The Arizona Cardinals added a speedy playmaker to help young quarterback Kyler Murray, taking Purdue receiver Rondale Moore with the No. 49 pick on Friday night.
The 20-year-old Moore will join an impressive Cardinals receivers group that includes three-time All-Pro DeAndre Hopkins, recently acquired free agent A.J. Green and Christian Kirk. Arizona could also still have Larry Fitzgerald, though the team still isn’t sure if the veteran will return for his 18th season.
Moore is small at 5-foot-9 and 180 pounds but also one of the fastest players in the draft with a 4.33 time in the 40. He had a huge 2018 season as a freshman with the Boilermakers, with 1,258 yards receiving and 12 touchdowns. He was slowed by injuries in 2019 and wasn’t as productive in the 2020 pandemic-shortened season.
He played mostly in the slot at Purdue but said he can move out wide if needed.
“I’m comfortable in both,” Moore said. “Whatever’s asked of me I’m willing to do.”
Moore might prove to be a replacement for Andy Isabella, who has a similar speedy reputation and was the team’s second-round pick in 2019. Isabella has never found a consistent role in Arizona’s offense and has just 30 catches over two seasons.
The Cardinals went with a linebacker in the first round for a second straight season, grabbing Tulsa’s Zaven Collins with the No. 16 overall selection Thursday night.
UP NEXT
The Cardinals won’t have another pick until the No. 160 selection in the fifth round Saturday unless they make a trade. They dealt their third-round pick to the Raiders in the deal that brought center Rodney Hudson to the desert. Arizona’s fourth-round pick went to the Houston Texans as part of the deal that brought Hopkins to the Cardinals.
Arizona still has several needs, particularly at cornerback, tight end and defensive line.
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