Chase Bisontis didn't know where he was going to be drafted, but as it sunk in that the Cardinals took him in the second round Friday night, he thought back to a Zoom call from the week prior.
Bisontis already had known Cardinals offensive line coach Justin Frye, who had recruited Bisontis out of high school when Frye was coaching Ohio State. Bisontis ended up at Texas A&M, but the comfort level remained as the two "did a little install and talked some ball," Bisontis said.
Now, he was a Cardinal.
"I thought I did pretty well and I guess I did," Bisontis said.
Offensive line figured to be a target in the draft and nabbing a potential starting guard with the 34th overall pick made sense. The 6-foot-5, 315-pound Bisontis started 35 of 36 games for the Aggies, with 12 starts at right tackle in 2023 (with one at right guard) and then moving over for 22 starts at left guard the past two seasons.
He allowed four sacks in his career, but none in his past 18 games.
Bisontis said the move from right tackle to left guard hasn't been difficult.
"I'm willing to do anything the team needs," he said. "They need me to snap, play tackle, I'm there."
There are options. With veteran Issac Seumalo signing to start at left guard, Bisontis has a chance to beat out Isaiah Adams as the starting right guard. Right tackle is manned by Elijah Wilkinson, but Bisontis likely will stay inside.
The Cardinals are trying to improve a line that struggled at times last season, in part because of injury. It was fitting that Bisontis' pick was announced at the draft in Pittsburgh by veteran running back James Conner, who now will benefit from Bisontis' work.
That Bisontis is also now teammates with Jeremiyah Love also resonated.
"it'll be awesome blocking for him," Bisontis said. "We played him this year and he made our defense pay, too."
The Cardinals will take a player who described himself as smart and able to understand defenses. He called himself a "mean, nasty, tough football player."
But that's just on the field, he promised.
"I think I'm good guy outside of football," Bisontis said.
More to come on azcardinals.com once GM Monti Ossenfort and coach Mike LaFleur speak at the end of the evening.
