NFL Draft countdown: Focus on Cardinals' first-round pick at No. 16

The 2025 NFL Draft is now 16 days away and for the fourth time in franchise history, the Arizona Cardinals own the 16th pick.

This year, theyve been linked to these players in various mock drafts.

DT Walter Nolen | Ole Miss Nolen had 66 tackles and five sacks in two years with Texas A&M before leaving for Ole Miss, where he played all over the line for a career-high 48 tackles and 6.5 sacks in 2024.

At 6-foot-4 and 296 pounds, Nolan is considered a game wrecker and comes highly recommended by CBS Sports Tom Fornelli : "I've been pounding the table for Walter Nolen throughout this entire process, and will continue to do so.

He's my DT2 in the class behind (Mason) Graham, and he's my No.

9 overall player, so the Cardinals getting him here is a great pick in my eyes." Arizona spent $105M to bring former Eagles defensive end Josh Sweat and former Browns defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson aboard this offseason but theres always room for a young, three-down interior lineman to Nick Rallis' defense.

DT Kenneth Grant | Michigan Grant had 6.5 sacks in three years at Michigan and set career marks in tackles (32) and passes defended (five) in 2024.

Sports Illustrateds Daniel Flick believes is the second-best defensive tackle in the draft and a better fit for the Cardinals than Nolan: "Grant is still raw as a pass rusher, but his 6-foot-4, 331-pound frame is difficult to move in the run game.

Laterally quick and capable of making plays in pursuit, Grant has an early role as a run-stuffing defensive tackle with the upside to be a three-down player." Not many 340-pounders can run like this.

Kenneth Grant (78) can move.

pic.twitter.com/kO9NqGOAQJ Unfortunately, Grant missed the NFL Scouting Combine with a hamstring injury, but excelled at Michigans pro day with a 5.11 40-yard dash, a 31-inch vertical, an 8-foot-9-inch broad jump and 27 bench press reps.

Fornelli can pound the table all he wants for Nolan, but Grant has 35 pounds on Nolan and comes with a championship pedigree.

If hes available at No.

16, Nolan will have to wait.

OT Kelvin Banks Jr.

| Texas NFL.coms Chad Reuter thinks the Cardinals wont wait to add Banks to their offensive line and sees general manager Monti Ossenfort trading up in the draft: The Cardinals ensure they beat the Colts to a premier offensive line prospect, moving up three slots in Round 1 by swapping their third-round pick for Miami's late fourth-round selection.

Arizona traded up for a versatile lineman in Paris Johnson Jr.

two years ago, and Banks could play inside or outside as a rookie.

Banks earned unanimous All-American honors in 2024 and won the Lombardi Award as college footballs best offensive lineman and the Outland Trophy as the nation's best lineman (OL/DL).

He did miss the SEC Championship game with an ankle injury but finished the NFL Scouting Combine with the fourth-highest score among offensive tackles.

The 6-foot-5, 315-pound tackle certainly isn't a finished product, but with 42 college starts under his belt, hed start right away for the Cardinals in 2025.

Bruce Ewing is 183 pounds of twisted steel and Happy Meals.

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