Ask Odegard: Who Should the Cardinals Target With Their Second-Round Pick?

It’s been a couple weeks since the last mailbag, so here’s a fresh one.

We start off with a new topic: the Cardinals’ second-round pick.

“Who should we draft at 34 or somewhere around there” – mooreslegacy

Kyle Odegard: You were one spot off, but I think this is a very good subject to begin the mailbag. There is a ton of attention on the No. 4 overall pick and some on No. 27, but virtually no chatter about No. 35.

So let’s change that!

This is almost a third first-round pick for the Cardinals because it is so early in the second round, and some very good prospects will still be available. I’m pretty convinced that the choice will be between an offensive tackle, edge rusher, cornerback and receiver, depending on what happens in the first round.

I could see Arizona addressing wideout and offensive tackle with its first two picks and then beginning a run of defensive players starting at 35. It’s impossible to know who will be the pick, but there are some intriguing pass-rushers on the board.

Chop Robinson is mocked in this area, and I’d love the value add at 35 if he happens to slip. The second and third-round picks (four in all) are absolutely huge for the Cardinals, as they need to find some good starting-level players to round out this roster and push it back toward contention.

Day 1 is going to be a bunch of fun with two picks in the first round, but don’t discount Day 2.

“Purely as a mental exercise, how bad would Marv's pro day have to be to give you second thoughts about taking him at 4?” – Sean

KO: This question is tripping me out. If he had a horrific Pro Day, that would have to mean injury, right? How can MHJ dominate all year and then look bad at Pro Day? 

But now my brain has shifted to Vontaze Burfict, who torpedoed his stock in the pre-draft process. Did MHJ get lazy and stop working out in this scenario? That’s a red flag! 

This is officially my least-favorite mailbag question of all-time. My mind is spinning.

“With JG having a defensive background does using the second first-rounder on a defensive player add up or is it full go on protecting Kyler with a guy like Jordan Morgan, Graham Barton?” – Cody Marmon

KO: I don’t think Gannon’s background should play a role. It can affect who you draft for schematic fit, but there is no reason to prioritize a side of the ball based on the coach’s background.

As a general rule, offense in the NFL is a bit more important than defense, but in this scenario, I think offensive tackle, cornerback and defensive line will all be on the table. They will just take the best player among those positions.

“Do you see any scenario where if a guy like Verse was there around pick 20/22 Arizona would trade up to get what looks like a ready made double digit sack guy on the edge? See him falling in a ton of mocks but just not quite making it to 27.” – Jaxson Carlisle

“Does Monti go for quality over quantity in the draft and use capital to improve pick selections? Could we see up from 27 into the 20s for example?” – Oliver Kent

KO: I’ve gotten permutations of this question quite a bit, and yeah, I think Ossenfort has enough ammunition to go up into the early 20s for a guy he loves.

Do I think it will happen? Probably not, because it is risky to give up, say, a third-rounder and No. 27 to go get someone. Just look at the third-rounders they got last year (Michael Wilson and Garrett Williams). Those are valuable picks, and the Cardinals need the depth.

But one of former GM Steve Keim’s best draft-day decisions was trading up for Budda Baker, so if there is conviction around a player, I wouldn’t rule it out, especially considering the excess capital at Ossenfort’s disposal.

“Kyle, if someone like Olu starts falling outside the top 10 you think Monti would be aggressive to trade up from 27 to the teens for someone like him or does he value his draft picks too much?” – CardinalsUpdate

KO: Piggybacking on the previous question to speak on Olu specifically. It does feel like he’s going to drop into the teens, based on recent speculation. But that might be where NFL teams had him all along, while the media liked him more.

There is an abundance of offensive tackle prospects and I think Ossenfort will choose to stand pat at 27 rather than trade up all the way into the teens. That would cost quite a bit, and Olu no longer seems like the elite blue-chip prospect many forecasted a few months ago.

“Could you see the cardinals moving back in the first round with their second round pick to have control of the fifth year option.” – mvpsunsdbook

KO: I don’t think that will be a major consideration. It helps with quarterbacks, but for other positions, the fifth-year option does not equate to huge savings.

If they move up and take a third prospect in the first round, it would be about the talent of the player, not the contract.

“Does it make more sense for the Cardinals to address defensive line problems in FA or hope to hit on contributing players in the draft?” – Kyler Burd 

KO: I think you need at least one game-changer in free agency. After that, supplementing in the draft is fine. But I don’t think the Cardinals can go into 2024 without an impact pass-rusher.

That’s what happened last season, and they ended up last in the NFL in defensive efficiency.

“Percentage chance that we end up with one of Alt , Olu ,MHJ , odunze and Nabers ?” Cardinal Mendoza

KO: I’ll go with 90%, and I’ll even break it down for you!

• Harrison: 67%
• Nabers: 13%
• Alt: 6%
• Odunze: 3%
• Fashanu: 1%

“What kind of knee injury did Jon Gaines suffer last pre-season? There were no details on the severity of the injury. Will he be in the mix for starting LG/C?” – John Weber

KO: I thought someone told me it was an ACL, but a quick google search didn’t bring that up, so I’m less confident. Either way, after a year off he should be good to go for offseason work.

I have a feeling the Cardinals will sign a left guard in free agency, as the interior of the offensive line is quite important when protecting a guy like Kyler Murray.

So my guess is that Gaines is a backup this year, but he will certainly get the chance to show he deserves to be in the mix down the road.

“Barring any trades from now till the NFL draft, how are the Cardinals gonna spend that boatload of 11 potential picks? What positions will be addressed and which position will have multiple picks?” – Ed Helinski

KO: My guess: two defensive linemen, two cornerbacks, an edge rusher, a wide receiver, an offensive tackle, a guard, a tight end, an inside linebacker and a safety.

“Do you think the cardinals will bring back Flight Plan or other bts content this off-season?” – JT

KO: Don’t know for sure, but I think Flight Plan might be dead. Tim DeLaney was the architect of that award-winning show and he was let go. 

Many already noticed that the postgame locker room speech was discontinued this year, and I’ve heard that the new leadership would prefer to cut back on the behind-the-scenes access given to the in-house digital team, which has been expansive in previous years.

Surf Melendez, who was previously with the Titans, has been hired atop the content ladder and it may ultimately be his call on the resumption of Flight Plan.

“If WR is taken in the 1st round of this upcoming draft, what positions do you see the Cardinals shore up in the middle of the draft?” – Kevin

KO: Offensive tackle, cornerback and defensive line will be the spots to target with their other picks in the first three rounds.

“What kind of trade offer would take Arizona pulling the trigger at 4 even if MHJ is there?” – Caleb Anderson

KO: It would have to be similar to the premium paid for a quarterback. The Texans stepped up with an offer the Cardinals couldn’t refuse last year, so it’s not completely out of the question, but MHJ is seen as such a generational prospect that it would have to be an aggressive offer to force Arizona to trade off of 4 if MHJ is on the board.

“Marv skipping combine and pro day to prep catching balls from K1?” – JT

KO: He is skipping the combine and pro day to protect his sky-high stock. But, sure, Cardinals fans are free to pretend it’s to prepare him for 2024 in AZ!