The Arizona Cardinals enter the 2026 NFL Draft with the intent to fully begin the Mike LaFleur era. The new regime already has its work cut out for it in Pittsburgh, with considerably more roster holes than most teams in the league.
Arizona went all-in on a full rebuild early in the offseason when it released longtime starting quarterback and former No. 1 overall pick Kyler Murray. In doing so, the Cardinals doubled down on 2025 starter Jacoby Brissett, while signaling their intention to draft their next franchise quarterback soon. Whether that comes this season or the next remains to be seen.
Now in his fourth year on the job, Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort has seven picks at his disposal in the 2026 NFL Draft. After a semi-slow free agency period, he leaves himself with a lot of ground to cover in Pittsburgh with only a modest amount of draft capital.
Quarterback remains a priority, but the Cardinals are also in dire need of help at offensive tackle, linebacker, edge-rusher, cornerback and offensive guard. Depending on how confident LaFleur is in former first-round pick Marvin Harrison Jr., they could also be examining receivers.
Before the action unfolds on April 23, here is the Cardinals’ 2026 NFL mock draft.
Round 1, Pick 3: OT Francis Mauigoa, Miami
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The Cardinals’ offensive line woes were no secret in 2025, resulting in the second-fewest rushing yards per game and a bottom-10 sack rate. The issue remains priority No. 1 as the Mike LaFleur era gets underway after the team let starting right tackle Jonah Williams walk in free agency and failed to replace him.
Arizona’s free agency decisions leave it with almost no choice but to take a tackle at No. 3, where Ossenfort will have to decide between Miami’s Francis Mauigoa and Utah’s Spencer Fano. Mauigoa, the 20th-best offensive lineman in the FBS on Pro Football Focus after allowing just 15 pressures in 2025, makes the most sense as the first pick of the Mike LaFleur era.
The Cardinals still have an abundance of roster holes to fill after a disastrous 2025 season, but right tackle is the most pressing void entering the 2026 NFL Draft. Mauigoa is the ideal piece to add to LaFleur’s rebuild before the team potentially drafts its next franchise quarterback in 2027.
Round 2, Pick 34: DE Zion Young, Missouri
After ending the 2035 season with the fifth-fewest sacks, the Cardinals need to add an edge-rushing presence almost as badly as they need an offensive tackle. Ossenfort could look to move back into the first round to address that need, but assuming he doesn’t, Missouri’s Zion Young is the exact type of athletic pass-rusher his roster lacks.
With 11.5 sacks in his four seasons of college football, Young was not a dominant edge-rusher with a high production rate. Young’s 6-foot-5, 262-pound frame still made him a preseason All-SEC candidate entering his senior season, and he lived up to the hype with a career-high 6.5 sacks and 16.5 tackles for loss in 2025.
Young’s lack of prolonged success raises some red flags, but his athleticism, power and speed are elements the Cardinals desperately need on the outside. Aside from Josh Sweat, who racked up 12 sacks, Arizona’s remaining edge-rushers combined for just 6.5 sacks in 2025.
Round 3, Pick 65: OG Keylan Rutledge, Georgia Tech
The Cardinals’ offensive guard needs are not as dire as their need for a tackle, but given how bad the whole unit was in 2025, it just makes sense to leave no stone unturned. Ossenfort will not spend an early pick on a guard, but targeting the position late on Day Two makes sense, even with Arizona adding Isaac Seumalo in free agency.
While Georgia Tech’s Keylan Rutledge has not been making huge waves ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft, he has been the type of consistent prospect who is ready to make an immediate impact for a team like the Cardinals. Rutledge was a top-15 guard in the country last season, per Pro Football Focus, and did not allow a single sack on 872 offensive snaps.
Arizona is set at guard with Seumalo joining Isaiah Adams in the 2026 starting lineup. However, Adams has yet to impress in his two years with the team, and Seumalo will turn 33 shortly after the season begins. Rutledge might begin his career as a backup, but he could force his way into the starting lineup by the end of the year.
