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In three weeks, we will be paying attention to Day 3 of the 2025 NFL draft and the Arizona Cardinals will have three picks that day. Because we still have time, it is a mock draft Saturday. We have a new full seven-round mock draft simulation for the Cardinals.
In this mock draft, the Cardinals trade back twice in the first round. The Cincinnati Bengals want to move up one spot from the 17th pick and give Arizona a 2026 third-round pick swap picks and take Georgia pass rusher Mykel Williams.
Then the Detroit Lions offer the 28th pick, the 60th (a second-rounder) and a 2026 third-round pick for pick No. 17.
So the Cardinals have a late first-round pick, two in the second, one in the third, fourth, fifth and seventh rounds, and they collect two third-round picks for 2026.
Here are the players the Cardinals selected after the trades went down.
Being nearly at the end of the first round, taking an off-ball linebacker is okay, and the truth is that he can impact the defense from Day 1. Pairing him with Mack Wilson in the middle of the defense and keeping Akeem Davis-Gaither and Mykal Walker in the roles they have held for the last couple of seasons with their previous teams would make Arizona's defense better. With a stacked defensive line, Campbell and Wilson can clean up runners and hit guys.
Campbell also offers positional versatility with the ability to also rush off the edge, much like Wilson.
The first-round pass rushers have questions. Mykel Williams has the build but had disappointing production. Shemar Stewart had no production despite being an athletic freak. Nic Scourton saw production drop after moving to the SEC.
Enter Tuimolau.
New offensive line coach Justin Frye, who coached the Buckeyes' offensive line last season, will know how hard he is to block. Tuimolau has both the build (6-foot-4, 265 pounds, 33 3/4-inch arms) and the production. He led the Big Ten with 12.5 sacks and had 22 tackles for loss. He had 61 total tackles, three tipped passes and two forced fumbles.
The Cardinals get great value here with this pick.
Guard was the intended position for this pick and there were a couple of choices. Georgia's Tate Ratledge was super intriguing, but Saviinaea's potential positional versatility paired with crazy athleticism like Ratledge gave him the edge.
Saviinaea played tackle but many see him moving to guard. That's no problem, as the Cardinals have right guard wide open. He is 6-foot-4, 324 pounds and almost 34-inch arms, and he ran the 40 in 4.95 seconds, so he can move.
He is 6-foot-3 and 290 pounds, so he is more built like a Dante Stills or L.J. Collier. He had six sacks and 11 tackles for loss in 2023 but that dipped to two sacks and six tackles for loss last season. He could push Stills or Collier off the roster.
Felton is tall and speedy but lean at 6-fot-1, 183 pounds. And by speedy, we mean really fast, as he ran the 40 at the combine in 4.37 seconds. He doesn't have long arms, so his speed and explosiveness (39.5-inch vertical) have to make up for it.
And he was productive. He increased his production every season in college, rounding out his four-year career in the Big Ten catching 96 passes for 1,124 yards and nine touchdowns in 12 games.
I'm convinced the Cardinals will draft at least one Ohio State offensive lineman. Since Jackson and Josh Simmons weren't available, McLaughlin is the guy. He was the nation's top center in 2024, winning the Rimington Trophy, but he tore his Achilles after 10 games. So he will likely sit out 2025 but gives the Cardinals someone to have ready after Hjalte Froholdt's contract expires in two years.
The Sun Devil in me hates selecting two Arizona players, but Croskey-Merritt has big upside. He was the Offensive MVP in the Shrine Bowl and the Cardinals have real interest, as he is going to have a top-30 visit coming up. He only played one game for Arizona in 2024, rushing for 106 yards on 13 carries, because of eligibility issues. But he had nearly 1,200 yards for New Mexico in 2023 and rushed for 17 touchdowns.
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: NFL mock draft: 7-round projections for Arizona Cardinals has trades
Continue reading...
In this mock draft, the Cardinals trade back twice in the first round. The Cincinnati Bengals want to move up one spot from the 17th pick and give Arizona a 2026 third-round pick swap picks and take Georgia pass rusher Mykel Williams.
