Arizona Cardinals' 2024 NFL draft series: Examining the situation on the offensive line

The NFL draft begins Thursday and after a month or so 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, something which has never happened since the draft began in 1936. As many as six quarterbacks could go in the first round, but this draft is also 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 picks 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. Here's a look at offensive linemen:

Previous stories: QBs/RBs | WR/TE

Players under contract: Paris Johnson Jr., Elijah Wilkinson, Hjalte Froholdt, Will Hernandez, Jonah Williams, Kelvin Beachum, Trystan Colon, Evan Brown, Carter O’Donnell, Keith Ismael, Dennis Daley, Jon Gaines II, Marquis Hayes, Austen Pleasants, Jackson Barton

Priority level: High

Evaluation: The view from this vantage point is that General Manager Monti Ossenfort hasn’t received enough credit for restoring the Cardinals’ offensive line across the board.

Not only did he immediately sign a new starting tackle in free agent Jonah Williams (Bengals) on the same day the team did the inevitable and released veteran D.J. Humphries (who tore his ACL at the end of the last season), but he re-signed seven other members of the O-line, including three players who took turns starting at left guard in Wilkinson, Colon and O’Donnell, and added another experienced center in Brown from the Seahawks.

Arizona Cardinals' 2024 NFL draft: Examining the situation at WR/TE positions

The addition of Williams on a two-year contract brings some stability back to the tackle position and that was one of the Cardinals’ chief priorities this offseason. Williams started three seasons at left tackle for Cincinnati (2020-2022) before moving to right tackle last year and it’s expected that’s where he’ll line up for Arizona with Johnson Jr. moving from the right side to left tackle.

“Once everybody gets out on the grass, we’ll see where everybody fits best,” Ossenfort said. Coach Jonathan Gannon quickly added, “We will know who’s playing where the Friday before we play Week 1.”

There’s a veteran swing tackle already on board in Kelvin Beachum in case of emergency, but the Cardinals are expected to target a tackle in this draft. They probably won’t do that until they first select a wide receiver, but it’s important that they find a starting-caliber tackle to improve their overall depth while building toward the future as well.

This year’s draft is loaded with quality offensive linemen and at least 20 of them, whether they’re tackle or interior players, are expected to go within the first 90 picks overall. With six selections in that range, the Cardinals are sure to land one of them.

Though Ossenfort did address the guard and center positions during free agency, it’s possible he and the team will use the draft to further augment at least one of those spots in addition to landing a tackle. The Cardinals have enough capable bodies across the line to start the season today and feel reasonably well about their entire group, but it's a neverending job to upgrade the O-line.

Only three linemen on the roster – Johnson Jr., Williams, and Gaines II – are under contract beyond this season. That puts even more of an onus on Ossenfort and Co. to keep replenishing the unit overall and he won’t want to wait until next offseason to start doing it.

Finding an eventual long-term starter at left guard will be a priority at some point, but the Cardinals can and probably should ride things out at center with Hjalte Froholdt, 27, and at right guard with Will Hernandez, 28. They’ve both been steady and reliable starters since joining the club as free agents and assuming there isn’t a drop off, they can be re-signed to new deals after this season.

Brown, 27, and Gaines II, 24, provide other options at center, and along with Keith Ismael, 25, there’s more than enough depth at the position for 2024. That won’t preclude Ossenfort, however, from possibly drafting an interior lineman who can play both center and guard, or a tackle that can play all three spots.

Prospects who fit into that criterium include Duke’s Graham Barton and Oregon’s Jackson Powers-Johnson, who project as mid- to late-range, first-round picks. Other players Arizona could consider are West Virginia’s Zach Frazier, UConn’s Christian Haynes, Kansas State’s Cooper Bebe, Michigan’s Zak Zinter, and Boston College’s Christian Mahogany.

The Cardinals crave versatility in their players, especially on the offensive and defensive lines. And there’s always strength in numbers.

“I don’t think you can ever have enough depth or competition up there on each side of those lines,” Ossenfort said.

The GM also has said he would have zero hesitations about possibly re-signing Humphries, 30, once he’s fully recovered from his torn ACL.

Top OLs in the draft

1. Joe Alt, 6-8, 321, Notre Dame

2. J.C. Latham, 6-6, 330, Alabama

3. Olumuyiwa Fashanu, 6-7, 340, Penn State

4. Troy Fautanu, 6-4, 317, Washington

5. Taliese Fuaga, 6-6, 324, Oregon State

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Cardinals' 2024 NFL draft walk-up series: The situation on the O-line