How good of a team were the Arizona Cardinals on paper last year? Sure, fans know what their final record ended up being, as they were only able to secure four wins over the 17-game season, but that doesn't tell the full story, as they were without Kyler Murray for half of the season, and the team struggled to find consistency as a result.

Well, in 2024, fans will hopefully get to find out, as while this squad is a bit different from the one that preceded it, with multiple household names exiting the team and a few more taking their place, the team was able to draft a few very interesting prospects with a ton of upside who could take things up a few notches and really set the groundwork for the Jonathan Gannon era in Arizona, including a pair of first-round picks with Pro Bowl potential.

These rookies could be players for the Arizona Cardinals in 2024.

Darius Robinson runs drills with local high schoolers at the Cardinals girls flag football clinic on June 1, 2024 in Tempe, Ariz.
Darius Robinson runs drills with local high schoolers at the Cardinals girls flag football clinic on June 1, 2024 in Tempe, Ariz.

2. Darius Robinson will push Zaven Collins on the edge

While the offensive side of the ball may have drawn a ton of negative attention from outside observers in 2023, the Cardinals' defensive woes may have been far more worrisome, especially when it comes to their (lack of a) pass rush.

With just one pass rusher, Dennis Gardeck, recording more than five sacks under new defensive brain trust Gannon and Nick Rallis, Arizona entered the offseason with a desperate desire to add depth on the defensive line, with a major need for a focal point of that side moving forward to tie everything together.

In Darius Robinson, the Cardinals appear to have found just that, and considering the players around him, it's safe to say he'll have a chance to push everyone, from L. J. Collier to converted linebacker Zaven Collins and even 2023 second-round pick BJ Ojulari for the team's top edge rusher spot.

Standing an imposing 6-foot-5, 285 pounds with long arms, big hands, and a ton of experience over his half-decade at Missouri, Robinson is a dominant performer who can rush the passer and set a physical edge in the run game, making him a natural option to play outside on early downs and even kick it inside for NASCAR packages if Gannon wants to take a page from his time in Philadelphia.

Will Robinson match his 8.5 sack total from 2023 as a pro? Maybe, maybe not, but with Robinson and Ojulari now in place, the bones are at least in place for a much-improved pass rush, which is more than fans could say last year.

1. Marvin Harrison Jr. will push Michael Wilson for WR1

In 2023, Michael Wilson was one of the true bright spots of an otherwise disappointing season for the Cardinals.

Standing 6-foot-2, 213 with a Stanford education and an NFL build, Wilson wasn't exactly thrown into the greatest situation in 2023, catching passes from Josh Dobbs and Clayton Tune for much of the year before finally getting the Kyler Murray experience a few days before Thanksgiving.

Though he didn't push Puka Nacua for the rookie receiving record or anything like that, finishing third on the team in receiving yards at 565 behind Trey McBride and Marquise Brown, Wilson proved that he could be a legit part of the team long-term, so much so that the Cards' front office was willing to move on from Hollywood Brown and Rondale Moore in order to make him more of a focal point of the offense.

And yet, in 2024, Wilson will almost certainly find himself as WR2 one more, as after only winning four games in 2023, Arizona was afforded the chance to add the best non-QB in the draft, and they chose Marvin Harrison Jr., a talent many consider one of the best prospects to come around at the position in a very long time.

Immediately slotting in as the Cardinals' top wide receiver, filling a role the team hasn't had since DeAndre Hopkins in 2022, Murray will surely be looking at number 18 from Ohio State as often as opposing defensive coordinators expect him to this fall, with the collegiate Buckeye's potential role being limited only by how creative Drew Petzing wants to be with his top player.

With Harrison, Wilson, and McBride now in place as the Cardinals' top-three receiving options in some order, with Zay Jones, Zach Pascal, Chris Moore, and sixth-round wide receiver Tejhaun Palmer duking it out for the WR3 spot, it's clear Arizona is pointed in the right direction. And the best part? Wilson appears very excited to be teammates with Harrison moving forward, which is excellent news from a vibes perspective.