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.
Draft primer: Wide receiver
Cardinals under contract:Larry Fitzgerald; Michael Floyd; John Brown; J.J. Nelson; Brittan Golden; Jaxon Shipley.
Need: Low
Images of the top receiving prospects expected to be selected in the NFL draft
Missisippi's Laquon Treadwell: Projected first-rounder
Baylor's Corey Coleman: Projected first-rounder
TCU WR Josh Doctson: Projected first-rounder
Notre Dame's Will Fuller: Projected first-rounder
Ohio State's Michael Thomas: Projected second-rounder
South Carolina's Pharoh Cooper: Projected second-rounder
Pittsburgh's Tyler Boyd: Projected second-rounder
UCLA's Jordan Payton: Projected third-rounder
California's Kenny Lawler: Projected third-rounder
Oklahoma's Sterling Shepard: Projected third-rounder
Rutgers' Leonte Caroo: Projected third-rounder
Colorado State's Rashard Higgins: Projected third-rounder
Michigan State's Aaron Burbridge: Projected fourth-rounder
Oregon's Bralon Addison: Projected fourth-rounder
Tulsa's Keyarris Garrett: Projected fourth-rounder
TCU's Kolby Listenbee: Projected fourth-rounder
Georgia's Malcolm Mitchell: Projected fourth-rounder
Bowling Green's Roger Lewis: Projected fourth-rounder
Clemson's Charone Peak: Projected fifth-rounder
Mississippi's Cody Core: Projected fifth-rounder
Southeast Missouri State's Paul McRoberts: Projected fifth-rounder
Akron's Tajae Sharpe: Projected fifth-rounder
UCLA's Thomas Duarte: Projected fifth-rounder
Florida's Demarcus Robinson: Projected sixth-rounder
Mississippi State's De'Runnya Nelson: Projected sixth-rounder
Illinois' Geronimo Allison: Projected sixth-rounder
Washington's Jaydon Mickens: Projected sixth-rounder
Southern Mississippi's Mike Thomas: Projected sixth-rounder
Notre Dame's Chris Brown: Projected seventh-rounder
Auburn's Ricardo Louis: Projected seventh-rounder
Analysis: The Cardinals didn't add a wide receiver in free agency because they are well-stocked, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see them pass on the position in the draft, too. Star Larry Fitzgerald is aging but put up some of the best numbers of his career in 2015, while Michael Floyd and John Brown are in the prime of their careers and have proven to be top-flight options. J.J. Nelson will enter his second season looking to find a bigger role, while Jaron Brown is expected back after getting tendered an offer as a restricted free agent.
However, it's not completely out of the question for General Manager Steve Keim to add another wideout to the mix. Fitzgerald and Floyd are both entering the final year of their contracts, and at this point their futures are unknown. Keim drafted offensive tackle D.J. Humphries in the first round last season knowing he wouldn't be needed as a rookie. While it seems unlikely that an early pick is used at wide receiver, Keim could take the same approach later on if he thinks the team will need another pass-catcher in 2017.
This would be a luxury pick, so if Keim makes it, he would certainly be confident that the player he found was a good value. If the Cardinals stand pat, they will still enter the 2016 season with arguably the deepest receiving corps in the NFL.
