Jeremiyah Love was the pick, but one of the most popular positions mocked to the Cardinals in the first round of the draft had been edge rusher. Maybe David Bailey, maybe Arvell Reese. Reuben Bain, not so much.

But for a team with 30 sacks last season and in a draft that many felt was deep at edge, that the Cardinals didn't emerge with one was a slight surprise. "It just didn't work out" as the board fell, GM Monti Ossenfort said.

The Cardinals have players who they liked going into last season. Josh Sweat should've made a Pro Bowl. They still have Baron Browning and Zaven Collins. They just took Jordan Burch in the third round last year. BJ Ojulari, the second-round pick from 2023, "had a tough year," Ossenfort acknowledged, as he returned from multiple torn ligaments in his knee.

"He never looked quite all the way back," Ossenfort said.

As for the group, "we have to find a way to put them in the best positions," Ossenfort added.

-- The Cardinals will end up signing 6-to-8 undrafted rookies. Those names should come out next week.

-- Rookie minicamp is May 8-9, so that's when we see Love on the field for the first time.

-- Ossenfort said the Cardinals have been in contact with veteran free agent defensive end Calais Campbell, but said it is "wait-and-see mode." What that exactly means is a little more vague. Campbell is a free agent. He has not yet retired, so playing season No. 19 seems possible if not likely. Whether it might be in Arizona is TBD.

"He's certainly earned that right and we enjoyed our year last year with him," Ossenfort said. "We'll see what that leads to down the road."

-- I don't know how the quarterback situation is going to play out. No, the pick of Carson Beck does not preclude taking a quarterback again in 2027. This is the franchise that spent two top 10 picks on QBs in back-to-back years in a quest to find their long-term guy, so no, that's not going to be an issue.

What does it mean for 2026? I would think at some point, maybe not until late in the season, we have a chance to see Beck play. But would I be surprised if Beck does not see the field this season? No. Both Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew II are scheduled to be free agents after this season; you need QBs on the depth chart again regardless of what the 2027 draft looks like.

Mostly though, nothing is going to be decided in April. Or May, or June or July. Let's get to training camp and see where things look, say, on Larry Fitzgerald's birthday (Aug. 31, so you don't have to Google.)

-- I get that the Beck pick was polarizing for the fanbase. The Love one was too, although not as drastic. As always, I am someone who wants to see what the class does for a couple of years before judging. Love can be a superstar. I like the Bisontis addition and I'd be surprised if he doesn't start from jump. I like everything about the Proctor pick, especially in the fourth round.

What that all means in 2026? We will see.

-- This weekend was the first Monti Ossenfort draft out of his four where he did not execute a trade. In the first three drafts, he traded down six times and traded up once -- which was for Paris Johnson Jr., and that was after trading down first.

-- In this new NIL/college players getting paid (officially) world, it was interesting to hear a couple of the experiences Cardinals draft picks talked about. Fourth-round defensive lineman Kaleb Proctor went into the transfer portal before his senior season and had a chance to leave to a bigger program than Southeastern Louisiana (for a lot more cash.) But he decided it was more important to stay and play with the guys with whom he was close and will eventually be in his wedding.

Then there was Jeremiyah Love. Jason Love, Jeremiyah's father, said his son stunned him with his choice to go to Notre Dame, because there were big programs offering a lot more to play there. I asked Jeremiyah about it on our Cover 2 podcast, and he too gave an answer that any team would love (pun intended) to hear.

"I don't want anything to be given to me, because then I don't feel like I deserve it," said Love, who was getting about $10,000 when he first got to Notre Dame. "I'm here because I put in the work."

"I didn't want to come into college with the mindset, 'I'm satisfied with getting this amount of money, I made it already. ... A young guy coming in making lots of money, shoot, that might offend some of the older guys, might offend some coaches. I wanted to earn my way, which is the way I think everybody should do it."

(So, Love has earned it, to the tune of a contract that is slotted to make about $53 million for four years -- and a fifth-year team option -- and about a $35M signing bonus. He has earned.)

-- Love said he still has to talk to equipment guys about his jersey number. His No. 4 from college is available, now that Greg Dortch moved on to the Lions. That's a possibility. Love's favorite player was Hall of Fame Barry Sanders, so that would be a thought, although fellow running back Bam Knight currently has the Sanders No. 20.

That's it for tonight. Draft No. 26 for me is in the books. Leonard Davis was the first pick I covered. Jayden Williams is, for now, the latest.