Obvious Winners, Losers From Cardinals' Draft Night Surprise

The Arizona Cardinals move into the night with some obvious winners and losers.

Sep 20, 2025; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Jeremiyah Love (4) celebrates scoring against the Purdue Boilermakers in the second half at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael Caterina-Imagn Images | Michael Caterina-Imagn Images

TEMPE — The first round of NFL draft festivities is over, and the Arizona Cardinals came away with one of the draft's top playmakers.

The Cardinals, picking third overall, drafted Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love - adding to a strong arsenal of weapons in Arizona with one of college football's best playmakers in store.

With such a massive pick, there's obvious to be winners and losers after the first round finished:

Winner: Michael Bidwill

Arizona Cardinals president Michael Bidwill arrives with his new head coach Mike LaFleur during a news conference on Feb. 3, 2026, at Arizona Cardinals training center in Tempe. | Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The biggest winner here is Michael Bidwill, who will now see a plethora of season tickets, jerseys, merchandise and overall good press from the Cardinals. After the season Arizona had, Cardinals fans needed a reason to not only believe, but also pay attention.

Adding one of the draft's best/most recognizable players at a prominent (and marketable) position was a solid move by the Cardinals. For as much as people want to downplay the business aspect of this move, it wasn't everything to the draft pick - but it also isn't nothing, either.

Loser: Trey Benson

Sep 25, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals running back Trey Benson (33) against the Seattle Seahawks at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Trey Benson is by far the biggest loser from tonight. And to be fair, we labeled him as one after free agency when Tyler Allgeier arrived from the Atlanta Falcons to form a nice 1A/1B with James Conner.

Tonight was the nail in the coffin for Benson, who is now RB4 for the Cardinals and will need to have a career outing in training camp just to save a roster spot. That's unfortunate for a former Day 2 pick, but such is life when a mix of injuries and inconsistency rear its ugly head.

Winner: Mike LaFleur

Feb 24, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Arizona Cardinals coach Mike LaFleur speaks at the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Mike LaFleur now has weapons galore and a shortage of excuses to make some magic happen.

Trey McBride. Michael Wilson. Marvin Harrison Jr.. Kendrick Bourne. Jeremiyah Love.

While quarterback play is very much to be determined, LaFleur now has no excuses for explosives and firepower in terms of weapons at positions such as TE, WR and RB. If LaFleur is anything close to being the offensive mind he should be in terms of getting players in position to succeed, tonight was a massive win for his skill group.

Loser: Cardinals' Immediate Ability to Add OL Help

Arizona Cardinals offensive lineman Isaiah Adams (74) is introduced before their game against the Seattle Seahawks at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, on Sept. 25, 2025. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

By passing on a right tackle, the Cardinals now find a shortage of top players at the position entering Day 2.

Nine offensive lineman were drafted in the first round, leaving the Cardinals' crop of options in the second extremely slim — to say the least. Arizona did sign a handful of players this offseason with starting experience, though those signings were more so depth than reliable starters.

Winner: Jacoby Brissett

Jan 4, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett (7) rolls out against the Los Angeles Rams during the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The Cardinals couldn't move up into the first round for their coveted passer in Ty Simpson, who the Los Angeles Rams surprisingly took at No. 13. Arizona now will look to much lesser draft options who won't provide Jacoby Brissett with an obvious challenge moving into 2026.

That's fine, as Brissett was probably going to be the Day 1 starter anyways - though the Cardinals are locked into a contract stand-off with Brissett, who is demanding a raise a starter.

With the possibility of Simpson gone, Brissett's firmly entrenched as Arizona's starter... and now could be paid as such.

Loser: Monti Ossenfort

Arizona Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill and general manager Monti Ossenfort speak to the press from the Arizona Cardinals training center in Tempe after the decision to fire head coach Jonathan Gannon on Jan. 5, 2026. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Cardinals reportedly tried to move out of the third overall pick, taking the clock down to its final minutes before taking Love. PHNX's Johnny Venerable reports the Cardinals tried offloading the pick but "didn't get anything close" to what they wanted.

Such is life, though Arizona ultimately couldn't climb back into the first round for Simpson or any other top prospect that could have helped immediately. As a result, the Cardinals now find themselves in no-mans land with Day 2 approaching.