Arizona Cardinals Mock Draft: B/R Community Top 100 and 7-Round Results

Welcome to the 2015 NFL draft week. After months of speculation, rumors and mock drafts, we’ve made it to the most exciting event of the offseason. To celebrate, the Bleacher Report featured columnists created our own mock draft for the top 100 picks.

After the top 100, it was up to each individual writer to select a realistic choice for the remaining picks. Trades weren’t allowed in this community mock draft. Potential targets and needs were heavily considered for the Arizona Cardinals in this scenario.

On offense, the Cardinals have two holes. The first is at center, and the other is at running back. Defensively, the goal was to add more talent at cornerback and edge rusher.

Let’s jump in and check out the results of the community mock. For a roster as deep and talented as the Arizona Cardinals, it was a mock draft-analyst's dream. The Cardinals have clear personnel preferences and team needs heading into 2015.

Don’t forget to leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

Round 1

Phil Sears/Associated Press

Pick	Team	Player	Position	School
1	Buccaneers	Jameis Winston	QB	Florida State
2	Titans	Marcus Mariota	QB	Oregon
3	Jaguars	Dante Fowler Jr.	DE	Florida
4	Raiders	Leonard Williams	DT	USC
5	Redskins	Brandon Scherff	OL	Iowa
6	Jets	Vic Beasley	OLB	Clemson
7	Bears	Amari Cooper	WR	Alabama
8	Falcons	Bud Dupree	DE	Kentucky
9	Giants	Kevin White	WR	West Virginia
10	Rams	Andrus Peat	OT	Stanford
11	Vikings	Marcus Peters	CB	Washington
12	Browns	DeVante Parker	WR	Louisville
13	Saints	Shane Ray	DE	Missouri
14	Dolphins	La'el Collins	OL	LSU
15	49ers	Trae Waynes	CB	Michigan State
16	Texans	Breshad Perriman	WR	UCF
17	Chargers	Danny Shelton	DT	Washington
18	Chiefs	Randy Gregory	LB	Nebraska
19	Browns	Todd Gurley	RB	Georgia
20	Eagles	Jake Fisher	OL	Oregon
21	Bengals	Landon Collins	S	Alabama
22	Steelers	Kevin Johnson	CB	Wake Forest
23	Lions	Malcom Brown	DT	Texas
24	Cardinals	Cameron Erving	OC	Florida State
25	Panthers	Ereck Flowers	OT	Miami (FL)
26	Ravens	Jaelen Strong	WR	Arizona State
27	Cowboys	Byron Jones	CB	Connecticut
28	Broncos	T.J. Clemmings	OT	Pittsburgh
29	Colts	Arik Armstead	DE	Oregon
30	Packers	Owamagbe Odighizuwa	OLB	UCLA
31	Saints	Eric Kendricks	LB	UCLA
32	Patriots	Melvin Gordon	RB	Wisconsin

The Pick: Cameron Erving, OC, Florida State

The Arizona Cardinals’ offense is close to becoming complete as long as quarterback Carson Palmer returns to full health in 2015. One position that is an eyesore entering the draft is center. A high-caliber center could elevate this offensive line from average to very good.

Enter Florida State center Cameron Erving. Erving isn’t flashy, but he is an elite center prospect. The former tackle moved to center halfway through his senior season and jump-started the Seminoles’ offense. His intelligence, length and athleticism are rare for the position.

Arizona would likely be tempted to add a running back with the 24^th overall pick, but since Georgia’s Todd Gurley is off the board, the best long-term fix is Erving. He can be a foundational piece for this offense for the next decade.

