The NFL draft will be held from April 28-30 in Chicago. The Cardinals have addressed many of their biggest needs through the Chandler Jones trade and free agency but will aim to add more impact pieces. We'll take a look at each position group over the next few weeks as the draft beckons.
More draft analysis: QB
Draft primer: Linebacker
Cardinals under contract:OLB Chandler Jones; ILB Deone Bucannon; OLB Markus Golden; ILB Kevin Minter; OLB Alex Okafor; OLB Kareem Martin; ILB Alani Fua; OLB Shaq Riddick; ILB Gabe Martin; OLB Tristan Okpalaugo; OLB Zack Wagenmann; OLB Mike Reilly; ILB Quayshawn Nealy.
Need: Medium
Images of the inside and outside linebackers projected to be selected in the NFL draft
UCLA ILB Myles Jack: Projected top-5 pick
Ohio State ILB Darron Lee: Projected first-round pick
Alabam ILB Reggie Ragland: Projected first-round pick
Notre Dame ILB Jaylon Smith: Projected second-rounder
Missouri ILB Kentrell Brothers: Projected second-round pick
USC ILB Sua Cravens: Projected second-rounder
LSU ILB Deion Jones: Projected third-rounder
Oklahoma ILB Dominique Alexander: Projected third-rounder
Oklahoma ILB Eric Striker: Projected fourth-rounder
Utah State ILB Nick Vigil: Projected fourth-rounder
Arizona ILB Scooby Wright: Projected fourth-rounder
Temple ILB Tyler Matakevich: Projected fourth-rounder
Utah ILB Jared Norris: Projected fifth-rounder
Stanford ILB Blake Martinez: Projected fifth-rounder
Akron ILB Yatavis Brown: Projected fifth-rounder
West Virginia ILB Nick Kwiatkoski: Projected sixth-rounder
William & Mary ILB Luke Rhodes: Projected seventh-rounder
Georgia OLB Leonard Floyd: Projected first-rounder
Eastern Kentucky OLB Noah Spence: Projected first-rounder
Ohio State OLB Joshua Perry: Projected second-rounder
Boise State OLB Kamalei Correa: Projected second-rounder
Michigan State OLB Shilique Calhoun: Projected second-rounder
Utah State OLB Kyler Fackrell: Projected third-rounder
Georgia OLB Jordan Jenkins: Projected fourth-rounder
Maryland OLB Yannick Ngakoue: Projected fourth-rounder
Wisconsin OLB Joe Schobert: Projected fifth-rounder
Minnesota OLB De'Vondre Campbell: Projected fifth-rounder
Washington OLB Travis Feeney: Projected fifth-rounder
Virginia tech OLB Dadi Lhomme Nicolas: Projected sixth-rounder
Southern Utah OLB James Cowser: Projected sixth-rounder
Montana OLB Tyrone Holmes: Projected sixth-rounder
Stony Brook OLB Victor Ochi: Projected sixth-rounder
Georgia Southern OLB Antwione Williams: Projected seventh-rounder
Tennessee OLB Curt Maggitt: Projected seventh-rounder
Nevada OLB Ian Seau: Projected seventh-rounder
Syracuse OLB Ron Thompson: Projected seventh-rounder
Analysis: The addition of Chandler Jones addressed the biggest hole on the roster, as he had 12.5 sacks in 15 games last season for the Patriots and is expected to hit double-digits again in 2016. However, that trade may not mean the Cardinals are done at outside linebacker. As the Broncos showed in the Super Bowl, constant pressure can make the game's best quarterbacks look ordinary. Jones, Markus Golden and Alex Okafor are a nice start, but if there is another player General Manager Steve Keim fancies, he could add more talent to the position.
Deone Bucannon and Kevin Minter are slated to return at inside linebacker, a position the Cardinals didn't address early in free agency. Alani Fua is the main backup, but with Sean Weatherspoon gone, the team is relatively thin at the spot and could draft a player to compete with Minter for playing time or to add depth.
Georgia's Leonard Floyd and Eastern Kentucky's Noah Spence are among the highest-rated outside linebackers who could be available when the Cardinals choose at No. 29. Myles Jack is the crown jewel among inside linebackers but will be long gone by the Cardinals' first choice. Ohio State's Darron Lee, Alabama's Reggie Ragland and Notre Dame's Jaylon Smith are some of the other top-rated players at the position. Arizona inside linebacker Scooby Wright III is expected to be a mid-round selection, while former Mesa High School standout and Utah State outside linebacker Kyler Fackrell may go on the second day.
Since edge rusher is no longer a pressing need with Jones in the fold, Keim won't have to reach for an outside linebacker in the first round. However, if a player is highly graded when it's the team's turn to choose, he could still pull the trigger. It would also not be a surprise to see an inside linebacker drafted at some point.
