Cardinals Flip Script in New Mock Draft

The Arizona Cardinals make an interesting pair of selections in the first two rounds of a recent mock.

Jan 10, 2025; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas Longhorns offensive lineman Hayden Conner (76) and offensive lineman Kelvin Banks Jr. (78) and Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Cody Simon (0) in action during the game between the Texas Longhorns and the Ohio State Buckeyes at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

As speculation begins to run wild in the advent of 2025's NFL Draft season, the Arizona Cardinals appear to be in a favorable position.

With the recent signing of DL Calais Campbell, and some top-tier additions to their defensive line in Josh Sweat and Dalvin Tomlinson, Arizona has a bit more freedom to work with in the early rounds of the coming draft.

Though they could still opt to go for a DL in the first round, GM Monti Ossenfort will have more room to target the best player available at 16 overall — or even engineer a trade down.

ESPN's Field Yates published a recent two-round full mock draft, making selections for all 32 teams through the first 64 picks.

Arriving at No. 16, Yates has the Cardinals drafting OL Kelvin Banks Jr., a tackle out of the University of Texas. Banks was a three-year starter for the Longhorns, and is elite in pass protection. He allowed only four sacks in his entire three-year college career.

The Cardinals might not have OL as their top need, but Banks is certainly a potential future right tackle, especially considering Kelvin Beachum's age, and Jonah Williams' season-ending injury in 2024.

But round two is when Yates expects Arizona to add to their defense.

With the 47th overall pick, Yates has the Cardinals selecting EDGE Nic Scourton out of Texas A&M.

Scourton played a variety of positions at Purdue and Texas A&M, including stints at DE, LB and pure EDGE. He posted 50 tackles, 15 TFLs and 10 sacks in his breakout sophomore season at Purdue, and was solid in his final year of college, with five sacks and 14 TFLs.

He's not the most premier name among 2025's pass rush class, but if the Cardinals do opt to wait until the second round to add a pass rusher, Scourton is one of the better options beyond pick 32. He posted a pass rush win rate of 17% and a pass rush grade over 80.6 per PFF.

These picks might not be names anyone is truly examining with relation to the Cardinals, but the depth of this draft is its strength. Ossenfort will have plenty of swings, and plenty of talent to draw from in any round.

The Cardinals have already added high-end talent, and must have a goal of contention in the coming season. With that said, the 2025 draft is for the future.