Arizona Cardinals' 2024 NFL draft series: Examining the situation at WR/TE positions
The NFL draft is April 25-27 and after a month of free-agent signings and trades, teams are gearing up to add their next wave of players into the mix.
The 2024 draft class is intriguing for many reasons, and it could be historic. The first four picks could all be quarterbacks, which has never happened since the draft began in 1936. As many as six quarterbacks could go in the first round, but this draft also is top-loaded with dozens of highly rated wide receiver prospects and almost as many talented offensive linemen and cornerbacks.
The Cardinals presently have 11 picks, tied for the most in the league with the Packers and Rams, as they have two in the first round (Nos. 4 and 27 overall), one in the second (No. 35), three in the third (Nos. 66, 71 and 90), one in the fourth (No. 104), two in the fifth (Nos. 138 and 162), one in the sixth (No. 186), and one in the seventh (No. 226).
The Republic examines how the team might tackle the draft, offering a daily series of what to look for with a position-by-position breakdown leading up to the draft. Here's a look at Arizona's wide receiver/tight end situation.
Wide receivers
Players under contract: Michael Wilson, Greg Dortch, Chris Moore, Zach Pascal, Jeff Smith, Daniel Arias, Andre Baccellia, Dan Chisena, Kaden Davis
Priority level: Extremely high
Evaluation: When the Cardinals let Marquise “Hollywood” Brown leave as a free agent this offseason (he signed with the Chiefs), they moved on from their leading wide receiver from 2023 in terms of receptions (51), receiving yards (574) and touchdowns (four). Brown’s 28 career touchdowns in five NFL seasons, the past two in Arizona, are three fewer than the career TDs of the nine receivers Arizona presently has on its roster combined.
The Cardinals also traded away Rondale Moore, who finished second among their receivers in receptions (40) and third in receiving yards (352). Arizona does return its leading pass catcher overall in tight end Trey McBride, but the need to add a new No. 1 wideout – and probably more – is paramount.
Armed with the No. 4 overall pick in the first round, General Manager Monti Ossenfort and his team likely will have the opportunity to take the first non-quarterback off the board and if they don’t trade down, (which is entirely possible for the right price), it almost certainly will be a wide receiver.
Marvin Harrison Jr. from Ohio State, coming off back-to-back seasons of 1,200 yards and 12 touchdowns, has been the presumed pick for months now. LSU’s Malik Nabers and Washington’s Rome Odunze are considered the next two best wideouts available, followed by Nabers’ former college teammate, Brian Thomas Jr. As many as seven or eight receivers could go in the first round this year, according to various draft analysts, and plenty more are expected to get selected in the second and third rounds.
“It’s a good group,” Ossenfort said recently. “It’s a good, deep group of guys to work through and we’ll continue to (evaluate them) right up until draft time, but it is a good group, for sure.”
It’ll be interesting to learn just how much the Cardinals evaluate the second-year pro Wilson, their second-round pick a year ago out of Stanford. Despite missing four games with a shoulder and neck injury as a rookie, he ranked third on the team last year in receiving yards (565) and fourth overall in receptions (38).
Asked at the combine in Indianapolis if Wilson could possibly be ready to be a No. 1 wideout, Ossenfort said something interesting.
“I think everybody starts putting labels on guys like No. 1 this, No. 1 that. I think Michael Wilson is a very talented receiver and I think he showed that last year,” Ossenfort said. “He made a ton of plays for us as a receiver…. I’m not going to put a label on Mike. All I know is Mike’s on our team and he’s a good player and he’s only going to continue to get better.”
Besides bringing back Dortch on a one-year deal and re-signing some of their other depth receivers to future contracts, the only other notable signing was the addition of veteran Chris Moore, a nine-year pro now on his fourth NFL team who only once before has caught more than 23 passes in a single season. He’s one of seven receivers on the roster who didn’t have a single touchdown reception in 2023.
Conclusion: They’ll select at least two wideouts in the draft.
Top WRs in the draft
Marvin Harrison Jr., 6-3, 209, Ohio State
2. Malik Nabers, 6-0, 200, LSU
3. Rome Odunze, 6-3, 212, Washington
4. Brian Thomas Jr., 6-3, 209, LSU
5. Adonai Mitchell, 6-2, 205, Texas
Arizona Cardinals' 2024 NFL draft: Examining the situation on the offensive line
Tight end
Players under contract: Trey McBride, Elijah Higgins, Bernhard Seikovits, Travis Vokolek, Blake Whiteheart
Priority level: Moderate
Evaluation: McBride enjoyed a breakout season in his second year with the Cardinals, finishing tied for fifth among all tight ends in 2023 with 81 receptions and finishing seventh with 825 receiving yards. Kyler Murray targeted him 50 times in the last games combine and McBride responded with 40 grabs.
“Trey was a fun player to watch last year – the way he continued to progress as the season went,” Ossenfort said. “The tight end position is such a unique one. It’s a position that can affect the game on so many levels. It’s run game, pass game, it’s run after the catch and really Trey being able to affect the game in all of those ways as a tight end.
“We really think there’s more for Trey to do as we progress with him.”
Whether McBride is ready to ascend to elite-level status remains to be seen, but he clearly fulfills the Cardinals’ need as a No. 1 tight end. What they still could use, however, is an experienced veteran to help in the blocking aspect of things, like what they got last season out of Geoff Swaim.
Swaim, 30, remains an unsigned, unrestricted free agent and has indicated he’d be willing to return to Arizona. The Cardinals will likely add a blocking-first tight end at some point and it’s probable they could turn to the draft to find one who excels as a two-way threat.
Higgins, the former Stanford product claimed off waivers last August from the Dolphins, remains an intriguing player in the mix. He’s the size, speed and athleticism the Cardinals covet and it will be interesting how much he gets morphed into the regular offense – perhaps as a bookend to McBride.
Beyond those two, there isn’t a whole lot of guaranteed serviceable depth at the position. The Cardinals might have the numbers to make it work, but it seems a foregone conclusion that they need to bring in at least one more big-body weapon of some sort.
Top TEs in the draft
Brock Bowers, 6-3, 240, Georgia
2. Ja’Tavion Sanders, 6-4, 245, Texas
3. Cade Stover, 6-4, 247, Ohio State
4. Theo Johnson, 6-6, 260, Penn State
5. Ben Sinnott, 6-4, 250, Kansas State
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: WR and TE: Deep dive into Arizona Cardinals' plans for 2024 NFL draft
