Arizona Cardinals LB Alexander: Team should target an elite pass rusher in NFL Draft

Over the next few days, the Arizona Cardinals will add their own draft picks as well as players who were not selected by any team, all in an effort to be better than they were last season.

Them and every other team in the NFL.

But for the Cardinals, who won 11 games last season but had their campaign derailed by injuries, getting better means making a deep postseason run.

Based on their progression over the last two years, it’s the only way for them to move forward.

“This is our third year under [head coach Bruce Arians] and kind of the new culture around the Cardinals organization, and guys are feeling good,” Cardinals linebacker Lorenzo Alexander told Bickley and Marotta on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM Thursday. “I think we still have a good group of our nucleus that has kind of started this journey. Obviously nobody’s satisfied with getting beat in the first round last year.

“But each year we’ve taken a new step.”

Alexander pointed to the team’s 10-6 season in 2013 that ended without a playoff berth, which was then followed by last season’s 11-win effort that led to a Wild Card spot as proof the team is moving in the right direction.

“But we still have some room to grow,” he added. “Obviously keeping our quarterbacks healthy is going to allow us to make a further push, but I think guys are definitely confident with the men that we have on our team.”

So when Arians goes on record saying his team does not need anything in the draft, that it could go out right now and play at a high level, Alexander is on board.

“He really thinks that; the team thinks that,” he said. “Obviously, you want to add pieces to make you better, but we’ll go out there and play football right now and compete with anybody out there in the NFL. But it’s the GM’s job, Steve (Keim) and B.A., and the owner to bring in guys to kind of help that process and increase in places that you need to be good at.”

Where those places could be is really anyone’s guess. Most believe the Cardinals would like to add a running back, which is a position most mock drafts have the Cardinals addressing. And if not a running back in the first round, many see the Cardinals selecting a pass rusher.

That position, Alexander said, is one he would like for the team to address.

“So we don’t have to blitz as much,” he said. “I think sometimes we relied on that too much, but if you can add a guy on the opposite side of Alex Okafor, who really emerged, I thought, last year, a healthy Calais Campbell, Frostee Rucker to really be able to get after guys on third down, and you can play coverage.

“On the back end, when you’ve got guys like [Tyrann Mathieu], Rashad (Johnson), Patrick Peterson, Jerraud Powers, guys that can go make plays on the ball, it’s definitely going to help us create more turnovers, more opportunities for the offense, getting better field position.”

All that, Alexander said, would help the Cardinals reach their goal, which is to win the NFC West for the first time since 2009. They fell just short last season.

“So I think an elite pass rusher will allow us to get there quicker than any other position.”