AveryCooks'S MOCK DRAFT
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AveryCooks'S MOCK DRAFT
RUN ON APR 23, 2026

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Mock drafts from AveryCooks

2026 FINAL MOCK

  • AveryCooks DRAFTING FOR THE
    Cardinals
Draft Selections
Caleb Downs Head Shot
PICK: 8 RND: 1 (ARI)
Caleb Downs
S Ohio State
Cashius Howell Head Shot
PICK: 34 RND: 2 (ARI)
Cashius Howell
DE-EDGE Texas A&M
Ty Simpson Head Shot
PICK: 42 RND: 2 (ARI)
Ty Simpson
QB Alabama
Markel Bell Head Shot
PICK: 65 RND: 3 (ARI)
Markel Bell
OT Miami
Domonique Orange Head Shot
PICK: 104 RND: 4 (ARI)
Domonique Orange
DT Iowa State
Chandler Rivers Head Shot
PICK: 143 RND: 5 (ARI)
Chandler Rivers
CB Duke
Cyrus Allen Head Shot
PICK: 183 RND: 6 (ARI)
Cyrus Allen
WR Cincinnati
Josh Cameron Head Shot
PICK: 217 RND: 7 (ARI)
Josh Cameron
WR Baylor
Draft Picks Received
Caleb Downs Head Shot
PICK: 8 RND: 1 (NO)
Caleb Downs
S Ohio State
Ty Simpson Head Shot
PICK: 42 RND: 2 (NO)
Ty Simpson
QB Alabama
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 2 (NO)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
Draft Picks Traded
Arvell Reese Head Shot
PICK: 3 RND: 1 (NO)
Arvell Reese
LB Ohio State
Draft Grade — Cardinals
Overall B-
ValueB+ NeedB TradesD+ FutureB
A respectable, level-headed haul for the Cardinals: B-.

The Cardinals treated their own grade as gospel and everyone else's as noise, spending the 65th overall pick on Markel Bell a full 50 spots early.

Rivers falling to them is the kind of break a good board is built to catch. They covered a lot of ground and still skipped running back, which is a strange place to end up. They gave back a little on the phones for the right to move.

Job largely done: quarterback settled and 5 of 8 of the wish list covered.

A workmanlike haul that should hold up just fine.

Pick Analysis
Pick8 Rnd1 Caleb Downs
In slot 8 they get a rangy last line of defense at fair value. Need was not the driver here.
Pick34 Rnd2 Cashius Howell
They read the board right and Cashius Howell was the payoff at pick No. 34. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Pick42 Rnd2 Ty Simpson
A slide stopped in No. 42, with Ty Simpson worth more than the price. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Pick65 Rnd3 Markel Bell
Markel Bell in the 65th overall pick is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Pick104 Rnd4 Domonique Orange
They barely believed it either: Domonique Orange still on the board at the Round 4 slot. A need, and now a little less of one.
Pick143 Rnd5 Chandler Rivers
Circle this one: Chandler Rivers at pick 143 is a fall that decides a draft. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Pick183 Rnd6 Cyrus Allen
The board had Cyrus Allen higher than slot 183, and the wide receiver fell to them anyway. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Pick217 Rnd7 Josh Cameron
Taking Josh Cameron in pick 217 is close to grand larceny; a wide receiver that good had no business lasting this long. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.