NFL Draft analyst thinks Cardinals landed some first round talent on Day 3

The 2024 NFL Draft has come and gone and the Arizona Cardinals left it with 12 new players for their roster. Dane Brugler of The Athletic put together his rankings of every team's draft and had the Cardinals ranked fifth.

Along with descriptions of every ranking, Brugler also mentioned a Day 3 pick that could surprise. For the Cardinals, that Day 3 pick was Xavier Thomas, an edge rusher out of Clemson.

"The Cardinals addressed defensive end in Round 1 (Darius Robinson), but it wouldn’t be a shock if they get more immediate pass-rush production from Thomas. More of a subpackage rusher, he is straight-line explosive with active hands that can affect backfield action."

- Dane Brugler

Dane Brugler wonders if Xavier Thomas will provide more of an immediate presence over Darius Robinson

As Brugler noted, the Cardinals spent a first-round pick on Darius Robinson out of Missouri. He said that he wouldn't be surprised if Thomas went on to provide more in the pass-rushing department early on. The Clemson product spent six years with the Tigers and had 3.0 sacks during the 2023 season. Meanwhile, Robinson had 8.5 sacks during his final year at Missouri.

It'd be cool if Thomas could turn into a pass-rushing phenom in the desert but it'd also be a major bummer if Robinson didn't live up to the hype. The Cardinals were third-to-last in sacks last year so let's hope that both Robinson and Thomas can step up and help turn a weakness into a strength.

Day 3 picks are a crapshoot but if the Cardinals can get the guy that Brugler is describing, this would go down as a major draft steal.