History within the NFL draft shows that star players can be found in any round. Tom Brady was drafted in the sixth round by the New England Patriots, Brock Purdy was the last pick in the NFL draft, and even former Arizona Cardinal Kurt Warner went undrafted.
Now this is not to say that it is easy to identify and draft future starters outside of the first round, but teams more than likely will find atleast one future starter who was drafted in the later rounds of the NFL draft. When it comes to the first three rounds, those who are drafted in that span are looked at as immediate or very-near future starters for a team.
First round picks tend to start right away, or are developed with a lot of upside because of the talent that they have shown. When you get into the second and third round, it is a chance for teams to acquire more potential starters at other positions that may be pressing needs. The Arizona Cardinals have a great amount of holes on their roster and it is going to take more than the first round to address them. General manager Monti Ossenfort has six picks in the top 100 (two in the first round, one in the second and three in the third round). Unless Ossenfort trades up, he will have these picks and potentially even more if he makes a trade down.
While we wait to see what the Cardinals do in the first round, here are the four positions that the Cardinals need to address in the second and third round.
4.) Cornerback
To kick off free agency, the Cardinals went out and signed cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting from the Tennessee Titans on a three-year deal. While Murphy-Bunting is an upgrade, the Cardinals need to identify a potential starter that can develop in Jonathan Gannon’s defensive scheme. While the Cardinals were not the worst team against the pass last year, they still need to find a way to not get thrown all over in a division that has great wide receivers.
There might be a slight chance that the Cardinals address the cornerback spot in the first round with their second first-round pick. However, if they choose to go a different route, Arizona needs to strongly consider getting another corner who can potentially become a starter or developmental player within a year or two. Even if the Cardinals decided to bring in a veteran corner at some point in the free agency period, Monti Ossenfort should still keep cornerback on his radar.
3.) Safety
Sticking within the secondary, the Cardinals are set to go into the season with Pro-Bowl safety Budda Baker but this time next year, that may not be the case. Baker, who is a two time All-Pro player and six time Pro Bowler, is heading into the final year of his contract with the Cardinals. Seeing as how Baker is still in his prime and can produce at a high level, he could very well be on his way out of Arizona after next season. If there is a sense that Baker is not interested in coming back to the Cardinals post 2024, then Monti Ossenfort needs to make getting a safety a priority.
It would be hard to replace a guy like Baker, but there are options that Arizona can go with, especially with having a high second round pick. Players like Kamren Kinchens or Javon Bullard would be able to develop for a year, and then potentially step in should Baker be out of Arizona.
2.) Defensive tackle
All that the Cardinals’ defense is known for from last year was giving up over 140 rushing yards per game. Ossenfort went out in free agency and acquired defensive tackles Bilal Nichols and Justin Jones, both who agreed to bigger three-year deals. While Nichols and Jones are immediate temporary fixes, it will be important for Arizona to address finding defensive linemen to put in the middle of the defense.
Each team in the NFC West has powerful running backs that the Cardinals will face twice a year. With Kyren Williams, Kenneth Walker and Christian McCaffrey all running at the Cardinals’ defense, Arizona will need to find a way to contain them, let alone completely stop them from getting momentum. Much like the cornerback spot, there is a higher chance that the Cardinals have the opportunity to draft a defensive tackle like Byron Murphy II out of Texas. However, there is a greater chance that Arizona could very well be on the search for a defensive tackle in the second or third round.
1.) Wide receiver
Even if the Cardinals do get a wide receiver in the first round like Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers, or Rome Odunze, it would be foolish for the Cardinals to not get atleast one more, if not two additional wide receivers. Aside from signing former Titan Chris Moore, the Cardinals have not addressed the wide receiver free agent market. In fact, they traded away Rondale Moore to the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for quarterback Desmond Ridder.
This wide receiver class is loaded with a lot of talent, to the point where it would not be surprising to see receivers outside of the first round making an immediate impact for their respective teams. Should the Cardinals address wide receiver in the first round, it would be very smart for Arizona to bring additional weapons for Kyler Murray. The Cardinals have already addressed the offensive line both inside and outside. Now it is time to provide weapons for Murray in his first full season under Jonathan Gannon.