Considering they are in the midst of a rebuild, this 2026 draft class is crucial for the Arizona Cardinals. It could even be the one thing separating general manager Monti Ossenfort from the hot seat.
Fortunately, Arizona's rebuild is on an upward trajectory after bringing in a draft class headlined by No. 3 overall pick in running back Jeremiyah Love out of Notre Dame. Through training camp and preseason, this appears to be a strong Cardinals draft class from top to bottom.
2026 draft class might be the turning point of the Cardinals' rebuild
Second-round pick Chase Bisontis already looks like he should've gone in the first round. He immediately played like a potential long-term starter at right guard, even giving Isaiah Adams a competitive roster battle.
That is, until Bisontis unfortunately suffered a torn MCL in their preseason loss against the Las Vegas Raiders, potentially ending his entire 2026 season before it even began.
Momentum was also derailed for third-round pick Carson Beck, who had a strong performance starting at quarterback in the Hall of Fame Game against the Carolina Panthers before missing the rest of preseason due to a rib injury. Beck completed 15-of-19 passes for 188 yards and one touchdown, playing well during that brief stretch but not getting an extended audition out of precaution.
Now it remains to be seen when Beck's next opportunity will come. They've reworked Jacoby Brissett's deal to pay him closer to a starter; pivoting towards Beck would largely defeat the purpose of that decision.
Arizona also lost another rookie for the season in fourth-round defensive tackle Kaleb Proctor with a torn meniscus.
However, they do have some late-round gems in fifth-round wide receiver Reggie Virgil out of Texas Tech and seventh-round right tackle Jayden Williams out of Ole Miss.
The Cardinals' receiving room was a bright spot in preseason, which ultimately led them to keep seven receivers on the initial 53-man roster. Virgil certainly contributed to that, looking far more reliable than your traditional late-round rookie.
Meanwhile, Williams has already ascended the Cardinals depth chart, listed as second-string at right tackle behind Elijah Wilkinson for their Week 1 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers. That right side of the line remains a question mark for Arizona. Still, the fact that the Cardinals' seventh-round rookie is already second-string is equally telling about their lack of depth as it is impressive that they landed this prospect so late in the draft.
This was an up-and-down preseason for the Cardinals. We saw a ton of individual flashes up and down the incoming class for Arizona, from first-rounder Love to seventh-rounder Williams. That superstar talent at the top and reliable depth at the bottom gives this the making of a potentially franchise-altering class for Arizona.
While that momentum was largely derailed heading into this 2026 season by one unfortunate injury after another, the fact that we're bummed about these losses says a lot about how well the Cardinals did in this draft. Players like Bisontis were already making their impact felt for a class that's far stronger than just Love.
Add us as a preferred source on Google