Arizona Cardinals land nation's top pass rusher in new mock draft
The Arizona Cardinals will make their first selection in the 2025 NFL draft in a month. Who will that player be?
In a new mock draft from PFF, they take the nation's top pass rusher statistically with the 16th pick in the draft.
They land Marshall edge defender Mike Green, who led the nation with 17 sacks in 2024.
Green has only two years of starting experience and not the best competition to measure NFL talent over the past two years. However, he absolutely dominated the way you'd want a future NFL player to with elite pass-rush and run-defense grades in addition to high-90th-percentile numbers in win rate and run stops. He has top-50 all-around ability and projects as a starting-caliber outside linebacker in a 3-4 front.
Taking a pass rusher with the 16th pick is something fans would love to see. Green looks the part, he has the requisite athleticism and he had the production.
However, if we look at the draft patterns of general manager Monti Ossenfort, this pick might be a bit of a surprise. He has taken players from the Big Ten and SEC with five picks in the first two rounds of the draft over two years.
He appears to value premium positions from big programs. Green plays a premium position but doesn't come from a big program.
If he is on the board at No. 16, will Ossenfort pull the trigger and make Greem the guy?
It would start a new trend to consider for future drafts.
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: NFL mock draft: Arizona Cardinals land nation's top pass rusher
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