Arizona Cardinals can add plenty of talent on third day of draft

A deep talent pool could allow Arizona Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort to strike gold during the draft's final day.

Right before our eyes, the Arizona Cardinals organization is experiencing wholesale changes. Back in January, owner Michael Bidwill set the wheels in motion by bringing in Monti Ossenfort to replace the departed Steve Keim. Many Cards fans are optimistic that the new general manager will avoid the mistakes that Keim often made during his 10 seasons with the club.

One area that needs to be improved upon is the front office's performance during the annual NFL Draft. Far too many picks were wasted when Keim was in charge of the "War Room". Ossenfort and Dave Sears (the team's assistant GM) have been brought to the desert to strike gold with a higher number of Arizona's selections.

Finding gems on the draft's final day would put the Cardinals on the right path towards achieving that goal. At the moment, Ossenfort and Sears will have a fourth, a fifth and two sixth-rounders to work with on April 29th. With the duo's impressive scouting background, the squad's chances of finding third-day prospects who can actually contribute should increase dramatically.

Arizona Cardinals need to come away with more gems during the latter stages of the NFL Draft

Just three picks into Round 4, the Redbirds will be on the clock at #105 overall. Olusegun Oluwatimi, a 6 foot 3, 307 pounder out of the University of Michigan, took home both the Rimington Trophy (best center) and Outland Trophy (best interior offensive lineman) last fall. During his five campaigns at Appalachian State, edge-rusher Nick Hampton racked up 175 tackles (40 for a loss) and 26.5 sacks for the Mountaineers.

When Round 5 rolls around, the Cards will look to acquire talent with the 168th-overall choice. Over the past two seasons, Bowling Green State University defensive tackle Karl Brooks totaled 92 tackles (30.5 for a loss) and 17.5 sacks for the Falcons. Kenny McIntosh, a running back out of the University of Georgia, amassed 1,334 yards from scrimmage and 12 total touchdowns for the Bulldogs in 2022.

Arizona will have no seventh-round pick to utilize next month, but Ossenfort does have the pair of sixth-rounders in his possession. Rutgers University's Christian Braswell, a cornerback who registered 36 tackles, three interceptions and 11 passes defensed last fall, will tempt the Cardinals at #180-overall. Jake Andrews, a 6 foot 3, 315 pound guard out of Troy University, could also be a possibility.

With the second of the two selections in round 6 (#213-overall), the Cards could kick the tires on another defensive tackle. Dante Stills, a 6 foot 4, 280 pounder, was credited with 137 tackles (53 for a loss), 24.5 sacks and an interception during the five years he spent at West Virginia University. Another option at that point in the proceedings would be Charlie Jones, a 6 foot,188 pound wideout who hauled in 110 passes for 1,361 yards and 12 touchdowns for Purdue University last season.

(Statistics provided by Sports-Reference.com/CFB)