Insider Reveals Cardinals Top Draft Priority

The 2025 NFL Draft is nearly here, and the Arizona Cardinals are truly one of the league's biggest question marks in terms of guessing which direction the organization will take once they're on the clock.

After a fulfilling free agency period, the Cardinals feel as if they're prepared to sit back and let the board fall to them - and that's reflected across numerous mock drafts from analysts well connected to league front offices.

Previously, ESPN's Peter Schrager nabbed Texas cornerback Jahdae Barron to Arizona at No. 16 (which you can read about here), though colleague Matt Miller just dropped his final mock draft and has another Longhorn heading to the desert:

Cardinals Expected to Add Firepower in NFL Draft

Miller had the Cardinals drafting Texas wideout Matthew Golden with the following explanation:

"After Arizona checked off its front-seven needs in free agency, sources around the league connected the Cardinals to cornerbacks and wide receivers. But the most recent buzz said adding offensive firepower is the front office's top priority, making Golden an appropriate selection."

Golden has been previously mocked to Arizona before, so Miller's selection isn't totally surprising - and for what it's worth, a third ESPN draft expert in Ben Solak labeled the Cardinals' desire to add a receiver one of the leagues' worst-kept secrets.

With Marvin Harrison Jr. and Michael Wilson atop Arizona's wideout room, the Cardinals haven't exactly been viewed as a receiver-needy team, though the organization does lack the presence of a true speedster who can take the top off opposing defenses down the field.

Enter Golden, who ran a 4.29 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, which ranks just outside the top ten for fastest times ever recorded at the event.

His NFL.com scouting profile reads as the following:

"Golden works all three levels of the field with similar consistency and productivity. His route-running needs refinement, but he does a decent job of altering tempo and separating at break points. Golden has the ability to play all three receiver spots. He also has the agility and body control to turn near-misses into highlight catches.

"Focus drops still pepper his play, but he’s a willing participant in traffic and took command of contested catches with better physicality and catch strength in 2024. Golden’s starting-level traits and big leap forward as a go-to playmaker have him primed to become a productive catch-maker with the potential to develop into a WR1 in the future."

Would Golden be considered a premium pick with other pressing needs on the roster?