Cardinals Mock Draft: Trades Go Up, Down in Two Rounds

Arizona Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort was wheeling and dealing in this mock draft.

ARIZONA -- The 2024 NFL Draft is nearly here, and the Arizona Cardinals are still a wild card in terms of what they'll do when the No. 4 pick is on the clock.

Stay or go? That's the question, dilemma, whatever you want to call it, for general manager Monti Ossenfort and co. with a crucial second year of rebuilding that will have its path altered by the next seven rounds of picks in the desert - for better or worse.

As if the internet wasn't already flooded with enough mock drafts, we completed a two-round mock using Pro Football Focus' simulator.

When the dust settled, we finished with four selections in the first two rounds.

Cardinals Mock Draft: Trades Go Up, Down in Two Rounds

Round 1, Pick 6: Malik Nabers, WR, LSU

Tigers reciever Malik Nabers 8 runs the ball as the LSU Tigers take on Georgia State in Tiger

SCOTT CLAUSE/USA TODAY Network / USA

We were fully ready to stick and pick at No. 4 had Marvin Harrison Jr. been available, though the New England Patriots threw a nice curveball and took the Ohio State wideout just ahead at No. 3.

With Jayden Daniels and J.J. McCarthy available, the bidding began. Ultimately, the New York Giants were willing to pay the quarterback tax and include their first-round pick in 2025 in a deal that sees the Cardinals drop just two spots and select Malik Nabers, an explosive receiver that many teams have as their No. 1 receiver ahead of Harrison (reportedly).

Sure, maybe Nabers won't sell as many jerseys as MHJ, but the Cardinals gain an extra first for next year while also grabbing a top weapon for Kyler Murray moving forward.

Round 1, Pick 27: Laiatu Latu, EDGE, UCLA

Oct 21, 2023; Stanford, California, USA; UCLA Bruins defensive lineman Laiatu Latu (15) during

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Last draft, the Cardinals benefited from a handful of players that saw their draft stock derailed by injury concerns, and Latu would be no different.

Latu's neck injury that saw him nearly stop playing the sport altogether could have teams concerned enough to have him slip down to Arizona with the No. 27 selection, though if he's in their ballpark, it wouldn't be a shock to see the Cardinals make a move to get him.

Arizona finished 30th in team sacks in 2023 and desperately needs help in getting to the quarterback. Enter Latu, who consistently found himself in opposing backfields last season and projects as one of the top edge players in the draft thanks to a flurry of pass-rush moves at his disposal.

The neck injury rightfully has some scared - but scared money don't make money, and if Latu falls to the Cardinals at 27, that's a risk worth taking.

Round 2, Pick 35: Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB, Alabama

Alabama defensive back Kool-Aid McKinstry (1) gestures in celebration after Tennessee failed to

Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA

Arizona could go a number of different directions here with pick 35, and even if they target the cornerback position, there's a few different players that could fit the bill depending on what the Cardinals want to opt for.

Here, Arizona nabs the talents of McKinstry, whose sweet name is only outdone by his size, length and versatility to play in numerous coverages. He doesn't jump out of the gym and doesn't possess elite speed, but his ball-skills and overall floor as a corner bode well for a Cardinals squad that's currently undergoing a youth movement at the position.

Other corners considered here were T.J. Tampa, Kamari Lassiter and Ennis Rakestraw Jr. at the top of the second.

Round 2, Pick 51: Zach Frazier, OL, West Virginia

Oct 23, 2021; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers offensive lineman Zach Frazier (54)

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The Cardinals originally do not have two second-round picks, but will Ossenfort stick to his guns and make all six selections in the first three rounds?

Arizona has tons of draft capital at their disposal, and the Cardinals will likely have their eye on a handful of candidates that may slip through the cracks of the early second reason before putting some of their three third-round picks to use.

Here, we waited far too long for Zach Frazier to stop falling, calling Pittsburgh Steelers GM Omar Khan and moving back up into the second (we pick-swapped and sent them our latest third to sweeten the deal) to snag another crucial piece to Arizona's future offensive line in the versatile Frazier, who can play either guard or center for the Cardinals moving forward.

Through two rounds in this mock draft, the Cardinals added a premier weapon at wide receiver, a tremendous pass-rusher, a steady corner and a versatile interior lineman that could potentially start from Day 1.