Mock Draft: Cardinals Trade Down, Grab Key Players to Fill Roster
ARIZONA -- Welcome to another edition of mock draft Monday, ladies and gentlemen! After last week's free agency mock draft, today we hop back into the true 2024 NFL Draft, where the Arizona Cardinals will be busy adding depth and significant talent on both sides of the ball.
This edition will be heavy on trade-downs. To make it unique, the Cardinals did not sacrifice any capital for this draft, nor did they gain any extra picks. AZ enters the 2024 NFL Draft with 11 picks, and they leave this mock draft with 11 picks.
While they didn't gain any extra picks for this year, they did manage to move up plenty of times and added three future day-three picks. I know it's not the most exciting thing in the world, but when you see the potential of every single selection to have impacts as rookies and several potential starters, you'll agree that a few future day-three picks are justified for the way this mock fell together.
Enough chit-chat, though! Let's hop right into this bad boy with a trade right off the bat...
The mock:
Pick 7: Joe Alt Jr., Offensive Tackle, Notre Dame
Before you scream at me in the comments, Marvin Harrison Jr. was selected with the third overall pick, so he was NOT available for the Cardinals at four. Hence, they moved down a few picks and went best player available (BPA).
Alt Jr. has become the most common name when discussing who the top offensive linemen is in the 2024 class, and his finesse at left tackle should have Cardinals fans excited to line him up from Paris Johnson Jr. and give the team something they haven't had in a very long time -- bookend tackles.
Pick 33: Darius Robinson, Pass Rusher, Missouri
Let me first explain why I list Robinson as a "pass rusher" rather than an edge rusher or interior defensive line prospect.
Robinson is a thick man at 6'5" and 286lbs. In the Cardinals' base 3-4 defense, he feels like a down defensive lineman, but coach Jonathan Gannon has a very unique defensive scheme. The unit plays a hybrid-style front that flexes between a 3-4 and a 4-3 alignment. With Robinson being as big as he is, he should always be lined up in a three-point stance (one hand in the dirt), but that will flex him outside as an edge in a 4-3 and then closer to the interior in a 3-4.
Think of him like Zach Allen.
Robinson has great pass-rushing upside after posting 8.5 sacks in 2023 and then putting on a show at the Senior Bowl. He's been flirting with first-round hype, so the Cardinals have no issue spending the 33rd pick on him.
Pick 35: Kamari Lassiter, Cornerback, Georgia
The Cardinals' cornerback room is extremely thin right now, so high capital must be spent on getting good players. Lassiter fits that need.
A long, physical corner, Lassiter will pair wonderfully across from Garrett Williams to at a minimum provide Arizona with respectable guys outside, while Kei'Trel Clark moves inside to nickel. This goes a long way in improving this secondary.
Pick 38: Xavier Worthy, Wide Receiver, Texas
Missing out on MHJ is crushing, but pulling the trigger on another very good receiver while adding three new starters should bring fans some hope. Worthy is more than capable of being a major contributor in the passing game and his run-after-catch and big-play ability will be more than welcome to a group that needs an injection of that.
Pick 66: Kris Jenkins, Interior Defensive Line, Michigan
Jenkins is one of my absolute favorite players in the 2024 class and I firmly believe no matter where he is selected that he is going to outplay his value. For the Cardinals, they get to slot him inside as a true defensive tackle and watch him create tons of disruption along the trenches.
Pairing him with our previous pick of Robinson will dramatically increase what was a lackluster unit at best last season.
Pick 71: Cedric Gray, Linebacker, North Carolina
Gray is another player I have been really digging recently. A highly productive player at UNC, Gray has had no fewer than 99 tackles in each of the last three seasons while also compiling 8.5 sacks, six forced fumbles, and five interceptions. Next to Kyzir White, Gray could be a highly productive player from the get-go.
Pick 93: Kalen King, Cornerback, Penn State
After adding Lassiter in the early second round, Gannon and Ossenfort come back to the position in the late third-round and add a player who's been slipping as of late in King. While King didn't have the breakout season many (including myself) were projecting him to have, he remains a player who can start outside.
For Arizona, they can have him compete with Lassiter and the aforementioned Williams for some serious competition on the boundary. No matter who wins the starting jobs, the Cards win by having three quality outside corners.
Pick 137: Christian Mahogany, Interior Offensive Line, Boston College
Mahogany plays a very un-sexy position at guard and may cause him to slip as he does in this mock. That, however, could be exactly what could lead him to be a terrific value pick for a team. The Cardinals will gladly snatch him up and have him compete for a job at guard and potentially even center, should the cards end up playing that way.
Pick 161: Ray Davis, Running Back, Kentucky
Davis is going to be a productive running back at the next level. I am very confident in that assessment. With Davis, who has run for just under 2,200 yards the last two seasons with 29 rushing and receiving touchdowns to show for, the Cardinals have an heir apparent for James Conner and a terrific RB2 for the 2024 season. Davis can run with power and is a great pass catcher. You can't ask for much more than that.
Pick 188: Zion Tupuola-Fetui, Edge Rusher, Washington
The Cardinals have added two guys in the early part of the draft who will rush the passer from a three-point stance, but they still need somebody to line up outside as a true edge rusher. Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce you to Zion Tupuola-Fetui.
The Washington edge played opposite of Bralen Trice, who is being portrayed as one of the class's better edge players and found some success as a pressure guy. He was a more than quality player for a good Washington defense in 2023, and I believe, that as a late-day three prospect, he will be an absolute steal for a team.
While this isn't to say he's an immediate starting edge rusher, I do find his presence in the room is a terrific addition while the Cardinals continue working to add more depth at the position.
Pick 224: Evan Williams, Safety, Oregon
Williams put together a quality season for Oregon in 2023 as a graduate transfer from Fresno State. While there isn't too much eye-popping play to look at that feels translatable to the next level, he is once again a good depth piece to a strong position on the team and can also be an asset to special teams.
And who knows, maybe Williams can grow int a more significant role while Gannon develops him behind the scenes.
