Ty Simpson to Arizona? Plus the Cardinals’ Top Target at Pick No. 3

How has free agency changed how the Arizona Cardinals may approach the 2026 NFL draft and is it

smarter to find their next franchise quarterback in 2026 or wait until 2027 to answer those questions

are all steady draft analysts. It's Fran Duffy. Join us here on PHNX Cardinals. Make sure you

subscribe to PHNX Sports here on YouTube. Drop a like and Fran it's been a little bit of a lack

luster free agent class for the Cardinals but do you see anything like dramatically changing

their approach come the 2026 draft. Not really you know it was one of the one of the topics I

covered this week on the all NFL draft newsletter was just sorry what were the biggest moves this

week around the NFL that we're going to change the outlook of this of this draft and of the first

round and you know it was the move that the Cardinals didn't make necessarily that I did that

did make the cut and it was at the quarterback position you know bringing Gardner Menshu obviously

you know there was a lot of smoke with with with Malik Willis and you know some of these other names

but with it being Gardner Menshu has been feeling a certain kind of way about what's the plan might

be a quarterback. It seems like they're going to go with a pair of QB2s like good backups quality

backups both Preset and Gardner Menshu as far as you know inspiring hope for a fan base with a

roster that's in a decent spot not great but decent spot heading into the season it's just kind

of puzzling but you know do they play the waiting game is it a longer play or do they maybe address

the quarterback position come the in April. Yeah I mean there there's been like a lot of buzz like

from a media standpoint that this was the Thai Simpson team and this was pre-free agency and

that might be that some of the insiders may have gotten wind that yeah like they're not going to

get Malik Willis and it's going to end up being a Gardner Menshu type of signing here for Montiasan

Ford and Matt LaFour and I think when you're looking at the way that the Cardinals have now approached

this yeah like it does set up for them whether it's waiting until the second round or trying to move

back up into the end of the first round to go and get Thai Simpson. Now there's a couple of

different ways you look at it all right well do they do they really if to me if you trade up into

the first round and you you pay a price to do that then yeah you're probably hitching your wagon

to Thai Simpson and if you've got belief that he's that guy that's fine if you go the route that

a couple of teams that last year did where you know the Giants they moved back they moved up into

the first round for Jackson Dart but they didn't pay a huge huge price where okay if things don't

work if they if he looks really really bad here this year then they then they would have been in

a position to try and address that position here uh this offseason or you can do what Tyler

with the Saints did with Tyler Shock where you wait you wait you stay poised he falls to you select him

and if he works out that's great if he doesn't then you move on uh we'll love us in Tennessee

which obviously uh you know Monte As for there's a little a little cross over there uh you take that

guy in the second round if he works out that's great then we don't have to address it moving forward

but uh if not then we we have the ability it's not it's not a complete sunk cost to say like okay

we're gonna go and find our franchise quarterback so um it really comes down to the evaluation of

Simpson uh and if they think that he's that guy or do you want to wait until 2027 where the crop

the landscape does look pretty favorable yeah it's it's like you're you're gonna pit

high Simpson versus that upcoming class and is is he gonna be worth the investment I mean

the Jags GM coming out the other day just saying like most GMs are playing wait and see because

they're anticipating the 2027 class and like why would you want to part ways with any capital

from that yeah from that draft like because you want to be a setup for success there

Cardinals could be the only team like they could be the one like car heading into catastrophe where

everybody else is exiting I mean does that play in their favor I mean we look at the Jets at 16

potentially you look at the Browns with their second pick in the 20s like how high would they

potentially have to get back into the first or did they play that waiting game and maybe he falls

into a favorable situation yeah so many factors at play here right so if it really it comes

down to how hot is Montiasan for it's seat like how how hot is he feeling like it does he feel

that sense of urgency that I need to get a quarterback and I need to get him down right so if

that's the case then that up the ante a little bit for him with wanting to go make that move you

talk about the landscape with a lot of teams saying that go well we want to hold on to those assets

if that's the case then that would work in a team that wants to move up that works in their favor

because there's not a huge market for those picks you might be able to move up for you know

pennies on the dollar to to try and make that move up and so it might not cause what typically

in a typical year might cost you a first-round pick and or a you know a second-rounder and a

future two well maybe it's a it's a future three or a future four to move up the same distance

in this draft so I think that there are there are several ways they can look at it and it will

be up to Montias for and by the way and also the pro scouting department for the cardinals of

understanding team needs what's going on around the league will is Cleveland are they going to try

and jump into Thai Simpson it's Pittsburgh going to jump into Thai Simpson or one of these other teams

that are picking the back end of the first round will the jets they take Thai Simpson it does not

feel that way but it will be up to them to to make sure that they are sleuths here and understand

what the team needs are across the rest of the NFL we'll get into obviously the third overall pick

last thing on on Thai Simpson and you can find your evaluation right now go phnex.com 2026 NFL

draft guide but I mean where do you stand as far as Simpson I mean this was a guy that was

poised to be maybe the top quarterback in this draft in mid-October and then his play kind of

fell off for Bama but he does make his way to this year's class I mean what would the cardinals

fans expect if he were to make his way onto this roster how far away is he yeah I mean there's a lot

to like from the first half of the season on tape you know I remember going back and watching him

it was uh I want to say late October early November uh I was really intrigued by what I saw from