Round 2

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

Pick	Team	Player	Position	School
33	Titans	Jalen Collins	CB	LSU
34	Buccaneers	Ty Sambrailo	OL	Colorado State
35	Raiders	Nelson Agholor	WR	USC
36	Jaguars	Dorial Green-Beckham	WR	Oklahoma
37	Jets	Laken Tomlinson	OG	Duke
38	Redskins	Ameer Abdullah	RB	Nebraska
39	Bears	Eli Harold	OLB	Virginia
40	Giants	Damarious Randall	S	Arizona State
41	Rams	D.J. Humphries	OL	Florida
42	Falcons	Eric Rowe	S	Utah
43	Browns	Donovan Smith	OT	Penn State
44	Saints	Phillip Dorsett	WR	Miami (FL)
45	Vikings	Stephone Anthony	LB	Clemson
46	49ers	Preston Smith	DE	Mississippi State
47	Dolphins	Devin Funchess	WR/TE	Michigan
48	Chargers	Tevin Coleman	RB	Indiana
49	Chiefs	Eddie Goldman	DL	Florida State
50	Bills	A.J. Cann	OG	South Carolina
51	Texans	Benardrick McKinney	OLB	Mississippi State
52	Eagles	Devin Smith	WR	Ohio State
53	Bengals	Maxx Williams	TE	Minnesota
54	Lions	Duke Johnson	RB	Miami (FL)
55	Cardinals	Ronald Darby	CB	Florida State
56	Steelers	Nate Orchard	DE/LB	Utah
57	Panthers	Jay Ajayi	RB	Boise State
58	Ravens	Clive Walford	TE	Miami (FL)
59	Broncos	Grady Jarrett	DT	Clemson
60	Cowboys	T.J. Yeldon	RB	Alabama
61	Colts	Paul Dawson	LB	TCU
62	Packers	P.J. Williams	CB	Florida State
63	Seahawks	Carl Davis	DL	Iowa
64	Patriots	Tre' Jackson	OG	Florida State

The Pick: Ronald Darby, CB, Florida State

The goal wasn’t to add another player from Florida State in the second round, but the value for one of the better press cornerbacks here was too good to pass up. Cornerback Ronald Darby has the speed, length and upside to develop into a very good complement to cornerback Patrick Peterson.

Darby has some things to clean up in his game, but the second round is the right place to invest in his strengths. His ball skills need improvement for him to develop into a playmaker, as he doesn’t consistently locate the ball early in his coverage.

His length and recovery force quarterbacks to throw into tight windows. The Cardinals’ aggressive defense can prey on errant throws in those situations better than most teams because of the surrounding talent.

Round 3

Andy Manis/Associated Press

Pick	Team	Player	Position	School
65	Buccaneers	Rashad Greene	WR	Florida State
66	Titans	Cedric Ogbuehi	OT	Texas A&M
67	Jaguars	Jeremy Langford	RB	Michigan State
68	Raiders	Ali Marpet	OG	Hobart College
69	Redskins	Danielle Hunter	DE	LSU
70	Jets	Tre McBride	WR	William & Mary
71	Bears	Jaquiski Tartt	S	Samford
72	Rams	Sammie Coates	WR	Auburn
73	Falcons	Mitch Morse	OG	Missouri
74	Giants	Rob Havenstein	OT	Wisconsin
75	Saints	D'Joun Smith	CB	Florida Atlantic
76	Vikings	Shaq Thompson	OLB	Washington
77	Browns	Jordan Phillips	DT	Oklahoma
78	Saints	John Miller	OG	Louisville
79	49ers	Denzel Perryman	ILB	Miami (FL)
80	Chiefs	Tyler Lockett	WR	Kansas State
81	Bills	Bryce Petty	QB	Baylor
82	Texans	Doran Grant	CB	Ohio State
83	Chargers	Hau'oli Kikaha	OLB	Washington
84	Eagles	Quinten Rollins	CB	Miami (OH)
85	Bengals	Za'Darius Smith	DE	Kentucky
86	Cardinals	David Cobb	RB	Minnesota
87	Steelers	Jeff Heuerman	TE	Ohio State
88	Lions	Josh Shaw	CB	USC
89	Panthers	Michael Bennett	DT	Ohio State
90	Ravens	Derron Smith	SS	Fresno State
91	Cowboys	Trey Flowers	DE	Arkansas
92	Broncos	Henry Anderson	DE	Stanford
93	Colts	Mike Davis	RB	South Carolina
94	Packers	Brett Hundley	QB	UCLA
95	Seahawks	Alex Carter	CB	Stanford
96	Patriots	Kenny Bell	WR	Nebraska
97	Patriots	Ifo Ekpre-Olomu	CB	Oregon
98	Chiefs	Senquez Golson	CB	Ole Miss
99	Bengals	Steven Nelson	CB	Oregon State
*100	Titans	Nick O'Leary	TE	Florida State

 *First pick of Round 4.

