Cardinals land QB after 1st-round trade in ESPN mock draft

The Arizona Cardinals’ quarterback situation is murky given Kyler Murray’s expected departure and no long-term answer on the roster.

In ESPN analyst Jordan Reid’s mock draft released Tuesday, he gives the Cardinals a potential solution to the latter.

After opting for a defensive upgrade with their No. 3 overall pick (more on that later), the Cardinals find their way back into the first round via trade and land Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson at No. 28 in Reid’s mock draft.

With Kyler Murray’s time in Arizona seemingly numbered, the Cardinals have a lot of quarterback questions. So I have them trading back into the bottom of the first round to acquire their QB of the future. Simpson is a perfect fit in new coach Mike LaFleur’s offense. Simpson operates well off play-action but makes his best throws in the short and intermediate areas. His lack of starting experience (15 starts) makes him a bit of a risk here, but Arizona still has veteran Jacoby Brissett for another year to serve as a bridge until Simpson is ready to be the QB1.

Moving back into the first round obviously comes with a price in this scenario, with the Cardinals dealing the No. 34 overall pick and a fourth-rounder to the Houston Texans in exchange for the No. 28 pick.

Doing so, though, gives the Cardinals a rookie option to pair with Brissett or whatever veteran Arizona decides to bring in via free agency.

Across 15 games as Alabama’s starting quarterback last year, Simpson completed 64.5% of his passes for 3,567 yards and 28 touchdowns to five interceptions.

The performance has him set up as the second-ranked quarterback prospect behind only Fernando Mendoza this NFL Draft by ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. and others.

And of the teams that met with Simpson at the NFL Draft Combine last week, the Cardinals were one of them.

“It was my first interview, and just super great organization,” Simpson told reporters. “(General manager Monti Ossenfort) is a great guy. (Head coach Mike LaFleur) is a super ball guy. (Offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett), all those guys, they love football. They’re a quarterback-driven organization, because they’re very familiar with the quarterback position.

“I would love to be a Cardinal. I think that they’re a great organization. They got a young team and I would be super blessed to play for them.”

Cardinals go defense with No. 3 overall pick

Before the fireworks late in the first round, the Cardinals opted to continue to upgrade the defense with Texas Tech edge rusher David Bailey at No. 3 overall.

Edge rusher Josh Sweat performed well in his first season in Arizona (12 sacks), but he needs a running mate. The Cardinals could pair him with Bailey. … He is a quick accelerator out of the starting blocks, and his first step allows him to race past blockers with ease. Bailey is relentless, creates negative plays and is able to rack up sacks in bunches.

Bailey is coming off a stellar final season at Texas Tech where he led the FBS in sacks (14.5) and paced the Big 12 in tackles for loss (19.5).

He followed the season up with a strong showing at the combine. Similar to Simpson, Bailey also met with the Cardinals.

Opting for one of the top defenders in the draft could provide immediate help for an Arizona pass-rushing unit that struggled greatly outside of Sweat in 2025.

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