Numerous Experts Believe Cardinals Had Top Draft Class

It appears the Arizona Cardinals and GM Monti Ossenfort have again nailed an NFL Draft weekend.

Apr 25, 2024; Detroit, MI, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. poses after / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

ARIZONA -- Arizona Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort did it again.

The Cardinals finished the 2024 NFL Draft with 12 selections - the most out of any team in the league and the highest number of picks by one organization since 1992.

That included seven picks in the first three rounds - which included two first-round selections in Marvin Harrison Jr. and Darius Robinson.

Overall, the Cardinals felt like they had a strong draft - and experts/analysts would agree.

NFL.com: A-

Chad Reuter: "The Cardinals did a nice job over the first two days of the draft. They acquired picks via trade, found home-run hitters on offense in Harrison and Benson and added an inside/outside pass-rush threat in Robinson. They landed athletic corners in Melton and Elijah Jones, as well. Adams and Reiman also met needs, though they were picked a bit earlier than I expected. 

"Taylor-Demerson was my pick for the Cardinals in the fourth round of my seven-round mock draft because of his quickness as a slot defender and tackling ability. Thomas is athletic enough to stand up on the edge for the Cardinals, while Christian Jones and Palmer have the talent to take back-end roster spots and compete for playing time down the road."

Bleacher Report: B+

Kris Knox: "This was largely a volume draft for the Cardinals. While Ossenfort didn't exactly manage value from start to finish, Arizona had a ton of needs, and with a bevy of prospects, it stands a good chance of filling a few of them before the end of training camp.

"Harrison was a slam-dunk pick at No. 4. The rest of the class appears more good than great."

PFF: B+

Trevor Sikkema: "The Cardinals didn’t receive a trade offer that enticed them to move down for the second straight season. Instead, they get the No. 1 overall prospect on the consensus big board and one of the cleanest projections in the entire draft. Despite dealing with a step down in quarterback play last year, Harrison is one of two wide receivers who generated more than 1.0 PFF Wins Above Average (WAA) over the last two seasons."

CBS Sports: A-

Chris Trapasso: Holy gigantic class for the Cardinals. But I love it. The more rolls at the table, the better. Harrison is an instant 1,000-yard "X" receiver, Robinson can make noise Year 1 if he's deployed inside more than on the edge, and Trey Benson was my RB1 in this class. So fast and elusive. 

Reiman is enormous and provided glimmers of receiving prowess, and the Melton and Jones pairing gives the Cardinals two highly explosive outside cornerbacks. Thomas can be a useful situational outside rusher, and Jones has starter upside. Arizona added athletic specimens at a variety of positions to a roster that desperately needed an infusion of sheer talent. Go have a beer, or two, Monti Ossenfort. On me. You crushed this draft. 

ESPN: A

Mel Kiper: "They really needed a talent infusion in this draft, and they entered Thursday with 11 picks, tied for the most in the league. So, yes, general manager Monti Ossenfort could have traded down from No. 4 to add even more capital, but I like that he went with both the best prospect available and the team's biggest need. Marvin Harrison Jr. (4) has everything it takes to be a future All-Pro wide receiver. ... All in all, Ossenfort used 12 picks and hit all of the Cardinals' top needs, including throwing four defensive backs at a porous pass D. This is a well-rounded and super-talented class."

Yahoo: B+

Charles McDonald: "Shoutout to Arizona for not overthinking it. Grab the best player in the draft and keep it moving. They took some chances with the selections of Max Melton, Trey Benson and Xavier Thomas, giving them more credible prospects to continue this rebuild. The Cardinals might not win the division this season, but this draft class should help them get to competing for the playoffs soon, especially if Kyler Murray can build on his late-season resurgence."