeeded in encouraging quarterbacks to throw away from him:
Kaiir Elam is going to make an NFL team’s defensive coordinator VERY happy 🐊
Elam has the kind of shutdown skills the Cardinals need to combat the dynamic passing attacks in the NFC West. The division is loaded with gifted wide receivers like Los Angeles Rams‘ star Cooper Kupp, San Francisco 49ers‘ ace Deebo Samuel and Seattle Seahawks duo DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett.
It’s become obvious the Cards aren’t equipped to keep this calibre of playmakers on the outside quiet.
Arizona Defense Lacks Talent on the Corners
There’s no mystery as to why the Cardinals are overmatched against the best wideouts in football. The problem didn’t only show up against the best quarterbacks and supporting casts in the league.
Arizona’s pass defense was even picked apart by Jared Goff when the Detroit Lions produced an upset win in Week 15. As PFF pointed out, Goff was allowed to be almost note-perfect on his way to a three-touchdown performance:
Jospeh’s defense simply lacks the elite level of talent needed at the cornerback position. Byron Murphy and Marco Wilson both struggled to meet expectations as the main starters. Meanwhile, veteran Robert Alford is accomplished, but he struggled to see the field in 2021, making just five starts.
Alford and fellow corner Antonio Hamilton are among the team’s pending free agents. Keim might not be in a rush to bring either back when the Cards are projected to be $813,256 above the cap, according to OverTheCap.com.
The issue is compounded by Alford being 33 and having ended 2021 on injured reserve. He was also on IR for all of the 2019 and ’20 campaigns.
Alford can’t be relied upon, while Kevin Peterson also toiled through a campaign decimated by injuries. Peterson only appeared in a mere four games but failed to catch the eye when he played.
The Cardinals need to add a cornerback able to thrive in one-on-one matchups against the marquee receivers on the schedule. Joseph’s defense is still going to feature plenty of man-coverage concepts, so a defensive back with Elam’s skill-set would be a steal late in the opening round.