Thai Simpson now there were some things they kind of gave me a little bit of pause uh the accuracy

in ball placement particularly in throws like outside of we'll say like 15 20 yards uh really kind

of started to dip a little bit and what you saw was that became more of an issue as the season went

on and also ball security like turning the ball over fumbles interceptions things of that nature

then he gets hurt down the stretch so I was under the impression that he was going to just

go to go back and so I was a little bit surprised that he ended up entering this draft uh now at the

end of the day my my comp on him stayed the same I do think that there's a lot that I saw from him in

college that was reminiscent of Brock Purdy when Brock Purdy was at Iowa State and coming into the NFL

now Brock Purdy was Mr. Arrelevant Thai Simpson is going to go you know we'll say the top 50 uh in

this draft in a in a weaker class and so I think at the end of the day when I'm looking at Thai Simpson

yes there's there's a lot to like but in this system where I think that there's something

you can massage there and you say okay if we've got these vets with them that can kind of bring

them along and I can do a lot of those that work now we don't have to throw them into the fire right

away you could sell me on that plan if you believe in Thai Simpson the player let's talk about the

third overall pick now there's been some moves but nothing that would say or telegraph that the

Cardinals have really kind of solidified any of those premium positions that you would identify

there from like a pass rush standpoint to a tackle standpoint the adigard Isaac Seymalo also you

add Elijah Wilkinson who played right tackle I don't know what level you want to say he played at

he's he's probably like a replacement level type tackle and then Matt Pryor coming over from Philly

obviously he's more of like a Swiss Army knife backup guy probably vying for a roster spot I

mean how do you see it as far as the Cardinals and who they might target those are of all now that

the new league here has begun and free agents have signed yeah to me the the lone starter like

surefire starter there is obviously Seymalo who's been just a solid solid player really since you

know I want to say we'll say like 2018 27 times yeah it would have been 2018 season so he he was a

third-round pick of the Eagles back in 2016 watched every snap of his career up through 2022 I mean

he's just been watching his arc it comes from a football family he's got siblings that are coaches

and scouts you know and you know this I know his like father and uncle so everybody involved with

the sport he's been around the sport his whole life and just just a good guy to cover as well

just rock solid across the board is he going to make you know the Pro Bowl for the for the Cardinals

next year probably not I think he's made it to one Pro Bowl in his career maybe two but I think when

you're looking at Seymalo could do a little bit of everything really really well and he's also

got position versatility at college but then also he could play go I could play both guard spots can

play center if you absolutely need to do there was a point when he was drafted in 2016 that they

thought he was going to be the heir apparent to Jason Kelsey and so that's kind of like the versatility

you're looking at there with Seymalo it's been mostly a guard but yeah to me when I look at Matt

prior he's probably your ideal like eighth or ninth offensive lineman better as a guard than as

a tackle he has struggled in recent years when's it went forced into duty at tackle but he's a big

body he's got great length he he's cake and hold his own at the point at the point of attack he's

just not like he's going to have some athletic limitations certainly in past protection at offensive

tackle and then Wilkinson it's a little bit kind of the opposite where his issues have been like

play strength and like technique focus whereas he's a little bit more fleet of foot compared to prior

but if you want to tell me that he's like a replacement level swing tackle you could probably get

me there with Wilkinson but yeah I think in an ideal world you probably want him as like your

third or fourth tackle and not as a starter yeah so does that point to the Cardinals being in the

