Cardinals Pass on Marvin Harrison Jr. in New Mock Draft

ARIZONA -- The Arizona Cardinals have numerous options available for them at No. 4 when the 2024 NFL Draft rolls around on April 25, though there's two consensus avenues general manager Monti Ossenfort will take:

Trade down - or stay + add Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison Jr. to their roster.

There's been hefty debate on what exactly the Cardinals should do when they're on the clock, though either climbing down the draft board or selling out Harrison jerseys are essentially the only options that exist.

The 33rd Team's recent mock draft throws a massive curveball to that line of thinking.

The first three picks are fairly standard by now. Caleb Williams finally becomes a Chicago Bear while the Washington Commanders (Jayden Daniels) and New England Patriots (Drake Maye) snag their passers of the future, too.

Rather than trade down or take the easy selection in Harrison, the Cardinals opt for the talents of Alabama edge rusher Dallas Turner:

"While Marvin Harrison Jr. or a trade is the chalk value at No. 4, there's always a draft-day shocker that happens. The Arizona Cardinals' roster is desperate for a defensive playmaker after passing on Will Anderson Jr. and Jalen Carter last year. Dallas Turner is raw in comparison, but he's a fantastic athlete who can develop into a star for Jonathan Gannon," wrote author Ian Valentino.

"Arizona can easily fill its need at receiver with a quality prospect later in the round, but the team can't find a potential No. 1 rusher outside of the top 10."

While it's true the Cardinals could fill need at receiver later (Arizona does have six picks in the first three rounds with an extra first-round pick at their disposal), the pick simply doesn't make sense for a handful of reasons.

It's arguable Arizona's top need is at receiver. The Cardinals saw Marquise Brown and Rondale Moore exit this offseason with no viable reinforcements brought in. Even with those names, Arizona was still favored to take a top wideout.

Harrison is argued as the best non-quarterback prospect in the draft, and his presence in the desert would be the rare case of filling a team's top need while also drafting the best player available.

The Los Angeles Chargers also pass on Harrison before the New York Giants nabbed him at No. 6.

The Cardinals do need help along the edge, as their 33 team sacks from a season ago simply isn't going to get the job done moving forward. Turner would be a fine addition - if Arizona trades down. The No. 4 pick would simply be too high of value for the Alabama outside linebacker, and if the Cardinals truly coveted Turner, they would copy/paste their efforts from last year when they traded down - then back up - for Paris Johnson Jr. in the top ten.

You can never rule anything out in the NFL - especially on draft night - but it truly feels like this specific scenario is a stretch.