Analyst: Cardinals Crushed NFL Draft

ARIZONA - The rave reviews continue to pour in from the NFL community on how Arizona Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort and crew crushed it over draft weekend.

With 12 picks - seven of which came in the first three rounds - Arizona managed to add impact players on both sides of the ball.

NFL.com analyst Bucky Brooks says Arizona's draft haul is one of his favorites:

"After dazzling the analytics community with his masterful trade tactics in his first draft at the helm one year ago, general manager Monti Ossenfort deserves plaudits for sticking and picking blue-chip prospects throughout this year’s draft. Whether it was intentional or a stroke of luck, the Cardinals landed premier players in the early, middle and late rounds," he wrote.

"The selection of Marvin Harrison Jr. gives the Cardinals a WR1 in the mold of franchise great Larry Fitzgerald. As a polished playmaker with a Hall of Fame pedigree, MHJ should thrive in the No. 1 role as the focal point of an offense that wants to attack every area of the field with Kyler Murray as the trigger man. This addition immediately elevates a passing game that ranked 26th in the NFL this past season. With Trey Benson adding more juice to the running game as a complement to James Conner, the Cardinals could field a more balanced attack in 2024.

"On defense, the additions of Max Melton, Elijah Jones and Dadrion Taylor-Demerson bring more toughness, tenacity and skill to a secondary that wants to shrink the quarterback's passing windows. With Darius Robinson also providing pass-rushing ability with inside-outside potential, the Cardinals’ youth movement should lead to more competitive games in the NFC West."

The Cardinals now have collected back-to-back impressive draft hauls under Ossenfort, though Arizona will still need to wait a few years down the road to ultimately deem picks successful or not.

Not every pick will turn into a Pro Bowl player, and there will be some misses along the way - but it's tough to say Arizona hasn't again walked out of an NFL Draft with impressive pieces for the future.

Rookie minicamp for the Cardinals begins May 10.