Round 4, Pick 104: QB Taylen Green, Arkansas
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The 2026 NFL Draft quarterback class is frustratingly shallow, yet the Cardinals are among the most likely teams to take a mid-round flier on one of the non-Fernando Mendoza prospects. Perhaps Ossenfort gets aggressive with Ty Simpson on Day Two, but Arkansas’ Taylen Green seems like much more of a Mike LaFleur guy.
Over three years at Boise State and two at Arkansas, Green failed to put up big numbers that scream “NFL prospect.” He never surpassed 3,154 passing yards in a single season, and while he threw a career-high 19 touchdowns in 2025, they came with 11 interceptions.
However, Green’s athleticism is head-and-shoulders above his peers, making it impossible to ignore him altogether. He unsurprisingly stole the show at the Combine, and his subsequent performance at the Razorbacks’ Pro Day has scouts now viewing him as an early Day Three prospect. Green is a high-upside project, but he could be one whom LaFleur would want to begin his tenure with.
Round 5, Pick 143: WR Malik Benson, Oregon
Depending on how confident Mike LaFleur is in Marvin Harrison Jr., the Cardinals could surprise some and target a receiver early in the 2026 NFL Draft. Yet, their many other dire needs will likely prevent that from happening. The class is still deep enough for them to find a potential game-changer on Day Three, such as Oregon’s Malik Benson.
The well-traveled Benson spent the 2025 season in Eugene after playing his first two years at the FBS level at Alabama and Florida State, respectively. After failing to make much of an impact at either of his first two stops, he broke out with a team-leading 719 receiving yards and six touchdowns in his final year.
Benson is slightly undersized, but his speed and hands more than make up for that, especially once he gets out into open space. While he is likely not ready to contribute immediately, the right team can turn him into a late-round gem, much like Tez Johnson, Khalil Shakir and Romeo Doubs have been in recent years. Benson also has experience as a kick returner, which could prove useful for a team that just lost return specialist Greg Dortch.
Round 6, Pick 183: LB Aiden Fisher, Indiana
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Among their many flaws uncovered during the 2025 season, the Cardinals did little to address their bottom-16 run defense in the offseason. They arguably got worse at linebacker by losing leading tackler Akeem Davis-Gaither to the Indianapolis Colts and only replacing him with Jack Gibbens, who started eight games in his lone season for the New England Patriots.
One of the many reasons the Cardinals would love to trade back from No. 3 to add more picks is to address positions like linebacker on Day Two. With that plan looking unlikely, they will have to settle for Day Three, where Indiana’s Aiden Fisher would be an astute late-round addition. Fisher, one of the many players who followed Curt Cignetti from James Madison to the Hoosiers, ended his collegiate career with 321 tackles in his final three years.
Fisher’s elite pursuit and tackling ability are largely overshadowed by his inferior athleticism, which many believe will limit his professional career. He would still be a massive Day Three win for a Cardinals team that is currently struggling with linebacker and special teams depth.
Round 7, Pick 217: CB Thaddeus Dixon, North Carolina
Cornerback is not a huge need for the Cardinals, but it is a small area to consider entering draft night. While Arizona is more than content with second-year players Will Johnson and Denzel Burke, along with the returning Sean Murphy-Bunting, injuries left them severely shorthanded at the position far too often in 2025.
If North Carolina product Thaddeus Dixon is still on the board when Arizona picks in the seventh round, he would be the perfect final addition to Mike LaFleur’s inaugural roster. Dixon ended his career on a low note, appearing in just seven games for the Tar Heels, but he was trending toward being a potential Day Two prospect at Washington before everything went awry. Dixon led the Huskies with 10 pass breakups in 2024 and was a key contributor to their 2023 National Championship runner-up team.
Given how injury-prone their top cornerbacks are, the Cardinals cannot feel confident beginning another year with the same rotation. Dixon is a potential buy-low prospect worth taking a shot on in the seventh round.
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