American Football

Arizona Cardinals select offensive lineman Jon Gaines II in fourth round of 2023 NFL Draft

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL: NOV 19 USC at UCLA
Photo by Jordon Kelly/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Freak athlete guard from UCLA is heading to Arizona

The Arizona Cardinals have selected Jon Gaines, the freak athlete guard from UCLA with the 122nd pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

more about Gaines from NFL.com

Strengths

  • Highly intelligent and assignment oriented.
  • Has started at center, guard and tackle.
  • Quick switch and capture of A-gap defender in run blitz.
  • Good radar and feel to find his targets on wide pulls.
  • Hits his landmarks with accuracy as zone blocker.
  • Actively searches for hand resets inside the rush rep.

He has incredible athleticism and if you follow the Josh Norris principle, he has a great chance of being a starter in the NFL.

This is a big thing for the Arizona Cardinals and a huge departure from what we saw in the Steve Keim era where they drafted smaller, mediocre athletes on day three hoping to find a gem.

Instead, now you get an undersized center/guard, who has played both in college with incredible athleticism.

Welcome to the desert, Jon.

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