Arizona Cardinals NFL Draft Picks 2020: Round-by-Round Results, Grades

The Arizona Cardinals improved in 2019 after a 3-13 season the previous year, showing reasons to be optimistic about their future. With rookie No. 1 pick Kyler Murray quarterbacking the Cardinals, Arizona went 5-10-1. Now entering Murray's second season and head coach Kliff Kingsbury's second season, the team will be looking to snap a four-year streak of missing the playoffs. 

The Cardinals opened the 2019 NFL draft by selecting Murray out of Oklahoma. They went on to draft cornerback Byron Murphy and wide receiver Andy Isabella in the second round. Arizona added defensive end Zach Allen in the third round and wide receiver Hakeem Butler in the fourth round. The Cardinals made six selections in the draft's final three rounds, selecting safety Deointe Thompson, wide receiver KeeSean Johnson, center Lamont Gaillard, offensive tackle Joshua Miles, defensive end Michael Dogbe and tight end Caleb Wilson.

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According to The MMQB's NFC West team needs, the Cardinals should first look to the defensive side of the football to bulk up their roster talent. The quickest fix for a defense is almost always to add pass rushers. The Cardinals already have a great one in Chandler Jones, and they added a good one in free agent defensive tackle Jordan Phillips. But after that, they are talent deficient. Adding either a versatile safety or a pure man-to-man corner is another option for Arizona. On offense, Arizona could use tight end that is both a serviceable receiver and also quality blocker, as its offseason acquisition of DeAndre Hopkins alleviates the need for more wide receiver depth. 

The Cardinals are set to pick No. 8 in the first round this year. You can follow along during the draft with the AllCardinals live blog. 

A full list of Arizona's picks will be updated below as the draft progresses. 

Round 1, Pick 8 (No. 8 overall): Isaiah Simmons, OLB, Clemson

Andy Benoit's analysis: Where will he play? We know the uber-versatile Clemson star can operate at almost any position—that’s why he was drafted as high as he was. But in Arizona’s 3-4, one-gap-based scheme, will he be seen more as a cover linebacker or as a hard-hitting safety? The Cardinals themselves may not yet fully know (though they wouldn’t have drafted Simmons No. 8 overall if they didn’t at least have a hunch). Pairing him with Budda Baker gives Arizona two dynamic movable chess pieces, which will help a defense that has struggled mightily on third down. Grade: B-

Round 3, No. 72 overall: Josh Jones, OT, Houston

Andy Benoit's analysis: This is much later than many expected the Houston product to go. With Marcus Gilbert being 32, having some injury history and entering the final year of his contract, this was a no-brainer selection for Cardinals GM Steve Keim. Grade: A

Round 4, No. 114 overall: Leki Fotu, DT, Utah

Round 4, No. 131 overall: Rashard Lawrence, DT, LSU

Round 6, No. 202 overall: Evan Weaver, LB, Cal

Round 6, No. 222 overall: Eno Benjamin, RB, Arizona State