BBV Community Mock Draft: With 26th pick, Arizona selects ...

Terrence Cody, DT, Alabama.

Playing the part of Cardinals general manager 'Snipah' writes:

The Arizona Cardinals are entering an extremely important year. Their challenge is to continue the success they've had in their recent campaigns even through the loss of key members of their offensive and defensive units. The departures of Kurt Warner, Karlos Dansby, Anquan Boldin, and Antrel Rolle can only hurt the Cardinals, but for the most part they have replacements lined up for these positions, whether through roster depth or market acquisitions.

While the Cardinals positions of need include ILB, rush OLB, OT, and perhaps TE, their greatest position of need is probably that of nose tackle, an integral part of any 3-4 defense. They have undergone the transition to this defensive scheme relatively recently, and made do with veteran Bryan Robinson for this previous year. Robinson, however, is not signed up for another year with the Cardinals, as both his age (35) and his size (306) make him an unlikely long term solution at the NT position. In this mock draft a potentially ideal replacement is available: Terrence Cody. Cody is a 6-foot-4, 355 pounds (and dropping!) mountain of a man who can absolutely dominate in the run game. Although scouts have red flagged him due to his 375-pound weigh-in at the Senior Bowl, he did lose 20 pounds by the time the Combine rolled around, perhaps relieving some of the concerns about his weight gain. He may be he is a bit of a reach at this spot, but a combination of the Cardinals' needs and the rarity and importance of NTs makes him a good choice for Arizona at pick No. 26.

My take: At first blush, I though 'Cody? Here? Are you kidding me?' Then I studied the Cardinals' needs, and their choices, a bit closer and this pick makes more sense than I originally thought. Unless I am over-looking someone there are no real first-round worthy linebackers or offensive tackles on the board. There are some guys who could be 3-4 defensive ends, such as Carlos Dunlap, Jared Odrick (how did he get invited to the draft, by the way?) and Everson Griffen. Though he is a huge gamble, Cody is potentially a devastating force as a 3-4 nose tackle. I can't kill this pick.

Up next will be 'pataroons' with the pick for the hated Dallas Cowboys. Best possible pick? I vote for 'pass.'

Remember, to read explanations of previous selections click the highlighted player name in the table below.