5 Surprise NFL Draft Prospects Perfect for the Cardinals

With another high draft pick this year, the majority of media and fan attention is pointed right now at what the Arizona Cardinals plan to do with the No. 3 overall pick.

Will Monti Ossenfort play around with trades again like he did in his first year at the helm or will the team stick and pick a future cornerstone player like an elite tackle or edge rusher?

This is, of course, a very valuable question but with a full slate of picks in this draft it is also valuable to take a look at what the Cardinals might do beyond the first day. The names might be better known in the first few rounds but the players that an NFL front office evaluates and selects on Days 2 and 3 are often the difference in building a franchise with the depth to go all the way.

With hardly any position group beyond the need for some reinforcement, the options are almost endless which makes identifying lesser-known players such an interesting exercise.

Still, here is an attempt to look at some players that might not be making it onto everyone's mock drafts right now but could provide some value to the Cardinals in Rounds 3-7.

Bishop Fitzgerald - Safety, USC

The Cardinals lost one half of their long-time safety duo with Jalen Thompson signing with the Dallas Cowboys in free agency. Now the free safety spot is up for grabs with the expected result being an increased role for Dadrion "Rabbit" Taylor-Demerson.

With the injury of Garrett Williams, Taylor-Demerson seems like more of a fit for a hybrid slot role leaving a question mark for the deep field. Bishop Fitzgerald was one of the best free safeties in college football this past season and exhibited some of the best natural instincts and ball skills of this year's safety group.

Likely available as late as Round 5-7, Fitzgerald would be an interesting pick to try out for a future role and would provide value on special teams as well.

Nate Boerkircher - TE, Texas A&M

When Mike LaFleur was OC of the Rams last year, they ran the most 13 personnel packages in the league, taking advantage of a talented tight room. Now, LaFleur comes to Arizona and gets the chance to coach the best tight end in football, Trey McBride. Expect him to also try to find ways to utilize the position with other players like Tip Reiman and Elijah Higgins.

McBride and Reiman are both safe in their spots, but it wouldn't be terribly surprising if the Cardinals want to look to double down on this positional strength and upgrade at TE2/3. One later round option for that would be Texas A&M's Nate Boerkircher.

The 6-4, 250 pound prospect was one of the best run blocking tight ends in college football in 2025 and would slot in well as the sixth blocking option, allowing McBride the freedom to run routes and opening up opportunities for Reiman as well to be a bigger receiving option.

A big knock for Boerkircher will be his age, nearly 25 by the start of the season, but he is well-developed physically and ready for a heavy blocking role right away against NFL caliber talent. His receiving production in college doesn't look impressive, but he moves surprisingly well for his size. An interesting late round addition that would forecast was LaFleur might want the Cardinals offense to look like in 2026.

Kobe Baynes - G, Kansas

The need for the Cardinals to bolster the offensive line is well-established by this point and although additions were made in free agency it would be wise for the team to continue adding talent to build the strongest possible group for the future franchise quarterback (whoever that may be).

Baynes has good guard size and is one of the more physically aggressive players at that position in this draft class. His lateral movement is good and his upper body is strong enough, paired with a decent anchor, that he isn't getting bowled over very often.

Intense, physical players seem like LaFleur's type and Baynes should be available on Day 3, a spot in the draft that Ossenfort has shown he likes to target interior offensive line.

Roman Hemby - RB, Indiana

The free agent addition of Tyler Allgeier and restructuring of James Conner make drafting a running back less of a priority for the Cardinals this year, but it shouldn't be completely discounted. Conner is getting up there in age and there has not been much evidence so far that the team is confident that Trey Benson will be the future at the position.

For being a national champion running back, Roman Hemby is not getting much press this draft cycle. He doesn't project as a Day 1 gamewrecker, but he possesses a skillset that should get him on a roster and the Cardinals might be able to benefit from.

He is a good third down back with good pass protection and receiving skills who would essentially take the role of the departed Emari Demercado. A spot role as a rookie would be reasonable for Hemby and increased responsibility after Conner or Benson leaves would also be possible. The Cardinals could probably get him in the 7th round, a good value spot for a special teamer/restricted role player.

DeMonte Capehart - DT, Clemson

The search for solid defensive linemen is nearly perpetual in the NFL but it is absolutely necessary for the Cardinals to find long-term solutions at this position if they want to find success as a team.

With the departure of nose tackle Dalvin Tomlinson, it is crucial that the Cardinals get at least a good rotation of players to fill that critical spot to stop the run and provide some opportunities for the healed Walter Nolen III and a hopefully reinforced Edge group to get to the quarterback.

One player no one seems to be talking about that could be had on Day 3 is DeMonte Capehart. He has great size at 6-5, 315 pounds and tons of experience with 57 games played, although only 12 of those were starts.

If he catches a guard unprepared, it is likely he is lifting him out of position. His strength is impressive and his feet are light enough that he can move into position quickly to stop the run. It is unlikely that he will be a Pro Bowl gamewrecker at the NFL level but his floor still looks to be a good rotational contributor, something the Cardinals should consider after struggling to find solutions along the defensive line for years now.