The Arizona Cardinals are knee-deep into their rookie mini-camp. It is comprised of this year’s draft picks, plus various free agents and tryout players.
On Friday, the franchise signed three of their draft picks: fifth-round pick receiver Reggie Virgil, sixth-round pick linebacker Karson Sharar, and seventh-round selection OT Jayden Williams.
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The three draft picks for the Cardinals represent all Day 3 selections. They will earn the league minimum for each year of their deal along with receiving a signing bonus, but none of their salary will become guaranteed. Another stipulation at these levels is that if the player is injured and ends up on IR, they will get a reduced salary while on that list for at least the first two years of their deal. It is commonly referred to as a “split contract.”
Virgil was taken out of Texas Tech and is now in a stacked receiver room. Currently, the Cardinals have 12 receivers in this group. He grew up a basketball star and had a great junior college year, but his production lowered to 705 yards, and his catches increased to 57 with six TDs. He spent the majority of his time on special teams. He is slated to compete for the WR4 spot.
Sharar is slated to become quality depth at a position that is already set with its starters. He will instantly improve the punt and kickoff coverage teams.
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The former Iowa defensive star is a great athlete with very good speed and a sure tackler, a high need after all the missed tackles from this defense a year ago. Very smart young man who had had 83 tackles last season alone and is excellent against the run.
Williams is also a depth piece. He was projected to be taken in the fifth round, so the value is there. Here is another kid who thought at some point that basketball was his calling, but had better college offers in football. Williams graded out by Pro Football Focus as Ole Miss’ top run-blocker (91.7) and pass-blocker (84.3).
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Williams is versatile in that he can play both sides. He has a wingspan of 6’-9 7/8” with long arms and reach. Will instantly become a swing tackle and learn from the veterans.
In a corresponding move, Arizona released wide receiver Andre Baccellia on Thursday. The team also has designated an International player with OT Valentin Senn, who is from Austria. This means the club is able to carry 91 players going into training camp.
