Our annual 2011 NFL Mock Draft, with picks made by each of SB Nation's NFL team bloggers, is in full swing. The latest pick in to the podium: the Arizona Cardinals, at No. 38 overall.
With the 38th overall pick in the 2011 SB Nation NFL Writers Mock Draft, the Arizona Cardinals select Martez Wilson, inside linebacker, Illinois.
Jess Root of RevengeOfTheBirds.com explains the choice, and our own Dan Kadar reacts to it, after the jump. Make sure you're grading this pick for the Cardinals, and checking out Revenge of the Birds for all of your Cardinals needs.
Jess Root explains: After selecting Cam Newton in the first round to address their quarterback need, the Cardinals seek to improve their linebacker corps. Ideally they could grab a potentially elite pass rusher, but these players have mostly already been taken. Brooks Reed would have been nice, but he is long gone. Instead, they go with a player with versatility to play inside or outside linebacker.
Wilson played inside at Illinois, but is projected to perhaps be an even better 3-4 OLB. He has been compared to former Cardinal Karlos Dansby. He is incredibly fast, posting great measurables, showing athleticism that rivals Von Miller and Dontay Moch (who is considered quite raw). The Cardinals need help on the outside in their pass rush, but also miss a presence inside. Adding him to a corps of Daryl Washington and O’Brien Schofield would give Arizona perhaps the fastest group of linebackers in the league. The great thing about Wilson’s versatility is that wherever he is able to show greater potential (inside or out), he will be able to fill a great need.
Dan Kadar reacts: There's not a lot to dislike with this pick. Wilson fills an obvious need and somewhere around here is his proper draft value. At this point in the draft process he's flying under the radar some, but he has a chance to be a very good player. At Illinois, I think he only showed a glimpse of how good he can be. [Martez Wilson Scouting Report]
With that, the Tennessee Titans - and our friends at Music City Miracles - are now on the clock.
Mocking the Draft's Top 5 Remaining Prospects
OVR | Name | Pos. | College | Report |
15 | Mikel Leshoure | RB | Illinois | scouting report |
20 | Jon Baldwin | WR | Pittsburgh | scouting report |
24 | Brandon Harris | CB | Miami (FL) | scouting report |
27 | Kyle Rudolph | TE | Notre Dame | scouting report |
28 | Aaron Williams | CB | Texas | scouting report |
2011 SB Nation NFL Writers' Mock Draft - RESULTS
Rd. | No. | Team | Player | Pos. | College | Link |
1 | 1 | Carolina Panthers | Blaine Gabbert | QB | Missouri | story |
2 | Denver Broncos | Von Miller | OLB | Texas A&M | story | |
3 | Buffalo Bills | Patrick Peterson | CB | LSU | story | |
4 | Cincinnati Bengals | A.J. Green | WR | Georgia | story | |
5 | Arizona Cardinals | Cam Newton | QB | Auburn | story | |
6 | Cleveland Browns | Marcell Dareus | DT | Alabama | story | |
7 | San Francisco 49ers | Prince Amukamara | CB | Nebraska | story | |
8 | Tennessee Titans | Nick Fairley | DT | Auburn | story | |
9 | Dallas Cowboys | Tyron Smith | OT | USC | story | |
10 | Washington Redskins | Robert Quinn | DE | North Carolina | story | |
11 | Houston Texans | Julio Jones | WR | Alabama | story | |
12 | Minnesota Vikings | J.J. Watt | DE | Wisconsin | story | |
13 | Detroit Lions | Da'Quan Bowers | DE | Clemson | story | |
14 | St. Louis Rams | Corey Liuget | DT | Illinois | story | |
15 | Miami Dolphins | Mark Ingram | RB | Alabama | story | |
16 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Christian Ponder | QB | Florida State | story | |
17 | New England Patriots | Gabe Carimi | OT | Wisconsin | story | |
18 | San Diego Chargers | Cameron Jordan | DE | California | story | |
19 | New York Giants | Mike Pouncey | G/C | Florida | story | |
20 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Ryan Kerrigan | DE | Purdue | story | |
21 | Kansas City Chiefs | Phil Taylor | DT | Baylor | story | |
22 | Indianapolis Colts | Anthony Castonzo | OT | Boston College | story | |
23 | Philadelphia Eagles | Jimmy Smith | CB | Colorado | story | |
24 | New Orleans Saints | Muhammad Wilkerson | DT | Temple | story | |
25 | Seattle Seahawks | Ryan Mallett | QB | Arkansas | story | |
26 | Baltimore Ravens | Aldon Smith | DE | Missouri | story | |
27 | Atlanta Falcons | Justin Houston | DE | Georgia | story | |
28 | New England Patriots | Cameron Heyward | DE | Ohio State | story | |
29 | Chicago Bears | Stephen Paea | DT | Oregon State | story | |
30 | New York Jets | Akeem Ayers | OLB | UCLA | story | |
31 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Nate Solder | OT | Colorado | story | |
32 | Green Bay Packers | Derek Sherrod | OT | Mississippi State | story | |
2 | 33 | New England Patriots | Brooks Reed | DE | Arizona | story |
34 | Buffalo Bills | Jake Locker | QB | Washington | story | |
35 | Cincinnati Bengals | Andy Dalton | QB | TCU | story | |
36 | Denver Broncos | Marvin Austin | DT | North Carolina | story | |
37 | Cleveland Browns | Adrian Clayborn | DE | Iowa | story | |
38 | Arizona Cardinals | Martez Wilson | ILB | Illinois | ||
39 | Tennessee Titans | |||||
40 | Dallas Cowboys | |||||
41 | Washington Redskins | |||||
42 | Houston Texans | |||||
43 | Minnesota Vikings | |||||
44 | Detroit Lions | |||||
45 | San Francisco 49ers | |||||
46 | Denver Broncos | |||||
47 | St. Louis Rams | |||||
48 | Oakland Raiders | |||||
49 | Jacksonville Jaguars | |||||
50 | San Diego Chargers | |||||
51 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | |||||
52 | New York Giants | |||||
53 | Indianapolis Colts | |||||
54 | Philadelphia Eagles | |||||
55 | Kansas City Chiefs | |||||
56 | New Orleans Saints | |||||
57 | Seattle Seahawks | |||||
58 | Baltimore Ravens | |||||
59 | Atlanta Falcons | |||||
60 | New England Patriots | |||||
61 | San Diego Chargers | |||||
62 | Chicago Bears | |||||
63 | Pittsburgh Steelers | |||||
64 | Green Bay Packers |