For two drafts, Monti Ossenfort's goal was to restock a roster that he had torn down to the studs when he first arrived as Cardinals GM.
Draft No. 3, which begins Thursday night, doesn't carry with it the same narrative. That can be seen tangibly, with the team drafting at No. 16 after two seasons of going in with the third and fourth overall pick in the process.
There is also an unknown now. Unknown of what the Cardinals might do, thanks to being in the middle of the round. An unknown thanks to a draft class that has a lack of high-end quarterbacks – the usual driver of how a first round plays out – and a talent level that could produce just as good of a player at 35 as it does 10.
This is the backdrop with which Ossenfort takes in his six picks (a total that can always change, given the GM's wheeling-and-dealing ways) and the No. 16 selection in the first round. Maybe it's a lineman on one side of the ball or the other. Perhaps a cornerback. Perhaps something else.
Another caveat to the first round: The first round, more than any other round, is about the specific player rather than position. Needs matter, but for the top pick, individuals matter as much.
"No matter where it is," Ossenfort said, "if we can add an impact player that checks boxes for us both on and off the field, it is never going to be a bad pick."
The options are many. Here's a look at the positions the Cardinals are expected to consider at 16:
RESULT AT 16: EDGE
WHO: Candidates include Georgia's Mykel Williams, Boston College's Donovan Ezeiruaku, Marshall's Mike Green and Texas A&M's Shemar Stewart.
WHY: The Cardinals have needed to upgrade the outside, and in the NFL you can never have too many playmakers at that spot.
WHY NOT: The big free-agent signing was here (Josh Sweat), the Cardinals have BJ Ojulari, a one-time second-round pick, coming back from injury to boost the room, and this draft class is deep enough that Ossenfort could find a solid edge addition in the second or third round.
RESULT AT 16: GUARD
WHO: Candidates include Alabama's Tyler Booker and North Dakota State's Grey Zabel.
WHY: If there is a place the Cardinals could plug and play a rookie lineman, it would be at a guard spot, and the team needs depth there. Veteran starter Evan Brown signed a one-year deal. To find a long-term guy at an interior spot would be crucial.
WHY NOT: Guard is not a position a first-round pick is oft used for, and there may be a good chance to grab a player with greater impact. The Cardinals also could find a guard in the second round at No. 47.
RESULT AT 16: DEFENSIVE TACKLE
WHO: Candidates include Mississippi's Walter Nolen, Michigan's Kenneth Grant and Oregon's Derrick Harmon
WHY: The Cardinals have rebuilt their defensive line, but with all the veterans (and short-term contracts), adding another young long-term piece would be smart. Injuries the last two years prove the Cardinals can never have enough options.
WHY NOT: The Cardinals have rebuilt their defensive line and may have spots where a first-round addition might help more right now. More importantly, this draft is so deep the position could be addressed in the second or third (or even fourth round) and still get a quality player.
RESULT AT 16: OFFENSIVE TACKLE
WHO: Candidates include Texas' Kelvin Banks Jr. and Ohio State's Josh Simmons.
WHY: Tackle remains one of those key positions – QB, pass rusher, CB as well – that always must be considered. A pick here would be a forward-thinking choice (like D.J. Humphries in 2015) for the future rather than now, with veteran Jonah Williams and Kelvin Beachum in place for 2025.
WHY NOT: Williams and Beachum, for starters. And 2024 draft pick Christian Jones, who the team still hopes can develop. There are other spots that can immediately help the Cardinals. One thing to consider is that someone like Banks could kick inside and play guard at first too – so would that mean he was a pick as a tackle or a guard?
RESULT AT 16: CORNERBACK
WHO: Candidates include Michigan's Will Johnson and Texas' Jahdae Barron.
WHY: As I mentioned, you can never have enough good cornerbacks. The Cardinals have loaded up, but if Ossenfort sees a guy who can plug and play – especially when DB guru Jonathan Gannon would've agreed – it would be a good choice.
WHY NOT: It's weighing what the Cardinals need over otherwise. They have drafted a bunch of cornerbacks the past two seasons, including second-rounder Max Melton and third-rounders Garrett Williams and Elijah Jones. They have developed Starling Thomas V, in addition to veteran Sean Murphy-Bunting.
RESULT AT 16: WIDE RECEIVER
WHO: Candidates include Texas' Matthew Golden and Arizona's Tet McMillian.
WHY: The Cardinals added Marvin Harrison Jr. last year but to add another playmaker – Golden, for instance, who can fly – could change the offense, and with the depth at defensive line and edge in the draft, those positions could be addressed in later rounds.
WHY NOT: For a front office that loves to address the trenches, it would be odd to see the Cardinals use their first pick on a wide receiver two seasons in a row.
RESULT AT 16: LINEBACKER
WHO: Candidates include Georgia's Jalon Walker and Alabama's Jihaad Campbell.
WHY: Perhaps no other position fits the "first round is about the particular player rather than position" mantra as linebacker. The Cardinals would grab a Walker or Campbell if they saw a guy who could become a star. Potentially moving on from Kyzir White leaves a gap; Campbell could help fill. Walker is a guy who can be inside or outside, like the Cardinals deploy Mack Wilson Sr., and bring an impressive pass rush.
WHY NOT: The Cardinals have gone for off-ball linebackers before in the first round. There are other positions that usually draw greater value early in the draft. Again, you get one here only if you think he can be special.
RESULT AT 16: TRADE DOWN
WHY: Monti loves to get an extra pick or two. Plus the talent level of this draft suggests the Cardinals can get just as good of a player at, say, 22 or 25, as they could 16.
WHY NOT: The talent level of this draft suggests the Cardinals can get just as good of a player at, say, 22 or 25, as they could 16. Teams behind them might not have reason to trade up.
