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NFL Mock Draft 2013: Cardinals select Chance Warmack with 7th pick

2013-04-22T23:01:49Z

It's looking more and more likely that the Arizona Cardinals will take an offensive lineman with the seventh pick in the NFL Draft. What player they go with, or even what position, remains a mystery and will mostly depend on how the first six picks shake out.

In SB Nation's latest mock draft, Luke Joeckel and Eric Fisher go to the Chiefs and Lions, respectively. Dan Kadar decides to let the Cardinals pass on Lane Johnson and draft Alabama offensive guard Chance Warmack:

Cardinals general manager Steve Keim seems to like his team's offensive tackles quite a lot. He may not be so fond of the guards on his roster. Warmack would be an immediate contributor on the offensive line.

After trading for Carson Palmer, keeping the 33-year-old quarterback upright should be the new top priority for Arizona. Warmack can step in Week 1 and be one of the top guards in the league. He's the closest thing this draft class has to a sure bet.

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2013 NFL Mock Draft: Arizona projected to beef up offensive line

2013-04-19T01:05:17Z

The Arizona Cardinals surrendered a league-high 58 sacks in 2012. With the addition of quarterback Carson Palmer, protecting their signal-caller will remain as important as ever if the Cards want to compete in the fast-rising NFC West division.

More: Cardinals coverage at Revenge of the Birds NFL Draft coverage at Mocking the Draft

That's part of the reason why Sports Illustrated's Don Banks, in his most recent mock draft on Wednesday, sees Arizona going with offensive guard Chance Warmack from the Alabama Crimson Tide with the seventh overall pick. Banks seems to believe that no matter who's available, the Cardinals will take an offensive lineman:

Knowing that both Warmack and North Carolina guard Jonathan Cooper are likely to be there for them even if they do miss out on the top three offensive tackles has to soften the blow for the Cardinals, and encourage them not to over-pay in any potential trade-up talks.

Warmack has been ascending up the charts this offseason and now ranks as the best offensive guard prospect in the draft, according to SB Nation's Matthew Fairburn. Fairburn, in his latest mock, has Warmack going 13th overall to the New York Jets after a hypothetical draft day trade with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who currently own that pick.

Fairburn predicts the Cardinals will draft hybrid outside linebacker-defensive end Barkevious Mingo, out of LSU, with the No. 7 pick.

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2013 NFL Mock Draft: Will Arizona draft an LT?

2013-04-11T00:33:27Z

The 2013 NFL Draft is deep with offensive linemen, and with holes to fill, many have projected the Cardinals to select one with the No. 7 pick. Sports Illustrated's Don Banks is among the experts predicting the Cardinals will take a left tackle.

More: Revenge of the Birds

In his latest mock draft, Banks projects Arizona to select Oklahoma left tackle Lane Johnson. The 6'6 junior from Oklahoma has risen up draft boards recently. In Banks' mock draft, Johnson is the third left tackle to come off the board, as Eric Fisher is projected to go No. 1 and Luke Joeckel is slotted as the No. 4 pick. Johnson would fill a need, and as Banks wrote, he would hopefully give Arizona a solution at the position for the foreseeable future.

The run on offensive tackles continues, with the Cardinals feeling fortunate to have their need and their draft slot match up so nicely. Johnson gives Arizona somebody to plug in at left tackle and hopefully consider the position addressed for the coming four or five years.

One of the top left tackles would be an enticing pick for Arizona, but it's not the team's only option. In SB Nation's recent mock draft, the Cardinals are projected to select Oregon defensive end Dion Jordan. They're instead projected to fill the hole at tackle by selecting Arkansas-Pine Bluff's Terron Armstead in the second round. The offensive line is projected to get another upgrade in the third round with Kentucky guard Larry Warford.

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NFL Mock Draft 2013: Cardinals address defense, O-line in first three rounds

2013-04-08T20:30:42Z

The 2013 NFL Draft is getting ever closer, and the first round remains as murky as ever. The Arizona Cardinals have their 2013 quarterback in Carson Palmer, and while he's a massive upgrade over the scrubs they trotted out last season, Arizona still needs work to do on the offensive line to keep him upright.

SB Nation's Matthew Fairburn has expanded his latest mock draft to three rounds, and he has the Cardinals doing exactly that. In the first round, however, Fairburn projects them to select Oregon DE/OLB Dion Jordan with the seventh overall pick:

The Cardinals will have to choose whether they want to reach a bit and secure a potential franchise left tackle or draft one of the top defensive playmakers to fill a need at outside linebacker. Dion Jordan may not last this long, but if he does, Arizona should not hesitate.

If Eric Fisher falls to No. 7 Arizona should be running to the podium, but in this version of the draft they choose not to reach for Lane Johnson and take the best defensive player available.

In the second round, The Cardinals take Arkansas Pine-Bluff OT Terron Armstead with the 38th pick. A virtual unknown coming out of the FCS, Armstead's stock has shot up with impressive showings at the Senior Bowl and Combine.

After neglecting the offensive line in the first round, the Cardinals come back and land the athletic Terron Armstead in round two to bolster the trenches.

In the third round, Arizona selects Kentucky OG Larry Warford with the 69th pick:

An absolute steal for the Cardinals, who are desperate to upgrade the offensive line in any way possible.

