Cardinals Linked With Ohio State OT

The Arizona Cardinals walk into the 2025 NFL Draft with a handful of needs in order to improve their roster.

There's a few obvious ones such as edge rusher, where the Cardinals are heavily favored to add some talent by either free agency spending or the draft.

There's a few perhaps "under the radar" avenues for Arizona to explore, and one option includes bolstering the offensive line.

Left tackle Paris Johnson Jr. and center Hjalte Froholdt have their spots anchored for the foreseeable future, though Arizona has question marks at all three other positions.

In his recent mock draft, ESPN's Jordan Reid has the Cardinals boosting the trenches with Ohio State offensive tackle Josh Simmons at the 16th overall pick.

"The Cardinals are unsettled at offensive tackle; Kelvin Beachum is set to become a free agent, and Jonah Williams played only six games this season because of injuries. Simmons also suffered an injury, sidelined for the season after a knee injury on Oct. 12. But the 6-foot-5, 310-pounder was making a play to be this draft's OT1 prior to getting hurt, not surrendering a pressure or sack in the six games he played."

This would mark the third straight Ohio State player the Cardinals drafted in the first round, as Simmons would follow the footsteps of Johnson and Harrison from the previous two cycles.

Spending premium picks along the offensive line is never really the "sexy" route, though keeping the chains moving on the ground while also ensuring quarterback Kyler Murray is clean and upright should be a priority for the Cardinals moving into the future.

The 33rd Team's Kyle Crabbs recently compared Simmons to Christian Darrisaw, one of the league's better tackles.

"Simmons should be regarded as a universal scheme fit at offensive tackle at the NFL level. He has the physical ability to thrive in just about any concept or scheme, thanks to dynamic athleticism, agility, and power. He’d do just fine in a traditional drop-back offense with a pocket passer," wrote Crabbs.

"He has the anchor and mirror skills to attach rushers in space early on and hold his blocks, too. Provided he’s healthy, he should certainly be among an NFL franchise’s best five and starting as a rookie."

The future is uncertain for Cardinals right tackle Jonah Williams, who was signed to a massive contract last offseason but was hurt for majority of the season. With Beachum on the cusp of potentially retiring, we could see right tackle climb up the board of priorities for Arizona.