3 Players the Cardinals Need to Avoid With Their First-Round Pick

The first year of the Kyler Murray and Kliff Kingsbury era in Arizona saw some growing pains, as they only managed a 5-10-1 record. Still, the Cardinals have plenty of potential to improve, and that starts with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

The team's primary needs come on defense, as the Cardinals were in the bottom half of nearly every statistic. However, they could also use another top-tier wide receiver or offensive lineman. With that in mind, here are three players the Cardinals should be avoiding on draft night.

1. Derrick Brown, DT

Derrick Brown likely won't make it to No. 8, but it's uncertain whether the Cardinals would go after the talented Auburn defensive tackle. The Cardinals inked Jordan Phillips to a three-year, $30 million deal over the offseason to bolster their defensive line. While Brown was a fantastic run stuffer in college, he doesn't project to be a pass rushing force in the pros. Since the Cardinals already signed an elite interior lineman, taking Brown here wouldn't address the biggest areas of need on defense.

2. CeeDee Lamb, WR

With the Cardinals trading for DeAndre Hopkins, taking a wide receiver at the top of the draft would create an amazing trio of talent for Kyler Murray. The Cardinals could reunite Lamb and Murray from their days at Oklahoma. However, as fun as that trio could be, there are more glaring needs at this point on the defensive side of the ball. Taking a receiver here would be a luxury, not necessarily a need, and that's not something they can afford at this stage of a rebuild.

3. Javon Kinlaw, DT

Javon Kinlaw is one of the best defensive line prospects in the draft, but he doesn't fit with the Cardinals at No. 8. As mentioned, the Cardinals already made upgrades to the interior defensive line in free agency. While Kinlaw's pass rushing abilities and potential might make him more attractive to Arizona than Brown, he's less polished and probably won't be able to start immediately with the Cardinals depth chart. Given that the team needs help elsewhere, they'd be wise to pass pass on Kinlaw. Many are also projected him to go in the mid-teens, so this would also be a bit of a reach.

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Tristan Jung is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Tristan Jung also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username tristan1117. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.