Cardinals Pick Hakeem Butler in Round 4; Joins Kyler Murray to End Draft Slide

Hakeem Butler only eclipsed 1,000 yards receiving once at Iowa State.

The Arizona Cardinals will hope he has a lot more in store on Sundays, as they selected Butler with the No. 103 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft on Saturday.

Butler, a 6'5", 227-pound deep threat, recorded 60 receptions for 1,318 yards and nine touchdowns in 2018 on his way to second-team All-Big 12 honors. He showed marked improvement in each of his collegiate seasons, going from seldom-used redshirt freshman to the Cyclones' leading receiver as a junior.

Hakeem Butler NFL Draft 2019: Scouting Report, Grade for Cardinals Rookie

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Once a relatively unheralded prospect—Butler arrived at Iowa State as a lightly recruited 2-star prospect who wasn't even in the top 2,000 players in his high school class—his game caught the attention of Calvin Johnson, who worked with him during the predraft process.

"It was a surreal experience," Butler told reporters. "Calvin Johnson, I had to keep my cool at first, you want to fangirl a little bit. Someone I watched growing up. I kept my cool. I don't think he knows every word he gives to me, I'm hanging on it. It means a great deal to me. I hang on every word."

Butler arrives in Arizona with some concerns, which may have caused his slide into Round 4. While he ran a 4.48-second time in his 40-yard dash at the combine, Butler's not the quickest receiver out of the gate and struggled with drops during his time at Iowa State. A lot of his work was done down the field, but too often he did not take advantage enough of his size over defensive backs.

Arizona will hope he comes along quickly and joins a receiving corps that includes Larry Fitzgerald, Christian Kirk and rookie Andy Isabella, who the Cardinals took in the second round. They'll all be catching passes from reigning Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray, the draft's No. 1 overall selection.