Cardinals Add Elite Offensive Pieces in New Mock Draft
We are nearing the final quarter of the season for the Arizona Cardinals, and now feels like a great time to have an exclusive three-round 2024 NFL Draft mock for the team.
There have been some remarkable returns from this rookie draft class already, as guys like Paris Johnson Jr., B.J. Ojulari, Michael Wilson, and Garrett Williams have already carved out important roles for the team.
With the rest of the class also showing some value, it was a masterful first draft for head coach Jonathan Gannon and GM Monti Ossenfort.
Where do they go from here?
Well, the Cardinals have a bundle of picks for the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft including six picks in the first three rounds.
- Round 1 (own pick)
- Round 1 (from Houston Texans)
- Round 2 (own pick)
- Round 3 (own pick)
- Round 3 (from Houston Texans)
- Round 3 (from Tennessee Titans)
We'll start off with those three picks and see if we can find a way to match the success that Gannon and Ossenfort found this past draft.
RD1, Pick 2: Olu Fashanu, OT, Penn State
I understand how upsetting it is to forgo Marvin Harrison Jr. here but trust the process for a second...
Yes, MHJ is the bright, shiny toy that every team will be dying to get their hands on, but you can only enjoy a player like MHJ so much before you have to remind yourself that he requires a quarterback to be able to throw him the football from a clean pocket.
Kyler Murray is remarkable in that he can create off-schedule throws outside the pocket, but that doesn't mean you dismiss addressing the offensive line. Ossenfort had a nice start to creating the solution by drafting Johnson Jr. last year and they can finish the job by getting his partner in crime across from him.
Fashanu would've likely been a first-round pick a year ago but opted to go back to school for another year. He's reaped the benefits, as it appears Fashanu has grown into his ridiculously athletic body and refined his craft. Plugging him across from Johnson Jr. would give Cardinals fans something they've never seen before -- offensive line stability.
RD1, Pick 21: Rome Odunze, WR, Washington
I will say it until I am blue in the face -- Rome "DOOMSDAY" Odunze is an elite wide receiver and should be one of the top contenders for the Fred Biletnikoff Award this year for the nation's top receiver. What he's done the last two seasons is formidable and his ability to create after the catch with his "my ball" mentality is the kind of player teams look for as a true X-receiver.
Odunze looks like a top receiver at 6'3" and 215 pounds. Odunze runs routes and catches the ball like an NFL receiver. But most importantly, he plays the position like a grown-ass man. If you drew the short straw and have to cover Odunze, then you better get ready for hell.
DOOMSDAY is the perfect plug-and-play receiver for the Cardinals and he comes in the mid-to-late first round to do the same thing MHJ would do for you. Plus you got bookend offensive tackles for Murray and a shiny new toy to throw to.
Trust the process -- This is how we win.
RD 2, Pick 34: Bralen Trice, EDGE, Washington
Trice's numbers may be down from his sophomore season, but he's certainly a better pass rusher than he was a year ago. Thus far, Trice has four sacks after posting 10 last season, but his pressure rate is absurd this year and he's become one of the best pass rushers in the country in spite of the numbers.
The Cardinals have found a nice player in Ojulari to help create their pass rush and he will need a partner in crime across from him as Gannon continues to build up his defense. Trice and Ojulari both bring incredible athleticism to the table and can make life miserable for opposing quarterbacks.
Trice has a very good chance to be a first-round pick, which is why the Cards have to be thrilled to get him at the very beginning of the second round. For what it's worth, Trice is the kind of player I wouldn't mind moving a few spots up for to secure a fifth-year option.
RD 3, Pick 66: Michael Hall Jr., DT, Ohio State
There was a time when Ohio State was thought to have multiple first-round picks on their defensive line and Hall Jr. was at the forefront of those conversations. Although those talks have dissipated, Hall Jr. is still quite the formidable player.
The junior defensive tackle is hard to move off his spot, plays his assignments well, and maintains gap integrity. Although Hall Jr. has just 1.5 sacks this year and six in his three years at Columbus, he's not the type of player you measure based on sack numbers.
The Cardinals have been looking for a plug-and-play starter on the inside of their defensive line for years and Hall Jr. presents a great opportunity for the team to land exactly that at a discounted price.
RD3, Pick 70: Bucky Irving, RB, Oregon
Irving is the best running back in college football that nobody is talking about and I have had it with the lack of recognition he gets on a weekly basis.
It would be easy for anybody to get lost in an offense that features Heisman Trophy front-runner Bo Nix as well as ace receivers like Troy Franklin and Tez Johnson, and yet Irving is the spark-plug back who keeps defenses honest.
The third-year back has quietly put together a 1,000-yard campaign despite being pulled late in games because Oregon is blowing teams out. Better yet, he's caught 43 passes this year to demonstrate his three-down ability.
Simply put, Irving is a do-it-all back and one of the best players at his position in the nation. If he falls this far, it's only because of his position and not his talent.
RD 3, Pick 85: Javon Bullard, DB, Georgia
This is a terrific example of taking the best play available regardless of worrying about positional needs. Bullard is a defensive back who can do a variety of things ranging from lining up in the slot to dropping deep as a true safety. He's a difference-maker wherever he ends up lining up.
Some will consider him to be another Budda Baker and to that, I say two things...
1.) Why is that a bad thing?
2.) No... he's something else -- He is Gannon's new C.J. Gardner-Johnson. We saw the massive success Gardner-Johnson had under Gannon in Philly, so why not add another versatile chess piece to a defense preaching versatility?
Bullard is a built-in difference-maker wherever he lines up on defense. Get creative with him and let him attack the football.
