The first round of the 2024 NFL first is only three days away, and teams are inevitably bombarded with inquiries about their plans for their first pick. However, the Arizona Cardinals, in particular, are keeping their plans for their top-five first-round pick under wraps.
Arizona has the fourth overall pick in the draft. And, with three clubs potentially in need of a quarterback ahead of them, the Cardinals could select any non-quarterback they want in the draft.
Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort and head coach Jonathan Gannon recently took questions from the media about the team’s draft plan. For the most part, neither was very keen to reveal their future plans.
The two were specifically asked how many players were on their draft board and how many were rated by the team as first-round pick-worthy prospects.
Ossenfort gave a non-answer, largely avoiding the subject.
“We don’t always talk in the first round. It’s not a language that we use. We discuss roles and where they fit inside our team. The amount of guys on our board is a shifting aim. We have guys up there. However, I believe we are more interested in a certain number. I would not say it is a large quantity. These individuals must check a lot of boxes in order to be considered for inclusion in our program. So it’s impossible for me to give you a number for that.”
When you look at what Ossenfort said above, there are a lot of filler phrases, such defining the team’s draft board as a “moving target”.
Jonathan Gannon even joked about it shortly after Ossenfort finished speaking, claiming that there was “zero chance” that the reporter who posed the question would receive a genuine response.
Reporter: "How many players are on your board?"
Cardinals GM: Talks for 40 seconds but says absolutely nothing.
Jonathan Gannon: "Zero chance you were getting that answer." 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/SlJ523eYSi
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) April 22, 2024
On the one hand, Ossenfort’s decision to keep the team’s plans hidden from the media is understandable. Especially since the team could be in the running to move down in the draft with their first pick.
However, what is the harm in telling the reporter how many players the team is looking at? He wasn’t asked to name specific athletes he was interested in.
Regardless, the Cardinals plainly do not want too many details about their plans leaked. So it will be intriguing to see what Ossenfort and colleagues do on Thursday night with their two first-round picks.
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