Cardinals' Biggest Draft Need is Obvious

Keylan Rutledge of Georgia Tech was tabbed as a draft name to watch in the desert along with Kage Casey (Boise State) and Gennings Dunker (Iowa).

Alex Ballentine: "The Cardinals could use some help at guard, seeing as Evan Brown hasn't been the same as he was last season, and the organization could let him go in the spring with only a $1.5 million dead cap hit, per Over The Cap. Also, the early returns on Isaiah Adams have been underwhelming this far.

"That should put Rutledge on Monti Ossenfort's radar since Rutledge is the early favorite to be the top guard in the 2026 draft class.

"The problem is that the position is weaker than normal this year, so Arizona might have to get creative and select a college tackle who profiles better on the interior in the NFL. According to offensive line scout Brandon Thorn, Casey and Dunker are good candidates to fit that criterion."

Cardinals Struggling Up Front in 2025

Arizona simply isn't getting the job done on the offensive side of the ball - especially in terms of running the ball.

This is something Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon has recently addressed.

A big part of that boils down to the departure of former OL coach Klayton Adams departing for an offensive coordinator position and OC Drew Petzing being unable to maximize a similar lineup.

Pro Football Focus has graded Isaiah Adams 73rd out of 77 eligible players in terms of guard play this season. We hinted at a change the Cardinals should make - which can be read more about here.

It seems inevitable the Cardinals will look to upgrade the offensive line in some form or fashion next offseason, whether it be by way of the draft or free agency.

That includes right tackle, where Jonah Williams will see his contract expire after this season. Swing backup tackle Kelvin Beachum also seemingly will be hitting retirement.