Stan Son previews and breaks down everything you need to know about the Arizona Cardinals heading into the 2026 NFL Draft.
In 2018, the Arizona Cardinals bottomed out and “earned” the No. 1 overall pick with a 3-13 record. Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Kyler Murray was the selection and the Cardinals looked to have their franchise leader. A two-win improvement happened the next season, then the team became a .500 squad.
Murray had yet to miss a game up to that point, and in his second season, completed 67.2% of his passes for 4,340 yards, 26 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He also rushed 133 times for 819 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Things looked more than promising, but the cracks began to show, despite the Cardinals winning 11 games and returning to the playoffs during his third season. Murray missed two games due to injury then missed five and eight games in the following two seasons, which resulted in back-to-back four-win seasons. There was also the alleged Call of Duty issue that resulted in a clause inserted into his contract.
Murray rebounded in 2024, not missing a game, but Arizona only won eight contests. Last season, Murray was benched, allowing Jacoby Brissett an opportunity to shine. Shine he did, passing for 3,366 yards, 23 touchdowns and eight interceptions in 12 starts. The Cardinals only won one of those contests, but his competency allowed Trey McBride and Michael Wilson to live up to their potential.
Last month, Murray was released and signed by the Minnesota Vikings. The Cardinals signed Gardner Minshew to presumably back up Brissett, but General Manager Monti Ossenfort responded with “We’re not really naming anybody,” when asked about the starting quarterback. “We’ll see how that room looks by the time we get to August.”
Brissett has been asking for an extension that pays him starter money and did not attend the first part of the offseason program. NFL.com’s Kevin Patra reported that Ossenfort and and new head coach Mike LaFleur said, “Stating that Brissett was the outright starter would only give him more leverage in negotiations.”
Arizona has been linked to quarterback Ty Simpson, so the unsettled quarterback situation makes both the short and long-term outlooks cloudy.
The Cardinals have seven draft picks in the upcoming draft. Let’s break it all down.
Arizona Cardinals 2026 NFL Draft Picks
Round 1 — 3rd overall
Round 2 — 34th overall
Round 3 — 65th overall
Round 4 — 104th overall
Round 5 — 143rd overall
Round 6 — 183rd overall
Round 7 — 217th overall
Arizona Cardinals Team Needs
I spent 366 words writing about the quarterback situation in the intro. Let’s write some more! Brissett is a more-than-capable quarterback, but he’s 33 years old and Arizona needs to find the next franchise signal caller. That said, this isn’t the best draft class, especially for quarterbacks, while the 2027 class is already considered loaded with multiple potentially franchise-altering players.
Running back Tyler Allgeier was signed in free agency while James Conner was brought back for another year. Both are solid but unspectacular. Jeremiyah Love has been mentioned as a potential pick for Arizona. Running back is often a luxury pick for teams and often best suited for a team that is settled everywhere else, but the intangibles, dual-threat ability and physical characteristics may be too enticing to ignore.
Arizona had the 26th-best offensive line according to PFF. Center Hjalte Froholdt and Left Tackle Paris Johnson Jr. graded out decently, though. In free agency, Arizona signed guard Isaac Seumalo for $31.5 million over three years. PFF ranked Seumalo fourth out of 81 qualified guards in pass-blocking. Isaiah Adams and Elijah Wilkinson are not good, so draft capital will likely be spent to continue bolstering the line.
The wide receiver unit is solid with Marvin Harrison Jr., Michael Wilson and Kendrick Bourne, who was signed in free agency for $11.47 million over two years.
The defense. Oh, the defense. There are some solid players, but as a whole, Arizona was poor. The 6,081 yards allowed were the sixth-most. The 32 passing touchdowns allowed were the sixth-most. The 19 rushing touchdowns were the ninth-most. Arizona was 29th in pressure rate and the 30 sacks were tied for the third-fewest.
Per Next Gen Stats, the EPA per dropback was the fifth-highest while the EPA per carry was tied for the fourth-most. A high number on defense is no bueno.
Arizona needs help in many places, but I think it’ll focus on the trenches. Whether that’s at offensive line or defensive line is the question.
Prediction: Cardinals select either EDGE David Bailey or tackle Spencer Fano