What will the Arizona Cardinals in the 2026 NFL draft? With the third pick in the draft, they have almost the entire draft class to choose from. And with the second pick in teh second round and the first pick in the third round, they should land some top talent.
PFF has a new three-round mock draft, and the Cardinals fill three big needs.
Round 1: Texas Tech EDGE David Bailey
One of the hottest debates of draft season will center on whether Bailey or Miami edge defender Rueben Bain Jr. should be the first edge defender selected. Both are excellent prospects, but Bailey gets the nod after producing a 93.8 PFF pass-rush grade in 2025.
a pass rusher makes a ton of sense. The Cardinals got almost nothing from anyone other than Josh Sweat. However, this will be pointed out in every mock draft it applies to — the Cardinals have gone three straight drafts drafting players from only the SEC and Big Ten in the first rounds of the draft. Bailey played in the Big 12.
Round 2: Arizona State OT Max Iheanachor
The Cardinals do need a new right tackle, so Iheanchor isn't a bad pick here. But again, he comes from the Big 12, and the Cardinals' first and second-round picks for the last three drafts have only come from the SEC and Big Ten.
Round 3: LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier
Nussmeier is an interesting Round 3 pick. At one point, he was projected to be the top quarterback in the class. His season wasn't good and LSU was bad. Will the Cardinals find a franchise quarterback in Round 3? Not likely, but they might have to try.
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This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: Arizona Cardinals land EDGE, OT, QB in new 3-round mock draft