2014 DBN Mock Draft: Arizona Cardinals Select ILB C.J. Mosley at No. 20

With the 20th pick in the 2014 Dawgs By Nature Community Mock Draft, the Arizona Cardinals select...

C.J. Mosley, ILB, Alabama

This selection and write-up was made by a2342432a:

Firstly I'd like to thank the community on Revenge of the Birds, for being respectful and helpful when I wanted to do research on their draft board. After enjoying a terrific free agency period, the holes in this roster are just about filled. The biggest problem concerning the top ranked defense is the departure of Karlos Dansby to the Browns, and the very possible suspension of Daryl Washington. That leaves a very huge hole at ILB -- even though Washington is not gone forever, the only other notable player at the position is 2013 second round pick Kevin Minter.

Mosley is an instinctive every down player, one who can come in right away and start year one. His football IQ is outstanding, as he likes to watch a lot of film. The Cardinals need their new ILB to be a leader, which he has all the tools to be. At Alabama, he led the Crimson Tides defense to two championships.

CJ Mosley is great against the run. He gets to the outside very quick to stop the outside runs, and always is able to find the ball. One great thing about his run defense is that he is patient, he will cut the ball carrier off and won't overpursue, saving big plays, while also being a sound tackler. That will come in handy when and if he has to stay as the spy against Kaepernick and Wilson versus the designed run plays. His awareness and athleticism make him a top notch run defender.

It is hard to be a great run defender and be able to drop in coverage and consistently have success, but Mosley is the top ILB in the draft for a reason. Mosley is very good at reading the quarterback in zone coverage, and is very good at stopping the running back when the quarterback decides to check it down. Also a big problem with Arizona's defense last year had to do with covering TEs, as they seemed to get beat by big names and small names both. Mosley is very good at staying with the TE, more so in zone. This will at least help when Vernon Davis and Jared Cook are on the field. Also against the pass, Mosley is very good at shooting the gap when asked to blitz and is very willing to take up a blocker to free up someone else.

The biggest weakness in Mosley's game may be that his aggressiveness against blockers is not great enough to get off the block consistently, which could lead to some problems heading forward. The other big thing that could turn some teams away, are injury concerns. Of course there are other weaknesses, but none too trivial to the Cardinals when they are on the clock.

If and when Washington is suspended, Mosley will be his replacement, and be a solid ILB, but will probably play at a very high level when Washington returns. His versatility allows him to be able to line up outside, if Todd Bowles chooses to do so, so Mosley will see a lot of the field this upcoming season.

Had Derek Carr not gone off the board early to the Vikings, I would have suggested him as a fit for Bruce Arians' future quarterback in Arizona. With the top four quarterbacks off the board, though, I'd be completely on board with the Cardinals taking arguably the best inside linebacker in the draft.

The Green Bay Packers are up next, led by Manly and Loving It.

2014 DBN Community Mock Draft Results (so far)