Cardinals NFL Draft Tracker: Every Pick, Trade, and Instant Grade

The Arizona Cardinals' 2026 draft is finally here! We'll be tracking every move made by the Cardinals.

Round 1, Pick 3: Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame

Arizona Cardinals running back Jeremiyah Lov — Feb 27, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love (RB11) speaks to members of the media during the NFL Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images | Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images

After the Las Vegas Raiders drafted Fernando Mendoza and the New York Jets took David Bailey, the Cardinals were on the clock. Arizona saw the clock completely dwindle before taking running back Jeremiyah Love.

Love becomes one of the highest-drafted running backs in the league and immediately looks to give a boost to Arizona's offense under first-year head coach Mike LaFleur.

"He's more than a running back, he's a weapon," ESPN's broadcast said of Love, who is the first running back taken in the top five since 2018.

Love had a medical red flag pop at the combine, which you can read more about here.

The Cardinals welcome Love to their backfield with James Conner and Tyler Allgeier in store. Love is a running back who was a Heisman trophy finalist last season and will be looked upon to help transform Arizona's offense overnight.

Positional value aside, the Cardinals add one of the draft's best graded players.

Instant Grade: C+. The Cardinals are docked points for making Love the highest paid running back in the league in terms of guaranteed money, though they wanted to make a splash — and that's exactly what Arizona did here. This grade is absolutely not on the player but more so the team-building aspect.

Pre-Draft Festivities

Entering the draft, the Cardinals own seven total picks:

Round 1: Pick 3
Round 2: Pick 34
Round 3: Pick 65
Round 4: Pick 104
Round 5: Pick 143
Round 6: Pick 183
Round 7: Pick 217

Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort will very likely not make all of these picks thanks to his notorious desire to move up and down the draft board.

It's highly believed Arizona wants to move off their No. 3 pick.

“I think really the first thing that comes up is opportunity. There's got to be someone that is interested in trading a pick or coming up and getting a pick," said Ossenfort.

"If those opportunities don't present themselves, then there's nothing to even talk about. When you start looking at trading back for accumulating picks, I think one thing that you really have to talk about is (that) if we trade back, what is the premium that we're getting paid to move back? Then if we do indeed move back, who's going to be available to pick when we move back to that spot? So, what you have to consider is the value of what you're giving up to move back, is that at a big enough level? If it is great."

Needs

Positions such as right tackle, edge rusher, running back, quarterback and defensive line could be addressed early in draft festivities while others such as wide receiver and cornerback could see boosts a bit later in the process.

In the first round, positions such as offensive tackle and edge rusher feel more likely than not — considering where Arizona ultimately lands in the order.

Final Mock Draft

Our final mock draft consists of the following:

Round 1: Francis Mauigoa
Round 2: Ty Simpson
Round 3: Malachi Lawrence

The Cardinals often try to use the "best player available" approach, would gives a massive variance of picks and positions they can address.

"I never think it's a good idea to go into a draft and draft for need," Ossenfort said.

"I don't think that's a good philosophy overall. I think you end up tending to reach at that point. We all saw last year (and) how it went. You look on paper and you're like ‘We're all set at this position,’ and then bang three weeks later, you're down to your fourth, fifth, sixth guy on the depth chart just like that. Yeah, it's easy to say, ‘We're all set at that position and we don't need anybody,’ but again, to pass up on good players that may not look like a position of need (as) a long-term strategy. I don't think that's a winning one.”

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