The NFL is a copycat league, and the Eagles are reigning Super Bowl champions. Their blueprint looms large over the NFL, from tush pushes to trench warfare. And after the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, their DNA is clearly coursing through the Arizona Cardinals.
With the selection of Mississippi’s Walter Nolen, the Cardinals continued their massive renovation of their defensive line. They’ve added edge rusher Josh Sweat and tackle Dalvin Tomlinson. They expect much more from Darius Robinson, who played only 184 snaps as rookie in 2024. They re-signed Baron Browning and brought back fan favorite Calais Campbell, the perfect mentor and voice of wisdom for all the young guys in the room.
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Cardinals take Ole Miss DT Walter Nolen with No. 16 pick in 2025 NFL Draft
Maybe a mauling guard like Alabama’s Tyler Booker was the preference entering the draft, another asset to help build a fortress around quarterback Kyler Murray. But the selection of Nolen gives the Cardinals incredible depth and great rotational options. The defensive line was once a serious weakness, especially on the interior. On paper, that is no longer the case.
Other notable things occurred in Round 1: Cam Ward was selected No. 1 overall, a quarterback whom the Cardinals will face in 2025. The Jaguars moved up and went in hard for Travis Hunter, a transcendent talent looking to play offense and defense on a full-time basis, a frontier never crossed in the modern NFL. The Cardinals also play Jacksonville next season, a game where Hunter might be covering Marvin Harrison Jr. Get your popcorn ready.
Also, Shedeur Sanders was snubbed by the Steelers and tumbled out of the first round. The second quarterback selected (Jaxson Dart) wasn’t taken until the 25th pick. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell rode in on a bicycle and former Packers great Clay Matthews told the huge crowd he had a message from the President claiming that “the Bears still suck.”
The night was further proof of the NFL’s gravitational pull. The league knows how to sell. It knows how to draw a crowd. It knows how to make great television. Its grip on America has never been stronger.
Even with a significant lack of star power, over 12 million viewers were expected to watch the opening round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Over 250,000 people are expected to attend the three-day event in the mecca of Green Bay, a city defined by football, a city where the local residents actually own the team, where the population barely exceeds 100,000.
But the key to the draft is its inclusivity. It feeds everyone. It spreads hope and the promise of future success. It’s the only day on the NFL calendar when all 32 teams feel like winners. And we’re no different.
The Cardinals haven’t won a playoff game since 2015. They’ve lost 35 games in the past three seasons. But there is great civic confidence in head coach Jonathan Gannon and general manager Monti Ossenfort. And after a strong showing in free agency, the NFL Draft is shaping up to be whipped cream, the final touch on a promising offseason.
Come Sunday morning, the heavy lifting will be done, and most Cardinals fans will feel excited, inspired and primed for a playoff run. The way it should be.
Reach Bickley at [email protected]. Listen to Bickley & Marotta weekdays from 6 a.m. – 10 a.m. on Arizona Sports 98.7.
Follow @danbickley
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