2 weeks Ago By Alex Buck, NFL Analysis Network
The Arizona Cardinals have been through a real turnaround in the past couple of seasons, with the 2025 NFL draft marking the third for GM Monti Ossenfort and head coach Jonathan Gannon. The first round of the 2025 draft saw their mission continue, and Ossenfort is fired up about the outcome. In the previous two drafts, Arizona Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort has prioritized high-quality players in the trenches.
In 2023, he selected franchise tackle Paris Johnson Jr. after navigating the first round effectively. Then, in 2024, with Marvin Harrison Jr.
going 4th overall, the Cardinals went back to the trenches in the late first round, selecting Missouri’s Darius Robinson with the 27th pick. Monti Ossenfort strikes again with Cardinals first-round pick The Arizona Cardinals roster that Monti Ossenfort inherited was a mess. Barely two years later, it’s almost completely unrecognisable, and the players on both sides of the line are a major piece of that rebuild.
Walter Nolen becomes the latest addition to a completely refurbished defense, with Ossenfort and his staff making yet another strong selection in the NFL draft. In the two previous years, each move has been calculated, and the results are starting to show. Paris Johnson Jr.
anchors the offensive line, but the Cardinals also added guard Isaiah Jones in the third round of the 2024 draft. The franchise has been intentional about protecting Kyler Murray, also adding right tackle Jonah Williams in free agency just last year. Williams is a former first-round pick himself, who spent the early portion of his NFL career as a starter for the Cincinnati Bengals.
On the defensive side, the front seven looks completely different, and is now packed with a great mix of talent. The Cardinals got to work this off-season signing franchise legend Calais Campbell in free agency, as well as veteran Dalvin Tomlinson to pad out the defensive line. Ossenfort then made a big splash with former Philadelphia Eagles pass rusher Josh Sweat, committing a four-year, $76 million contract to the Cardinals’ new star coming off the edge.
They added Baron Browning on a two-year deal, too, once again committing to the game plan on the defensive side of the ball. 2024 first-round pick Darius Robinson only featured for the last six games of the 2024 season, playing in a limited role. He’d suffered a calf injury in August of his rookie year, something that kept him out for a large portion of the season.
Even when he played, the injury was a problem, so Arizona getting him back healthy in 2025 almost feels like another star signing joining the ranks. After adding Nolen to the ranks in the first round of the 2025 draft, Ossenfort was asked what separated the Ole Miss defensive star from some of the other options in the class. His response? “Disruption.
” He went on to talk about the discussion between he and Jonathan Gannon, fixating on having a ‘more disruptive’ defense. They believe they’ve added the right players to allow them to do that, and looking at the level of talent now spread across that defensive front seven, it’d be difficult to argue. New Arizona Cardinal Walter Nolen is a stud Look at what he does to Jared Wilson.
pic.twitter.com/tvUplizMXT Gannon’s defense is coming together in Arizona Jonathan Gannon earned the Arizona Cardinals’ head coaching job through his defensive work in Philadelphia.
It’s no surprise that the franchise is now putting such a heavy focus on getting the right guys in the building, allowing Gannon to implement his system with the Cardinals. Looking at the defensive unit, it’s almost entirely new. The only remaining piece from the previous regime is 2021 first-rounder Zaven Collins , who could be a trade candidate before the season begins.
All head coach Jonathan Gannon needs to do is turn on Walter Nolen’s tape to know the Cardinals first-rounder loves football. pic.twitter.
com/8pkZ8gMGz0 Arizona have completely rebuilt their defense in two years. Darius Robinson and Walter Nolen will come together as young first-round picks, pairing with Calais Campbell as one of the league’s most effective veterans and an all-time leader. The edge rushers and linebackers have been given a complete facelift too, and Josh Sweat could be a huge piece for them in 2025.
Ultimately, it’s an incredible job from Monti Ossenfort to reconstruct the roster so quickly. We’ll now wait and see what else the franchise has up their sleeve in the remaining days of the 2025 NFL draft. This article first appeared on NFL Analysis Network and was syndicated with permission.
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