Five 2024 NFL Draft Prospects for Cardinals to Target

The Arizona Cardinals may have a long season to look forward to on the field, but the stacked 2024 draft may be a light at the end of the tunnel for Monti Ossenfort and Co.

Kevin Hicks | Aug 17, 2023

Five 2024 NFL Draft Prospects for Cardinals to Target /

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Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals are projected by many pundits to have two top-five picks in the 2024 NFL Draft thanks to low expectations for both themselves and the Houston Texans, who dealt their pick in last year's draft to move up to No. 3 and draft Will Anderson.

Next year's class of incoming players has been labeled by many experts as one of the most prestigious in recent memory, and though the draft is still roughly eight months away, it's never too early to look ahead - especially with the position the Cardinals could find themselves in.

Here's five highly regarded prospects that the Cardinals (and fans) should keep their eyes on this college football season:

Marvin Harrison Jr. - Wide Receiver - Ohio State

The son of NFL legend Marvin Harrison is described by many in the scouting community as the best wide receiver prospect in years. His 6'4', 230+ pound frame combined with his speed, release, route running and catching ability might make him the best receiver prospect since Calvin Johnson.

The Ohio State product is a virtual lock to go top three next year barring injury, and Cardinals fans should keep a close eye on Buckeyes games this season due to Harrison.

Some Highlights of Marvin Harrison Jr. since we are MHJ days away from Ohio State football... pic.twitter.com/wpTyseLzFj
— Jon “JR” Rhoades (@jrs_rankings) August 15, 2023

Caleb Williams - Quarterback - USC

Caleb Williams has a lot of fans in scouting communities as well, some even calling him the best prospect at the quarterback position since Stanford's Andrew Luck in 2012. The reigning Heisman recipient is a natural-born playmaker, possesses a rocket arm, can make off-script throws on a whim and has an underrated scrambling ability.

The predicament Arizona may face going into next offseason is deciding whether to stick with Kyler Murray or go in a different direction and make Williams its franchise QB.

Williams is still a player to watch due to his electric play alone.

Caleb Williams just isn't fair. pic.twitter.com/QfSOVMhT7Q
— Nick Penticoff (@NickPenticoff) August 7, 2023

Jared Verse - EDGE - Florida State

Verse is considered to be the best EDGE prospect in the upcoming draft, which may or may not be a position of pressing need next offseason pending how Zaven Collins, B.J. Ojulari, Cam Thomas, and Myjai Sanders perform this season.

Regardless of need, Verse should be a top-five pick and could be a player who is worth taking in a best player available scenario.

The consensus No. 1 EDGE for the 2024 NFL draft is Florida State's Jared Verse, and it's pretty easy to see why.

Explosive, agile, and one of the best collection of high-end plays in the nation.

Verse has only played 412 snaps at the FBS level pic.twitter.com/07chbvXHI7
— Steve Palazzolo (@StevePalazzolo_) August 14, 2023

Kool-Aid McKinstry - Cornerback - Alabama

Mckinstry is considered by the consensus to be the best cornerback prospect in the upcoming draft. He's a great athlete with elite speed and twitch, reliable when it comes to ball skills and has a solid understanding of different coverages/schemes.

He's a very instinctive player, and though he's had a couple of games that exposed some potential question marks, the positives far outweigh the negatives in Mckinstry's evaluation as a corner at the next level.

Kool-Aid McKinstry is the Best CB in College Football 🔥 pic.twitter.com/IT6acD02xD
— Alabama DieHards (@DiehardsAlabama) August 10, 2023

Brock Bowers - Tight End - Georgia

Bowers would be a wild card consideration here, as the Cardinals may not necessarily have a need for a tight end depending on where things go with Zach Ertz and Trey McBride. It also may not be the most prudent thing for Arizona to do by burning a top pick on a tight end.

However, Bowers is electric and every bit as good as advertised. The Georgia product may even be a better prospect than the highly touted Kyle Pitts was coming out of Florida. He has the full arsenal of skills at his disposal as a playmaker. He's quick, accelerates in short order, is a crisp route runner, and has sure hands.

He's also a more than willing blocker and can add a wrinkle into offenses as a ball handler in the backfield or on jet sweeps. Bowers is a player the Cardinals should absolutely kick the tires on.