Then the Detroit Lions offer the 28th pick, the 60th (a second-rounder) and a 2026 third-round pick for pick No. 17.
So the Cardinals have a late first-round pick, two in the second, one in the third, fourth, fifth and seventh rounds, and they collect two third-round picks for 2026.
Here are the players the Cardinals selected after the trades went down.
Round 1 (No. 28 overall): Alabama LB Jihaad Campbell
Being nearly at the end of the first round, taking an off-ball linebacker is okay, and the truth is that he can impact the defense from Day 1. Pairing him with Mack Wilson in the middle of the defense and keeping Akeem Davis-Gaither and Mykal Walker in the roles they have held for the last couple of seasons with their previous teams would make Arizona's defense better. With a stacked defensive line, Campbell and Wilson can clean up runners and hit guys.
Campbell also offers positional versatility with the ability to also rush off the edge, much like Wilson.
Round 2 (No. 47 overall): Ohio State EDGE J.T. Tuimoloau
The first-round pass rushers have questions. Mykel Williams has the build but had disappointing production. Shemar Stewart had no production despite being an athletic freak. Nic Scourton saw production drop after moving to the SEC.
Enter Tuimolau.
New offensive line coach Justin Frye, who coached the Buckeyes' offensive line last season, will know how hard he is to block. Tuimolau has both the build (6-foot-4, 265 pounds, 33 3/4-inch arms) and the production. He led the Big Ten with 12.5 sacks and had 22 tackles for loss. He had 61 total tackles, three tipped passes and two forced fumbles.
The Cardinals get great value here with this pick.
Round 2 (No. 60 overall): Arizona OL Jonah Saviinaea
Guard was the intended position for this pick and there were a couple of choices. Georgia's Tate Ratledge was super intriguing, but Saviinaea's potential positional versatility paired with crazy athleticism like Ratledge gave him the edge.
Saviinaea played tackle but many see him moving to guard. That's no problem, as the Cardinals have right guard wide open. He is 6-foot-4, 324 pounds and almost 34-inch arms, and he ran the 40 in 4.95 seconds, so he can move.
Round 3 (No. 78 overall): Texas A&M DT Shemar Turner
He is 6-foot-3 and 290 pounds, so he is more built like a Dante Stills or L.J. Collier. He had six sacks and 11 tackles for loss in 2023 but that dipped to two sacks and six tackles for loss last season. He could push Stills or Collier off the roster.
Round 4 (No. 115 overall) Maryland WR Tai Felton
Felton is tall and speedy but lean at 6-fot-1, 183 pounds. And by speedy, we mean really fast, as he ran the 40 at the combine in 4.37 seconds. He doesn't have long arms, so his speed and explosiveness (39.5-inch vertical) have to make up for it.
And he was productive. He increased his production every season in college, rounding out his four-year career in the Big Ten catching 96 passes for 1,124 yards and nine touchdowns in 12 games.
Round 5 (No. 152 overall) Ohio State C Seth McLaughlin
I'm convinced the Cardinals will draft at least one Ohio State offensive lineman. Since Jackson and Josh Simmons weren't available, McLaughlin is the guy. He was the nation's top center in 2024, winning the Rimington Trophy, but he tore his Achilles after 10 games. So he will likely sit out 2025 but gives the Cardinals someone to have ready after Hjalte Froholdt's contract expires in two years.
Round 7 (No. 225 overall) Arizona RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt
The Sun Devil in me hates selecting two Arizona players, but Croskey-Merritt has big upside. He was the Offensive MVP in the Shrine Bowl and the Cardinals have real interest, as he is going to have a top-30 visit coming up. He only played one game for Arizona in 2024, rushing for 106 yards on 13 carries, because of eligibility issues. But he had nearly 1,200 yards for New Mexico in 2023 and rushed for 17 touchdowns.
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: NFL mock draft: 7-round projections for Arizona Cardinals has trades
Continue reading...
