This Cardinals Player ‘Has Never Really Lived Up to His First-Round Status,’ Says Rival Scout

It’s no surprise that much of the focus on the 2024 Arizona Cardinals will be around veteran quarterback Kyler Murray and his newest offensive weapon, rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. Murray made it back on the field midway through last season after recovering from a 2022 ACL injury; he hasn’t started every game in a season since 2020. Harrison Jr. was the fourth overall pick in this year’s NFL draft, and is expected to make an immediate impact.

However, it’s the defense that needs to make vast improvement if the Cardinals are to improve on last year’s 4-13 record. Arizona finished 31 ^st in the league in points allowed and 25 ^th in yards allowed.

One rival scout pins some of the blame on Cardinals linebacker Zaven Collins, the fourth-year linebacker out of Tulsa. “They didn’t pick up the fifth-year option for Zaven Collins,” said the scout. “He’s a decent player but has never really lived up to his first-round status.”

These anonymous comments were made as part of the exclusive Cardinals scouting report in the Athlon Sports 2024 Preview magazine , which is now available on newsstands.

“Linebacker could use a few upgrades,” said the scout, who did praise one area of the Cardinals’ defense. “Jalen Thompson stands up really well in a safety tandem headlined by Budda Baker,” he said. “No one runs to the football quite like Baker.”

As for Murray and the offense, the scout does expect improvement.

“Kyler Murray should be better this year after knocking off the rust,” he said. “He didn’t look like himself, but that was to be expected. With a full offseason, I predict he’ll be back to normal this year.”

As for Murray’s newest receiver, the scout thinks he will be a big plus for the offense. “Marvin Harrison Jr. is a game-changer,” he said. “Having a receiver that big and that good is going to make Murray’s job a lot easier.”

The scout also had praise for the Cardinals’ young general manager, noting that “Monti Ossenfort nailed the Paris Johnson Jr. pick” — alluding to the offensive tackle who was the general manager’s first-ever draft selection in 2023.

“Building a winner in Arizona isn’t going to be easy,” said the scout, “but Ossenfort is a good talent evaluator.”

Related: Arizona Cardinals 2024 NFL Season Preview: Kyler Murray Pointed in Right Direction

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