In 2023, a focused Monti Ossenfort walked around the Cardinals draft room, phone in hand, and orchestrated a trade that netted the selection of Paris Johnson Jr. to be the franchise's future left tackle.
The Texans selected edge rusher Will Anderson with the acquired pick.
It's appropriate that a week before the 2026 NFL Draft, Anderson inked a deal to become the highest-paid non-quarterback, while the Cardinals picked up Johnson's fifth-year option with a contract extension imminent.
The trade -- and the latest contract transactions -- underscore how teams build their trenches through the draft. Fourteen of the 26 highest-paid players in the NFL are quarterbacks, while eight of the 26 are the pass rushers going after them. Besides Micah Parsons and Danielle Hunter, the other outside linebackers/defensive ends have only played for the teams they were drafted by.
The idea puts the Cardinals in an interesting position heading into Thursday night's NFL Draft. Sitting at No. 3, the Cardinals are in prime position to select either outside linebacker David Bailey or linebacker Arvell Reese. Bailey is a more polished pass rusher. During his time at Texas Tech, Bailey led the FBS with 14.5 sacks and a 21.3 percent pressure rate.
On some expert's big boards, Reese is ranked higher than any other prospect. His athleticism pops off the charts and his potential as a pass rusher is what's most intriguing. According to Pro Football Focus, during Reese's time in Columbus, he had 138 snaps as a pass rusher, which is over a thousand below Rueben Bain Jr.'s 1,149 snaps.
"That is a challenging aspect," Ossenfort said. "That is not always a clean evaluation. I think when you're talking about a big school guy versus a small school guy that jump in competition is probably a little cleaner to see from a guy coming from a big school. In terms of position, I think you really just have to look at, 'Hey, what was this player asked to do?'
"Evaluate the skillset for how it transitions to what we're going to ask him to do and ultimately -- back to that projection component -- that makes college scouting a bit of an art that we have to project how this guy's going to be. That's a challenge."
When the draft process began, Bain was frequently linked to the Cardinals with the third pick. However, his stock began to dip after his arms were measured at a below average length of 30 7/8-inches. If taken on Thursday, Bain would have the shortest arms of an edge rusher taken in the first round in the last 20 drafts.
"I think a lot gets made of that this time of year," Ossenfort said. "I think ultimately it always goes back to the tape. Certainly, we look at those things and we do comparisons. We look at (how) this player has a similar type of length and players at this position. But there's always exceptions."
Offensive tackles Spencer Fano and Francis Mauigoa are viable options for the Cardinals, although it seems more likely if the team trades out of No. 3. Either would slide into the right tackle role, although some experts believe their frames are better suited at guard.
The Cardinals brought in Elijah Wilkinson during free agency after he started every game at right tackle in Atlanta. They also signed left guard Isaac Seumalo. Yet since taking over as GM, Ossenfort has drafted five offensive linemen.
Not every team is going to be like the Eagles, whose entire starting offensive line of players they drafted. The Rams, where coach Mike LaFleur last worked, drafted three of their five starting offensive linemen. According to Sharp Football Analysis, the Rams led the NFL with two yards before contact per running back rush and were ranked fourth in pressure rate allowed.
Ultimately, it's clear some of the NFL's best teams have built their offensive and defensive lines through the draft. The Cardinals, with Johnson, Darius Robinson and Walter Nolen III, know this.
On Thursday, they have the opportunity to again follow the trend.
"Every decision affects every decision moving forward," Ossenfort said. "Our goal is to put as competitive as a team as we can to go into '26 and go 1-0 every week. That's what we're trying to do with the realization that every decision that we make affects subsequent years as well."
