What NFL Believes Cardinals Should Do in NFL Draft

ARIZONA — We're merely two weeks away from the 2026 NFL Draft, and it's anybody's guess as to what the Arizona Cardinals will be doing.

That doesn't just go for their third overall selection, but also their second-round pick (No. 34) — which could be used in a trade-up into the back end of the first round if a certain quarterback is there.

Arizona, under the fourth-year guidance of general manager Monti Ossenfort, needs to nail this draft. That's said every year, though this could potentially be his last in the GM seat if 2025 repeats itself.

ESPN recently revealed some nuggets on what's expected out of the Cardinals when they're on the clock:

"The Isaac Seumalo and Elijah Wilkinson signings were seen leaguewide as putting Band-Aids on needs heading into a draft that lacks high-end offensive line talent worthy of the No. 3 pick. One source predicted the Cardinals would trade out of their original pick with a team trying to move up for a pass rusher," Matt Miller said.

"Another said Arizona should stay and pick either David Bailey (Texas Tech) or Arvell Reese (Ohio State), depending on whom the Jets select at No. 2."

The Case For Trading Down

The Cardinals have plenty of holes to fill on their roster, and with numerous players possibly being a choice for No. 3 — trading down for extra draft ammo does make sense.

In an ideal world, Arizona drops down a couple spots in the order and takes a player they would have ultimately gotten with the third pick. However, the Cardinals have to be careful on trading too far out of reach.

The Case for Arvell Reese

Reese is a versatile chess piece within a front seven that can align as either an edge rusher or inside linebacker. What he projects as in the NFL is entirely dependent on who drafts him. In Arizona, the Cardinals could use him across the board — but is that something DC Nick Rallis wants to do?

If Rallis doesn't want to get creative with an athlete like Reese, the Cardinals may be better off opting for the next option.

The Case for David Bailey

Bailey emerges out of Texas Tech as a productive pass rusher that flashes next level athleticism for an edge rusher with a bag of moves to reach the quarterback.

When it comes to edge players, Bailey projects as one of the top in his class thanks to his overall body of work and polish as a disruptive presence on the edge.