Cardinals Rookie Class Grades Below Average

ARIZONA -- The Arizona Cardinals walked out of the 2024 NFL Draft hoping to have landed some serious game-changers on both sides of the ball.

With seven picks in the Top 100, the Cardinals had numerous dart throws to land impact players and push their rebuild even further.

While it takes a couple years to truly get a good grasp of how good/bad rookie classes can be, everybody wasn't exactly impressed with Arizona's early output from their crew of 12 players.

NFL.com's Gennaro Filice ranked the Cardinals' rookie class at No. 21 out of the 32 teams with the following explanation:

"Coming out of the receiver factory at Ohio State as the reigning Biletnikoff Award winner and son of a Hall of Fame wideout, Marvin Harrison Jr. entered the NFL with GREAT expectations. So, when he failed to produce the kind of Pro Bowl debut that has become en vogue at WR in recent years, questions arose about his game," Filice wrote.

"Why can’t he separate? Where are the contested-catch skills? What is his trump card? Some of these questions are valid, to be sure. But I also think it’s useful to take a step back and remember that the 22-year-old comfortably led Arizona's receiver room in targets (116), receptions (62) and yards (885) while pacing the entire team in yards per catch (14.3) and touchdown grabs (eight).

"More inconsistent play from roller-coaster QB Kyler Murray didn’t help Harrison’s production, and it felt like the Cardinals failed to tap into the big-bodied target’s polished route-running ability. While MHJ didn’t immediately take the league by storm, freaking out about his long-term upside after one season feels rash.

"Unfortunately, Arizona’s second first-round pick, Darius Robinson , was far less productive, thanks to a calf injury that sidelined him for the first three months of the season. As a whole, the Cardinals’ rookie class -- which included an NFL-high 12 draft picks -- underwhelmed. Dadrion Taylor -Demerson and Max Melton flashed in the secondary, while Isaiah Adams started the last five games of the season at right guard."

The Cardinals did get solid production out of some of their mid-round picks, though their bread-and-butter players in the first round (Harrison/Robinson) didn't live up to expectations for one reason or another.

One season isn't enough sample size to justify any solidified opinions quite yet, though it is clear Arizona will need more from their injection of youth if they're going to be a playoff team in 2025.