There were some surprises in the NFL Draft that saw elite wide receivers fall a bit further than expected in the first round. Part of the reason why may have been the DeAndre Hopkins trade.
Arizona Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury admitted on FOX Football Now with Jay Glazer that the team had been very interested in one of the wide receivers, but the Hopkins trade changed all that.
“We were eyeing some of these wide receivers in the draft,” Kingsbury said, via Garrett Stepien of 247Sports. “It’s a draft-heavy class. But to get one of the players at the position in the league beforehand was a huge get for us and we’re just thrilled to have him be a Cardinal.”
The Cardinals ultimately landed hybrid defender Isaiah Simmons, who fell to them at No. 8.
Quarterback Kyler Murray was reportedly lobbying behind the scenes for one of his former college teammates, but the pick just wouldn’t have made sense. Maybe it would have before the Hopkins trade, but that deal seems to have reverberated across the draft, too.
