TEMPE, Ariz. The Arizona Cardinals appear to be all in on Zaven Collins, but when they drafted the Tulsa linebacker with 16th pick in the first round of last month s NFL draft, they instantly created a log jam at inside linebacker.
On the night they drafted him, general manager Steve Keim said Collins would be the Cardinals Mike linebacker and would line up next to Isaiah Simmons, last season s first-round pick.
One problem: Where would Jordan Hicks, a veteran leader who has started every game since joining the Cardinals in 2019, play? Keim dodged the question in post-draft news conferences, with coach Kliff Kingsbury only offering: We will work through it as we go. Obviously, you don t take [Collins] with the 16th pick unless you expect him to play. He isn t a guy who is moving positions.