The Arizona Cardinals finished with a losing record of 4-13 last season under first-year head coach Jonathan Gannon, and now they are looking to make a ton of progress in 2024. They started on the right track after three great days of the NFL Draft this past weekend.
Arizona Cardinals Draft Picks
- 1 (4): WR Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State
- 1 (27): EDGE Darius Robinson, Missouri
- 2 (43): CB Max Melton, Rutgers
- 3 (66): RB Trey Benson, Florida State
- 3 (71): OT Isaiah Adams, Illinois
- 3 (82): TE Tip Reiman, Illinois
- 3 (90): CB Elijah Jones, Boston College
- 4 (104): S Taylor Dadrion-Demerson , Texas Tech
- 5 (138): EDGE Xavier Thomas, Clemson
- 5 (162): OT Christian Jones, Texas
- 5 (191): WR Tejhaun Palmer, UAB
- 7 (226): CB Jaden Davis, Miami
Marvin Harrison Jr.
Marvin Harrison Jr. was hands down the best wide receiver in college football last season, bringing home the Biletnikoff award for the best receiver in the country, beating out LSU’s Malik Nabers and Washigton’s Rome Odunze who both would also be picked in the Top-10 of the NFL Draft this year.
Harrison was the number one overall player on the Pro Football Focus consensus big board, and the Cardinals stealing him with the fourth overall pick was one of the biggest steals of the century.
Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray is getting a weapon who will come in and change the game from day one, and the Cardinals should feel great about this pick because they hit a walk-off grand slam here.
Darius Robinson
Missouri edge Darius Robinson had a breakout season last year, recording 8.5 sacks, five more than in 2022. Robinson went down to the senior bowl at the end of February and became one of the headline players after his great week of practice. The five-year college player rose draft boards after his stellar week in Mobile, Alabama, and the Arizona Cardinals needed to beef up their defensive line. Robinson is very flexible playing interior defensive line and on the outside and has had a ton of experience in both positions in his college career.
Max Melton
Rutgers cornerback Max Melton has lined up all over the field in four seasons with the Scarlet Knights lining up in the slot, the outside, and the box, but most likely will be a slot cornerback at the NFL level and with how the game is changing the slot is very an important position and the Arizona Cardinals might’ve just found theirs for the future.
Trey Benson
Florida State running back Trey Benson will come in on day one and take snaps away from starting running back James Conner. Benson spent his first two seasons at Oregon before heading to Florida State, where we recorded 1,896 rushing yards and 23 rushing touchdowns in 26 games. Benson can force missed tackles and has forced 124 of them since 2022.
Draft Grade A-
Overall, the Cardinals selected 12 players and, in the three days, valued the important positions, drafting two edges, one of which was Clemson’s Xavier Thoams in the fifth round. He was one of the best players in the country coming out of high school but couldn’t fully develop in college. He has some elite traits, so maybe the Arizona Cardinals can work with him and unleash the beast he was when he stepped foot on Clemson’s campus.
The Arizona Cardinals had a very solid draft and selected the best player in the class with the fourth pick. Taking him alone sets the team up for great success down the road.
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