Three players the Arizona Cardinals could not take in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft
It was always going to be a difficult season for the Arizona Cardinals with a new coaching regime and Kyler Murray missing significant time.
At so it has proved, with the Cardinals going 3-10 through the first 14 weeks of the 2023 regular season. As things stand that will see them have the third pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Arizona are still missing star quality in lots of areas, and will have plenty of options to choose between, and thankfully for them they also have the Houston Texans’ first round pick as well.
In total – as things stand – the Cardinals have 11 draft picks in 2024, as the rebuild truly gets under way.
DAZN looks at three possible selections for the Arizona Cardinals in the first round.
Marvin Harrison Jr. – WR Ohio State
One of the biggest names on offense going into the 2024 NFL Draft will likely be wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.
Son of the former Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Marvin Harrison Sr. – who won Super Bowl XLI and has since been inducted into the Hall of Fame – a lot is expected of the Ohio State receiver in the NFL.
There is no doubting Harrison Jr’s quality. The wide receiver backed up his 1,263-yard, 14-touchdown season in 2022 with an almost identical statline of 1,211 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2023.
The future of Kyler Murray is still a question mark in Arizona, and the Cardinals could look to use the 2024 draft to take another quarterback.
However, the expectation at this early stage is that the best two quarterbacks in the draft – Caleb Williams and Drake Maye – will go in the first two picks, so Arizona’s best bet may be to roll the dice with Murray and get him the best receiver in the class.
Dallas Turner – EDGE Alabama
As already mentioned, the Cardinals have holes all over the field they need to fix, including on the defensive side of the ball.
If Arizona are happy moving forward with Kyler Murray under centre, then they could use the first of their two first-round picks to take the best defensive player in the draft – Dallas Turner.
The 20-year-old from Florida is an effective pass rusher who has spent his college career overpowering opposing tackles.
Turner combined for 50 tackles in 2023 for the Crimon Tide while adding nine sacks and two forced fumbles through 13 games – including a sack in the SEC Championship win over Georgia.
If Jonathan Gannon’s focus is on building his defense, then he does not need to look any further than Turner to start that process.
Olu Fashanu – OT Penn State
The other route the Cardinals could take in the 2024 NFL Draft is to protect Kyler Murray even more by taking offensive tackle Olu Fashanu.
Fashanu is not as glamorous a pick as Marvin Harrison Jr. would be, and it would be a second straight year that the Cardinals select an OT in the first round.
However, if Fashanu were to line up opposite 2023 first round pick Paris Johnson Jr., the Cardinals would have the foundations of what could be an elite O-line to get the best out of Murray.
Fashanu has elite power and strength, and has shown at Penn State his ability to displace defenders with ease.
One of the only negatives surrounding Fashanu was that he did not declare for the 2023 NFL Draft as expected, and as a result will turn 22 midway through his rookie season.
