The Arizona Cardinals have been subject to rampant draft rumors the last few weeks leading up to Thursday’s 2024 NFL draft. At first, they were certain to stick and pick the best player with the 4th overall selection — which was a miracle (or was it) granted by Matt Prater in the team’s finale against the Seattle Seahawks.
Then, reports circled about them being a lock to move down with the Minnesota Vikings. When those rumors dwindled, talks about trades with the New York Giants and even the Chicago Bears became popular.
Despite all of the speculation, the Cardinals held firm on the fourth overall selection. The rumor mill even ran into Monday, where reports came out how the Cardinals won’t move down until they are on the clock, heightening the pre-draft excitement and nerves of all Cardinals fans.
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General manager Monti Ossenfort has undoubedtly done his due diligence into what his highly-coveted 4th overall pick could return, but there has always been a player atop their draft boards, one they’ve had keen eyes on for two years now.
Barring a late offer the team cannot refuse, the Arizona Cardinals likely will select Marvin Harrison Jr. with the fourth overall pick.
Harrison Jr. is the best wide receiver prospect in years and many believe him to be the top player in the last two draft classes. He’s a near-perfect prospect for his abilities, but also his off-the-field character and maturity, traits Ossenfort highly covets.
Last season, the Cardinals were motivated to move down, as Ossenfort knew he was staring a multi-year rebuild in the face and needed as many picks as possible to expedite the process. He also had two top prospects — those being Paris Johnson Jr. and Will Anderson, who he thought highly of.
This year, however, Ossenfort will not budge from the rights to draft Harrison Jr. unless the offer is akin to what the San Francisco 49ers once mortgaged to select Trey Lance back in 2021. Teams aren’t overly jumping at the thought to give up that haul for the consensus fourth-best quarterback prospect in the draft.
The Cardinals have actively scouted and had heavy interest in Harrison Jr. for two years now. The dominos leading to their incoming selection of Harrison began with the release of All-Pro DeAndre Hopkins a year and a half ago. Even current-Cardinal Paris Johnson Jr. has spoken to reporters about his conversations about Harrison to the desert dating back to 2022.
The Cardinals also were not aggressive in their negotiations with Hollywood Brown and traded Rondale Moore to the Falcons. They’ve been preparing to build the roster with Harrison headlining their receiving corps since January.
Could Ossenfort look to move down and right back up for Harrison this year? Some have speculated he could look to replicate this move from last year, and while that is certainly possible, the team is certainly not going to do anything without knowing they can still get their guy.
While most of the draft speculation has been surrounding the fourth overall pick, the Cardinals also have No. 27 from the Houston Texans. They may look to move up from that spot for one of the top three edge rushers, should one fall into striking distance. Those three are Alabama’s Dallas Turner, Florida’s Jared Verse and UCLA’s Laiatu Latu.
It makes sense, given the Cardinals have the most draft capital this year and have a glaring hole at edge rusher. Should they walk away with the top receiver prospect and one of the best three edge rushers, the Cardinals will be in much better shape to make a playoff push in 2024.
Will we see a Kyler Murray to Marvin Harrison Jr connection in 2024? 🔥 pic.twitter.com/eJlgR3tR4x
— PFF Fantasy & Betting (@PFF_Fantasy) February 16, 2024
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