It is that time of year again where every Arizona fan starts staring at the draft board like it is a Rorschach test. You know the feeling. The Arizona Cardinals have spent decades swinging for the fences with their top selections, sometimes hitting grand slams like Larry Fitzgerald and other times… well, let's just say names like Levi Brown still make people twitch. But if you’ve been paying attention to the Monti Ossenfort era, things feel different.
The strategy around cardinals first round picks has shifted from chasing the "shiny new toy" to actually building a functional football team from the trenches out. Honestly, it’s about time. For a while there, it felt like the front office was playing a video game, just picking the fastest guy or the one with the most hype. Now? It is a lot more about "eating your vegetables," as the local beat writers like to say.
The Walter Nolen Gamble and the New Identity
Take the 2025 draft, for example. When the Cardinals turned in the card for Walter Nolen III at pick 16, a lot of people were surprised. Why? Because they had just spent a bunch of money in free agency on guys like Dalvin Tomlinson. But Ossenfort and Jonathan Gannon aren’t just looking at this Sunday; they are looking at 2027 and 2028.
Nolen is a monster. Standing 6-foot-3 and nearly 300 pounds, he was the top recruit in the country for a reason. In his final year at Ole Miss, he put up 6.5 sacks and 14 tackles for loss. That isn't just "filler" talent. That is a cornerstone. By pairing him with Darius Robinson—the 2024 first-round pick—the Cardinals have basically told the rest of the NFC West that they are tired of being bullied.
It's a massive shift. Remember the Steve Keim years? We’d see a first-round pick spent on a hybrid linebacker who didn't really have a position. Isaiah Simmons and Zaven Collins were incredible athletes, but the team didn't know where to put them. Gannon and Ossenfort seem to hate that ambiguity. They want guys who have a clear job description.
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What’s Going on with Marvin Harrison Jr.?
We have to talk about the 2024 draft because that’s the one everyone is still dissecting. Taking Marvin Harrison Jr. at number four was the most "obvious" pick in franchise history. You don't pass on a guy with that pedigree. But his rookie season was a bit of a rollercoaster, wasn't it?
He finished 2024 with 62 catches for 885 yards and eight touchdowns. On paper, that is a great rookie year. It tied the franchise record for rookie TD catches. But if you watched the games, the connection with Kyler Murray looked… clunky. There were games where he’d have 130 yards in a single quarter (hello, Rams game!) and then vanish for the next three weeks.
Kyler and Marvin just weren't on the same page for most of the season.
A lot of that comes down to how they used him. The Cardinals basically parked him on the outside and told him to win one-on-one. They didn't do much of the creative "motion" stuff you see with the Rams or the 49ers. Heading into 2026, the big rumor is that Harrison has bulked up to 220 pounds to handle the physical press coverage that gave him fits as a rookie. He’s trying to run his own race, but in a city that watched Larry Fitzgerald for 17 years, the expectations are basically "Hall of Fame or bust."
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Looking Ahead: The 2026 Draft Needs
Right now, the Cardinals are sitting with the number seven overall pick in the 2026 draft. And the buzz is all about the offensive line. Specifically, Francis Mauigoa out of Miami.
If you haven't seen this kid play, he is a house. The Cardinals need a bookend for Paris Johnson Jr. (another first-rounder who has actually lived up to the hype). Jonah Williams has been "fine," but he isn't the long-term answer, and Kelvin Beachum is basically the ancient sage of the locker room at this point.
Selecting Mauigoa would mean three of the last four cardinals first round picks were spent on the offensive or defensive lines. That is how you build a winner. It isn't sexy. You aren't going to sell a million Mauigoa jerseys on day one. But you know what does sell jerseys? Winning ten games and not having your quarterback running for his life every third down.
Recent First Round History at a Glance
If we look back at the last few years, you can see the philosophy change in real-time. It’s not a straight line, but the trend is there.
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- 2025: Walter Nolen III (DT, Ole Miss) - The focus was pure interior disruption. He led the FBS in tackles within two yards of the line of scrimmage. That’s a "Gannon guy" if I’ve ever seen one.
- 2024: Marvin Harrison Jr. (WR, Ohio State) & Darius Robinson (DE, Missouri) - A mix of elite skill talent and "heavy" defensive help. Robinson was a bit of a slow burn as a rookie due to some injury stuff, but the potential is huge.
- 2023: Paris Johnson Jr. (OT, Ohio State) - This was the first real sign that the Ossenfort era was going to be different. They traded down, then traded back up. They got their guy and extra picks. Efficient.
- 2022: No Pick - This was the Hollywood Brown trade. Kinda the last gasp of the old regime's "all-in" mentality that didn't quite pay off.
The "Injury Gamble" and Fan Frustration
One thing that drives Cardinals fans crazy—and rightfully so—is the tendency to draft guys with "red flags." Will Johnson in the second round of 2025 is the perfect example. He was a surefire first-round talent, maybe the best corner in the draft, but he fell because of his medicals.
Ossenfort loves these "value" plays, but it’s a double-edged sword. Garrett Williams and Michael Wilson both had injury concerns and they've missed time. When it works, you look like a genius. When it doesn't, you have a roster full of guys in the training room while the team is losing in November.
The fan base is split. Half the people on Reddit want to fire everyone because the rebuild is taking too long. The other half sees the vision. They see a team that is finally getting bigger, stronger, and younger in the places that actually matter. Honestly, the 2026 season is the "put up or shut up" year for this strategy.
Actionable Insights for Following the Draft
If you're trying to keep track of where this team is heading, don't just look at the mock drafts. Look at the "prototypes" they are drafting.
- Check the Wingspan: Gannon loves length. Almost every defensive player they’ve taken in the first two rounds has elite arm length. If a prospect is "undersized," they probably aren't coming to Arizona.
- Watch the Trenches: If the Cardinals are on the clock and there is a high-end Tackle or Defensive Tackle available, that is the bet. They are done with the "hybrid" era.
- Monitor the Trade Value: Ossenfort is a trader. He loves moving down to stockpile picks for the following year. If they are sitting at 7, don't be surprised if they move back to 12 to pick up an extra 2027 first-rounder.
The reality of cardinals first round picks is that the team is finally acting like a professional organization instead of a fantasy football manager. It might be boring to draft offensive linemen and defensive tackles, but that’s how you stop being the "same old Cardinals."
To stay ahead of the curve on the 2026 NFL Draft, you should start scouting the top offensive tackle prospects like Francis Mauigoa and Spencer Fano now. Keeping an eye on the compensatory pick formula is also key, as the Cardinals are expected to be active in the mid-rounds of the upcoming draft to fill out the depth behind their star first-rounders.