Maui Noah business at third overall or do you think maybe they go on the other side of the

football with these talented defensive players yeah my my gut tells me that it's an offensive lineman

yeah I think you're looking at Maui Noah I think you're looking at Spencer Fano potentially

and I kind of lean Maui Noah but that's that's where my gut is right now you tell me where where

where's your head I mean Maui Noah but the fan base there's maybe some hesitation just based on

you know maximizing the value of third overall but we've had these conversations before you know

is is he a is he is is he starting caliber tackle in this league is he a two contract guy then

that'll ease the pain of maybe overdrafting him a third overall instead of maybe where he would be

likely picked if they pass on I mean like later in the top 10 or I just outside the top 10 looking

in so I mean that's where my headspace is with that you know I think David Bailey I think just

taking a pass rusher I could I could absolutely talk myself into that I mean those are the two

prospects that I'm kind of going hover around just because the other ones you know they bring an

algebra they've got four running backs at room like Johnny's fever dream or pipe dream of Jeremiah

love I think that's all you know dead and gone and then you've got you know our Val Reese where I

think he's still very much in the conversation but the debates and the conversations that you and I

have had or as him being an off-ball linebacker to start with pass rush upside you'd have to wait

for that to develop so why not go with maybe the guys that are kind of the ones that have play those

premium positions already out of the out of the gates to me like one of the big themes and it's

just kind of cementing the way we have talked about this for the last few years when you look

around the way the teams have thrown money around so on the pro market at these premium positions

at offensive tackle at wide receiver at pass rusher those numbers are gigantic for solid players

like if you can walk and chew gum and play receiver you're gonna get 17 million a year right and

I look at the contracts that you know you look at Dan Moore last year was it average at best left

tackle right got paid just under 21 million dollars like that's more than Greg Russo one of the

best pass rushers of football much less like only one linebacker Fred Warner is the only linebacker

he gets more than that only two safes have to get more than that right so if you're gonna take a

guy that high if you're gonna take Jeremiah love a three overall if you're gonna take Caleb

downs a three overall if you're gonna take sunny styles a three overall the needle is so thin that

you have to thread like you have to be right that he it's not just like oh yeah he's a good player

or he's a great player he's got to be the best player in the league to match that draft slot

whereas if you take Francis Maui Noah if he's a solid player and you you don't want just solid

number three overall but if he's just a solid player then that's a that's a fine use of the resource

especially in this class if he's a two contract player and maybe makes it to two probals in eight

years or a nine years that's a fine use of the third overall pick in this class because all those

other ones I'd like to just read see there are risky proposition you get into like the arc

about Reese's the world it's a risky read or it's in a lower position value and so then now it's

again the margin for error is razor thin you think there's a bit of a misconception or it could be

like team by team or GM by GM basis but when people say well there's not a whole lot of talent in

this draft why don't you just go BPA but I would argue that it's more BPA at premium positions

more so than just straight up take the best player available yeah it's it's funny because

they people will say like be oh it's best player available and we talk about position value

as if it's just like this black and white thing like oh like all receivers are better than

all tight ends all corners are like you know would you rather have Tremac bride or would you rather

have uh you know p.j.o.j.a right right like right you'd rather have Tremac bride

the evaluation of the player does matter in these instances but again like when you are

when you have a pick that high it really like you've got to be right on the evaluation on the

non-premium position just because of that margin for error or so thin well if you had the pick right

now where we stand as far as the cardinals third overall are you with me on Maui Noah for the moment

yeah I think so that's kind of where I'm at right now there's some familiarity in the building

uh with what he brings but I think when you look at uh just the the the projection for him compared

to like Fano what I really like Fano as well yeah if you're saying at offensive tackle like I feel

best about Maui Noah sticking a tackle being a starter Caleb Proctor I really love the ceiling

feel best about Maui Noah compared to Proctor Monroe Freeling from Georgia he's a pure left

tackle yeah he's still very green like I think Maui Noah is the one I feel best about at that spot

yeah you know I was looking at it and there's been a conversation uh dating back to hanging in

Indy um you know about Fano versus Maui Noah and you know what Michael floor could deploy as far

as his run scheme we talked to Tyler Alger earlier this week and all signs continue to point to

similar things that you know Zach Robinson from McVeigh Street did in Atlanta and of course what

they did so often in Los Angeles and you know a lot of you know outside zone stuff stuff that

Alger was successful and does that change like who you look at from the tackle standpoint or just

offensive line in general yeah I think that Fano would be a great fit in that kind of a system if

it's going to be a lot of like outside zone a lot of stretch stuff that I think that he's a great fit

there but I think Maui Noah is just fine I'd be a little bit more concerned if he were proctor but

again I don't think we're talking my proctor at three overall at this stage if you were talking

six to eight months ago I think we would have been talking about him in that area but uh between

those two Fano is probably a slightly better fit uh for like the stretch zone stuff but Maui Noah

I think it's just fine you're not like out of school by putting them in that system.

Unbelievable insight you can get even more of that 100 fold in the draft guide right now go

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basically leading up to the 2027 draft unbelievable value and unbelievable insight from

our guy friend Effie thanks fran. Appreciate it Maui talk soon. Hit that like button subscribe

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