Despite all the turmoil surrounding the Cardinals in 2025, there was a bright spot on defense that had fans excited, even though he suffered a season-ending injury.
Walter Nolen III, who was selected with the No. 16 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, missed the team’s first seven games after hurting his calf in training camp. He made his debut in Week 9 against the Dallas Cowboys, where he recorded his first career sack, along with four tackles.
Three weeks later, Nolen scored his first-ever touchdown, sacking Trevor Lawrence and taking it to the house. However, the success wouldn’t last much longer, as Nolen suffered a season-ending knee injury just four weeks later.
With Nolen getting healthy and Josh Sweat looking to follow up a 12.5 sack season, Arizona could have one of the better pass rushes in 2026.
Monti Ossenfort has the chance to run one of the most explosive 4-3 by adding one more piece to the interior, someone to pair with the talent in Walter Nolen.
This can be addressed with the No. 3 overall pick.
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The Arizona Cardinals should draft Clemson standout Peter Woods with the No. 3 overall pick to give Walter Nolen a solid running mate.
In his junior year with the Tigers, Woods appeared in 12 games and posted 30 total tackles with two sacks. He provided a presence in the middle of the defense that freed up his fellow edge rushers on the outside.
Adding a guy as versatile as Woods could be the key to unlocking the full potential on the defense, and Arizona could fulfill that with pick No. 3.