Arizona Cardinals Mock Draft: Cardinals Net Impressive #MockThree Haul

As GM of the Arizona Cardinals for the Twitter NFL mock draft “#MockThree,” my hope was to draft the best players available while helping fill holes the Cardinals have on the roster.

There were three others in the war room with me—Michael Oliver (@BigMikeOliver), Kent Hodder (@KentHodder) and Eric Judd (@EricJuddTSHQ). Two of the three took part in #MockOne (Judd) and #MockTwo (Oliver), respectively, and all were a big help in deciding on prospects to add.

MockOne.net was started by Brandon Nall (@Empulse) in March of 2011 as a way for NFL draft fans to participate in mock drafts. All you need is a Twitter account and a love for the NFL and its annual draft to participate. For the chance to take part in #MockFour, sign up here.

Now, for the Cardinals' haul in #MockThree.

Round 1.07: Chance Warmack, OG, Alabama

This was an easy pick for the Cardinals’ war room.

There was much debate initially about trading down, but as soon as Geno Smith went No. 6 to Cleveland, it was sealed. Arizona gets the best interior lineman in the draft—a potential Steve Hutchinson-type mauler who projects to start at right guard immediately.

He will replace the much-maligned Adam Snyder, who, for some reason, was thrown $17.5 million over five years by the last regime despite consistently grading out as one of the worst guards in the league.

Round 2.06: Kevin Minter, ILB, Louisiana State

LSU’s Kevin Minter is one of the best linebackers in the 2013 draft.

At inside linebacker, he has the ability to play immediately next to Daryl Washington. The two have the potential to become one of the better young inside-linebacking tandems in football.

Washington could be the fastest middle man in the league, and his pass-rushing prowess beside the run-stuffing Minter was too good to pass up. Minter could easily have gone in Round 1, so to get him here was a no-brainer.

Round 3.07: Matt Barkley, QB, Southern California

The third time is the charm for Matt Barkley and the Cardinals—we passed on him twice to add value in Warmack and Minter.

But the former USC signal-caller kept falling.

Despite nearly striking a deal to move out of the No. 69 spot to add later picks, we decided Barkley was perfect in the third and could be good in Bruce Arians’ offense.

It’s not that Barkley fits perfectly into what Arians wants to do—rather it's that Arians’ offense has the ability to mesh perfectly with what Barkley can do.

Speculation suggests his arm could be stronger than before following shoulder surgery to repair a Grade 3 shoulder separation. While that remains to be seen, Barkley’s arm strength is not a major concern to Arizona in Round 3.

Round 4.06: Quanterus Smith, DE/OLB, Western Kentucky

A torn ACL sidelined Quanterus Smith before he could lead the FBS in sacks in 2012, and that injury has some mock-draft experts leery of placing him in the top 100 players.

Not us.

Once Smith can get on the field, he could develop into one of the best and most productive pass-rushers of his class.

Outside linebacker Sam Acho has not yet produced at the level expected of him. On the other side, O’Brien Schofield has been a disappointment—a season-ending ankle injury prematurely cut short what was a very mediocre year.

Smith can play either side of the line of scrimmage, and he will give the Cardinals the ferocious pass-rusher they need to take the next step defensively.

Pick 5.07: Le’Veon Bell, RB, Michigan State

Le'Veon Bell is gaining popularity within NFL scouting circles. According to Bucky Brooks of NFL.com, some scouts are calling Bell the best running back in the 2013 draft, "and it's not even close."

That made this Round 5 pick an easy one for the Cardinals' war room.

With oft-injured Beanie Wells and Ryan Williams on the roster, a bit of insurance comes by way of the 6'2", 244-pound Bell. He's a bruising runner who leaves a trail of battered bodies in his wake.

He was relatively unused in his first two seasons at Michigan State, but he led the FBS with 382 carries as a junior. That no doubt scares some people, but his 671 total carries in college shouldn't worry anyone. He's a relatively low-mileage back with solid upside.

Note: This pick was made before Beanie Wells was released by the team the day before NFL free agency began. This pick is even better now that he is not on the roster.

Pick 5.24: Cobi Hamilton, WR, Arkansas

The war room is pretty excited that Cobi Hamilton was around at the bottom of Round 5.

We traded our sixth-round picks (No. 164 and 166) to the Chicago Bears for their fifth-round pick (No. 150) and seventh-round pick (No. 206).

Hamilton is big enough at 6'2" to run routes effectively over the middle. At 191 pounds, he has enough speed to beat corners deep. He led the SEC with 1,335 receiving yards and was second with 90 receptions. He will challenge LaRon Byrd for the No. 4 receiver spot.

Round 7.16: Quinn Sharp, K/P, Oklahoma State

Quinn Sharp finished in the top 10 in the nation in both punting and kicking the last two seasons at Oklahoma State. He has plenty of leg and can boot field goals from 50-plus with ease.

As a punter, he has a knack for pinning teams deep within their own territory, flipping field position for his team. Kicker Jay Feely and punter Dave Zastudil are both well into their NFL careers and don't have much time remaining to be productive.

Sharp can fill in for either player when needed and can take over for both eventually. Punter/kicker combinations are rare in the league anymore, but if anyone can do it, it is Sharp.