Insider Predicts Cardinals Two First-Round Draft Picks
ARIZONA -- We're nearly a week removed from the Super Bowl, and the 2024 offseason is in full swing as all 32 teams are officially in unison.
All eyes are fixated on the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft, where a team such as the Arizona Cardinals will have the opportunity to do damage with six picks in the first three rounds, two of which are set to take place in the first round.
NFL insider Field Yates dropped his first mock draft - here's who the Cardinals landed in the first round:
Pick No. 4: Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State
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Yates: "Few pick projections are as straightforward as this one, as the receiver-needy Cardinals could land my top-ranked wideout in this class and one of the most highly regarded wideout prospects of the past handful of years. Arizona needs a WR from the start, but things are only magnified by Marquise Brown being a free agent. Harrison is a silky smooth 6-4 205-pounder who would make life much easier on quarterback Kyler Murray the second he arrives at the team facility. His prototypical size is paired with excellent route running and body control."
Our take: This is the obvious slam-dunk pick of the top of the draft, and the Cardinals should indeed sprint to the podium if quarterbacks go in the first three picks ahead of them. Arizona desperately needs playmakers in their offense, and Harrison Jr. is as good as they come.
Pick No. 27: JC Latham, OT, Alabama
Yates: "With 2023 first-rounder Paris Johnson Jr. capable of moving over to left tackle (veteran D.J. Humphries is coming off of a late-season ACL tear), Latham could slide right into a right tackle role from Day 1. Latham has nuclear strength at the point of attack to make defenders think twice about getting in his path. This pick would set Murray up with a second franchise tackle -- and don't forget about the WR1 we got him in Harrison back at No. 4."
Our take: The Cardinals undoubtedly needs reinforcements along the offensive line, and Johnson Jr.'s status as either right or left tackle shouldn't dictate what the team does in the offseason. Latham would be another strong addition in the efforts of protecting Kyler Murray while giving Arizona two young cornerstone tackles for the future.
