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TEMPE, ARIZONA – FEBRUARY 03: New Arizona Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur (L) speaks as general manager Monti Ossenfort looks o during a press conference at Dignity Health Arizona Cardinals Training Center on February 03, 2026 in Tempe, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
It’s pretty evident that the Arizona Cardinals still have a lot of needs heading into the 2026 NFL Draft. While the team did address some of those needs in free agency, they now have a chance to keep adding talent with the No. 3 overall pick.
The real question, though, is whether they’ll even keep it.
Their needs may be bigger than some want to admit, and new head coach Mike LaFleur’s vision could require more than one premium pick can realistically fix.
In Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski’s latest mock draft projection, the Cardinals don’t move out of the first round entirely — but they do slide back after a proposed trade with the Dallas Cowboys.
Cardinals Predicted To Cash In With Draft-Day Trade
The Cowboys have the means to make a bold move like this after trading Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers last season.
In Sobleski’s projection, Dallas sends Arizona both of its first-round picks — No. 12 and No. 20 overall — to move up to No. 3. That would allow the Cowboys to draft Texas Tech edge rusher David Bailey and finally find a replacement for Parsons.
Sobleski explained why the Cardinals would have every reason to consider a move like that.
“A trade-down isn’t just an opportunity for the Cardinals to add draft ammunition and improve multiple areas of the roster—even though both are true in this situation. Instead, the most important aspect of a possible move is how Arizona can stack the board in its favor,” Sobleski wrote.
“Yes, the Cardinals could land a top-notch prospect with this year’s third overall pick. However, two first-round talents can be far more beneficial for a squad that managed only one winning season in its last 10.”
And that’s the part Arizona can’t ignore.
This roster needs more than one answer. Turning one pick into two first-rounders could speed up the rebuild in a hurry while giving LaFleur more pieces to shape things his way.
It would also give them room to attack the quarterback position without forcing it at No. 3.
Cardinals Predicted To Take Big Swing At Quarterback
As of now, the Cardinals appear set to ride things out with Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew at quarterback in 2026. That could change, but maybe not with pick No. 12.
Instead, Sobleski has Arizona selecting Miami offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa — a quarterback protector who would immediately help stabilize the line.
Mauigoa would join free-agent addition Isaac Seumalo, who signed a three-year, $31.5 million deal as part of Arizona’s effort to rebuild the trenches.
Then eight picks later, the Cardinals make the far more interesting move.
At No. 20, Sobleski has Arizona selecting Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson, one of the most polarizing players in the entire draft.
When it comes to Simpson, opinions are all over the place. Some believe he has legitimate first-round talent. Others don’t see it at all.
One who falls into that second camp is ESPN’s Peter Schrager.
“Ty Simpson might be a very good player. … I don’t see a team for him right now,” Schrager said of Simpson’s first-round outlook.
Then there’s Dan Orlovsky, who has been adamant about Simpson’s first-round potential, with support from others such as The Ringer’s Todd McShay.
At least for Arizona, taking Simpson here wouldn’t carry nearly the same pressure as taking him third overall.
They’d already have addressed another major need, and they wouldn’t be tying their entire draft to one quarterback gamble.
And if Simpson doesn’t hit? Arizona could very well be right back in the hunt in 2027 — a class already being projected as quarterback-heavy.
Shane Shoemaker Shane Shoemaker is a sports journalist covering college football and the NFL for Heavy.com. His work has also appeared in The Sporting News, Athlon Sports, USA TODAY, and ClutchPoints, along with high school sports coverage for the Marion Tribune. More about Shane Shoemaker
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