Takeaways From Cardinals Day 1 Draft Moves

The Arizona Cardinals made two picks in the 2024 NFL Draft - here's what we learned.

ARIZONA -- The madness that is the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft has settled.

Daylight has been absent for quite some time, and it's only shuffling of papers and the striking of keys that fills the air here at the Arizona Cardinals' facility in Tempe.

GM Monti Ossenfort walked into today with two opportunities to add talented players to his roster - and that's exactly what was accomplished with Marvin Harrison (No. 4) and Darius Robinson (No. 27) as multiple first-round picks, the first instance Arizona's drafted two players in the top 32 since 2003.

The pandemonium is sure to continue through the rest of the weekend - but here's what we've already learned about the Cardinals through one round of drafting in 2024:

Marvin Harrison Jr. Was The Golden Ticket

NFL draft prospect Marvin Harrison Jr., a wide receiver who played at Ohio State, walks the red

Kimberly P. Mitchell/USA Today / USA

After months of speculation, the Cardinals ultimately decided not to trade down and opted to stick and pick, landing one of the highest-touted receiver prospects in recent memory with Harrison's arrival.

"I'd say we were busy on the phone most of the day. And really, with the spot we were in it was teams coming to us. And so it wasn't a situation where we weren't looking to move the pick - we were just doing due diligence as most phone calls came in," Ossenfort told reporters after the first round.

"As always, we're gonna listen. But, ultimately, we were excited to stick and pick at number four."

The Cardinals knew exactly what they were getting with Harrison on the board, as the Ohio State product carries potential to take Arizona's offense to the next level.

There was interest in moving out and Ossenfort certainly considered offers, but at the end of the day, it felt like it would have taken quite the haul to get Arizona off of the fourth pick.

"I felt pretty convicted about who Marvin was. I was already convicted about who Marvin was as a player. After that day, [I was] convicted of who he was as a person," said Ossenfort when asked about hosting Harrison on his Top 30 visit.

"To me, that was a big day for me as we went through the process of figuring out who we're gonna pick at number four."

Defensive Line Was Priority No. 1 This Offseason

Apr 25, 2024; Detroit, MI, USA; Missouri Tigers defensive lineman Darius Robinson reacts after being

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Cardinals saw their defensive line depth tested last year, and they didn't like the results.

"I think we've talked about it at length - I mean, we can never have enough big guys, whether that's on the offensive or defensive line. I think last year our depth got tested and so we were able to add some pieces that we know is going to help us in free agency and adding another piece in the draft here on day one - really excited to do that," said Ossenfort.

Arizona inked Justin Jones and Bilal Nichols to somewhat significant deals over the offseason, though the Cardinals didn't hesitate to add another layer to the front lines in Robinson.

"Violent, violent, violent. Really good in the run and pass game and can win in multiple spots in both the run and the pass game," said Gannon when asked what he liked about Robinson.

Arizona rotates their defensive line heavily as is - though injuries are bound to happen over the course of a 17-game season.

The Cardinals recognized their biggest weakness last year and promptly ensured that same effort wouldn't be repeated again in 2024.

Arizona Holds The Cards in Their Hands

Arizona Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort during an NFL pre-draft press conference at the

Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY

The Arizona Cardinals controlled their picks at their own pace - and it was refreshing.

The Cardinals knew exactly what they had at No. 4 in Harrison, and rather than trading down just to trade down, Ossenfort didn't try to undervalue either of his two firsts.

"We were prepared to pick and we were prepared to pick Marvin at four and really, there was no trade that came that was going to get us off that pick. If somebody would have came and offered us something that would have been the best thing for the team, we certainly would have done it. Ultimately, we felt the best tonight about sticking with Marvin at number four," said Ossenfort on not moving from the fourth pick.

"Thankfully we were able to wait. We had discussions around 27 - we had plenty of calls looking to move up. We had plenty of calls there at the end [with] people trying to come back in, and we decided ultimately that we were ready to add Darius there and we wanted to stick and pick there."

Now - Arizona has four picks slated for Day 2, which includes the third pick in the second round at pick 35 - and all options are on the table.

"I feel really good. I feel really good. Yeah - we still have some players we really like up on the board. What I would say is, I think our options are going to be plentiful for teams that are interested in coming up to us, too," said Ossenfort.

"I think we'll - just as today - I think we'll be ready to pick a player at 35 and I think we'll also have plenty of options in case we wanted to move around a little bit."

Buckle up, Cardinals fans.