With the Arizona Cardinals expected to have a weak 2023 season, the team could cash in big at the 2024 NFL Draft. So many in the national media have the Cardinals anywhere from .500 (Arizona Sports) to a near-consensus 4-13 (Sporting News). Either way fans see it, it is neither feast nor famine.
Cardinals fans will need to look to the 2024 NFL Draft. Arizona could have both the first and second overall selections and those picks could be a quarterback and a wide receiver. The other scenario, though less likely, is the Cardinals having the second and third pick. Should the Cardinals have the top two picks in the 2024 draft, who might they select to be their new franchise cornerstones?
How the Arizona Cardinals Could Win the 2024 NFL Draft
Number One Overall – Caleb Williams, Quarterback, USC
The idea of jettisoning former first pick overall Kyler Murray shakes Cardinals fans to their core. However, the fact is that Murray has not gotten better. Drafted in 2019, Murray was hailed as an organization-changing selection. It just has not worked out that way. His timeline to return after an ACL injury last season is still very much up in the air. Bottom line, despite the potential, reality has painted a different picture.
Caleb Williams could have been the first quarterback selected in the 2023 NFL Draft had he been eligible. Shrewd accumulation of future picks by Monti Ossenfort during the previous draft gives the Cardinals a shot at the generational quarterback talent.
Williams is special. Great arm strength and the ability to deliver at any angle makes him dangerous in the pocket. Like Murray, Williams can make plays with his legs too. He is the type of quarterback who sees a play all the way through even when stacked against the odds. Williams is a pure athlete, loose-limbed and flexible. With speed to burn, Williams can scramble out of any situation for positive yardage.
2023 has shown the Cardinals are not afraid to think outside the box. The expectation is to make good with a lineup just barely able to compete. Now, 2024 has the opportunity to be a watershed event.
Number Two Overall – Marvin Harrison Jr., Wide Receiver, Ohio State
The first thing worth noting about Marvin Harrison Jr. is the pedigree. His father, Marvin Harrison Sr. was a long-time wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts and is in the Hall of Fame. Can the same be expected from his son? All the wish casting in the world cannot predict a Hall-of-Fame career. However, if names mean anything, the Cardinals could draft a generational wideout here.
The current receiving depth chart in Arizona has Marquise Brown at the top, with Rondale Moore second. Third is Zach Pascal, and jostling for the fourth and fifth spots are Greg Dortch and rookie Michael Wilson.
Pass catchers working to make the Cardinals roster are: Daniel Arias, Andre Baccellia, Brian Cobbs, Auden Tate and Javon Wims.
At 6 ft 4 in and 205 lb, Harrison Jr. has good receiver size and was stellar in his sophomore season in 2022. So much so that he was named a unanimous All-American for the Buckeyes. His game is smart. Harrison was often in catch-and-run situations. Great vision with the ability to make tacklers miss only added to his production at Ohio State. He can also break a tackle or two; he is extremely competitive and will give effort when blocking downfield too. Quick off the line, the Buckeye receiver has the size and quickness to get off his block and into position.
Harrison would be a game changer for the Cardinals. He would move to the top of the depth chart, replacing both DeAndre Hopkins and Hollywood Brown (who will be an unrestricted free agent). When paired with what could be a new quarterback, Arizona becomes supremely improved in one draft.
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