Analyst: This UDFA Can Make Cardinals Roster

The Arizona Cardinals need depth at WR - and one UDFA makes sense.

Oct 28, 2023; Pasadena, California, USA; Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver Xavier Weaver (10) carries / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

ARIZONA -- The Arizona Cardinals didn't sign many undrafted free agents once the dust from the 2024 NFL Draft settled, though they did grab a handful of guys they're confident in.

“This year we ended up lowering that amount just because our roster is almost up to the 90 man limit. I think we might have 86 to 88 right now. I don't have the exact number in front of me, but we didn't have to go out and sign 10 to 13 UDFA’s like some years," said Cardinals assistant GM Dave Sears.

"You’ll see some teams do that right now, but we had a full roster. We like the guys we have in the building right now, so we didn't need to go chase them in addition to having—we ended up with 12 picks. If we had seven picks then we *(would have been) signing five more guys.”

The Cardinals ultimately walked away with just a handful of players (a breakdown of those guys can be found here) - and Bleacher Report believes Colorado WR Xavier Weaver has the best chance of making the roster.

"Xavier Weaver was a standout at South Florida, where he caught 94 passes for 1,433 yards and eight touchdowns across the 2021 and 2022 seasons. He then transferred to Colorado to end his collegiate career under the tutelage of head coach Deion Sanders," wrote Ryan Fowler.

"While quarterback Shedeur Sanders and CB/WR hybrid Travis Hunter drew most of the spotlight last season, Weaver quietly posted 908 yards, leading all Colorado pass-catchers.

"At 6'1" and 169 pounds, Weaver has an excellent release package, and he isn't afraid to mix it up in the condensed areas at the second level."

Weaver will try to compete with a Cardinals depth chart that features names such as Marvin Harrison Jr., Michael Wilson and Greg Dortch. Arizona also added Tejhaun Palmer on the final day of the draft.

Competition will be thick for Weaver - but so too for the other two UDFA's Arizona inked to contracts.

Rookie minicamp begins May 10.