As a lead-up to the 2024 NFL draft, we've broken down the current depth chart of every NFL team and identified the biggest draft and team needs for the Arizona Cardinals.
You can find additional team-by-team draft needs articles and other draft content on our 2024 NFL Draft Hub.
Who Did the Arizona Cardinals Select in the 2024 NFL Draft?
The Arizona Cardinals selected Marvin Harrison Jr. (WR, Ohio State) with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
The Cardinals also drafted:
- Darius Robinson (DL, Missouri)
- Max Melton (CB, Rutgers)
- Trey Benson (RB, Florida State)
- Isaiah Adams (OT, Illinois)
- Tip Reiman (TE, Illinois)
- Elijah Jones (CB, Boston College)
- Dadrion Taylor–Demerson (S, Texas Tech)
- Xavier Thomas (EDGE, Clemson)
- Christian Jones (OT, Texas)
- Tejhaun Palmer (WR, UAB)
- Jaden Davis (CB, Miami)
Cardinals Draft Needs: Top Positions of Need in 2024
- Wide Receiver
- Cornerback
- Front Seven
What Picks Do the Arizona Cardinals Have in 2024?
The Arizona Cardinals have 11 picks in the 2024 NFL Draft, including:
- Round 1 (4)
- Round 1 (27)
- Round 2 (35)
- Round 3 (66)
- Round 3 (71)
- Round 3 (90)
- Round 4 (104)
- Round 5 (138)
- Round 5 (162)
- Round 6 (186)
- Round 7 (226)
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Arizona Cardinals Draft Capital Stats
Our Sharp Draft Value Rank is a valuation of draft capital based on a combination of average performance delivered and average dollars earned on second contracts.
This is based on two public models: performance delivered based on draft slot (the AV model created by Chase Stuart) and contractual earnings in non-rookie deals based upon draft slot (the OTC model created by Brad Spielberger and Jason Fitzgerald).
- Cardinals Sharp Draft Value Rank: 1 of 32 teams
- Cardinals AV Model Draft Value Rank: 1 of 32 teams
- Cardinals OTC Model Draft Value Rank: 1 of 32 teams
Arizona Cardinals Draft Value vs. Other Teams:
The Cardinals’ draft value is 80% higher than the league average of all 32 teams. No other team has more draft value entering the 2024 NFL Draft.
Arizona Cardinals Draft Prediction:
Brendan Donahue has the Cardinals selecting Marvin Harrison Jr. (WR, Ohio State) with the 4th overall pick in his most recent 2024 NFL Mock Draft.
Mock draft expert Ryan McCrystal believes the Cardinals could target a receiver like Marvin Harrison Jr. (WR, Ohio State) with their top pick at No. 4 overall in the first round.
Arizona Cardinals Strength of Schedule, 2024
The Arizona Cardinals have the 16th-easiest NFL strength of schedule for the 2024 NFL season.
Arizona Cardinals Offense: Depth Chart, Analysis & Draft Needs
Rich Hribar breaks down the offensive depth chart by position for the Arizona Cardinals, identifying areas where the team could improve in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft.
Quarterback Depth Chart, Cardinals:
- Kyler Murray
- Desmond Ridder
- Clayton Tune
Kyler Murray will enter his sixth season in the NFL.
With a 28-36-1 career record as a starter, Murray enters the portion of his contract extension that carries hefty weight.
He has a cap hit of $43 million or more in each of the five seasons, without a realistic out year without a significant cap penalty coming until after the 2026 season.
Returning to the lineup in Week 10 from an ACL injury suffered in 2022, Murray was a mixed bag.
He completed 65.7% of his passes, which was his lowest rate since his rookie season in 2019.
His 6.7 yards per pass attempt did climb from a pedestrian 6.1 Y/A mark in 2022 but still ranked 21st in the NFL over the span of his return.
His 41.8% success rate and -0.01 EPA per dropback were the lowest rates of his career, coming in 21st and 18th in the league Weeks 10-18.
Murray once again struggled his most when tasked to throw downfield.
On throws 10 yards or further, Murray completed just 41.0% (32-of-78) of his throws. That ranked 26th in the league over the span of his return.
This follows a 41.7% completion rate on those throws in 2022, which ranked 40th in the NFL among all passers with 100 or more pass attempts.
There are still plenty of excuses to make for Murray on the surface if you are looking for them.
Outside of coming back from a major injury, his 31.2% pressure rate was the second-highest of his career.
He only threw from a clean pocket on 62.5% of his dropbacks, the lowest rate of his career.
The top route runners on the team over his return were Trey McBride (85.7% of dropbacks), Greg Dortch (75.4%), and Rondale Moore (71.1%). The only other pass-catcher to run a route on half of Murray’s dropbacks was Michael Wilson (56.8%).
