The NFL Draft is slowly but surely creeping up on us. We are now under a month away from the start of round one on Thursday, April 23rd, and to celebrate, we’ve been doing one seven-round mock draft a day until we cover all 32 NFL teams.

We’ve already done full mock drafts for the Las Vegas Raiders and New York Jets, and now it’s time for the Arizona Cardinals, who own the third overall pick in the draft.

Round 1, Pick 3: DE David Bailey

I wouldn’t be shocked at all if the Arizona Cardinals use the third overall pick on someone like Francis Mauigoa to beef up their offensive line, but I just don’t think there’s an offensive tackle in this draft that’s worthy of the third overall pick. And since this roster has so many needs, I wasn’t afraid to just pivot to defense and take the best edge rusher in this class in David Bailey.

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Bailey was the most productive edge rusher in college football last season, leading the nation in both pressures (73) and sacks (14.5). Some are concerned about his agility after some questionable drills at the combine, but just put the tape on. I don’t care what a guy looks like in his underwear if he’s out there bullying offensive tackles with pads on.

Having a star pass rusher can completely transform a defense. Arizona’s pass rush was one of the worst in the league last year, so landing someone like Bailey can completely change the outlook of this unit.

Round 2, Pick 34: LB Jacob Rodriguez

All of the top offensive tackles were off the board by the time the Cardinals’ second round pick came up, so I once again had to pivot to defense and take Jacob Rodriguez. If he was 6-foot-3, 235 pounds, he’d probably be a first round pick. But he’s not. He’s 6-foot-1, 230 pounds, so he’s going to slide a little bit. But don’t get it twisted, he’s a great player.

Rodriguez was almost a Heisman finalist as a linebacker. Do you know how hard that is to do? He finished the season with 128 tackles, seven forced fumbles and four interceptions. He’s an exceptional player who also ran a 4.56-second 40-yard dash with a 38.5-inch vertical and a 4.19-second 20-yard shuttle.

Rodriguez is the kind of player that you can stick in the middle of your defense for the next 10 years. He’s a great leader and has the production of a first round pick, he’s just a bit undersized. He’s one of my favorite second round guys this year.

Round 3, Pick 65: CB Keionte Scott

After his pro day performance, Keionte Scott might not make it this far, but if he does, he should absolutely be the pick here. The Miami cornerback allowed just 7.6 yards per catch and no touchdowns with two interceptions and four pass breakups. He earned a career-high 86.4 coverage grade, but he wasn’t just great in coverage.

Scott was also an excellent run defender from the cornerback position. His 91.4 run defense grade was the best among corners in this draft class, and he also racked up five sacks with a 82.0 pass rush grade. He’s a bit of a do-it-all corner, and he just ran in the 4.3s with a 44-inch vertical.

Again, I’m not sure if he’ll make it this far after his pro day performance, but going corner here wouldn’t be a bad idea.

Round 4, Pick 104: OT Isaiah World

Over the last two seasons, Isaiah World has allowed just two sacks and 26 pressures while at Nevada and Oregon. He was widely regarded as one of the better tackles in this class, but he tore his ACL in the College Football Playoff Semifinal, and it’s caused his draft stock to slip.

ACL tears aren’t the career-ending injury they used to be. It certainly isn’t great to have, but players are recovering from them faster than ever, and most can get back to 100 percent within the calendar year. He’s going to miss some time this offseason and may not be ready to go for week one (both physically and developmentally), but there’s no denying he has talent, and this is a throw away year for Arizona anyways. If they can lock down someone like World and have him ready for 2027, when they hopefully can find their franchise quarterback, that would be great. Especially in the fourth round.

Round 5, Pick 143: QB Taylen Green

Physically, there isn’t a quarterback in this draft class that is more gifted than Taylen Green. He runs a 4.36-second 40-yard dash with a 43.5-inch vertical and a 11-foot, 2-inch broad jump. His 40 time is the second-fastest ever by a quarterback at the combine, while both of his jumps were the best ever by a quarterback.

The only thing is, he isn’t a great passer. Last year, he completed just 60.7 percent of his throws for 2,714 yards, 19 touchdowns and 11 picks. But he did rush for 777 yards and eight scores. He is very much a project player, but Mike LaFleur is a brilliant offensive mind, so if anyone’s going to get something out of Green, it’s going to be him.

The Cardinals don’t have their future quarterback on the roster, so taking a shot on a high upside player like Green makes a lot of sense here.

Round 6, Pick 183: S Jakobe Thomas

With Jalen Thompson leaving in free agency, the Cardinals need to find another safety in the draft. It’s not high on the priority list, which is why I saved it for late in the draft and went out and got Jakobe Thomas. He’s another Miami prospect who spent all of last year playing alongside Keionte Scott, and he wasn’t half bad.

In 2025, Thomas logged a career-high 75 tackles while giving up a 61 percent completion rate and two touchdowns with five picks, four pass breakups and two forced fumbles. He was a turnover machine for the Hurricanes, so hopefully he can bring that to Arizona as well.

Round 7, Pick 213: WR Lewis Bond

The Cardinals already have two exciting, young outside receivers in Michael Wilson and Marvin Harrison Jr. They also already have a stud tight end in Trey McBride. But you know what they don’t have? A shifty slot receiver, and that’s exactly what Lewis Bond is.

Last season, Bond played 62.6 percent of his snaps from the slot. He caught a career-high 88 passes for 993 yards, but only scored one touchdown. He was not invited to the NFL Combine despite a very strong senior season, but he’s a very reliable target with great hands in the slot.

Every great offense needs that small, shifty receiver in the slot who can create yards after the catch. They have their two outside guys that can win downfield, so adding Bond to compliment them would fill out their receiving core.