New Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort deftly navigates draft board in first round

Eric Williams

NFC West Writer

Running a draft for the first time as the top personnel executive, Monti Ossenfort appeared in his element during the first round on Thursday.

As expected, the new general manager of the Arizona Cardinals dropped down from the No. 3 overall selection, trading with the Houston Texans to accumulate more picks. For the No. 3 and No. 105 picks, the Cardinals got Houston’s No. 12 overall selection and No. 33 pick in this year’s draft, along with the Texans’ first- and third-round selections in next year’s draft.

Then Ossenfort moved back up the draft board, giving the Detroit Lions the No. 12 and No. 34 picks to move up to No. 6 to select the player the Cardinals had targeted: Ohio State offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr.

“He’s a big man,” Ossenfort said about Johnson. “He’s played guard. He’s played left tackle. He’s played at a high level, blocked some really good people in the Big Ten. We’re just excited to add him as a person and as a football player.”

Johnson’s selection was a slam dunk for a franchise seeking stability. The 6-foot-6, 318-pound lineman played in 31 games overall and started 26 consecutive games for the Buckeyes. He’s the ninth offensive lineman selected by the Cardinals in the first round since 1970. (Incidentally, Johnson’s father, Paris Johnson Sr., was a fifth-round pick by the Cardinals in the 1999 draft.)

Johnson blocked for one of the best quarterbacks in college in C.J. Stroud. With quarterback Kyler Murray recovering from season-ending ACL knee surgery after constantly scrambling for his life last season, the addition of Johnson helps revamp an Arizona offensive line that gave up 46 sacks and used 10 different player combinations in 2022.

Johnson reportedly also was Murray’s choice. The two hit it off during Johnson’s pre-draft visit to Arizona.

“All I did was give a head nod, and he says, ‘Come here, let’s talk,'” Johnson said of his first meeting with Murray. “From that moment, I was like, ‘Whoa, this is real. I really have a chance [to be a Cardinal].’ He was like, ‘I’ve seen your tape, man, I saw your pro day, I saw you move, I saw you play. I’d love for you to be a Cardinal.'”

As for the status of star receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who has requested to be traded, Ossenfort said the expectation for now is that Hopkins will not be moved during the draft.

“I don’t foresee that happening,” Ossenfort told reporters regarding a trade. “I don’t know what is going to happen in the next couple days, but right now, I don’t foresee that happening.”

Ossenfort also addressed the issue of tampering. According to the league, Arizona and the Philadelphia Eagles agreed on a settlement concerning impermissible contact by the Cardinals during the team’s recent head-coaching search. The Cardinals self-reported that Ossenfort had a phone conversation with then-Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon in the days following the NFC Championship Game, a period during which contact is not allowed under the league’s Anti-Tampering Policy.

The Cardinals and Eagles swapped third-round picks in this year’s draft and Arizona received Philadelphia’s fifth-round selection in 2024 to resolve the issue.

“I made a mistake,” Ossenfort told reporters. “I own that.”

Ossenfort said he apologized to owner Michael Bidwell for the error.

The Cardinals have the second selection at the top of the second round on Friday. Arizona also has picks No. 81, 94 and 96 in the third round.

Players who could make sense for Arizona include Penn State cornerback Joey Porter Jr., Kansas State cornerback Julius Brents, Wisconsin center Joe Tippmann and Tennessee receiver Jalin Hyatt.

Around the NFC West

Seattle’s selection of Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon at No. 5 sent shockwaves around the league. Many expected the Seahawks to take defensive tackle Jalen Carter because defensive line seemed like an obvious need.

Instead, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said they took Witherspoon because of his electric talent and fit with the organization. Before Witherspoon, the highest Seattle had selected a cornerback since Carroll and general manager John Schneider took over in 2010 was Shaquill Griffin in the third round of the 2017 draft at No. 90 overall.

Illinois DB Devon Witherspoon Highlights

“We have not drafted corners high just because we haven’t come across a guy with his makeup,” Carroll said. “It’s really his athletic ability, it’s his speed, it’s his playmaking, and it’s his mentality. I haven’t come across a guy like this in a long time.

“The last time I recognized this kind of makeup was back at USC when we had a guy that you may know, Troy Polamalu. He was a guy that had an extraordinary way about the way he played the game. I saw this connection between Devon and what Devon does, how he looks at the game, and how he approaches it. It just knocked me out, so I am just really excited about this.”

At No. 20, the Seahawks grabbed another playmaker in Ohio State receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

“I really like him,” Carroll said. “He’s a guy that can play on the inside and in the slot right now. He has those kinds of skills, and he has shown us everything that we need to see.

“We will still use the flexibility because we love Tyler [Lockett] in there as well and DK [Metcalf] gets in, so we do move our guys. [Smith-Njigba] really has a chance to be a big factor right there.”

Seattle will look to add more impact players in Day 2, with two selections in the second round at No. 37 (from the Denver Broncos) and No. 52, and a third-round pick at No. 83.

And the draft finally commences for the other two teams in the NFC West. The Los Angeles Rams did not have a first-round selection for a seventh straight year but pick near the top of the second round at No. 36. Los Angeles also has third-round selections at No. 69 and 77. The defending NFC West champion San Francisco 49ers do not pick until the third round, with selections at No. 99, 101 and 102.

Both teams could use some help on defense and a playmaker on offense. Players who make sense include Georgia Tech defensive end Keion White, Missouri defensive end Isaiah McGuire, Iowa tight end Sam LaPorta and Mississippi receiver Jonathan Mingo.

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.

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