Second and third-year players ready to break out in 2018

Budda Baker

Over the course of the 2017 season, Baker was on the field only for about half the defensive snaps for the Cardinals, but through the final seven weeks, he missed a total of just two plays.

Arizona used a multitude of safeties at the same time and they were all asked to line up everywhere on the field. The second-year defensive back has that Honeybadger-type of attitude, where he plays way bigger than his size would indicate and he is a very dependable tackler.

His run-support is outstanding and he presents a versatile skill-set. He played single-high, dropped down into the slot, stopped the run, rushed the passer and did everything in-between. Baker was bodied occasionally by bigger receivers and tight-ends, but he never stops competing.

He fights through the hands of his receiver late, hustles off the backside and down the field. The new Cardinals key piece also has kind of a sneaky style of play, as he slips through cracks and shows up around the ball. A lot of times he came down late before the snap and basically became an extra defender in the box.