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2021 NFL Draft: Cardinals defense will be scary good with Zaven Collins

By Chris Peterson

TAMPA, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 23: Zaven Collins #23 of the Tulsa Golden Hurricane runs in a touchdown after intercepting a pass thrown by Noah Johnson #0 of the South Florida Bulls during the second half at Raymond James Stadium on October 23, 2020 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 23: Zaven Collins #23 of the Tulsa Golden Hurricane runs in a touchdown after intercepting a pass thrown by Noah Johnson #0 of the South Florida Bulls during the second half at Raymond James Stadium on October 23, 2020 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) /
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After a run on offensive lineman, the Arizona Cardinals added a versatile defender in Tulsa outside linebacker Zaven Collins.

The Arizona Cardinals may have been hoping for some offensive line help, but instead, they might have landed one of the most versatile defenders in the 2021 NFL draft by selecting Zaven Collins with the 16th overall pick.

Collins is a beast of a man at 6-foot-5, 260 pounds. That’s certainly the type of size you want for an edge rusher but Collins went this early in the draft because he can do some other things too.

The important thing to remember is that the draft is about making projections. Collins, who played quarterback and defensvie back in high school, had four sacks and four interceptions last season, as well as 7.5 tackles for loss. He also scored two defensive touchdowns.

In today’s NFL, you need guys who can do multiple things and Collins is going to provide a lot of value to the Cardinals because he can do a lot of different things defensively, sort of like Jamie Collins.

Arizona already has one of the best pass-rushing tandems in the NFL with J.J. Watt joining Chandler Jones and now with Collins being added to the mix, the Cardinals are going to open up a whole new world of possibilites on defense.

Attacking the quarterback is how you play defense

As the Tampa Bay Bucs showed during their run to the Super Bowl, a dominant defensive line can really put a team over the top and the best way to stop elite quarterbacks, is by punching them in the mouth.

The fact that Collins might also have the ability to match-up with guys like Greg Kittle also played into the thinking behind this pick. Offenses have added a lot of unique players and defenses are starting to catch up with players like Collins, who can impact the game as an edge rusher or in coverage.

That’s why I like this pick for Arizona. Kyler Murray and company will score points, but you need a high-level defense to win in the playoffs and Collins can be part of that.

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