Generational Talent Awaits Cardinals in Next Year’s Draft
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It’s not every year that an NFL franchise has an opportunity to possess two top-five draft picks in the same class, but that’s currently where the Arizona Cardinals find themselves for the 2024 NFL Draft.
The Cardinals will be favored to have the first overall selection with their pick, but the Houston Texans’ own pick is also currently projected as a top-five pick. For a rebuilding Cardinals team in need of all the talent they can get, it really doesn’t get much better than this.
Should this become a reality, it will be pivotal that the team explore as many possibilities and avenues as possible to add talent. Few positions justify a top-five selection, but I have highlighted five positions the team could look at early with several players across each position to fancy.
It’s a very preliminary list, but here are a handful of names fans should get to know should the Cardinals obtain two picks in the top-five in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Quarterback
Even with Kyler Murray, if the Cardinals are picking twice inside the top-five then they absolutely need to consider a quarterback. There is no one on this staff with loyalty to stick with Murray and new staff is always going to lean toward getting “their guy.” Therefore, if this situation presents itself, there are two prospects to consider.
Caleb Williams, USC
Williams is looking to join guys like Trevor Lawrence and Andrew Luck as arguably the greatest quarterback prospect of the millennium. His combination of arm talent and athleticism is beyond rare and he’s already shown his specialness as a sophomore to justify his status as such a prospect.
If the Cardinals possess the top-overall pick in 2024 they will field dozens of trade offers worth a bountiful amount of capital, but they must consider taking Williams for themselves.
Drake Maye, North Carolina
Whatever you do, do not sleep on Maye as an elite prospect. Like Williams, Maye has elite arm talent and athleticism but one less Heisman than his colleague. Even without the hardware, there will be arguments for Maye as QB1 in this class. And you can simply copy-paste what I said above – there will be tons of calls to acquire Maye, but the Cardinals must still consider drafting him.
Wide Receiver
The wide receiver position will have fans clamoring the most to select. DeAndre Hopkins and Marquise Brown’s futures are in doubt with the team and whoever is throwing the ball will need a top target. There are more than a handful to fancy, but these guys stand out as worthy selections in the top-five…
Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State
MHJ is already being talked about as one of the best wide receiver prospects ever and he still has to play another season. It only helps him that his bloodlines are to his father, who is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame playing the same position. With his elite size and elite pass-catching ability, MHJ will have some arguments for the top-overall player in the 2024 class. So, obviously, he will be highly sought after by Cardinals fans.
Emeku Egbuka, Ohio State
Egbuka’s teammate will steal all the headlines, but that doesn’t mean you should sleep on him. Egbuka might not have the same game-changing size, but he is more than big enough with production and upside to match. In a scenario where MHJ is off the board, Egbuka would be an elite “consolation prize” for the Cardinals and the team’s immediate number-one receiver.
Bonus: Brock Bowers (Tight End), Georgia
No, Bowers isn’t a wide receiver, but he could be better than any of the receivers in the class. Yes, he is that good. Bowers was arguably the best tight end in college football as a freshman and was undoubtedly TE1 as a sophomore. He will enter his junior season with the potential to be the greatest tight end prospect in NFL Draft history and be selected even higher than Kyle Pitts was a few short years ago.
Offensive Tackle
The Cardinals have never had an elite offensive line and that needs to change quickly. Whether it’s Murray or someone else under center, the line needs upgrades. The selection of Paris Johnson Jr. this past draft was an excellent start, but why stop there when you can have bookend tackles to protect your quarterback?
Joe Alt, Notre Dame
Notre Dame has produced an insane amount of offensive line talent and Alt looks to join that group of top prospects. I recently mocked Alt to the Cardinals with the number one overall pick and his play on the blindside justifies that logic. It’s a good offensive tackle draft, but Alt will have an early edge for me as OT1.
Olu Fashanu, Penn State
Fashanu could’ve been a round-one pick in 2023, but he opted to return to Happy Valley for one more year to refine his raw potential and he could see it pay off in a big way. Fashanu is an elite athlete at the position and gives perhaps the highest upside of anyone at the position we’ve seen over the last several years. That’s the kind of gamble the Cardinals should be happy to roll the dice on.
J.C. Latham, Alabama
While Alabama has placed a lot of offensive line talent into the NFL, they have yet to send a transcendent player. Perhaps Latham can change that narrative. Latham was a terrific right tackle a year ago and like Fashanu has seemingly limitless athletic upside. He may not start this high for most boards, but he could be a climber throughout the process and end up in this position.
Edge
There isn’t a blue-chip edge rusher in the 2024 NFL Draft as of now, but there are several guys to keep an eye on the up their stock toward that status. The Cardinals have new direction under Jonathan Gannon and his defensive background means he will eventually want to start investing top capital into that side of the ball. He had an elite pass rush with the Eagles in 2022, so let’s start with some top edge rushing talent to change the direction of this underwhelming unit.
Dallas Turner, Alabama
As a freshman, there was some belief that Turner would follow in Will Anderson Jr.’s footsteps as an elite prospect. He didn’t take the next step as a sophomore, but that doesn’t mean he can’t take that step in his final season. Turner has as high an upside as any other edge rusher in this class and plays at a school that turns talents like him into top-five picks.
Jared Verse, Florida State
Like the earlier mentioned Fashanu, Verse was also a player many believed would be a first-round pick at his respective position. He decided to return for one more season down in Tallahassee and it could help him to become EDGE1 in this class and a subsequent top-five pick. The one-time FCS product became a cornerstone in his first season at Florida State. Perhaps his second could turn him into an elite prospect.
J.T. Tuimoloau, Ohio State
There is way too much talent on this Ohio State defense for it to be as average as it has been. The defensive line has tons of talent, including Jack Sawyer, who barely missed the cut here. However, I believe that his teammate, Tuilmoloau, could flirt with top-five status. The former 5-star prospect and no.2 overall prospect in the 2021 recruiting class has as high an upside as any other Buckeye defender and I anticipate him to explode in year three and generate top status in the 2024 NFL Draft class.
Cornerback
The Cardinals have needed a top cornerback since the prime days of Patrick Peterson. There is hope Garrett Williams can blossom into a star, but he’ll need a running mate across from him. The 2024 NFL Draft class’s cornerback class has depth, but very little clarity at the top. CB1 feels universal, but everyone after him is widely debated. Therefore, I went with only two guys who I believe to be the cream of the crop.
Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama
For the nerds who don’t want to call McKinstry by his outstanding nickname, his first name is Ga’Quincy. But one doesn’t earn an awesome nickname like that without getting made fun of without backing up his game. McKinstry is the definition of lockdown at the cornerback position and he will once again be a quarterback’s worst nightmare to throw at in 2023.
Denzel Burke, Ohio State
Burke will be loved for his 2021 tape and make many nervous for his 2022 tape. I am sticking with the lockdown ability he displayed in 2021, however. Burke will look to get Ohio State back on track toward its DBU status and is one of the countless other Buckeye defenders who should blossom in 2023.
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