2026 NFL Draft Grades: Arizona Cardinals

Arizona continued an offseason of offensive change. Since the end of the 2025 season, the Cardinals have hired Mike LaFleur as the new coach and brought in Nathaniel Hackett as the new offensive coordinator. They released their quarterback of the past seven years, Kyler Murray. They also signed Isaac Seumalo to shore up the guard spot and added Tyler Allgeier to the running back room -- there's some power in the ground game.

There were still massive holes in this lineup entering draft weekend, though ... most notably at the roster's most important position. Would Arizona make a splashy move for Alabama's Ty Simpson, as many mock drafts (mine included) predicted? Or would GM Monti Ossenfort tread water with Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew II (another new signee) for a year before what should be a better QB class in 2027?

We knew Arizona wasn't going quarterback at No. 3, but that's all we knew for sure. Earlier in the week, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the Cardinals taking Jeremiyah Love there was a real possibility. A team that won three games last season going running back in the top three? I've long said that taking RBs early in the draft is bad team building. It's a non-premium position that typically runs deep with other players who can carry the load and be nearly as effective.

But ... Love is not a running back in the classical sense. He's a dynamic offensive playmaker who is going to spark an otherwise dull Arizona offense. He's a Reggie Bush clone with incredible vision and burst, and with 4.36 speed, he can go the distance any time he touches the football. Love averaged 6.9 yards per carry last season, he hit nine 20-yard gains (tied for 10th in the FBS) and he forced 60 missed tackles (top 20).

All of that puts him in the first round, but what takes him into another tier and makes him worthy of such a high selection is his ability in the passing game. I'd bet Hackett will get him lined up out wide or in the slot. He will be sprinting out into the flat for quick gains and after-the-catch opportunities. Love has soft hands and runs good routes. Arizona isn't solely going to hand the ball off to him; it is going to target him often in the pass game. The RB room is certainly crowded now, with Allgeier and James Conner, but Love jumps to the top of the list. Heck, the Cardinals could even get two of them on the field, with Love out wide. They have a lot of options and opportunities for creativity, and this pick will absolutely energize the fan base.

From there, Arizona kept reinforcing the offense. At No. 34, the Cards added Chase Bisontis, who should slide in at the other guard spot opposite Seumalo. He's a 34-game starter, and he hasn't allowed a sack since September 2024.

And at No. 65, they took a swing on a quarterback. As we saw throughout the College Football Playoff, Carson Beck can drop the ball in a bucket. His ball placement is really, really good, especially downfield. I don't know that he pushes past Brissett or Minshew to start, but he's a worthy shot in the third round. Arizona couldn't ignore the QB position, and this pick both gives the team another option in 2026 and doesn't keep the team from going in on the 2027 class.

If LaFleur can just get Marvin Harrison Jr. on track, there's some hope for this offense. Even if the real QB answer doesn't come until next year, the surrounding players are starting to fall into place. That said, the defense needs to play some catch-up, too. The Cards didn't make a single defensive pick until Kaleb Proctor at No. 104, and they didn't do much there in free agency, either. That kept Arizona in "B" territory.

It seems like they maybe filled appropriate positions? But perhaps in the wrong order? Love, arguably the draft's player, arrived via the third overall pick. And while it feels wrong to ding GM Monti Ossenfort for adhering to the oft-trumpeted "draft the best player available" maxim, it also seems like he might have relegated Love to an existence similar to the one Saquon Barkley suffered for years while serving as the offensive focal point of the quarterback-hindered Giants. Second-round G Chase Bisontis was a solid choice … even if Ossenfort maybe should have taken a little less to trade down from No. 3 and get a right tackle in the first round. Third-round QB Carson Beck? He'll doubtless get a shot to play here, so it's a great landing spot for him. And, in fairness to Ossenfort, he was probably never going to take Simpson as highly as the Rams wound up doing it. Hard to envision Arizona remaining anything but buried in last place in the NFC West … though maybe that's for the best if, like the Jets, they wait to launch a bona fide QB plan until 2027.

Best Pick: Fourth-round defensive tackle Kaleb Proctor from Southeastern Louisiana is an undersized inside player, but he can move. He impressed against LSU last year and should be a nice rotational piece inside.

Worst Pick: Jeremiyah Love is a good player. Maybe even special. But the value of taking a running back third overall must be questioned. The cost is high, and the careers are usually shorter.

The Skinny: Aside from taking a running back too high, they delivered a nice draft. Getting guard Chase Bisontis in the second, quarterback Carson Beck in the third and Proctor in the fourth were solid choices to go with Love.

General manager Monti Ossenfort has come under plenty of criticism, with each of the four players he's selected in the first round (OT Paris Johnson, WR Marvin Harrison Jr., edge Darius Robinson and DT Walter Nolen) failing to play up to expectations, thus far. That is among the reasons why I like the willingness to take a "can't-miss" talent like Jeremiyah Love at No. 3 overall this year, providing new head coach Mike LaFleur with a bankable star to build around.