The Pick: David Cobb, RB, Minnesota

Instead of drafting a running back this high, the Cardinals would be wise to get the best value possible. Pairing Minnesota running back David Cobb with Andre Ellington would create a dynamic duo. Cobb is a punishing runner who would thrive in Arizona’s power scheme.

Cobb isn’t flashy, but he’s effective. He’s more quick than fast, and he always seems to fall forward through contact. His ability to pass block is another major plus that can help him get on the field as a rookie.

Round 4

David Goldman/Associated Press

The Pick: Anthony Chickillo, Edge, Miami

One of the best values left on the board is Miami edge rusher Anthony Chickillo. Chickillo was miscast as a 5-technique in Miami’s 3-4 front, but when he was allowed to come off the edge as a pass rusher, he showed good burst and power. His NFL combine performance showed his developmental promise as a rushing outside linebacker.

The Cardinals are one of the most qualified teams to work with Chickillo. He can enter the game in nickel packages and use his speed and length to get into the backfield. For a Day 3 pick, that’s a solid return on investment while he develops the rest of his pass rush arsenal.

Round 5

Danny Johnston/Associated Press

The Pick: Martrell Spaight, LB, Arkansas

Arizona seems cautiously optimistic about their inside linebacker core of Sean Weatherspoon and Kevin Minter. To protect against an injury to Weatherspoon or slow development by Minter, adding another young linebacker would be wise. Arkansas linebacker Martrell Spaight would inject a physical yet athletic presence to compete on special teams and provide spot-start talent.

Spaight was a standout run defender in the SEC. His senior season featured 128 tackles and 10.5 for loss. He doesn’t have elite size, standing 6’0” and 236 pounds, but he’s tough and will endear himself to the coaching staff.

Round 6

Scott Halleran/Getty Images

The Pick: Joey Mbu, DT, Houston

This late in the draft, it’s time to roll the dice on some upside players who can fulfill specific roles in limited snaps. Houston defensive tackle Joey Mbu is exactly that type of player. The run-stuffer lacks any real pass rush skills right now, but he is stout in the middle of a defense and willing to eat blocks for his teammates.

Mbu was a stud at the 2015 Senior Bowl. His willingness and ability to take coaching was apparent throughout the week. His desire to improve and high character are traits that head coach Bruce Arians loves from his players.

Round 7

Stephen B. Morton/Associated Press

The Pick: Chris Bonner, QB, Colorado State-Pueblo

Selecting a developmental quarterback in the seventh round rarely pays off, but Colorado State-Pueblo’s Chris Bonner has the physical tools worth taking a flier on. Bonner has elite size (6’7”, 225 lbs), a cannon for a right arm and solid accuracy.

Behind Palmer and Logan Thomas, Bonner is a low-risk, high-upside player to have on the practice squad or roster. Instead of fighting other teams after the draft for undrafted free agents, selecting a player in the seventh round can be wise. Teams can save themselves a little extra work by securing a player's rights in the draft. Bonner is worth that step to ensure his rights.

Round 7

Mark Duncan/Associated Press

The Pick: Darryl Baldwin, OT, Ohio State

A key player for the Ohio State Buckeyes’ title run in 2014, right tackle Darryl Baldwin is a very intriguing prospect. At 6’6” and 305 pounds, Baldwin is a great athlete still learning the position. He was once a defensive lineman, before the Buckeyes saw his run blocking potential.

Baldwin can be groomed into a swing tackle or even a guard for the Cardinals. He has great natural length and nastiness to his game. His pass-blocking abilities aren’t up to NFL standards yet, but this is a great developmental pick.

All stats used are from sports-reference.com