Analyst: Cardinals Draft Class Will Make Biggest Impact

The Arizona Cardinals' crop of rookies will make the most impact in the NFL, according to ESPN.

Missouri defensive lineman Darius Robinson greets NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and shows off his / Eric Seals / USA TODAY NETWORK

ARIZONA -- It's tough to overstate how strong of a draft the Arizona Cardinals had.

Sure, Super Bowls aren't won on paper, but the efforts of Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort in his second year in charge has spurred some good results.

Arizona made 12 picks through the 2024 NFL Draft - seven coming in the first three rounds. Those 12 picks are the most for any organization since 1992.

Through the rounds, the Cardinals added firepower to both sides of the ball that will serve Arizona well for both the present and future - most notably adding WR Marvin Harrison Jr. and DL Darius Robinson in the first round.

ESPN's Eric Moody says of all teams, Arizona's rookie class can make the biggest impact:

"The Cardinals made significant moves in this draft. They secured two standout players, wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. and defensive tackle Darius Robinson, who are expected to have an immediate impact," wrote Moody. "Additionally, the Cardinals addressed their needs in other positions by acquiring cornerbacks Max Melton and Elijah Jones. With these additions, Arizona's 2024 draft class is poised to make a difference right away."

They certainly have numbers to do so, though the quality of players stretching from Harrison down to a few of their Day 3 picks can make an impact.

“Can we talk again in two years? It's crazy to say but when our scouts grade we always grade by (the metric of) what is this player going to be by year two, so that goes into the transition that I talked about from college to the NFL," said Ossenfort when asked on his overall thoughts regarding the class.

"That first year that’s a huge jump for these guys so it's a mental change and a physical change. They‘ve got to learn how we do things, they've got to learn our scheme and it's a lot. It is a lot for the guys to go through. We will get those guys in here, we'll get them onboarded as soon as we can in a couple weeks and I'm excited to get them going. These guys are already reaching out to their coaches saying, ‘Hey, when can I get there?’. You guys have got to slow down here. There's rules. We can't rush you in here right now. We'll get them going but we're excited to get them here. Our expectation for all of them is to come in here and work, carve out a role and find a way to help us win.”

The Cardinals begin rookie mini-camp May 10.