NFL Draft 2020: Grading every pick for the Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals are quietly building something special in the desert. Their 2020 Draft class should help them claw even closer to postseason contention.

For the second straight season, Kliff Kingsbury, Steve Keim and the Arizona Cardinals dominated the NFL Draft.

Their 2020 draft class helped patch holes in their young defense while also filling their biggest need on the offensive side of the ball.

Here’s a grade for all six of Arizona’s draft picks.

Round 1, Isaiah Simmons: A

With the eighth overall pick in the draft, the Cardinals selected a jack of all trades in Clemson‘s Isaiah Simmons. He can do it all on defense as he can play both middle linebacker and safety at an elite level.

In Arizona, Simmons can be paired with veteran Jordan Hicks in the Cards 3-4 defense or create an elite safety duo with Budda Baker. This pick allows Arizona to get much more creative on defense, which will come in handy against the Seahawks and 49ers twice a year.

Round 3, Josh Jones: A+

The Cardinals found one of round three’s biggest steals in Houston offensive tackle Josh Jones. He was by projected to be a first-round selection by after earning second-team All-American Athletic Conference honors in 2019. The 6-foot-7, 310-pound offensive tackle has size nobody can teach. He has the potential to be a plug and play guy for a Cardinals offensive line that must do a better job at protecting Kyler Murray.

Round 4, Leki Fotu: B+

Arizona used their fourth round pick to help beef up their defensive front with Utah‘s Leki Fotu. The defensive lineman racked up 17 carer sacks in four seasons in Salt Lake City. He should rotate in the middle of Arizona’s defensive line with veteran Corey Peters. While this wasn’t a massive need for the Cardinals, Fotu is a solid depth piece.

Round 5, Rashard Lawrence: B

The Cardinals’ fifth-round selection of LSU‘s Rashard Lawerence has the potential to be great. He earned second-team All-SEC honors in 2019 after recording 28 total tackles and 2.5 sacks to help lead the Tigers to a national championship.

While Lawerence should develop into a decent pro the fit in Arizona is questionable. The Cardinals play a 3-4 defense and already have Peters and drafted Fotu round four. Thus, it seems Lawerence was a best player available more than filling need. It’s OK to pick that way, but the grade won’t be as high because he doesn’t necessarily make the team better.

Round 6, Evan Weaver: A

Arizona picked up a tackle machine with the selection of California middle linebacker Evan Weaver. He was named a unanimous All-American and the Pac-12 defensive player of the year in 2019 after recording 181 total tackles and 2.5 sacks while forcing two fumbles. Weaver will provide Arizona with a third middle linebacker to slide in for Simmons and Hicks while also improving the teams’ kick coverage on special teams.

Round 7, Eno Benjamin: A+

The Cardinals kept things local with their seventh-round steal of Arizona State running back Eno Benjamin. He ran for 2,867 yards in three seasons with the Sun Devils, including a career-high 1,642 in 2018. Last season the 5-foot-10 back ran for 1,083 yards and 10 touchdowns while also hauling in a career-high 347 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

With David Johnson gone, Benjamin gives Arizona a quality pass-catcher in the backfield and potential kick return option as he returned nine kicks for the Sun Devils in 2017.