There is no doubt that the Arizona Cardinals had a strong 2024 draft that started with wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. and ended with Miami cornerback Jaden Davis in the 7th round. Monti Ossenfort addressed many pressing needs that the Cardinals had and got some great value at various picks. There was a great balance of getting players on both sides of the ball and the Cardinals should be excited to see how Jonathan Gannon and the coaching staff can utilize these players on the field.
Even though the Cardinals came out of this draft as one of the top teams in terms of drafting, the rest of the NFC West also did some damage to improve their squads this past weekend. Whether you believe the Cardinals got stronger after this draft, so did their division rivals.
Arizona still has little mountain to climb to get back into competing for the NFC West and their road just became more challenging as they will be facing various top drafted prospects.
Here are the NFC West draft moves that should concern Cardinals fans.
Seattle Seahawks: Drafting DT Byron Murphy II
The Seahawks were patient in the first round of the draft and they were rewarded when Texas defensive tackle Byron Murphy II fell into their lap at No. 16. As a premier run-stopper in the middle of the trenches, the Cardinals may have a tough time getting rushing yards in between the tackles because of the force Murphy presents. While he may not be the biggest guy on the field, he has explosive steps off the ball in which he can hold his ground and even get in the backfield to make a play.
The Cardinals did manage to draft Isaiah Adams in the third round who is a great run blocker, so there is a possibility that we could see this matchup. However, Murphy was drafted in the first round for a reason while Adams fell to the third round.
San Francisco 49ers: Drafting WR Ricky Pearsall, OT Dominik Puni
The 49ers kicked off their draft class by drafting wideout Ricky Pearsall from the University of Florida. With rumors swirling around regarding the future status of both Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, the 49ers decided to get a wideout of their own who can play great football from the slot. Averaging about 80 yards per game last year at Florida, Pearsall serves as another weapon in this already loaded 49ers offense that still has their top two wideouts on the team. This could easily put pressure on Arizona’s defense when it comes to passing situations.
San Francisco would then draft offensive tackle Dominick Puni out of Kansas, who plays left tackle and was named to the First-team All-Big 12 Conference team. With Trent Williams getting older, John Lynch decided to find a hopeful successor in Puni who could even get some starts this season to get used to the speed of the game.
Los Angeles Rams: Drafting EDGE Jared Verse, DT Braden Fiske, RB Blake Corum
In the first three rounds, the Rams hit on each of their picks. After rumors started swirling of them trying to trade up into the top ten of the first round, they would stay at No. 19 and would end up drafting a top three edge rusher in Jared Verse. With the Seminoles last season, Verse was a First-team All-ACC player who had 9 sacks. He now joins Byron Young to create a pass rush on both sides that could be a handful for Paris Johnson and Jonah Williams.
Los Angeles would then add again to their defensive line by trading up for defensive tackle Braden Fiske, who was teammates with Verse at Florida State. Fiske started climbing up draft boards after a phenomenal combine performance that was headlined by his 4.78 40-yard dash. He can stop the run and create a consistent pass rush, and he will be doing it alongside Kobie Turner who the Rams drafted last year that led all rookie defensive tackles with 9 sacks last year.
Then in the third round, the Rams would take away Jim Harbaugh’s running game from last year by drafting Michigan running back Blake Corum. Having a running back duo of Corum and Kyren Williams is going to be a force for the Cardinals. The Cardinals’ run defense was the worst in the league last season, and now their jobs just got tougher when they go up against the Rams.