Cardinals Reportedly Eying 4 Names With First Draft Pick

ARIZONA — Your guess is as good as anybody's when it comes to the Arizona Cardinals' No. 3 overall pick.

We're just over a week removed from seeing the Cardinals on the clock for the 2026 NFL Draft, and with numerous holes to fill on the roster entering head coach Mike LaFleur's first season in charge, there's a handful of players that realistically could land with Arizona.

NFL insider Peter Schrager says three names are in consideration for the Cardinals:

"Three, Cardinals, gets interesting. I have the other choice in [Arvell] Reese but this very well could be Jeremiyah Love or if they want to reach a little bit, the offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa out of Miami. Those are the three players I'm told. [David] Bailey/Reese combo, whoever doesn't go to the Jets, Jeremiyah Love or at three, the offensive lineman out of Miami," he said on the Pat McAfee Show.

"It gets interesting with the Arizona Cardinals at number three..

I'm told it could be David Bailey, Arvell Reese or Jeremiyah Love..

If they wanna reach a little bit it could be Francis Mauigoa out of Miami" ~ @PSchrags #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/IdePQwmDRG
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 14, 2026

A quick rundown of each player:

Arvell Reese, LB, Ohio State

Reese is a versatile front seven chess piece emerging out of Ohio State that showed flashes of dominant play at either edge rusher or inside linebacker entering the next level. Athletically he's among the most gifted in his class while some are concerned on his limited snaps as an edge rusher.

Reese is a high upside but high risk player, especially if he makes the full-time move to the edge like many would expect a top five pick to do.

David Bailey, EDGE, Texas Tech

Bailey produced plenty of sacks during his stint at Texas Tech and just might be the most polished pass rusher in this class thanks to a mixed bag of moves and speed that's been tough for college tackles to handle.

Most of the caution with Bailey is his lack of run game presence and inability to disengage with blockers when locked up, though there's clearly flashes of a prominent edge player at the next level there.

Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame

If the Cardinals go best player available, Love just might be the pick. He's considered the best running back prospect in the class with little negatives to flaunt on his scouting report. Love carries high expectations of helping transform a rushing attack immediately upon arrival.

Would this be the smart pick for Arizona, who clearly needs to upgrade the offensive line? That's where you see Cardinals fans split, as taking a running back that high in the draft typically hasn't yielded strong team results.

Francis Mauigoa, RT, Miami

Mauigoa is among the best offensive line prospects in the class and would solve an immediate need at right tackle for the Cardinals. Mauigoa is strong in both run and pass protection and while he has a high projected floor as a player, the ceiling might not be much higher.

Debates on if Mauigoa should be the pick at three are mostly centered around those discussions.

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