Mock Draft Roundup: Nobody Knows What Cardinals Will Do

The holidays are here, and they are bringing 2026 NFL Draft mocks aplenty, including my own seven-round mock for the Arizona Cardinals.

We will start off with a slew of mocks giving the Cardinals the same player, but after that, we can explore trade-ups and defensive additions that we are happy to see.

CBS Sports: Spencer Fano

Josh Edwards: "Arizona's loss of Klayton Adams was significant, but the team can overcome it with better talent along the offensive line. Spencer Fano played right tackle for the Utes but may be slated to move inside at the next level. The Cardinals also have big decisions to make on head coach and quarterback."

PFF: Spencer Fano

Gordon McGuinness: "Quarterback remains a huge question mark for the Cardinals, but they don’t get the opportunity to address it in this mock draft. Instead, they focus on finding a partner for left tackle Paris Johnson Jr. and go with Utah’s Spencer Fano, who earned an 83.7 PFF pass-blocking grade on true pass sets and PFF run-blocking grades above 75.0 on both zone and gap runs."

A to Z Sports: Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami

Travis May: "Despite just being a true junior in college, Francis Mauigoa is one of the most experienced offensive tackles in the entire 2026 NFL Draft class with over 2,600 snaps (and counting). He’s a former five-star recruiting talent who grew into his 6-6, long-armed frame, and now he looks like a future franchise offensive tackle that the Arizona Cardinals would be foolish not to take at sixth overall."

The Draft Network: Keldric Faulk, EDGE, Auburn

Justin Melo: "The Arizona Cardinals may replace Kyler Murray this offseason, but there's no QB worth drafting here. Keldric Faulk is well-liked within NFL circles and is heading toward being a top 10 pick. Faulk is still scratching the surface of his potential while playing a versatile and physical brand of football."

Our Picks: Rueben Bain, Ty Simpson (After Trade-Up)

Richie Bradshaw: "Bain's arms are reportedly shorter than teams would like, but he can find plenty of ways to disengage from linemen. We saw on full display how powerful he can be against Texas A&M and an offensive line stacked with NFL talent. Bain and Sweat would give the Cardinals the best pass-rushing duo they've rolled out since the days of Chandler Jones and Markus Golden.

"Simpson looked much stronger in the opening round of the College Football Playoff against a great Oklahoma defense after a sluggish end to what was a great 2025 regular season.

"He has the poise, arm talent, and mobility to succeed at the next level. Pairing him with a good offensive mind (on Arizona's to-do list) will turn this offense around quickly."