Cardinals' Perfect First-Round Pick Revealed

The Arizona Cardinals have several needs that need to be filled by the end of the 2025 NFL Draft. The defense from top to bottom needs reinforcements and depth, with some positions (edge rusher, interior defensive linemen) needing more than others.

The offense needs another wide receiver, preferably a quicker guy. And of course, the offensive line needs some help.

Paris Johnson Jr. moved from right tackle to left last season and had wild success. He was playing at a Pro Bowl level before a late-season injury. It's been a long time since the Cardinals had a true franchise blindside protector.

The rest of the line, however, is replaceable at best, and one spot in particular is a glaring weakness -- right guard. It's a spot I've said is the largest hole on the team right now. Additions have been made for holes on defense, but there is no answer at right guard.

Arizona has the talent to be an elite run-based offense in 2025, so the need for good guard play skyrockets because of it.

The offensive line talent in the 2025 class is strong, but most of it comes outside at tackle. Interior linemen prospects, both guard and center, are much more scarce; it could force teams to grab guys earlier than in other classes.

The Cardinals could be one of those teams if they plan to fix the spot through the draft. It's a logical conclusion and one that many are arriving at -- including the guys over at Bleacher Report.

B/R recently published an "ideal pick" on day one of the draft for all 32 teams. When the Cardinals rolled around, their decision lined up with filling the hole at right guard and selected Alabama's Tyler Booker.

It's a curious selection only based on his perceived value in terms of where he is being drafted in mocks, but I do believe he goes on day one. I also believe he could be a top-20 pick, so this doesn't surprise me too much.

The author of the piece, Moe Moton, offered his take on the selection:

"...Booker would bring much-needed size up front on the offensive side of the ball. Coming from an RPO-based scheme with Jalen Milroe under center at Alabama, Booker should be able to keep up with how electric (Kyler) Murray can be on the move."

It's worth noting that Murray previously said he wanted to start running more in 2025. The former Heisman Trophy winner is a serious threat to run, but he hasn't capitalized on those abilities in years. If the Cardinals want to amplify Murray's rushing abilities, then it will require beefing up the trenches.

Hence why Booker is the pick here.

Moton also added, "Murray can make defenders miss, and physical running back James Conner bulldozes would-be tacklers. Defenders will find it harder to stop them with Booker taking on led blocks in the run game."

The logic is perfectly sound here. But if I could add some push back, I'd say this.

Good guard play is a luxury and not the greatest necessity in the world. An offensive line with good tackle and center play can make up for average guard play. Arizona also needs to continue working on its defense, and round one has too many top-end pass rushers available.

That would make it difficult to justify picking Booker over potentially three great edge rusher prospects, for example.

One last thing is that Booker has played his career with Bama almost exclusively at left guard. He hasn't played a snap on the right side since 2022. The Cardinals re-signed Evan Brown this offseason to be the starting left guard, and he also didn't take a snap on the right side last season.

Someone is going to have to move, and it will require an adjustment. I'd bet the rookie gets bounced to the strong side, which could make him start his career uncomfortable and perhaps unbalanced.

That's far from a guarantee, but it's something I am considering if I'm this front office.

But again, that's only some pushback. I will say I stand firm on edge rusher in round one, no matter what, and you can't move me off that mentality. Taking Booker, in my opinion, would be an underrated pick -- one that could change the fortunes of this offensive line.

I'm sure fans wouldn't be happy about this pick. I can already hear groans from the crowd. Drafting a guard in round one is the definition of an "unsexy pick," but Booker could end up making fans swallow their words and become a fan favorite.

Depending on how high the Cardinals want to draft a guard, we could see Booker off the board early as a prospect who, for my money's worth, is head and shoulders above the rest of the pack.