We’re counting down the days until the start of the 2024 NFL Draft where we’ll learn what the Arizona Cardinals do with the fourth overall pick. There have been several rumors suggesting the Cardinals are open to negotiating if a team is willing to pay an enormous price to trade up.
Whether the Cardinals stand pat at No. 4 and select a player like Marvin Harrison Jr. or Malik Nabers or trade down, there could be another move the team is eyeing later in the first round.
According to ESPN’s Jordan Reid, instead of using the fourth pick to trade down and acquire more draft capital, the Cardinals could actually take the opposite approach and trade back up late in the first round to secure another top talent.
“General manager Monti Ossenfort is known for wheeling and dealing during the draft, and since the Cardinals are tied for the most picks this year (11), I’d expect more of the same. It shouldn’t come as a surprise if Arizona gets aggressive and attempts to move up from No. 27 for a cornerback on Day 1. Murphy-Bunting is more of a CB2. There’s a glaring need for a high-upside CB1, and Nate Wiggins (Clemson) and Kool-Aid McKinstry (Alabama) could be Day 1 options for a roster still in the talent collection portion of its rebuild.”
The Cardinals enter the draft with the fourth, 27th, and 35th picks, and while they have plenty of needs to address, they may value getting two elite prospects instead. With a strong pool of talent available in the first round of the draft, if Arizona’s front office has a prospect on their board they feel strongly about, then trading up to secure their target makes a lot of sense.
Related: Arizona Cardinals mock draft 2024: Putting Kyler Murray in a position to succeed