What Monti Ossenfort Quietly Revealed About the Cardinals' Line During the Draft

The Arizona Cardinals practically have their starting five figured out.

Apr 24, 2026; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort introduces Arizona Cardinals first-round draft pick Jeremiyah Love during the press conference at Dignity Health Arizona Cardinals Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Anna Carrington-Imagn Images | Anna Carrington-Imagn Images

ARIZONA — The Arizona Cardinals added to the offensive line in the 2026 NFL Draft, much like many had either hoped or anticipated.

Just maybe not in the fashion most thought.

The Cardinals were heavily favored to trade down from their third overall pick and take the best tackle prospect available. With returning starter Isaiah Adams at right guard and free agent musical chairs at right tackle, many thought general manager Monti Ossenfort would secure a bookend to pair with Paris Johnson Jr. entering the future.

Yet that script was flipped, and now that the dust has settled on Arizona's draft class, we feel pretty good about who will be starting along the Cardinals' offensive line.

The Cardinals chose running back Jeremiyah Love with the third overall pick and addressed the offensive line in the second round with guard Chase Bisontis.

The Bisontis pick was heralded, and rightfully so. He's your prototypical nasty people mover in the run game while not having allowed a sack in pass protection the final 18 games to finish his college career. He can seemingly do it all.

With Bisontis having some prior experience at right tackle, there was some thought he could secretely be an option to solve Arizona's spot there.

Yet when Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur says Bisontis is, "What you want in a guard" — that's pretty telling of where Arizona views him.

Right guard? Settled. Right tackle, through the three days of draft festivities, wasn't touched until the seventh round with Ole Miss' Jayden Williams, who is a versatile player but still has plenty of development to go before the Cardinals can roll him out.

Among the free agent additions made to the line this offseason, it appears Elijah Wilkinson is set to be the starter at right tackle. He has the most recent starting experience there after doing so in Atlanta last season.

And even for a general manager who will never get in front of a microphone and directly say somebody is a starter, his words when directly asked about Wilkinson sure do make you think Wilkinson is the guy.

“Elijah started 16 games or something last year for Atlanta, so yeah, I think he'll certainly be in the mix. (We’re) not really naming starters anywhere right now, but I think Elijah will definitely have a chance there," Ossenfort said.

"Elijah is another guy who's played a lot of ball, and he's played at different positions. The first go around with us, he was inside at guard. He's also played a lot of tackle in his career, so I like the versatility that he has, but yeah, he'll definitely be in the mix at right tackle.”

There will be a mix, sure. But Wilkinson sure looks like the main ingredient even if the Cardinals won't be loud about it.