2024 NFL mock drafts present Cardinals with chance for top 2 picks

The Arizona Cardinals could be looking at another season that results in a top draft pick for the second straight season.

Arizona could have another top prospect after trading for the Houston Texans’ first round pick.

The Texans, along with the Cardinals are projected to have rough seasons with FanDuel posting over/under win totals for the Texans at 6.5 and Cardinals at 4.5.

Regardless, its never too early to speculate on the opportunity of picking up the first and second overall pick in the same draft.

Four mock drafts have already begun to examine who those top picks could be and which teams could draft them.

CBS Sports:

No. 1 & 2 picks: USC QB Caleb Williams & Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison Jr.

Williams transferred to USC and promptly won the Heisman. His game translates to the NFL and he heads into the summer as QB1.

Marvin Harrison Jr. would have been the first wide receiver taken in the ’23 class and he’s a legit top-5 pick.

If the Cardinals were to stumble this season and end up as one of the two worst teams in the league, quarterback Kyler Murray would shoulder some of that blame and with two seasons in a row of finishing near the bottom of the barrel, a full reset with a new quarterback would be called for.

CBS has the Cardinals revamping not just the quarterback position but additionally revamping the primary pass catcher by selecting Williams and Harrison Jr.

For the record, CBS has the Texans finishing with the worst record with the Cardinals finishing with the 2nd worst.

Yahoo:

No. 1 & 2 picks: USC QB Caleb Williams & Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison Jr.

Ever since Williams entered mid-game versus Texas in the 117th Red River Rivalry contest, he’s become one of the nation’s top quarterbacks. Last season at USC, Williams became the Trojans’ 7th Heisman Trophy winner (Reggie Bush’s award was vacated) and looks on target to become the first pick in next year’s NFL draft.

Marquise Brown is an unrestricted free agent and long-time superstar wideout; while DeAndre Hopkins, is [an] aging pass catcher who will be a free agent during the 2025 off-season. It’s possible the Cardinals retool with Harrison, a playmaker who tallied 1200 plus yards and 14 touchdowns last season for the Buckeyes.

In the second rendition of 2024 mock drafts, we see a trend that people are truly expecting the Cardinals to end with the top two picks in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Again, the experts align sending Williams and Harrison Jr. to the Cardinals in a revamping of the offense at the skill positions.

ESPN:

No. 2 & 5 picks: Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison Jr. & Alabama CB Kool-Aid McKinstry

If Arizona is sticking with Murray, then the next step is to get him a talented receiver, whether or not DeAndre Hopkins sticks with the team. Harrison is going to be among the elite grades at the position, perhaps even the highest since A.J. Green (97) in 2011.

After the trade back, the Cardinals can add a really fluid cover corner at No. 5. That’d be big since a good portion of the defensive back room could be out the door in the next two seasons. And it’s a weakness — the Cards had only 11 picks (tied for 21st) and allowed a league-high 69.8 completion percentage in 2022.

While this doesn’t seem like the No. 1 & 2 scenario that we have seen in previous mock drafts, don’t be fooled by the numbers. This mock draft has the Texans finishing with the worst record in the league and the Cardinals with the second worst but has the Cardinals trading with the Buccaneers from the first pick down to No. 5.

This is a move that we’ve seen GM Monti Ossenfort make in 2023 when he traded down from on of the top picks to acquire more assets.

The Cardinals address a major position of need here at cornerback and get another weapon for Kyler Murray, who maintains his role as the team’s field general.

The Athletic:

No. 1 & 2 picks: USC QB Caleb Williams & Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison Jr.

Although there are financial ramifications with Kyler Murray’s contract, the Cardinals won’t be passing on a quarterback if they are indeed picking No. 1 next April. Based on his 2022 tape, Williams is worth the top pick — NFL scouts believe he would have been the No. 1 selection this past draft, had he been eligible.

Not only would Harrison have been the easy WR1 in the 2023 NFL Draft, but also he would have competed with Will Anderson Jr. to be the first non-quarterback selected. He has small-man athleticism in a big man’s frame and the detailed savvy you’d expect of Marvin Harrison’s kid.

For the third time in four mock drafts, Arizona overhauls its primary pass-catch duo with Williams and Harrison.

While there is a long season ahead, it is worth keeping an eye on how both Williams and Harrison perform throughout the years as either or both could end up in the desert.

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