Quarterback Carson Beck is an undeniable talent whose accuracy, smarts and pro-readiness also make him an intriguing fit for LaFleur, with guard Chase Bisontis a plug-and-play upgrade at guard.

Of Arizona's Day 3 selections, I'm especially excited about small-school product Kaleb Proctor of Southeastern Louisiana, who quieted critics of his level of competition with impressive performances against LSU, as well as at the Senior Bowl and Combine. His agility and competitiveness might light a fire for a Cardinals defense that finished 30th in sacks last year.

The Cardinals came out on fire, landing my best player in the draft in Jeremiyah Love and help in front of him with my second-ranked guard prospect Chase Bisontis. Love will be a dynamic threat in both the run and pass game, meanwhile Bisontis adds much-needed athleticism to Mike LaFleur's offensive line.

After that, things got a little off the rails. Carson Beck deserves credit for managing the offense better after transferring to Miami, but his arm strength has significantly decreased since elbow surgery he underwent in December 2024. I projected him as a long-term backup capable of making starts in short stretches during an NFL season. Proctor is a gap shooting interior pass rusher with upside, but he's got a long way to go on a down-by-down basis defending the run.

Virgil has size, long strides to build up speed and can win in contested situations, but considering he was WR31 for me there were better options available in that slot. Sharar is a tremendous athlete (but very raw linebacker) with special teams experience that will help cover kicks and punts. Jayden Williams gives them an athletic tackle to develop behind the scenes.

There is a world where this is a two-player class, and while I love those two players at the top, I wish Arizona got more depth in this group. The reach for Beck made a very big difference.

Here's why: The Jeremiyah Love selection is going to grab the headlines. Whether taking a running back that high is justifiable or not, especially with where Arizona is at in the team-building process, is a discussion that can go on and on. He will be a focal point of this new offensive attack under new head coach Mike LaFleur and rounds out one of the league's surprisingly better young skill players groups with Trey McBride, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Michael Wilson. Love also gives a big play element that this offense has been desperately lacking.

I figured the Cardinals would take a stab at this year's quarterback class to give LaFleur a handpicked signal-caller, and their choice was Carson Beck at the top of the third round. Beck has the size and flashes enough arm to handle NFL throws, but struggled with consistency in college. He's the first of what I think will be several darts that the Cardinals will throw at the position in future years.

Kaleb Proctor out of Southeastern Louisiana in the fourth round was another selection I enjoyed. He's a disruptive interior defensive lineman who can bump around the front. He's a great fit for Nick Rallis' knuckleball-laden scheme.

Most interesting pick: Chase Bisontis, OG, Texas A&M

I warmed (slightly) to the Love selection for the Cardinals once they added Bisontis in the second round. One of the reasons the Cardinals defaulted to Love, outside of his talent, is that there wasn't an offensive lineman who made sense for where they were selecting so early in the draft. Bisontis, who got some steam as a possible first-rounder, is a plug-and-play starter who will fit LaFleur's downhill run attack perfectly. Combined with the addition of Isaac Seumalo and a more consistent year from Paris Johnson Jr. with Hjalte Froholdt still in the middle, the Cardinals' offensive line is already looking like a much improved unit that should be able to pave the way for their young, talented rookie running back.

The Cardinals got the draft kicked off on Thursday night with a pretty stunning decision, opting to take running back Jeremiyah Love over several other blue-chip talents, most notably pass rusher Arvell Reese. Even though Love is an awesome player, it's hard to imagine that pick a smart use of capital (both draft and salary cap), and it won't be a big surprise if he struggles to make a massive impact in 2026 as the team sorts through its quarterback situation. I liked the selection of Texas A&M guard Chase Bisontis in the second, who should help stabilize the offensive line, and that of defensive tackle Kaleb Proctor in the fourth. Proctor is an explosive interior lineman who can contribute to the team's pass rush rotation. As for third-round quarterback Carson Beck, I think he's a fine gamble—but I'm not sure Arizona is the best landing spot for him. Beck likely needs time to sit and develop—ideally behind an established veteran—and with the Cardinals QB position in flux, he's likely going to be pushed into action before he's ready. Overall, the Cardinals added star power in this draft in Love, but I'm just not sure they added a lot of wins, at least not this year.

Analysis: There's no doubt that the Cardinals' rushing attack will be better in 2026 with Love making dynamic plays and Bisontis providing rushing lanes. Still, you could argue that the team paid too much attention to improving the running game. In free agency, Arizona had added Tyler Allgeier to a backfield that already had Trey Benson and James Conner. The Cardinals ignored their hole at right tackle and used a third-round pick on a quarterback who might not offer much upside as a long-term starter. The Beck pick is reminiscent of the Browns selecting Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders last year. Sure, Beck could start a few games as a rookie, but the team will still likely have a wandering eye for a different QB in the near future.