The 2025 NFL Draft is approaching, and the Arizona Cardinals have the 16th pick. This is a breakdown of their team needs and potential players they could select in the Draft.
State of the Union
The Cardinals are in a bit of a purgatory state, which is often the worst place you can be in the NFL. They drafted Kyler Murray with the #1 overall pick in 2019, and it seemed as if Murray was the guy to take this franchise back to the top of the NFC. Murray was the 2019 Offensive Rookie of the Year, despite the team winning just five games. However, they won eight games in 2020 and then broke through and made the postseason in 2021. The Cardinals kept progressing in the right direction in each of Murray’s first three seasons. After that 2021-22 season, the Cardinals gave Murray a massive contract extension, and winning playoff games became their new goal. That 2022-23 season ended up being an utter disaster, with Murray tearing his ACL in December, Kliff Kingsburg getting fired, and the team finishing 4-13. Murray then missed the first nine games of the 2023-24 season, the first under new head coach Jonathan Gannon, and the team ended up finishing 4-13 for the second straight year.
Heading into last season, the Cardinals were hopeful that they could take a big jump forward. The Cardinals started off solid, and it looked like they could be contenders in the NFC. The NFC West was very vulnerable, with the 49ers having a massive down year. The Cardinals were in first place in the division with a 6-4 record heading into their bye week. They proceeded to lose five of their next six games and miss out on the postseason, with the Rams taking the division. They are now in a position where they are paying Kyler Murray a lot of money, but nobody is sure if he is capable of being the quarterback to lead them to the next level. That makes it difficult to construct a winning roster with so much money going to a quarterback who seemingly can’t carry this team to the postseason. This will need to be a great offseason for the Cardinals if they hope to compete in the NFC West this season.
Free Agency Recap
Possible Departures
LB Kyzir White – White has been a captain and a solid contributor for the Cardinals for the past two seasons. However, despite his high snap count, he didn’t play great last season, ranking 156th out of 189 linebackers, according to PFF. The Cardinals have a chance to upgrade that position at less money than they were paying White, but they will miss his experience.
G Will Hernandez – Hernandez has been a good player on the offensive line for the Cardinals over the past three seasons. However, he suffered a season-ending injury in 2024, and that likely contributed to the Cardinals deciding not to re-sign him this offseason. They will need to fill the hole that Hernandez left at guard this offseason.
Key Additions
EDGE Josh Sweat (Eagles) – The Cardinals had a bad pass rush last season, and the first step they made to remedy that was signing Josh Sweat, fresh off his Super Bowl victory. Sweat had eight sacks last season and has been a steady contributor for the past five seasons in Philadelphia. The Cardinals hope that he will be that elite EDGE that they have been missing in recent years.
QB Jacoby Brissett (Patriots) – Kyler Murray has shown the propensity to miss games over the last few seasons. So, it was a good move for the Cardinals to bring in one of the league’s most respected backups, Jacoby Brissett. He will also provide good leadership and guidance for Murray and the young players on this offense.
LB Akeem Davis-Gaither (Bengals) – Davis-Gaither was a fourth-round pick by the Bengals in 2020 and spent the duration of his rookie contract, plus one year, in Cincinnati. Davis-Gaither wasn’t a world-beater by any means but a solid contributor to the Bengals’ defense. The Cardinals need help at linebacker, so this was a good signing, but they still need to add more pieces this offseason.
Team Needs
Defensive Lineman – Signing Josh Sweat was a great move, but they still need another EDGE and an interior defensive lineman this offseason. They can attack those positions in the draft because both are strong classes this year.
Interior Offensive Line – The Cardinals still needed to acquire a guard who could fill Will Hernandez’s old role.
Wide Receiver – The Cardinals used their top draft pick on wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. in last year’s draft. Harrison was touted as one of the best wide receiver prospects in recent memory, but he had a slightly disappointing rookie season. It might be unfair because, in a normal rookie class, Harrison Jr.’s 885 receiving yards would be considered a good season. However, last year’s draft class featured four pass-catchers: Brock Bowers, Ladd McConkey, Malik Nabers, and Brian Thomas Jr., who all cleared 1,000 receiving yards. So, while Harrison had a good year for a rookie, he didn’t ever hit that next level that those four players did. That could be partially attributed to the fact that Harrison saw such relentless defensive attention due to the Cardinals’ lack of a good WR2. They need to add more weapons for Kyler Murray this offseason to take some of the workload off of Harrison.
Potential Draft Picks
EDGE Mykel Williams (Georgia) – Mykel Williams was a second-team All-SEC player each of the last two seasons. He suffered an ankle injury in Georgia’s season opener in 2024 but played through it the entire season and still had great production. Williams is an explosive athlete with great range and quickness. Williams needs to add some upper body strength and improve his technique, but if he does both of those things, he could be a fantastic EDGE to pair with Josh Sweat on this line.
DL Kenneth Grant (Michigan) – With the Cardinals already acquiring a great EDGE in Josh Sweat, they could opt to use their first-round pick on the interior defensive line. Kenneth Grant out of Michigan is an absolute force in the middle of the line. Grant is a great run-stuffer who can take up a ton of space. However, Grant can also get after the quarterback and disrupt the pocket. He could be the central piece of the Cardinals’ defensive line moving forward.
IOL Grey Zabel (North Dakota State) – Grey Zabel is an under-discussed name in this draft class who could be the perfect pick for the Cardinals. Arizona had trouble at center last season, and needs a new starting guard. Zabel is capable of playing both positions, which makes him valuable to any team, but especially Arizona. Zabel can come in as the starting guard in Hernandez’s old spot, but be ready to slide to center if the Cardinals need him to. Zabel has a lot of experience and is an underrated athlete who would be ready to start right away in the NFL.
