Cardinals Had Top Rookie Class From Last Year

The Arizona Cardinals are in the midst of a drastic shift in their team-building philosophy, and the results are beginning to show tangibly.

In 2024, GM Monti Ossenfort welcomed an NFL-high 12 rookies into the organization, to varying levels of success and production — highlighted by the addition of star WR Marvin Harrison Jr. to lead the passing attack.

Pro Football Focus put together a ranking of the NFL's most productive rookie classes in the 2024 season. The Cardinals placed in the upper half of the NFL.

According to PFF, Arizona had the 12th-best rookie class in terms of production, as first-year players combined for 4,125 snaps.

PFF broke down their ranking of the Cardinals' rookies:

"Marvin Harrison Jr. may not have entered a top-10 pantheon as a rookie, but he was still more than solid. His 77.2 PFF receiving grade was the fourth best among qualified first-year wideouts, and he dropped a microscopic 1.6% of catchable targets — tied for 10th lowest among qualifiers at the position.

"Aside from the fourth overall pick, defensive backs Max Melton (565 defensive snaps) and Dadrion Taylor-Demerson (75.5 PFF overall grade) assisted a secondary that still needs tinkering. Also, tight end Tip Reiman played 451 snaps and recorded a 60.5 PFF run-blocking grade."

The Cardinals did see some exceptional development from their young defensive backs like Melton and Taylor-Demerson. Though some of their other picks, such as Reiman and first-round DL Darius Robinson didn't exactly light up the box score, there was a significant rookie presence throughout the course of Arizona's 8-9 season.

Even Harrison — who was widely scrutinized for an alleged lack of production — was able to put up nearly 900 yards and nine touchdowns. With a bit of development, and some adjustments to the Cardinals' passing offense, he could easily find himself in 1,000-yard territory in his second year.

With development from a handful of these rookies, the bevy of recent free-agent signings, and the hopeful addition of more young talent in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Cardinals are set up for plenty of future success.

Good, competent organizations are the ones that can find a place for their rookies, without having to rely on them too heavily to head up their position groups. Allowing your younger players to get sufficient playing experience while also not being seen as the hero is a key component of a draft-and-develop-focused franchise.