Arizona Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill and general manager Monti Ossenfort at State Farm Stadium.
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Michael Bidwill and Monti Ossenfort's search for the next Arizona Cardinals head coach has led to five potential candidates.
The Arizona Cardinals are in an interesting position in the upcoming NFL Draft. Despite a significant need for a quarterback, the Cardinals are not positioned to take one this year.
This is due to Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza being the only quarterback worth a first-round pick, according to many experts.
Since the Las Vegas Raiders are expected to take Mendoza with the No. 1 pick, that leaves the New York Jets at No. 2 and the Cardinals at No. 3 to take the best non-quarterbacks available.
NFL.com’s draft expert Daniel Jeremiah said the Cardinals may gravitate towards a specific position during his pre-combine press conference.
What Position Could the Arizona Cardinals Gravitate Towards?
Jeremiah seems to think it’ll be between two of the Cardinals’ biggest secondary needs: edge rusher and offensive tackle.
“The quarterback thing’s not going to be solved there, so [trying to] figure out what they’re doing, from that standpoint at that point in time, I don’t know that there’s a wrong answer between a tackle and an edge rusher,” Jeremiah said.
The Cardinals gave up 59 sacks in 2025 and accumulated just 30 on the defensive side. With those stats alone, both offensive tackle and edge rusher are the most significant needs outside of quarterback.
When you factor in the free agents the Cardinals could lose in March, it becomes more of a need.
Jonah Williams was a huge signing a couple of years ago. After struggling to stay healthy, he is now scheduled to be a free agent.
As for edge-rusher, last year’s free agent addition, Josh Sweat, needs someone on the other side of the line.
While one, or even both, of these positions will be addressed in free agency, the Cardinals will need to use a first-round pick on one of the two.
Who Does Jeremiah Think the Selection Will Be?
While offensive tackle is surely a need, Jeremiah seems to be leaning towards edge rusher with the No. 3 pick.
“What would I do,” Jeremiah asked. “I always tell people like, I do these mock drafts off what I hear and what I think might happen, it’s not necessarily exactly how I would do it. I think the value for where they’re picking points to the edge rushers.”
Jeremiah points to Miami’s Rueben Bain Jr., Texas Tech’s David Bailey and Ohio State’s Arvell Reese as the best options.
“That’s the guys that are going to carry the higher grade,” Jeremiah said. “So that would be the direction that I would go. And if you assume, as we all do, that Fernando Mendoza is off the board, man, you’ve got your pick of those three guys. And I don’t know there’s a wrong answer with the three of them.”
All three of these guys have their own special skillset.
Reese is a Micah Parsons-type linebacker that can play inside and outside. Bain Jr. dominated with the Hurricanes all the way to the National Championship Game. Bailey had an FBS-high 14.5 sacks on one of the best defenses in the country.
The Cardinals may have their pick of two of the top three non-quarterbacks available. Will they go with a positionless player as they did with Zaven Collins and Isaiah Simmons in the past by taking Reese, or will they go with the “safe pick” like Bain Jr. and Bailey?
Whatever way they go, general manager Monti Ossenfort has a lot of work to do pre-draft.