Arizona is still projected to finish last in the brutal NFC West, but in this draft scenario, grabbing three potential Week 1 starters would be a massive jumpstart to the rebuilding process.

Check out Fairburn's complete mock draft at the link below.

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NFL Mock Draft 2013: Cardinals select Barkevious Mingo in SBNation's blogger draft

2013-04-04T22:20:38Z

The Arizona Cardinals seem to have found their quarterback of the present, upgrading their most dire need by trading for Carson Palmer after releasing Kevin Kolb and John Skelton. Though it does not prevent them from selecting a quarterback in this month's draft, it certainly makes it less likely that they will take one in the first round. So what do they do instead?

More: Revenge of the Birds

While the Cardinals have scheduled a visit with USC quarterback Matt Barkley, there is a good chance that he will slip into the second round, or at least be available for Arizona to trade up with their second pick and take him if they felt they had to. But they don't have to at the moment and there are many other needs for Arizona to fill. From the offensive line to the secondary, what will the Cards do?

In the collaborative SBNation bloggers mock draft, Revenge of the Birds' Jess Root went another route entirely, picking Barkevious Mingo, OLB, LSU. Though this pick was made before the Cards had acquired Palmer, it was made with the idea that Drew Stanton would carry the reigns for at least a year, and so the idea behind selecting Mingo was still the same:

This is a little bit of a disappointment, but not too much. Obviously, tackle and quarterback would be ideal, but the top three targets Joeckel, Smith and Fisher are all gone. However, since an edge rusher is a need and Mingo is higher on my draft board than Lane Johnson, Mingo is the obvious pick, especially with Jordan off the board. The Cards wanted Von Miller a couple of years ago, but ended up with Patrick Peterson. This is the year they get their big-time pass-rusher.

The Cards lacked a significant pass-rush outside of middle linebacker Daryl Washington and he will be suspended for four games as it is for violating the league's substance abuse policy. Arizona is switching their defense around after the departure of Ken Whisenhunt and his staff, so Mingo could fill a need while also providing a pass rush that they lacked last season.

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NCAA Final Four predictions: Louisville favored to cut down the nets

2013-04-04T00:43:58Z

On Selection Sunday, the NCAA Tournament selection committee picked the Louisville Cardinals as the No. 1 overall seed. Now, with the Final Four just days away, the talking heads are picking them to win it all.

For complete Final Four coverage, check out our local blogs: Card Chronicle Maize n Brew Nunes Magician Mid Major Madness

Nate Silver from The New York Times' FiveThirtyEight blog gives the Cardinals a 55 percent chance to cut down the nets on Monday night, well ahead of the Michigan Wolverines, which he gave a 21 percent shot. Syracuse's odds stand at 19 percent and Wichita State is the true underdog of the Final Four with just a 4.7 percent chance to win it all. If the Shockers upset Louisville and Syracuse or Michigan, they would become the most unlikely champions ever, according to Silver. He gave them just a 0.08 percent chance at a National Championship at the start of the tournament.

The folks at Oddsshark.com agreed, calling Louisville a "lock" to play for the National Title. They then predicted the Cardinals to win and cover the spread in the championship game.

The four experts at CBS have not picked a National Champion just yet, but they have decided unanimously that Louisville will beat Wichita State and Michigan will top Syracuse. They also all picked both teams to cover. Louisville is a 10.5-point favorite over the Shockers, and Michigan is favored by 2.5.

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2013 NFL Mock Draft: Cardinals select Lane Johnson with seventh pick

2013-04-01T20:51:06Z

The 2013 NFL Draft is less than one month away, and the Arizona Cardinals are still looking for a quarterback. With the Oakland Raiders finalizing a trade for Matt Flynn, Arizona has been trying to swing a deal of their own for Carson Palmer. If that deal goes through, the Cardinals will have their 2013 starter, which clears some things up on the draft front.

More: Revenge Of The Birds

SB Nation's Dan Kadar keeps this mind in his latest mock draft on Monday. This week, he has the Cardinals taking Oklahoma OT Lane Johnson with the seventh pick:

Although they improved toward the end of the season, neither Bobby Massie or Nate Potter are as good as offensive tackle as Johnson could be. Guard and pass rusher may be just as big of a need for the Cardinals, but both of those positions could be found later in the draft.

Check out Mocking The Draft's complete scouting report on Johnson.

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2013 March Madness: Game time, TV schedule for Ohio State vs. Arizona

2013-03-28T16:00:02Z

The No. 6 Arizona Wildcats and No. 2 Ohio St. Buckeyes will be facing off in the Sweet 16 on Thursday.

For more Wildcats hoops, head to Arizona Desert Swarm For more Buckeyes hoops, head to Land-Grant Holy Lane

Arizona is in the regional semifinals for the 16th time in school history, and they haven't had much trouble along the way, having blown out Belmont and Harvard by an average margin of 20 points. Mark Lyons has been the hot hand for the Wildcats, having scored 23 and 27 points in both games.

Ohio St. had a bit more drama coming in. After dispatching Iona in the round of 64, they had a tough back-and-forth with Iowa St. that wasn't decided until the end, when Aaron Craft's 3-point shot with less than a second left gave them the go ahead victory. This is their fourth straight year in the Sweet 16.

Game time: 7:47 p.m. ET

TV: TBS

Location: Staples Center, Los Angeles, Calif.

Line: Ohio St. by 4

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