Cardinals go defense, 2 Sun Devils in play in 1st round of PFF mock draft

Since the Arizona Cardinals’ 2025 season ended on Jan. 4, Pro Football Focus has published eight 2026 NFL mock drafts from four analysts.

Miami offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa, the most-mocked player to the Cardinals, per the Arizona Sports tracker, has been projected at No. 3 overall three times while other top prospects like Ohio State defensive back Caleb Downs and Texas Tech edge rusher David Bailey have made one-off appearances in PFF’s predictions.

Two of the first three mock drafts linked Arizona to Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese, and a three-round mock draft from PFF’s Dalton Wasserman on Monday saw the team go back to taking to taking one of the draft’s top defensive prospects.

Some consider Reese to be the most talented player in this class. There is debate about whether he should play on or off the ball, but Arizona desperately needs to upgrade at linebacker with Zaven Collins and Baron Browning both entering contract years. Reese offers enough flexibility for the Cardinals to get him in the building and figure out his position later.

Measuring out at 6-foot-4, 243 pounds, Reese racked up 69 total tackles and 6.5 sacks while spending time as both an off-ball linebacker and an edge rusher in 2025. Despite questions about what position he’ll primarily play in the NFL, the consensus All-American is the No. 3 prospect on PFF’s big board.

Wasserman predicts the Cardinals to address a major need on the defense while simultaneously operating out of a best-player-available mindset when on the clock at No. 3 overall.

A duo of Sun Devils on Day 1

PFF’s big board also includes three Sun Devils ranked as top-50 prospects, and Wasserman projects two of them to hear their name called in the first round.

Arizona State wide receiver Jordyn Tyson, PFF’s No. 14 prospect, is taken No. 8 overall by the New Orleans Saints in the recent mock draft. Although widely expected to be the second receiver off the board behind Ohio State’s Carnell Tate, the two-time First-Team All-Big 12 wideout still makes his way into the top 10 to potentially form an explosive trio with quarterback Tyler Shough and receiver Chris Olave.

The Saints could go in several directions with this pick, but they opt to add an enticing weapon in wide receiver Jordyn Tyson, who emerged as one of college football’s best receivers over the past two years. It culminated in an 85.3 PFF receiving grade and just one dropped pass in 2025.

With the final selection of the first round, Wasserman mocks Arizona State defensive back Keith Abney II to the Seattle Seahawks.

PFF previously linked its No. 36 prospect to the Super Bowl LX champions in a Jan. 19 mock draft before moving him down to No. 36 overall as recently as Feb. 16.

Abney’s rise back to the No. 32 overall pick is not out of the question considering the 2025 season saw him grade out as the 18th-best cornerback in the country and earn First-Team All-Big 12 honors.

Multiple Seattle cornerbacks, including Tariq Wollen and Josh Jobe, are entering free agency this offseason. That could be a position for the Seahawks to address early in the draft with someone like Arizona State’s Keith Abney II, who earned a career-high 86.3 PFF coverage grade while breaking up nine passes in 2025.

Who goes on Day 2?

Offensive tackle Max Iheanachor, the third Sun Devil inside PFF’s top 50 prospects at No. 47, goes No. 53 overall to the Pittsburgh Steelers while Arizona defensive back Genesis Smith is the lone Wildcat to go within the first three rounds of the draft at No. 89 overall with the Chicago Bears.

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