March 25, 2026, 4:24 a.m. MT

The 2026 NFL draft is less than a month away, and one of the newest trends in projections for the draft is having the Arizona Cardinals get antsy to get a new quarterback. They will not have a chance to land Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza, expected to be the first overall pick, but Alabama’s Ty Simpson is gaining traction as a first-round pick.

ESPN’s Field Yates has a new two-round mock draft, and the Cardinals address arguably their two greatest needs on the roster, but they make a trade to do it.

Round 1, pick No. 3: Ohio State EDGE Arvell Reese

After Arizona released Kyler Murray, its offseason has signaled that drafting a quarterback is a logical outcome. But the Cardinals are not going to reach for one here. Like the Jets, the Cardinals can add to their recent front-seven investments, which include edge rusher Josh Sweat from last free agency.

Reese is a unique defensive player in this class, playing a hybrid position at Ohio State as an off-ball linebacker and pass rusher. He has massive length at 6-foot-4, explosive athletic traits and major upside if the Cardinals keep him at edge rusher. Reese said at the combine that he hasn’t “scratched the surface” as a pass rusher. He generated 19 pressures on a mere 97 pass-rush reps in 2025.

So many people just have the Cardinals going with a tackle here. While they do need a starting-caliber right tackle, the position does have options for 2026 — Elijah Wilkinson, Josh Fryar, Christian Jones, Demontrey Jacobs, Oli Udoh.

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The Cardinals have not addressed their outside linebacker room and got only 5.5 sacks combined from the position outside of Josh Sweat. Reese is yet another Ohio State product to add to the roster.

Trade back into Round 1

The Cardinals want a quarterback and move up to get him. In the proposed trade, they give the Buffalo Bills their second-round pick (No. 34), their third-round pick (No. 65) and their 2027 third-round pick to move up to No. 26. This puts them in position to take the guy they must expect to be the quarterback of the future.

Round 1, pick No. 26: Alabama QB Ty Simpson

With a hat tip to my pal Jordan Reid — the thought leader behind the Cardinals trading up for Simpson — Arizona can execute its own version of what the Giants accomplished in 2025. New York landed edge rusher Abdul Carter at No. 3 before trading up to take quarterback Jaxson Dart at No. 25. After taking Arvell Reese up top, the Cardinals can land the clear-cut second-best quarterback in this class here.

Through the early part of the 2025 season, Simpson stood out with his ability to navigate the pocket and throw with accuracy and power when he can set his feet. With Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew on Arizona’s depth chart, the team can bring Simpson along methodically. All 15 of his collegiate starts came this past season.

If the Cardinals believe that Simpson is the guy, this makes sense. However, giving up current and future assets for a quarterback that isn’t even a top-20 player in some player rankings reeks of desperation. So it is either deep conviction or desperation.

The quarterback room is set up to get a young quarterback, but none of their other offseason moves have really upgraded the roster of a team that was 3-14 last season. Is that what you want a young quarterback to be thrown into?

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