Mock Draft Chaos Has Cardinals Trading Back Into the First Round

The Arizona Cardinals are continuing to climb in the 2026 NFL Draft order after dropping their seventh straight game.

The Cardinals are now sitting with the sixth overall pick, behind the New York Giants, Las Vegas Raiders, Cleveland Browns, New York Jets, and Tennessee Titans. It's not impossible for the Cardinals to jump into the top-five picks should they lose out and finish the season 3-14, although they will need some of the teams ahead to win some games.

Still, the sixth pick isn't a bad spot, and it places Arizona in striking distance for a quarterback if they want to get aggressive.

With their slight move up the order, we have a new 2026 NFL Draft mock to look at. For this edition, I do have the Cardinals trading up to get a quarterback, but it is not with the sixth overall pick. You'll see the vision I have in the form of a Giants/Jaxson Dart type of trade-up. Everywhere else, I managed to find suitable starters and/or upgrades to positions of need.

I'll be counting on the front office to be aggressive and find offensive linemen with the way this mock fell, but I didn't walk away empty-handed.

That said, let's start things off with the sixth overall pick and the Cardinals adding one of the best talents the class has to offer.

6.) Rueben Bain Jr., EDGE, Miami

The top-two quarterbacks are off the board, and I highly suggest the Cardinals avoid reaching for the third-best quarterback here, especially considering the drop-off and the available players. Arizona needs to continue investing in its pass rush, especially after Josh Sweat was the only productive player to contribute to that aspect.

Bain's arms are reportedly shorter than teams would like, but he can find plenty of ways to disengage from linemen. We saw on full display how powerful he can be against Texas A&M and an offensive line stacked with NFL talent. Bain and Sweat would give the Cardinals the best pass-rushing duo they've rolled out since the days of Chandler Jones and Markus Golden.

TRADE UP:

32. Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama

We'll start by applauding the Cardinals for not reaching for a quarterback with the fifth overall pick and follow it up with their encore to move up in the first round to get their quarterback of the future. I have Arizona moving up with the league champion at 32 overall in exchange for picks 38 and 106 plus a 2027 second-round pick.

They will move up to grab the Alabama standout quarterback, who saw a complete 180 in his perception from when he got to Tuscaloosa to now. Simpson looked much stronger in the opening round of the College Football Playoff against a great Oklahoma defense after a sluggish end to what was a great 2025 regular season.

He has the poise, arm talent, and mobility to succeed at the next level. Pairing him with a good offensive mind (on Arizona's to-do list) will turn this offense around quickly.

70. Ja’Kobi Lane, WR, USC

Michael Wilson has exploded in an expanded role due to an injured Marvin Harrison Jr., who still has plenty of questions to answer. Those two are still foundational pieces of this passing game, but there's no depth behind them, and neither are particularly great at stretching the field. That's where Lane does his best work, and he also has big size at 6'4" and roughly 200 lbs to be the offense's downfield weapon.

A trio of Lane, Wilson, and Harrison gives new quarterback Ty Simpson a basketball-sized wide receiving core who can attack every level of the field.

106. Traded

145. DJ Campbell, IOL, Texas

The Cardinals cannot ignore the offensive line, but the first three picks lined up perfectly to transcend this team with Day One players. I also expect the offensive line to receive major investments over the offseason, so waiting for Day Three may not be the worst decision in the world.

Campbell is unspectacular, but you know that you're getting quality play at right guard with him in the folds. The right side of the offensive line is by far the greatest weakness of the team, and Campbell can at least be a steady starter and a massive upgrade by being that alone.

184. Bishop Fitzgerald, SAF, USC

Jalen Thompson is a pending free agent, and the Cardinals may be better off replacing him than re-signing him. Fitzgerald is a fascinating prospect who has the play to be drafted much higher than the back-end of the draft. The USC ball hawk had five interceptions in 2025 after picking off five passes in his two prior seasons at NC State.

With tons of starting experience and a prowess for creating turnovers, Fitzgerald would be a great addition to a safety room featuring perennial Pro Bowler Budda Baker and emerging youngster Dadrion Taylor-Demerson.

219. Iapani Laloulu, IOL, Oregon

Hjalte Froholdt is an underrated center and the Cardinals' second-best offensive lineman by a wide margin. The team would be wise to hold on to him long-term, but having his potential replacement if that doesn't work out is necessary. Laloulu has been a stud center for Oregon this year, but he has also seen ample time at both guard spots.

That versatility is what the Cardinals would love to add to their front five, and his ability to play three spots makes him a valuable starter and an even more vital depth player.