That said, as highlighted to open, we are now in the stretch of Murray’s contract where he has to elevate those around him rather than have that surrounding core being a crutch for output.
The team added Desmond Ridder in a low-leverage trade as a backup.
Ridder still has two cap-friendly seasons on his rookie deal for under $1.5 million each season.
Clayton Tune still has three seasons left in his rookie deal.
Running Back Depth Chart, Cardinals:
- James Conner
- Michael Carter
- Emari Demercado
- DeeJay Dallas
- Tony Jones
The running game was the bright spot of this offense in Drew Petzing’s first season as offensive coordinator.
As a team, Arizona was sixth in the NFL in EPA per rush (0.02) and second in the league in yards per carry (5.0 YPC).
James Conner anchored the run game with one of the most efficient seasons of his career.
Among 49 running backs to have 100 or more rushes in 2023, Conner ranked:
- Fourth in EPA per rush (0.07)
- Sixth in success rate (43.3%)
- Sixth in yards per carry (5.0)
- Fourth in the rate of runs for 10 or more yards (14.9%)
- Sixth in the rate of runs to result in a first down or touchdowns (27.4%)
- Second in yards after contact per rush (3.93)
Conner averaged 5.1 yards per touch, his highest rate since 2018.
Of course, Conner also missed four games.
He has now missed multiple games in each of his seven seasons.
Over the four weeks that Conner missed in 2023, Arizona running backs were 21st in the league in EPA per rush (-0.19) and 20th in success rate (34.3%).
That was before the team added Michael Carter during the season.
Carter had a small sample with Arizona (only 22 rushes), but he did rush for 6.8 yards per carry on those runs.
Conner will be 29 years old and will enter the final season of his current contract.
The only running backs that Arizona has signed beyond this upcoming season are DeeJay Dallas and Emari Demercado.
This is not a pressing need for 2024, but given Conner’s age, consistent time missed, and his expiring contract, Arizona could add a rookie option to the roster for competition and contractual depth.
Wide Receiver Depth Chart, Cardinals:
- Michael Wilson
- Greg Dortch
- Zach Pascal
- Chris Moore
- Dan Chisena
- Jeff Smith
- Andre Baccellia
- Daniel Arias
- Kaden Davis
A major problem area for this offense, Arizona wide receivers were 30th in the NFL in receptions (157), 30th in receiving yards (1,790), and tied for 23rd with 10 touchdowns in 2023.
Arizona wideouts combined for 11.4 yards per reception (27th) and a 56.7% catch rate (30th).
As a unit, their 1.39 yards per route run ranked ahead of only the Patriots (1.36) and Jets (1.27).
With Kyler Murray back in Weeks 10-18, Greg Dortch led the wide receiver group with only 278 yards.
Dortch has been a solid role player any time that Arizona has extended his playing time, but he is an ancillary pass catcher, not an anchor.
It is finally time that Arizona sinks draft capital into the position.
The team has made trades for DeAndre Hopkins and Marquise Brown since drafting Murray, but the only wide receivers they have selected in the top-100 picks since taking Murray have been Andy Isabella, Rondale Moore, and Michael Wilson.
Wilson was fine as a rookie, catching 38-of-58 targets for 565 yards and three touchdowns.
His highlight performance came in Week 4 against San Francisco, catching all seven of his targets for 76 yards and two touchdowns.
Through eight weeks, Wilson was sixth among all rookie wide receivers in yards per game (50.1). He ranked first among that group with a first down or touchdown on 57.6% of his targets over that stretch.
Wilson then picked up a shoulder injury that sidelined him for four of the final nine games. He caught only 13-of-25 targets for 164 yards and a touchdown over the back half of the season but did close the year with six catches for 95 yards in the regular-season finale.
Wilson should compete for a starting job at minimum in 2024 and could be locked in as the WR2 in 2WR sets pending what Arizona does in the draft with all of their early draft picks.
We all know that Arizona is positioned to grab a front-end pass catcher in this draft at No. 4 overall. We went in-depth on the strength of the top tier of wideouts a few weeks back.
But with seven of the top 104 selections of this draft, Arizona should not only be in the market for one of the elite wideouts at the top but also should be making multiple selections at the position.
Given that Murray’s contract is going to make it harder to pay out high-end salaries at positions that require them, Arizona needs to invest and hit at those positions with valuable rookie contracts.
Pre Order the Best Analytical 2024 Football Preview
Don't miss out on Warren Sharp's 500+ page preview of the 2024 NFL season.
The preview is unlike anything you have ever seen, featuring stunning visualizations built with the reader in mind.
This preview shares insights into players, coaches, teams, and philosophies with one goal in mind: to prepare you for the 2024 NFL season by delivering the smartest information in the fastest, most direct way possible.