The 2024 NFL Draft is now in the rearview mirror. After a flurry of selections from April 25 to April 27, 257 players were selected to join the NFL.
With that, we give you our full recap of the Arizona Cardinals‘ draft, with analysis on every selection the team made during the weekend and an in-depth look at their top pick.
For more information on the players your favorite team drafted, it’s not too late to get the 2024 NFL Draft Guide, which includes expanded scouting reports, draft grades, offseason reports, unique advanced data, PFF grades and much more.
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2024 Draft Picks
- 1 (4): WR Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State
- 1 (27): EDGE Darius Robinson, Missouri
- 2 (43): CB Max Melton, Rutgers
- 3 (66): RB Trey Benson, Florida State
- 3 (71): OT Isaiah Adams, Illinois
- 3 (82): TE Tip Reiman, Illinois
- 3 (90): CB Elijah Jones, Boston College
- 4 (104): S Taylor Dadrion-Demerson , Texas Tech
- 5 (138): EDGE Xavier Thomas, Clemson
- 5 (162): OT Christian Jones, Texas
- 5 (191): WR Tejhaun Palmer, UAB
- 7 (226): CB Jaden Davis, Miami
Harrison — The Cardinals didn’t receive a trade offer that enticed them to move down for the second straight season. Instead, they get the No. 1 overall prospect on the consensus big board and one of the cleanest projections in the entire draft. Despite dealing with a step down in quarterback play last year, Harrison is one of two wide receivers who generated more than 1.0 PFF Wins Above Average (WAA) over the last two seasons.
Robinson — Robinson’s strength is his calling card. He played primarily on the interior before moving to the edge and posting career-highs with an 83.1 overall PFF grade and nine sacks. He was also the only SEC edge player to earn a 76.0-plus grade in run defense and rushing the passer. Arizona desperately needed to get more physical up front. The Cardinals accomplished that, but it’s possible that he would’ve been on the board early in the next round.
Melton — The run on cornerbacks continues. Melton, the 72nd-ranked player on the PFF big board, allowed just a 65.7 passer rating into his coverage in 2023 and totaled 15 pass breakups since 2021, the fourth-best mark in the Big Ten. The Cardinals could have targeted almost any position here and been filling a need. Melton projects as a slot cornerback but brings versatility, having played inside and outside in college.
Benson — The second running back off the board, Benson earned a 91.3 PFF grade over the last two seasons, eighth among Power Five running backs. Dynamic with the ball in his hands, he forced 124 missed tackles on 310 carries since 2022. He should immediately compete for touches behind James Conner in Arizona.
Adams — Adams played at Illinois but will likely kick inside to guard at the next level. He put up an 81.1 run-blocking grade over the past two seasons, sixth among draft-eligible tackles in this class. However, he gave up nine sacks from 518 pass-blocking snaps in 2023 alone and 13 sacks on 992 pass-blocking snaps over the past two seasons.
Reiman — A late riser through the pre-draft process, Reiman was a workout warrior and caught a ton of attention at the Shrine Bowl and NFL scouting combine. He wasn’t asked to be much more than a dump-off threat for Illinois and didn’t drop a pass on his 24 targets in 2023. He really shines as a run-blocker, where his play strength and competitiveness stand out.
Jones — The Cardinals continue to add to the secondary and pick an enforcer in Jones. The Boston College product is PFF’s 225th-ranked player but allowed just an 18.1 passer rating on throws into his coverage, the third-best mark among CBs, while his 89.8 coverage grade ranked eighth. Jones brings a physical playstyle as the Cardinals look to fill holes in their roster.
Dadrion-Demerson — Taylor-Demerson has been a ball hawk his entire college career, with his 10 interceptions since 2021 ranking third among Power Five safeties in that span. Opposing quarterbacks managed a passer rating of 58.4 when throwing into his coverage during his college career.
Thomas — Thomas gained a ton of experience in his six-year college career while racking up 153 quarterback pressures and 22 sacks, capped by a career-high 43 pressures in his final college season. He gives the Cardinals another solid piece in their defensive line overhaul.
Jones — Jones brings plenty of experience, having played 3,219 career offensive snaps for Texas over the past five seasons. He showed improvement throughout his college career, too. Jones’ 77.8 PFF grade in 2023 was the highest of his college career. Arizona brought in Jonah Williams this offseason as the projected starter opposite 2023 first-round pick Paris Johnson Jr., but Jones is a nice depth addition to that group.
Palmer — Palmer was productive in each of his final two seasons at UAB, averaging 2.00 and 2.15 yards per route run in 2022 and 2023, respectively. He dropped just 2.1% of the catchable passes thrown his way and averaged 8.8 yards after the catch in 2023.
Davis — Davis was targeted 49 times in coverage in 2023. He allowed 28 receptions and one touchdown, adding five forced incompletions and six defensive stops.
DRAFT GRADE: B+
ROOKIE SPOTLIGHT: WR Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State
Scouting summary
Harrison is one of the most complete prospects you will find. He understands how to win at the position like few college players do. He is well beyond his years in his releases, his route tree and his IQ to set up and manipulate defenders when creating throwing windows.
For a player as tall as he is (6-foot-4), his footwork, change of direction and long speed are excellent. He also has very reliable hands and the hand-eye coordination to make tough contested catches.
One area he could have stood to improve from 2022 was his after-the-catch ability, and he proved in 2023 that he can deliver in such situations.
Wins above average
WAA represents the number of wins a player is worth over an average college football player and is a metric that evaluators can utilize to assess performance. It combines how well a player performed in each facet of play (using PFF grades) and how valuable each facet is to winning football games. The result is a first-of-its-kind metric that allows for cross-positional valuation and predicts future value at the player and team levels.
How Harrison ranks in the stable metrics
Harrison has consistently been one of college football’s best receivers, and it’s very difficult to poke holes in his game. His first step and ability to leverage defenders in man coverage is phenomenal, and he has savvy eyes to manipulate zone defenders. He was deemed open on 200 of his career 248 targets, 40th among 386 qualified receivers.
While his YAC ability isn’t his strong suit, he produced a 65th-percentile 6.4 yards after the catch per reception in 2023, drastically improving his career numbers.
He has some lofty expectations right when he steps on an NFL field, but whichever team drafts him is getting a legit playmaker.
Bottom line
Harrison comes from Hall of Fame bloodlines, and you can see that in his tape without even knowing his last name. He has a truly rare blend of size, speed, strength and football IQ for such a young player.
He will be a WR1-caliber player the day he is drafted and one in the mold of a Tier 1 NFL wideout.
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