Best-Case Camp Scenarios for Top Arizona Cardinals Rookies

The Arizona Cardinals enter training camp with a great deal of promise and optimism surrounding their recent group of draft picks.

As GM Monti Ossenfort begins to show success in the NFL draft, these rookies become more and more anticipated.

2025's class offers a handful of players worth watching, and Arizona is no longer an organization that de-prioritizes getting rookie players into game action quickly — if they earn it, of course.

Here are some of the best-case scenarios for Cardinals rookies as training camp continues:

1: Arizona Cardinals DL Walter Nolen - Get Healthy

It was extremely unfortunate news that 16th overall pick and DL Walter Nolen III would be sidelined with a calf injury prior on day one of camp. It's reminiscent of DL Darius Robinson going through the same thing, but may or may not be as severe.

For Nolen, best-case scenario is to simply get healthy. With a bit of luck, he may be able to get into week one action after all, but his timeline is currently unknown.

2: Arizona Cardinals CB Will Johnson - Establish Himself as Starter

The Cardinals got exceptional value with Johnson by taking him 47th overall after he was considered a first-round talent initially.

Johnson is a very talented player with a high ceiling who fits perfectly with Jonathan Gannon and Nick Rallis' zone-focused scheme.

But a concern over a knee condition could limit Johnson's career in the long run.

He and the Cardinals both seem comfortable with his medicals, but if the knee does become an issue down the road, Johnson's best bet is to establish himself as the outside CB1 right away — something that seems well within reasonable expectation.

3: Arizona Cardinals EDGE Jordan Burch - Platoon Pass Rusher

Burch isn't one of the most heavily-focused-on Cardinals picks, but the edge position wasn't nearly as attended to this offseason as the interior DL was.

Opposite Josh Sweat, there's no clear-cut starter along the edge. Baron Browning might be the default, but he is still relatively unproven as well.

If Burch can establish himself as a 1-2 punch alongside Browning, that could do wonders for both he and the Cardinals' rotational front-seven philosophy.

4: Arizona Cardinals LB Cody Simon - Do the Little Things Right

I might be a little higher on Simon as an immediate starter than others, but he does fit the right profile to stand next to Mack Wilson Sr.

Still, he'll have to overcome Akeem Davis-Gaither for that role. For Simon as a fourth-round pick, it'll be about how well he executes and does what's asked of him by the coaching staff.

Special teams, leadership, communication, effort — all the buzzwords that add up to a Jonathan Gannon player. If Simon is that player (and perhaps more importantly, that person), he'll be in a much more favorable spot with regard to potentially earning a starting role.

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