NFL Draft 2020: Arizona Cardinals Pick LB Isaiah Simmons

PHOENIX, AZ — The Arizona Cardinals picked outside linebacker Isaiah Simmons with the eighth pick of the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

The product out of Clemson was the top ranked linebacker in the draft and is expected to make an immediate impact on the defensive side of the ball for Arizona.

You can read more about Simmons here.

Amid the coronavirus crisis in the United States, the NFL Draft is the only major sporting event happening in April. The 2020 draft started Thursday night at 8 o'clock, and the Arizona Cardinals had the eighth pick of the first round.

The Cardinals are coming off a disappointing 5-10-1 record in the 2019-20 season, but the team showed multiple promising signs and added superstar wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins in the off season.

The Cardinals also have quarterback Kyler Murray, who is the reigning Rookie of the Year and first overall pick in the 2019 Draft.

NFL.com projected the Cardinals to select linebacker/safety Isaiah Simmons with the eighth overall pick. The junior out of Clemson is a hybrid player on the defensive side of the ball, and the Cardinals have a history of selecting "positionless players," according to NFL.com.

The 2020 NFL Draft will take place from Thursday to Saturday, but won't look anything like how it did in previous years.

The whole process will be virtual.

Teams will complete the draft from their homes, communicating through virtual platforms such as Zoom and Skype to make their selections. All 32 general managers will be connected through one video conference and then will have a separate broadband connection with members of the NFL league office.

How To Watch

There will be a combined broadcast with ESPN and the NFL Network for all three nights of the draft, with analysts from both networks working from home. The broadcast will originate from ESPN's studio in Bristol, Connecticut, and will feature Trey Wingo as the host.

Additionally, there will be a separate broadcast on ABC for the first two nights that will focus on storytelling and paths that certain draft picks took to make it to the NFL.

All broadcasts will also take place on ESPN Deportes.

Here's the TV schedule:

• Round 1: Thursday, 8-11:30 p.m. ET.
• Rounds 2-3: Friday, 7-11:30 p.m. ET.
• Rounds 4-7: Saturday, noon-7 p.m. ET.