Arizona Cardinals: B
Top needs entering the draft: Quarterback, right tackle, edge rusher, wide receiver, guard
Arizona continued an offseason of offensive change. Since the end of the 2025 season, the Cardinals have hired Mike LaFleur as the new coach and brought in Nathaniel Hackett as the new offensive coordinator. They released their quarterback of the past seven years, Kyler Murray. They also signed Isaac Seumalo to shore up the guard spot and added Tyler Allgeier to the running back room -- there's some power in the ground game.
There were still massive holes in this lineup entering draft weekend, though ... most notably at the roster's most important position. Would Arizona make a splashy move for Alabama's Ty Simpson, as many mock drafts (mine included) predicted? Or would GM Monti Ossenfort tread water with Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew II (another new signee) for a year before what should be a better QB class in 2027?
We knew Arizona wasn't going quarterback at No. 3, but that's all we knew for sure. Earlier in the week, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the Cardinals taking Jeremiyah Love there was a real possibility. A team that won three games last season going running back in the top three? I've long said that taking RBs early in the draft is bad team building. It's a non-premium position that typically runs deep with other players who can carry the load and be nearly as effective.
But ... Love is not a running back in the classical sense. He's a dynamic offensive playmaker who is going to spark an otherwise dull Arizona offense. He's a Reggie Bush clone with incredible vision and burst, and with 4.36 speed, he can go the distance any time he touches the football. Love averaged 6.9 yards per carry last season, he hit nine 20-yard gains (tied for 10th in the FBS) and he forced 60 missed tackles (top 20).
All of that puts him in the first round, but what takes him into another tier and makes him worthy of such a high selection is his ability in the passing game. I'd bet Hackett will get him lined up out wide or in the slot. He will be sprinting out into the flat for quick gains and after-the-catch opportunities. Love has soft hands and runs good routes. Arizona isn't solely going to hand the ball off to him; it is going to target him often in the pass game. The RB room is certainly crowded now, with Allgeier and James Conner, but Love jumps to the top of the list. Heck, the Cardinals could even get two of them on the field, with Love out wide. They have a lot of options and opportunities for creativity, and this pick will absolutely energize the fan base.
From there, Arizona kept reinforcing the offense. At No. 34, the Cards added Chase Bisontis, who should slide in at the other guard spot opposite Seumalo. He's a 34-game starter, and he hasn't allowed a sack since September 2024.
And at No. 65, they took a swing on a quarterback. As we saw throughout the College Football Playoff, Carson Beck can drop the ball in a bucket. His ball placement is really, really good, especially downfield. I don't know that he pushes past Brissett or Minshew to start, but he's a worthy shot in the third round. Arizona couldn't ignore the QB position, and this pick both gives the team another option in 2026 and doesn't keep the team from going in on the 2027 class.
If LaFleur can just get Marvin Harrison Jr. on track, there's some hope for this offense. Even if the real QB answer doesn't come until next year, the surrounding players are starting to fall into place. That said, the defense needs to play some catch-up, too. The Cards didn't make a single defensive pick until Kaleb Proctor at No. 104, and they didn't do much there in free agency, either. That kept Arizona in "B" territory.
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