Six Senior Bowl Standouts Cardinals Should Draft

The Arizona Cardinals should take note of these players after a strong week in Mobile.

Jan 28, 2025; Mobile, AL, USA; American team tight end Jackson Hawes of Georgia Tech (87) spars with American team defensive lineman Shemar Stewart of Texas A&M (14) during Senior Bowl practice for the American team at Hancock Whitney Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images / Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

The 2025 Senior Bowl week of practice has concluded, checking off the first major event of the annual NFL Draft process.

The Arizona Cardinals were there and doing their due diligence on some of college football’s best senior players from every level of college football. They should’ve been able to come away impressed by some players that may have already had their attention prior to the week in Mobile, Alabama - but I imagine they were introduced to some new prospects that will be further evaluated moving forward.

The 2025 NFL Draft will be a critical one for the Cardinals, who are coming off a somehow disappointing 8-9 season (considering how it started and then ended). They have limited draft capital and must make every selection count if they plan to improve off this year now entering the third season under head coach Jonathan Gannon.

Plenty of players had good weeks and some had weeks so great that they drastically shot their draft stock up the board. I have a short list of players who could’ve grabbed the Cardinals’ attention and make sense for them to add in the 2025 NFL Draft.

This isn’t necessarily a power ranking from best-to-worst, but I do have a loose order for who impressed the most.

Six players are moving up and could become Arizona Cardinals come the conclusion of this year’s draft. These are the six who stood out the most.

Mike Green, Edge Rusher, Marshall

I don’t think anyone made more money in Mobile, Alabama than Green did this week. Green skyrocketed into the first round by the end of the 2024 season, seemingly out of nowhere. Following Senior Bowl practices, he feels like a lock to go in the top 20 picks, but I’ll go as far as to say he could have launched himself into the top 10.

There were few offensive linemen who were able to stack up against Green, and you more than likely saw clips of him daily if you hop on social media enough. In fact, Oregon’s Josh Conerly, who had a good week and is generating buzz as a day one pick, got his ass planted in the field by Green in what may’ve been the highlight of all the practices.

At 6’3 and 251lbs, Green is already built for the pros with the production to match the athleticism. Get used to him going high in my mock drafts and don’t expect him to be around pic 16 barring changes between now and April.

Shemar Stewart, Edge Rusher, Texas A&M

Stewart is as toolsy of a prospect as any in this draft and is the classic player you draft on traits and not production, given his 4.5 career sacks in three seasons with the Aggies. But Senior Bowl week was phenomenal for Stewart in proving his potential at the next level.

All the athletic traits Stewart has were on clear display during the week. Stewart simply looked bigger and stronger than his competition, while also showing off how agile he can be despite his massive frame.

The 6’5 and 281lbs pass rusher reminds me quite a bit of Darius Robinson from last year’s draft as a big edge rusher that moves well for his size. Oddly enough, Robinson became a Cardinal. Could the two find their way to playing across from each other in the pros?

Walter Nolen, Interior Defensive Lineman, Ole Miss

Nolen has been my guy since last summer and I am not the least surprised to have seen his rise throughout the draft process. I believed him to be a first round pick before this week and I’ll say he’s a day one loc moving forward.

If you like toolsy defensive linemen prospects like Stewart, then you should be all about Nolen. Nolen checks in at 6’3 and 293 lbs and looks as nimble off the snap as guys 20 lbs lighter than him. He truly is a special, special player – maybe even a unicorn for the position.

I will end up having Nolen as one of my best prospects overall, but I feel like his ceiling is around the top 15 picks and a floor of falling out of day one (a massive mistake). The Cardinals could grab this freak at 16 and I’d give them an A+ as a future superstar in the NFL.

Tez Johnson, Wide Receiver, Oregon

The 5’9 and 156 lbs wide receiver is quite polarizing for the upcoming draft given his frame, or lack thereof. When you watch Johnson play at Oregon you’ll see a terrific, electrifying playmaker in the open field. But when you remember how small he is, serious questions arise about how he can fit in at the next level.

Maybe he’s the next Darren Sproles; maybe he’s the next Dri Archer.

The one thing we knew about going into the weekend was that he was a twitchy athlete with undeniable talent with the ball in his hands. By the time the week ended, we confirmed all that, but we also left realizing that it’s hard to stop a player you can’t touch.

Johnson won’t likely become some contested catch monster if for no other reason than the uncontrollable aspect of his body, but he can become someone that is hard to tackle thanks to his God-given athleticism. There’s also return man prowess here, making him a player you’d consider grabbing and finding a role for.

The Cardinals need a deep threat and Johnson has the speed. He may be a one-trick pony to start his career, but he’ll find a role in Arizona quickly.

Jayden Higgins, Wide Receiver, Iowa State

I don’t think Higgins can find his way into round one, but I do believe he’s headed straight for a pick in the top 50 right now.

The Iowa State standout is coming off a season where he nearly recorded 1,200 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. Now he’s fresh off a dominant week in Mobile where he displayed how much better and talented he is than the guys opposite him.

Higgins was finding ways to get open and his nasty footwork had defensive backs on skates. The way he was able to borderline manufacture his routes into such deep separation was special. He’s walking away from the heart of the south with tons of momentum.

Although the Cardinals have similar receivers on the roster already with Marvin Harrison Jr. and Michael Wilson, I love adding Higgins to the group. He’s quick enough to stretch the field and athletic enough to be a big-slot as the third receiver. You’d also be assembling a basketball team at wide receiver, and everyone knows how much I love the idea of a wide receiver room of big bodies.

Emery Jones, Offensive Tackle, LSU

First off, a lot of people like moving Jones inside to guard and I’m not opposed to that at all. However, Jones has no significant playing experience inside and we’ve seen he can be good outside at right tackle. I’m holding firm for now, but I’ll be paying attention to trends moving forward.

Beyond that, Jones seemed to settle down as the week progressed and showed off the upside that we all know is there with him. There’s been a lot of inconsistency from Jones during his time in Baton Rouge, but he’s always flashed that sweet, sweet talent that gets everyone jonesing.

Perhaps a move inside is best for him at the next level, and that should intrigue the Cardinals even more. To know that a player like Jones could be moved inside to have better success but also has proven to be a solid right tackle has plenty of value. As a (likely) day two pick, the Cards would have to consider adding him to a rebuilding offensive line.