3 NFL Draft first-round mistakes that continue to haunt the Arizona Cardinals
Looking back at recent memory, the Arizona Cardinals had the chance to draft some current stars in the NFL.
By Brandon Ray
The greatest thing about the NFL draft is that no one truly knows how special a player is going to be until the pads are on. If scouts had known that Los Angeles Rams' wide receiver Puka Nacua was going to go off in his rookie year as a 5th round pick, Nacua would have easily been drafted in the first round. Throughout the history of the draft, there are so many hypotheticals on what could have been for many franchises. For example, the Buffalo Bills could have had quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Justin Jefferson on their team...the Bills traded away the 10th overall pick in 2017 to the Kansas City Chiefs who would select Mahomes. Then in 2020, when the Bills traded the 22nd pick to the Minnesota Vikings in the Stefon Diggs trade, Minnesota would select Jefferson.
The Arizona Cardinals are no exception to what has happened in the draft. In recent memory, looking back on the Cardinals' draft history, there are three specific moves and events that have cost the Cardinals from acquiring current stars in the NFL. Heading into the 2024 draft, Monti Ossenfort will have two first round picks to work with and try to build up the roster.