TEMPE, Ariz. -- The Arizona Cardinals are in need of a wide receiver who can be a foundational piece of their offense for the foreseeable future, and according to ESPN NFL Draft Insider Mel Kiper Jr., receivers are plentiful this year.
Kiper projects 37 pass-catches -- slot receivers, wide outs and tight ends -- who could be drafted in the first five rounds of this year's NFL draft, including 14 wide receivers with first- and second-round grades.
The Cardinals, of course, have a WR1 in DeAndre Hopkins, but need a WR2. And even though they signed veteran A.J. Green this offseason, they only gave him a one-year contract. At 32, the end of Green's career is closer than the beginning. That, coupled with the uncertainty of Larry Fitzgerald's future, puts receiver near the top of the Cardinals' draft priorities this year.
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- When new Denver Broncos general manager George Paton pulls into his parking space each day, it's for a team that has missed the playoffs in each of the past five seasons.
But the Broncos have enough salary cap room to dive into free agency -- currently north of $40 million with room to make more. They also have the No. 9 pick in the 2021 NFL draft and four picks among the first 109 with nine selections overall.
In short, they can get some things done -- even in a year when the salary cap has gone down in the wake of the pandemic. The cap is expected to be somewhere between $185 million and $189 million per team.