As mock drafts have the Cardinals addressing their wide receiver need at No. 4 or trading down to stockpile more assets — as they did last year — the rebuilding team has a big decision to make. Being effectively assured of the draft’s top wide receiver by sticking at 4, the Cardinals made some pivotal trade-down maneuvers in Monti Ossenfort‘s first GM year.
Committed to Kyler Murray, the Cardinals are not in consideration to draft a quarterback early. After trading down from No. 3 to No. 12 (and then back to No. 6) last year, the team has two first-round picks. The Cards also hold the No. 27 overall selection, thanks to the trade that gave the Texans Will Anderson Jr.
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Arizona is doing its due diligence on players that will not be available at 27, hosting LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers and Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold, NFL.com’s Cameron Wolfe and Ian Rapoport note. They also met with Alabama tackle JC Latham, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. Daniel Jeremiah’s NFL.com big board slots the trio fourth, ninth and 18th in this year’s class.
While the Giants face a similar decision regarding a wide receiver, theirs involves trading up for a quarterback or staying put and having a top-flight WR available. The Cardinals, however, are in a better position thanks to the No. 4 slot. Ossenfort’s pledge of being open to trading down has produced rumblings that is what Arizona is planning to do, but the team can instantly upgrade its receiver spot by drafting Nabers, Marvin Harrison Jr. or Washington’s Rome Odunze. It is quite possible none would be available if the Cardinals trade down. Odunze is also on the Cards’ visit list.
QB-needy teams like the Vikings, Broncos and Raiders could be eyeing the Cardinals’ pick. If Arizona deals with any of that trio, it would slide out out of the top 10. After the Cards lost Christian Kirk and DeAndre Hopkins in 2022 and ’23, Marquise Brown joined the Chiefs this offseason. That leaves the team in dire need at the position. The 2024 class is set to deliver another deep receiver crop, however, and Ossenfort could view a future first-round pick (and other assets) as more valuable than the Harrison-Nabers-Odunze WR tier.
Still, Nabers is viewed by some teams as this draft’s top wideout. The Cardinals already met with the LSU alum previously, though “30” visits provide better opportunities to gauge prospects’ fits. Nabers posted a 1,000-yard season in…