No. 16

Pick by The Big Red Sheet Mike Jenkins Cornerback South Florida

Rounding out today's action in the SB Nation NFL Mock Draft, the Arizona Cardinals have used the sixteenth overall selection to pick South Florida cornerback Mike Jenkins.  We're pleased to be joined by Jeff Gollin, who maintains the Cardinals website The Big Red Sheet and was the architect of this selection.  Jeff joined us in last year's mock draft and pulled a complete surprise when he took OT Levi Brown with the fifth overall pick.  That move turned out to be extremely true a month later, when the Cards drafted Brown in that exact spot.  Jeff's analysis on his Jenkins selection below:

  I set my board up according to Best Possible Player Available - with two of the components in rating each player having to do with team needs and fits within the system.

Jenkins is a Top 10 talent and the Cardinals need a CB.  It's really as simple as that.

I don't view the need for a backup behind Edgerrin James to be as urgent as some of the pundits feel (I feel both Marcel Shipp and J.J. Arrington provide decent depth), but very good RB's don't grow on trees and, at some point, we should be grooming a youngster to push (and eventually replace) Edge.  However, with Mendenhall off the board, Jenkins' value was too good to pass up.

Matt Miller, host of this site as well as owner of New Era Scouting, provides his analysis below:

 A beautiful pick by the Cardinals. Antrel Rolle has been average at best in his short career, the position opposite him is in worse shape. Jenkins is the most NFL ready cornerback in the class. He comes ready to play in both man and zone coverages, is a willing tackler and has shown the ability to shut down top competition at wide receiver. The Cardinals GM wisely ignored the idea of drafting a back up running back this early in the draft. With running back the deepest position in the '08 class, Arizona can add a quality runner in rounds two or three. This pick will add to a defense that is clearly holding back the Cardinals playoff potential.

Grade: A  ::  Mike Jenkins Scouting Report - New Era Scouting :: Matt Miller's Top Five Prospects Remaining - 1.  RB Jonathan Stewart, 2.  WR Limas Sweed, 3.  LB Dan Connor, 4.  CB Antoine Cason 5.  DE Phillip Merling

Since it's the weekend, we're going to call it a day after two picks.  We'll have two more Sunday picks coming at you tomorrow, starting with the Minnesota Vikings.  The fine folks over at the Daily Norseman are now on the clock.