👋 GOOD MORNING

Happy Thursday! Hard to believe we are two weeks away from the NFL Draft, where the Cardinals will select 16th overall. I’ll get to all of that in just a moment, but first, I’m going to do something I don’t normally do, and give you a little sneak peek at tomorrow’s edition, because it’s about something near-and-dear to my heart: Skatin’ For Leighton.

If you’re not familiar with the event, no worries — that’s exactly why I’m highlighting it tomorrow, and will also have a corresponding article on the site in the coming days. However, I could still use your help!! I am hoping to get the word out to as many Valley residents as possible, so if you wouldn’t mind taking a moment to send this email to one of your friends and ask them to sign up for the PHNX Daily, that would be amazing!

If you are the lucky recipient of said forwarded email, you can ​sign up right here​! I appreciate your support, and welcome to the newsletter family! Thrilled to have you aboard.

On to the show!

Cards Mock Draft 3.0 – What Has Changed?

It’s time for my recurring check-in on the Cardinals‘ NFL Draft status, and with two weeks to go until the big day/weekend in Green Bay, it’s anyone’s guess as to what Arizona will do at 16th overall. Draft boards have been all over the place lately, ranging from help on the offensive line, or the more traditional needs on defense, such as the pass rush or D-line. Either way, I’m checking in with all of the latest mock drafts to highlight where the pundits’ latest view puts Arizona‘s biggest needs.

Preferences Shift Yet Again as Draft Closes In: I mean, it’s truly amazing to see how things have shifted so drastically since the end of the NFL season a few months ago. When I first started tracking this in late February, the overall consensus was that the Cardinals would focus on their pass rush / defensive line presence, but an active free agency period that brought in players like Josh Sweat and Dalvin Tomlinson changed that narrative.

Two weeks ago things were trending a little more to the offensive side of the ball, but honestly, I was STUNNED to see wide receivers added to the most recent mock drafts. Alas, Texas wide receive Matthew Golden seems to be a dark horse pick at 16 overall, and he certainly would compliment Marvin Harrison Jr. quite well — no argument there.

Here’s how the most recent mock drafts have shaken out:

• ​Fran Duffy, ALLCITY​ – DL Kenneth Grant, Michigan
• Mel Kiper, ESPN – WR Matthew Golden, Texas
• Chris Trapasso, CBS Sports – WR Matthew Golden, Texas
• Daniel Jeremiah, NFL.com – IOL Grey Zabel, North Dakota State
• Nate Davis, USA Today – OLB James Pearce Jr., Tennessee
• Gilberto Manzano, Sports Illustrated – CB Will Johnson, Michigan
• Andrew Erickson, FantasyPros – DT Mike Green, Marshall
• Vinnie Iyer, The Sporting News – LB Jihaad Campbell, Alabama
• Rob Rang, Fox Sports – CB Will Johnson, Michigan

My take: It’s just absolutely crazy how much this board has changed from the beginning, especially how it’s shifted away from the defensive side of the ball. Granted, I’m a big believer in taking the best available, however, the Cardinals are also in a tough spot picking in the middle of the pack. Oh, to be a fly on the wall of the scouting team that’s finalizing the draft board — you’ve got to wonder how that’s shaping up.

Personally, I’d shy away from taking a wideout in the first round for a second consecutive season, and the general consensus still seems to be potentially addressing one of the defensive positions, but stranger things have happened — only two weeks left to wait!

Take a deeper dive: Fran Duffy put together a list of 10 prospects that ​may be flying under the radar​ as the 2025 NFL Draft approaches.

Catching Up With Kyler

If you haven’t had the opportunity to catch our amazing PHNX Cardinals crew’s sit-down with the one and only Kyler Murray, there’s no better time than now! Join your favorite Cards personalities, Johnny Venerable and Bo Brack, as they caught up with Arizona‘s franchise QB on a number of items:

• Who he thinks will have a breakout year in 2025
• Who his favorite NFL Draft prospects are
• What came from his meeting with NFL hopeful Cam Skattebo

This is must see TV!

Musings From Around (and Sometimes Beyond) The Valley

D-Are-So-Backs: The Diamondbacks answered the bell in a big way yesterday, taking the rubber match from the Orioles with a 9-0 win at Chase Field. Brandon Pfaadt pitched a gem, scattering four hits while striking out three over six innings, while DH Josh Naylor notched three RBI while going 3-for-4 on the day. The D-backs improved to 7-6 on the season, and open a three-game set against the Brewers on Friday.

Star Struck: For anyone worried about the future of Arizona basketball after what felt like a massive exodus for the transfer portal, I think you can start to rest easy. 5-star shooting guard Brayden Burries formally committed to the Wildcats yesterday, marking the THIRD 5-star recruit in Tommy Lloyd‘s incoming 2025 class. Burries will join forward Koa Peat and small forward Dwayne Aristode in Tucson next season to kick off what could be a very memorable season.

Setting the Standard: Congrats to redshirt-junior Ava Kirunchyk and sophomore Ava Williamson, who were named this week’s Big 12 Pair of the Week. The award marks the third of the season for the No. 12 Sun Devils, and is also the most weekly awards in a single season in ASU history. Kirunchyk and Williamson have not lost since they were paired together on March 26.

Suns Down: The Phoenix Suns are officially out of play-in contention, not that it’s any surprise. Yesterday’s 125-112 loss to the Oklahoma City sealed their fate, and they now have just two games left before the beginning of what will assuredly be a very long offseason. Read more from Gerald on ​what this means for the team​ moving forward.

🧢 Tip of the Hat

So many options, so little time….