The Cardinals have played their butts off for first-year head coach Jonathan Gannon, but only have one win to show for it entering Week 7.
Now, we all expected Arizona to struggle in Year 1 of the rebuild, but general manager Monti Ossenfort has done a marvelous job giving the club the draft resources needed to start competing as early as 2024. Those two first-round picks in April will be enormously vital selections for the future of the franchise.
And right now, it's the defense that needs the most work. So they go with two defenders in this mock.
Important: The draft order now is determined by the current, official draft order. Thanks to Tankathon for compiling it.
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NFL Mock Draft
Round 1
From
Carolina Panthers
Round 1 - Pick 1
USC
• 6'1"
/ 215 lbs
Even after the down game against Notre Dame, the Bears don't hesitate much to pick Williams here. Justin Fields has not taking a step forward in Year 1 outside of his huge Week 5 performance.
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Round 1 - Pick 2
Ohio State
• 6'4"
/ 205 lbs
The Bears get a bona-fide No. 1 wideout for Williams in Harrison Jr. Perfect combination.
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Round 1 - Pick 3
Penn State
• 6'6"
/ 317 lbs
Yes, the Broncos are clearly in need of massive defensive changes, but Fashanu is too athletic and too good at a premium position for Sean Payton and Co. to pass on here.
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Round 1 - Pick 4
Laiatu Latu
EDGE
UCLA
• 6'5"
/ 267 lbs
The Cardinals need more juice around the corner on defense, and head coach Jonathan Gannon will love the addition of Latu.
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Round 1 - Pick 5
Drake Maye
QB
North Carolina
• 6'4"
/ 230 lbs
New York couldn't be happier here, with Maye falling into its lap at No. 5 overall. He has franchise quarterback tools.
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Round 1 - Pick 6
Michigan
• 6'3"
/ 202 lbs
The Patriots are trending toward a first-round quarterback selection in 2024. McCarthy is relatively young with a gun-slinger mentality and plenty of arm talent.
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Round 1 - Pick 7
Chop Robinson
EDGE
Penn State
• 6'3"
/ 254 lbs
Let's assume the Vikings stick with Kirk Cousins, or sign a veteran quarterback in the offseason. In that scenario, they get the best available outside rusher.
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Round 1 - Pick 9
Miami (FL)
• 6'0"
/ 205 lbs
This Packers regime loves going defensive back early in the draft, and Kinchens has serious three-down ability.
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Round 1 - Pick 10
Brock Bowers
TE
Georgia
• 6'4"
/ 240 lbs
The Chargers snag Bowers to give Justin Herbert a freaky down-the-seam specimen in Bowers who rocks after the catch.
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Round 1 - Pick 11
Emeka Egbuka
WR
Ohio State
• Jr
• 6'1"
/ 206 lbs
The Saints go with more youth at the receiver spot to pair two former Ohio State wideouts together.
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Round 1 - Pick 12
Miami (FL)
• 6'3"
/ 305 lbs
An uber-talented interior rusher to give the Falcons a long-term plan at that position.
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From
Houston Texans
Round 1 - Pick 13
Alabama
• 6'1"
/ 195 lbs
The Cardinals get their No. 1 cornerback of the future in McKinstry who's been a star at Alabama across multiple seasons now.
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Round 1 - Pick 14
Illinois
• 6'2"
/ 295 lbs
Newton looks like the best penetrating defensive tackle in the country, and on film he looks athletic enough to be picked this high.
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Round 1 - Pick 15
Malik Nabers
WR
LSU
• 6'0"
/ 200 lbs
The Colts have to start building around Anthony Richardson. The dynamic Nabers is a good start.
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Round 1 - Pick 16
JC Latham
OT
Alabama
• 6'6"
/ 360 lbs
Sam Howell has to get better avoiding sacks, but the Commanders could also shore up the offensive line. Latham is a quality blocker with plus strength.
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Round 1 - Pick 17
Duke
• 6'5"
/ 314 lbs
Barton is a squeaky clean prospect who can play guard or tackle, and it would be wise for the Jets to continue to build the offensive line.
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Round 1 - Pick 18
Rome Odunze
WR
Washington
• 6'3"
/ 215 lbs
If the Bengals lose Tee Higgins in free agency, they'll likely want another big-bodied wideout on the outside. Odunze is precisely that.
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Round 1 - Pick 19
Patrick Paul
OT
Houston
• 6'7"
/ 315 lbs
The Rams get their left tackle of the future with the athletic Paul, who'll work great in Sean McVay's zone-blocking scheme.
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Round 1 - Pick 20
Keon Coleman
WR
Florida State
• 6'4"
/ 215 lbs
If legendary wideout Mike Evans is on another team in 2024, the natural transition will be to Coleman, another perimeter rebounder.
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From
Cleveland Browns
Round 1 - Pick 21
Jared Verse
EDGE
Florida State
• 6'4"
/ 260 lbs
In this scenario, the Texans can't pass on a talent like Verse to align opposite Will Anderson Jr. along the defensive line.
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Round 1 - Pick 22
Washington
• 6'3"
/ 213 lbs
The Seahawks go local with their first-round pick, who can sit for a season behind Geno Smith to learn the intricacies of playing the quarterback position in the NFL.
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Round 1 - Pick 23
Oregon State
• 6'6"
/ 334 lbs
The hulking Oregon State blocker would be back-to-back left tackles in Round 1 for the Steelers but nonetheless a welcomed addition up front in Pittsburgh.
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Round 1 - Pick 24
Iowa
• 6'1"
/ 207 lbs
The Bills go back to the well at cornerback to fortify the outside position for the long haul with the instinctive and athletic DeJean.
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Round 1 - Pick 25
Clemson
• Jr
• 6'1"
/ 230 lbs
The Cowboys get a fast, thumping, sideline-to-sideline linebacker to quarterback the defense.
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Round 1 - Pick 26
Dallas Turner
EDGE
Alabama
• 6'4"
/ 242 lbs
The Jaguars are in somewhat of a best-player-available position here, so they go with the productive Turner to add to the pass rush.
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Round 1 - Pick 27
Georgia
• 6'0"
/ 180 lbs
The Ravens could use a youth infusion at cornerback, and they get that with the Georgia star.
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Round 1 - Pick 28
South Carolina
• 6'3"
/ 227 lbs
Legette would provide a fun YAC element to this Lions offense that's already a blast.
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Round 1 - Pick 29
BYU
• 6'6"
/ 325 lbs
Another big-bodied blocker for Mike McDaniel's offense to protect Tua Tagovailoa and pave lanes for the explosive ground game.
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Round 1 - Pick 30
Texas
• 6'4"
/ 243 lbs
How about another versatile, YAC specialist in San Francisco's offense?
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Round 1 - Pick 31
Texas
• 6'1"
/ 172 lbs
The Chiefs scare everyone by selecting a small and super-speedy wideout near the end of the first round.
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Round 1 - Pick 32
Nate Wiggins
CB
Clemson
• 6'2"
/ 185 lbs
A long-limbed outside cornerback with the long-term future in mind for the Eagles.
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