Monday, May 16, 2022

Arizona Cardinals Post-Draft NFL Power Rankings Roundup

Throughout the 2022 NFL season, we will compile a consensus NFL Power Rankings that averages the rankings of all 32 NFL teams.

Here is where the Arizona Cardinals rank in terms of average, best and worst:

  • Average ranking: 19.6 (19th)
  • Best ranking: 18 (The Athletic)
  • Worst ranking: 22 (USA Today)

Below you will find a post-NFL Draft roundup for the Cardinals in our consensus 2022 NFL Power Rankings.

ESPN -- Rank: 22

Player who benefited most from draft: DE J.J. Watt

With 33-year-old Watt getting more young help, he will be able to manage his snaps more. Which in turn means his legs will be fresher throughout the game and his production could improve even more. Arizona's pass rush will have to rely more on the interior of the front this season with the departure of Chandler Jones in free agency. Having waves of subs ready to come in will allow for fresh legs throughout a game, and Watt will be a major beneficiary of that. -- Josh Weinfuss

NFL.com -- Rank: 19

The Cardinals are trying to appease their guy. That was the first thought when we learned Arizona was sending a first-round pick (!) to the Ravens to acquire wide receiver Marquise Brown, Kyler Murray's former teammate at Oklahoma, and a third-rounder. Brown never quite lived up to his own first-round-pick hype in Baltimore, so this was clearly a move that comes with the built-in projection that "Hollywood" will do big box office with an old buddy. It's also the biggest piece of evidence yet that the Cardinals have zero intentions of trading Murray any time soon. Yes, things seem copasetic for the time being between team and QB1 -- but the central business (Murray's contract situation) remains unsettled. Stay tuned.

CBS Sports -- Rank: 20

There seems to be some turmoil with Kyler Murray squawking about a new contract and now a six-game suspension for top receiver DeAndre Hopkins. The defense suffered a hit losing Chandler Jones, so they will need some rookie edge players to make a difference quickly.

USA Today -- Rank: 18

The six-game suspension to WR DeAndre Hopkins, whose absence at the end of last season coincided with this team's collapse, explains the suspect deal for WR Hollywood Brown ... short-sighted as that still seems given Arizona coughed up its first-rounder.

The Athletic -- Rank: 19

Whew, where do we start? Between the ALL CAPS letter from Kyler Murray's agent and the six-game suspension for receiver DeAndre Hopkins, it has been a rough spring for the Cardinals. Arizona has work to do this summer to make Murray happy and get the offense humming without Hopkins.

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