Is Cardinals’ next piece of their defensive puzzle at Senior Bowl?

Pass rusher and defensive line mark two position groups high atop the Arizona Cardinals’ upgrades list this offseason.

Whether it be through the 2025 NFL Draft or free agency, improving the 28th-best pass-rush win rate (33%) in the NFL last year is crucial for future success.

When it comes to both pass-rush and run-stop win rates, the only Arizona defender to crack the top 10 in either was defensive lineman Dante Stills behind a 38% run-stop win rate. He finished the season tied with Buffalo’s Ed Oliver in RSWR.

That being said, there is a big building block within the DL room in rookie Darius Robinson, who stood out in last year’s Senior Bowl before a calf issue and the passing of his mother cut short the first-rounder’s rookie year.

He wasn’t the only Senior Bowl invitee that made an impact for Arizona last year, either, with cornerback Max Melton and offensive lineman Isaiah Adams also putting more on tape during the week of work.

Is Arizona’s next piece to its defensive puzzle lining up this week in Mobile, Alabama?

With that in mind, here’s who I’ve been keeping tabs on as the week rolls along:

Prospective Cardinals to watch at 2025 Senior Bowl

Two names circled on the Senior Bowl roster in red ink this week were Marshall edge rusher Mike Green and Ole Miss defensive tackle Walter Nolen III.

Green is coming off a monstrous final season at Marshall behind 17 sacks, 23 tackles for loss and three forced fumbles across 13 games.

Nolen, in his first and only season at Ole Miss after transferring from Texas A&M, earned an All-American nod for his 6.5 sacks and 14 tackles for loss in 13 games.

And from most reports, their play is pouring over into Senior Bowl prep.

The latter, who came in at 6-foot-4 and 293 pounds, was among the standouts from Day 1 of practices. He’s considered a mid-to-late first-round and would give Arizona’s next defensive line coach — whoever that may be — another option within the room.

But it was 6-foot-3, 251-pound Green who had just about everyone talking Wednesday.

Mike Green. SIR. pic.twitter.com/v1CZAAzn0H

— Jordan Dajani (@JordanDajani) January 29, 2025

Green’s surely going to have more eyes on him after being mock-drafted to the Detroit Lions at No. 28 overall by NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah — who also has Green as his 23rd ranked prospect. ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. has Green going five spots higher to the Green Bay Packers in his first mock of the offseason.

Green very well could be in the Cardinals’ range at No. 16 if he continues to stack days throughout draft prep. He could also serve as a potential trade-down target.

Adding a player of Green’s potential could provide a much-needed boost to Arizona’s pass-rushing department after Zaven Collins paced the team behind five sacks. But at the very least, he would give the Cardinals added depth in a room that saw two starters go down with season-ending knee injuries.

And with Dennis Gardeck hitting free agency and BJ Ojulari still working his way back from injury, additional reinforcements are needed in the room.

But while Green got the latest viral people-moving clip, it was Kentucky defensive tackle Deone Walker who kicked off the trend a day prior.

#Kentucky DT Deone Walker is in fact, strong as hell #SeniorBowl pic.twitter.com/csNMLyGter

— JP Acosta (@acosta32_jp) January 28, 2025

The 6-foot-7, 340-pound Walker isn’t currently projected to go in the first round of the NFL Draft following his 1.5 sacks and five tackles for loss in 2024 and could be a target in later rounds come April.

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