The 2026 NFL Draft is complete, and the Cardinals addressed most of their needs. The order in which they did so, however, left some scratching their heads.
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Arizona picked arguably the best player available in the first round (Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love at No. 3), despite it not being the position of highest need.
Then, the Cardinals took an offensive lineman who could be an immediate starter (Texas A&M OG Chase Bisontis) and added a quarterback (Miami QB Carson Beck) with the potential to start in a couple of years.
Arizona received mixed grades across the board, ranging from an A to a C-.
Here’s what NFL Draft experts thought of the Cardinals’ 2026 selections:
ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr.
Overall grade: B
If LaFleur can just get Marvin Harrison Jr. on track, there’s some hope for this offense. Even if the real QB answer doesn’t come until next year, the surrounding players are starting to fall into place. That said, the defense needs to play some catch-up, too. The Cards didn’t make a single defensive pick until Kaleb Proctor at No. 104, and they didn’t do much there in free agency, either. That kept Arizona in “B” territory.
Kiper liked the Love pick, but not for how much money Arizona will be paying for him. He said as soon as the Cardinals have rebuilt to be competitive (in four-ish years), they may not be able to afford Love’s contract extension.
He really liked the Bisontis pick and felt Beck was a solid pick with upside in the third round.
NFL.com’s Chad Reuter
Overall grade: A
The Cardinals chose the best offensive threat in the draft third overall, with Love’s strength, vision and ability to score from anywhere on the field apparently trumping the narrative that running backs aren’t worth a top-five pick. Bisontis is a nasty blocker worthy of his early second-round selection. I projected Beck to the Cardinals in the third round of my seven-round mock because, despite his lukewarm film over the past two seasons, he has the physical attributes to be an NFL starter.
I projected Proctor to the Cardinals in my seven-round mock because he’s the sort of athletic defensive lineman the team prefers. I liked the Virgil pick because of his consistency and quickness after the catch. Sharar will be a factor on special teams as a rookie. Williams was one of my favorite late-round tackle prospects. He doesn’t have the most size, but he wins with balance and hand usage on the outside. Arizona must spend its rookie free agent funds on pass rush depth.
Pro Football Focus
Overall grade: C+
The Cardinals don’t exactly have a thin running back room after restructuring James Conner’s contract to keep him in Arizona and adding Tyler Allgeier in free agency, but Love adds a different element with his home-run hitting ability. His 22 runs of 20-plus yards over the past two seasons ranked third among FBS running backs. The biggest question with this fit in Arizona is whether the team has the offensive infrastructure to allow Love to generate those explosive plays, given the number of outstanding questions on that side of the ball.
Proctor, No. 111 on PFF’s Big Board, offers an unusual profile given his size and level of competition, but his explosiveness and pass-rushing ability stand out. His 2025 production supports that evaluation, as he earned an 86.5 PFF grade and generated 39 pressures, including nine sacks, four hits and 26 hurries. His performance against LSU in particular highlights his upside and reinforces his case as a potential late-round value.
Aside from the two picks analyzed above, PFF wasn’t the biggest fan of the Bisontis pick due to its grades of the lineman over the last three years. PFF has doubts over Beck’s NFL potential due to his previous UCL injury, it views Reggie Virgil as a high-floor, low-ceiling player and believes Karson Sharar will make an immediate special teams impact.
CBS Sports’ Carter Bahns
Overall grade: B-
Arizona had a clear plan in this draft: Build a running game. The Cardinals went running back–interior lineman with their first two picks. But then they took a quarterback. That’s not a shock, but what is questionable is taking Carson Beck rather than making a move for Ty Simpson in Round 1.
Bahns biggest worry with the Cardinals draft was the injury concern with Beck and lack of plan at quarterback.
USA Today’s Nate Davis
Overall grade: C-
It seems like they maybe filled appropriate positions? But perhaps in the wrong order? Love, arguably the draft’s player, arrived via the third overall pick. And while it feels wrong to ding GM Monti Ossenfort for adhering to the oft-trumpeted “draft the best player available” maxim, it also seems like he might have relegated Love to an existence similar to the one Saquon Barkley suffered for years while serving as the offensive focal point of the quarterback-hindered Giants. Second-round G Chase Bisontis was a solid choice … even if Ossenfort maybe should have taken a little less to trade down from No. 3 and get a right tackle in the first round.
Third-round QB Carson Beck? He’ll doubtless get a shot to play here, so it’s a great landing spot for him. And, in fairness to Ossenfort, he was probably never going to take Simpson as highly as the Rams wound up doing it. Hard to envision Arizona remaining anything but buried in last place in the NFC West … though maybe that’s for the best if, like the Jets, they wait to launch a bona fide QB plan until 2027.
SI.com’s Matt Verderame and Gilberto Manzano
Overall grade: B
There’s no doubt that the Cardinals’ rushing attack will be better in 2026 with Love making dynamic plays and Bisontis providing rushing lanes. Still, you could argue that the team paid too much attention to improving the running game. In free agency, Arizona had added Tyler Allgeier to a backfield that already had Trey Benson and James Conner. The Cardinals ignored their hole at right tackle and used a third-round pick on a quarterback who might not offer much upside as a long-term starter. The Beck pick is reminiscent of the Browns selecting Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders last year. Sure, Beck could start a few games as a rookie, but the team will still likely have a wandering eye for a different QB in the near future.
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