Cardinals plan to add defensive playmaker in College Football HQ mock draft originally appeared on The Sporting News. Click here to add Sports News as your go-to source.
The Arizona Cardinals may not be chasing offense in the latest College Football Headquarters mock draft, but they’re clearly looking to make an impact.
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Arizona will prioritize the No. 5 defense and select Ohio State safety Caleb Downs. This draft showed they want difference makers, and Towns immediately fits that bill.
For the Cardinals, that makes sense, as the team ranks last in the league in overall defense and has few star players on that side of the ball.
In a division with three 10+ win teams, they need to draft well to compete in the future.
The Cardinals have young players worth developing, but the team still lacks a player outside of Buda Baker that the offense must game plan around.
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Towns has the ability to match up with him in the secondary and has been outstanding from day one.
Towns is not a safety in the traditional sense, just patrolling the middle. His value comes from versatility. At Ohio State, he was all over the field as a nickelback, as a blitzer on downhill plays and held his own against tight ends and larger slot receivers.
This flexibility allows defensive coordinators to cover screens and create pressure without exposing the secondary.
For a Cardinals defense that has struggled to generate consistent disruption, Towns made an immediate impact. His timing as a pass rusher is excellent, especially when deployed in spots where the offensive line is ill-prepared.
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He can quickly close down space, make tackles and provide the kind of edge that Arizona lacks on defense.
The timing of this choice is also important. Mock draft updated from College Football HQ.
Rather than pursuing offensive talent or settling for value that doesn’t sit well with the board, Arizona leans toward defense and secures arguably the best overall defensive player.
Towns also fits the trend of positionless defenses in the modern NFL. Depending on the game, he can play safety, nickel cornerback or hybrid linebacker. Against pass-heavy teams, he can eliminate tight ends.
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Against a run-heavy offense, he can break out of the paint and clean up the game before the offense gets to the second level. In a league built on exploiting mismatches, that kind of adaptability is invaluable.
In addition to his physical tools, Towns brought improvements. His football IQ shows in route recognition and anticipation, often arriving at the point of attack before the play is fully developed. This awareness shortened the learning curve and made him a strong candidate to start early in his career.
For Arizona, it’s about more than just adding a linebacker. It’s about identity. The Cardinals want to be faster, more aggressive and harder to exploit in space. Towns checks all of those boxes and gives the defense a tone-setter who can impact the game in a variety of ways.
If this mock draft prediction holds true, Arizona will be getting a guard who can change the way opposing offenses play. The Cardinals could quietly acquire one of the most important pieces of the first round.
Sometimes, the smartest thing to do is to set the tone and show aggression when you see a player with extraordinary talent.
