Bold Predictions for Cardinals' 2024 Draft

The Arizona Cardinals get bold with these predictions as the NFL Draft arrives.

ARIZONA -- The 2024 NFL Draft is nearly here, and before you know it, the Arizona Cardinals will have added some premium talent to further their rebuild.

What direction general manager Monti Ossenfort takes is an entirely different story.

The NFL Draft continually proves itself to be one of the most unpredictable events all throughout the sporting world, and with 11 picks at their disposal, the Cardinals are sure to have some fun.

Our bold predictions for Arizona's 2024 draft class:

Arizona Cardinals 2024 NFL Draft Bold Predictions

Donnie Druin (@DonnieDruin): Cardinals Make 5+ Trades

The Cardinals own 11 total picks throughout the three-day event, and we’ve seen how GM Monti Ossenfort loves to navigate the draft board. With the most draft capital in the league at his disposal - which includes six picks in the first three rounds and two first-round picks - it’s easy to fathom Ossenfort getting aggressive and making a push for more top-end talent. 

Scared money doesn’t make money, and the Cardinals know that. In year two of a rebuild, it’s time to start taking some swings. 

Jack London (@MonroeJackL): Arizona drafts 3 offensive lineman - and they don't take a corner until Round 3. 

Offensive line has been a huge point of emphasis and they have no one signed essentially past this season. Corner has been a popular pick at No. 27 or Round 2, but I don't think Arizona will reach or overemphasize the position - rather they opt to focus on the trenches instead.

Kyler Burd (@AZCard_BurdsEye): Cardinals don’t take a cornerback until at least the 3rd Round 

There is no doubt that cornerback is a massive need for this Arizona Cardinals team. They made one big move in free agency for Sean Murphy-Bunting, but while that was a good move in my view, he is not a long-term CB1. 

This means the Cardinals need to look to the draft to bolster this position group but I don’t think they will do it early. When you look at who the team has brought in for Top 30 visits, only one projects as a first-rounder. 

• CB Terrion Arnold (Alabama)
• CB Nehemiah Pritchett (Auburn) 
• CB Jarvis Brownlee, Jr. (Louisville) 
• CB Andru Phillips (Kentucky)

Arnold is a consensus first-rounder and will probably go in the top fifteen. Phillips’ stock is rising fast and he might make it into the second round, but he could also be available at the top of the third round which is where I see the Cardinals snagging him. 

Pritchett and Brownlee both have positives but seem more like project guys. Jonathan Gannon paid his early coaching dues with the defensive backs and I get the feeling that he believes he does not need blue-chip players to get the job done.

Kevin Hicks (@KHicks_21): Cardinals pull heist, end up with Harrison Jr. and Latu

Much of the discourse surrounding the Arizona Cardinals this offseason has been about whether or not GM Monti Ossenfort would hold onto the fourth overall selection in the draft, as he moved off of the number three slot last year in favor of acquiring a nice conglomerate of high-quality picks. 

Now that the draft capital is there, along with potential blue-chip pieces in Paris Johnson Jr. and B.J. Ojulari - it seems as if it is the perfect time to make some “wheelhouse” picks.

There would be nothing more “wheelhouse” than getting hands on a wide receiver in Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. - who has frequently been tabbed as “generational,” and the “best player in the draft” among other lofty praise. 

The other “wheelhouse” selection here would be moving up to select the perceived best EDGE in this class in UCLA’s Laiatu Latu. 

Latu has also been heavily linked to Arizona during the process - and his potential medical hold up (neck) could lead to a slight drop on Thursday - an ideal scenario for Monti to trade up without necessarily departing with a king’s ransom in the midst of making a massive move. 

Arizona may very well be going into the 2024 season with a level of optimism from fans that could be at a fever pitch unseen since the early stages of the Bruce Arians regime.

Alex D’Agostino (@AlexDagAZ): Cardinals Pick WR outside the “big three”

Wide receiver is a massively understaffed group, as we all knew and witnessed for 17 games last season. It’s very clear that the Cardinals will pursue a receiver in this draft, but it almost feels likely that fans will be disappointed in what they do with the No.4 pick.

Ossenfort’s built his reputation thus far on scouting players and finding value at lower points in the draft. B.J. Ojulari and Michael Wilson are prime examples. While the obvious pick to fill the receiver need is the much-esteemed Marvin Harrison Jr., a trade down with Minnesota (which I do believe could happen) would put them not only out of the range to take MHJ, but also Malik Nabers and Rome Odunze behind him. 

With this, Ossenfort could opt to go for the more “boring” positional needs with his first picks. A DT, an OL, maybe an EDGE. But they will still have to address the WR room, and with exceptional depth to the receiver talent in this year’s draft, I can see Ossenfort looking into the likes of Brian Thomas Jr. or Troy Franklin, or sink even further into the second round for a guy like Roman Wilson or Xavier Legette.

There’s no way to avoid addressing both sides of the ball in this year’s draft, and I can’t imagine Ossenfort passing on a haul for the No. 4 pick. The Cardinals could be well out of the range to take MHJ, Nabers and Odunze, and Ossenfort will have little choice but to take WR4 or WR5 with his first pick, or address other positions before picking a receiver.

Richard Bradshaw (@RichieBradz36): Cards Stick-and-Pick Marvin Harrison Jr. at four; Get aggressive with 27

No matter what the Cardinals end up deciding to do with the fourth overall pick between selecting MHJ or getting a haul to move done, the franchise is in a win-win situation. With just over 24 hours before the start of the draft, I believe AZ stays and takes the generational wide receiver.

After that, however, I believe the Cards get aggressive with their second-day one-pick. I tink this could look like a move-up for a top defender like Quinyon Mitchell or Laiatu Latu, but I also believe in the possibility of moving out of the pick with a team like the Las Vegas Raiders or the Denver Broncos who come up for quarterbacks.

No matter how the pick shakes out, I would be surprised if the Cardinals stayed put a 27.