But with the attention quickly turning to the NFL Draft — just under a month away — the Cardinals are now entering the phase of the offseason with perhaps even more speculation than early free agency.
Just what will Ossenfort do with Arizona’s first-round draft pick? At No. 16 overall, it’s not as if the Cardinals are in position to take another Marvin Harrison Jr.-level prospect, but there’s still an extremely deep pool of talent, especially along the defensive front.
That plays exactly into Arizona’s needs. The question is, does Ossenfort think whoever is available at 16 is more valuable than stocking up on later picks. At the very least, is that 16th overall player that much better than a late first-rounder.
Generally speaking, that answer can vary. In 2024, there wasn’t much of a chance to land an impact player that outweighed Harrison, and since the Cardinals already had two first-round picks, there was little need to go far back into the draft.
This year is a different story. The Cardinals had enough success to land well outside the top 10 picks.
Ossenfort does have a history of trading down. He did so in 2023, taking Paris Johnson Jr. at No. 12 overall and landing the 33rd overall pick as well.
That trade certainly worked out with regard to Johnson’s emergence as a franchise tackle, but it could be argued that Will Anderson — the player the Texans took with Arizona’s first-round pick — would have been a major asset to the Cardinals’ struggling D-line.
There’s certainly potential success to be had at a later pick, but this writer is of the opinion that a trade down minimizes value in the short term. While a draft-and-develop focused franchise in a rebuild might need that extra depth and more swings to build up a roster, the time is past for that.
2023 and 2024 were the years to maximize day two picks. While it wouldn’t be a poor move to trade down, the Cardinals need to be in contention this coming season. It’s likely the Cardinals will get more value out of an impact pass rusher or DL at 16th overall than finding multiple gems in later rounds.
Still, Ossenfort has options, and with an already-boosted roster from this free agency, there’s margin for error in the draft. But ultimately, the Cardinals need to start making moves that are 2025-focused. There’s no more time for rebuilding — the time is now.
