We are not even a week from the NFL Draft being completed and we already have coverage happening regarding next year’s draft. However, who says we can’t be making bold predictions a year out? As of right now, we don’t know what kind of talent is going to come out next year. The main focus should be on the rookies that have been drafted or signed by teams in the NFL now. However, that won’t be the case as people will already start to look into next year’s draft.
The Arizona Cardinals came out of this draft and had addressed various needs on both sides of the ball. They split down the middle with their draft picks with drafting six players on each side of the ball, including wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. from Ohio State. One position that Monti Ossenfort did not draft was defensive tackle. In free agency, the Cardinals went out and signed Bilal Nichols and Justin Jones to plug into the middle of the defensive line.
Arizona’s run defense was the worst in the league last season, giving up over 140 rushing yards per game. The Cardinals will need to improve that in 2024. In a way-too-early 2025 first round mock draft put out by Pro Football Focus, the Cardinals address the defensive line early on.
Max Chadwick of Pro Football Focus has the Cardinals picking 7th overall, three spots from the 4th pick that the Cardinals just drafted Harrison from. With that pick, Chadwick has the Cardinals taking Kentucky defensive tackle Deone Walker.
Depending on how the Cardinals’ run defense responds this season, it would not be surprising to see Ossenfort addressing the defensive line early on in the draft and Walker does provide massive size to plug up the middle. At 6’6 and over 340 lbs, Walker had 55 total tackles and 7.5 sacks last season for Kentucky. The Cardinals will need to add size on the defensive line but Jones and Nicols should be solid bridge players until Arizona can get a younger defensive lineman in the lineup. Keep an eye on Walker as he looks to be one of the highly talented players coming into next year’s draft.