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NFL Draft: What if Arizona Cardinals don't land Marvin Harrison Jr.?

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NFL Draft: What if Arizona Cardinals don't land Marvin Harrison Jr.?


Everything lines up pretty well when it comes down to the Arizona Cardinals and Marvin Harrison Jr. joining forces at the 2024 NFL Draft this April.

The franchise, which holds the No. 4 overall pick, is in search of its next cornerstone and from every indication, Harrison could be just that for Arizona.

It almost seems too good to be true.

While most analysts see Harrison in the desert, anything can happen come draft night, including the wideout heading somewhere not named Arizona when the first round is all said and done.

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But just because Harrison could potentially be off the board when the Cardinals are on the clock doesn’t mean Arizona can’t walk away with an impact player (or more).

A look at some of the non-Harrison avenues Arizona could traverse this April:

The Arizona Cardinals trade the fourth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft

For the Harrison-or-bust line of thinkers, this option probably best suits you.

And honestly, it really comes down to what the Chicago Bears do with the first overall pick.

Despite 2021 first-round pick and quarterback Justin Fields currently on the roster, there’s a good chance the Bears reset at signal caller with USC’s Caleb Williams or North Carolina’s Drake Maye. It would also mean a reset in terms of paying a quarterback on a rookie contract as opposed to having to hand Fields a contract extension not that long down the road.

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Chicago going quarterback would mean Harrison is one step closer to becoming a Cardinal, with both the Washington Commanders and New England Patriots in desperate need of signal callers.

But if Bears head coach Matt Eberflus, new offensive coordinator Shane Waldron and Fields believe they can make it work in the Windy City, that could spell the end of the Harrison sweepstakes for the Cardinals.

What better way to build confidence with Fields than by giving him a 6-foot-4 ball magnet?

If that scenario plays out — there’s obviously still a way for the first three picks to be QB-QB-QB if Chicago decides to trade the first overall pick (again) to a team in need of a signal caller — than all eyes turn to the handful of teams looking to move up to land their franchise quarterback.

They include the Atlanta Falcons (No. 8), Minnesota Vikings (No. 11), Las Vegas Raiders (No. 13) and Denver Broncos (No. 12).

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Much like we saw last year, moving down into that range off a top 5 pick would likely ensure not only a first-round swap and more in 2024, but an additional first-rounder in 2025 with potential for extra picks.

It all comes down to how general manager Monti Ossenfort cooks if given this scenario.

The Cardinals still find their next No. 1 wide receiver at No. 4 overall

Missing out on Harrison might sting, but the potential consolation prize at wide receiver shouldn’t be anything to scoff at.

After Harrison, LSU’s Malik Nabers and Washington’s Rome Odunze are the next best options at wideout for the Cardinals if they decide to go that route at No. 4 overall.

Standing over 6-foot — Odunze (6-foot-3) holds a slight height advantage over Nabers (6-foot-1) — either one of the wide receivers would give quarterback Kyler Murray another big target in a pass-catching group that is currently headlined by Michael Wilson, Trey McBride and Rondale Moore with Hollywood Brown an unrestricted free agent and Greg Dortch an exclusive rights free agent.

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Both Nabers and Odunze posted big years in 2023.

Across 13 games, Nabers averaged 17.6 yards per catch on his way to 1,569 yards and 14 touchdowns on 89 receptions.

NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein’s NFL comparison for Nabers is Minnesota Vikings WR Justin Jefferson.

Zierlein writes:

He’s a bouncy leaper with the athletic ability to make the impossible catches possible. He tucks away accurate throws and displays the toughness and play strength to fight for tight-window victories over the middle. Nabers will need to address his tendency to track and play deep throws with finesse, or his early advantages will turn into 50/50 battles.

Odunze meanwhile was a big part in Washington’s national championship run, reeling in 92 balls for 1,640 yards and 13 scores. He added another touchdown and 37 yards on two carries on top of averaging 17.8 yards per catch.

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When it comes down to Zierlein’s NFL comparison of Odunze, Cardinals great Larry Fitzgerald comes to mind.

A team captain with good size and elite ball skills, Odunze consistently dominated his competition. … He shines in all aspects of ball skills, including positioning, body control, hand strength, timing and mid-air adjustments. He has a tendency to cruise through routes rather than working with attention to detail and pacing. He was a decorated high school sprinter, so speed should not be an issue in the pros. … Elite ball skills are often the secret sauce for top NFL receivers, so it should not surprise if Odunze is a Day 1 starter who becomes a top-flight WR1.

The Cardinals bookend the future with an offensive tackle in the first round

You know where else the Cardinals could potentially strike gold? At offensive tackle.

With veteran starting left tackle D.J. Humphries likely out for the majority of the regular season — there’s also the potential the team moves on from the lineman altogether in a cap-saving move — adding more talent to the position could go a long way both now and in the future.

As it stands, Paris Johnson Jr. figures to be the lead candidate to slide over to left tackle, with veteran Kelvin Beachum expected to take over on the right side.

Johnson is expected to be a Cardinals cornerstone for years to come, especially after playing every snap as a rookie. Beachum, however, is nearing the end of his career and is entering Year 13. Arizona would be wise to find its next bookend of the future.

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Luckily for the Cardinals, it seems like tackles are growing on trees this NFL Draft, though there’s still two names consisntely projected above the rest in Notre Dame’s Joe Alt and Penn State’s Olumuyiwa Fashanu.

ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper writes:

At 6-foot-6, 319 pounds, Fashanu has the physical traits and footwork of an elite lineman. He could have been a first-rounder in last year’s draft if he had entered. He allowed one sack in 21 career starts for the Nittany Lions. He still hasn’t come close to reaching his ceiling.

Alt on the other hand was Kiper’s “definition of a stalwart on the left side of Notre Dame’s line, where he started 33 games. He gave up just two sacks over the past two seasons.”

Added protection up front is never a bad thing.

The Cardinals find their next pass rusher with their top 5 pick

You know what else the Cardinals could use more of next season? A more consistent pass rush.

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One way to do that is by adding a talent like Alabama’s Dallas Turner to the fold.

Turner is coming off 10 sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss across 14 games played in 2023.

Zierlein believes Turner has the traits required to be an impactful NFL pass rusher.

Turner’s first-step quickness and elite closing burst are important building blocks, but he still needs to work on his process from Point A to Point B. He hasn’t learned to create the space and angles needed to consistently attack the edges, but that should come with better hand development and a more diversified approach. A team would be wise to widen him out and allow him a better runway to ignite his burst and overwhelm tackles with his speed.

Arizona’s pass rush, which ranked 30th in sacks last season, was led by Dennis Gardeck and his six sacks in 2023. Victor Dimukeje and BJ Ojulari weren’t far behind with four sacks apiece. In his first season moving to full-time OLB, Zaven Collins chipped in 3.5.

Help is needed at the position and Turner at the very least would give Arizona another option to plug into the rotation, though some could consider Turner at fourth overall a bit of a reach.

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“Not in my opinion (is there a pass-rushing prospect worthy of the No. 4 pick). If you’re going to make an argument for anyone, it’s Turner, because the traits and the tools,” Miller told Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke earlier this month.

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Arizona

Arizona tackling heat mitigation, could their efforts translate to Nevada

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Arizona tackling heat mitigation, could their efforts translate to Nevada


Reno and Las Vegas are the two fastest-warming cities in the entire country.

Tonight we take a look at what neighboring Arizona is doing to address similar heat challenges, and whether those steps can work in Nevada.

Las Vegas has several areas called urban heat islands, which are hotter than the surrounding areas because of less vegetation, such as trees, and more concrete development.

Residents in East Las Vegas, one of the areas considered an urban heat island, say they’re not surprised that temperatures continue to rise, especially in their part of town.

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“Definitely, when you go more to outskirts, there’s definitely more shade, more trees everywhere, but more in the center of town it’s very much less,” said Anthony Flores.

He believes there could be more relief from the heat.

“More water accessibility, more shade overall,” said Flores, whose line of work causes him to be outside every day. “I usually drink over two gallons of water a day just to keep not getting heat stroke.”

Charlie Ponce agrees with him.

“Definitely more trees that are useful, not like palm trees or anything like that. Parks that have like the water parks in them,” said Ponce. “Yeah, splash pads.”

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Valley cities and Clark County have implemented steps like having cooling stations and tree-planting campaigns to help address heat challenges.

Phoenix and other parts of Arizona are also experiencing extreme heat every summer, as well as drought issues.

UNLV Public Policy Professor Dr. Ben Leffel says there are steps in the neighboring state that can be useful here in Nevada, where temperatures historically continue to be on the rise.

“For example, Phoenix has an ordinance that says that tenants must have rooms that are coolable to at least 86 degrees Fahrenheit,” said Dr. Leffel. “And that’s then also that first responders are equipped with chilled IV therapy and cold water immersion and things like that.”

News 3 spoke with heat mitigation and management experts in Arizona to see what they believe has been working for them.

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One thing they mentioned was that Arizona has the first state-level chief heat officer.

“We have much better and much more accurate numbers now about who’s actually getting sick and who’s dying from heat-related deaths, and what the causes and kind of contributing factors are. So, if you don’t track something, you can’t understand what’s going on with it,” said Dr. Ladd Keith, Heat Resilience Initiative Director at the University of Arizona.

Ponce thinks it would help in Las Vegas.

“Like, let them know to tell the public like, hey, in these areas it’s getting out of hand, and this is what we can do as a community, or just have someone like regulated or watch over it,” she said.

And the city of Phoenix also has an entire heat office, something that can be beneficial on a local level, like being able to coordinate between different groups like homeless outreach, the hospitals, etcetera.

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“Statewide coordination of cooling centers, lessons learned that are shared across different working groups, and so just a lot of cooperation that really creates a lot of efficiency too, and so I think that’s an important thing to note, is there is a cost to this, but the efforts are saving lives, and I think it’s making government more efficient,” said Keith.

Amy Scoville-Weaver, the Healthy Cities Program Director in Arizona for The Nature Conservancy, says the Phoenix Metro has done well with increasing vegetation, including in areas where there’s drought.

“So we’re looking at supporting and planting hardy trees, drought-tolerant trees, trees that are already designed, designed to live and thrive in water-scarce environments,” said Scoville-Weaver.

She says they also look at improving infrastructure to support it.

“So when it does rain, the water doesn’t just go down asphalt, get polluted, and go through a storm drain; rather, that water is being diverted to vegetation that needs it,” said Scoville-Weaver.

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Leffel says another thing to keep in mind is heat safety can also come from indoor policies.

“For example, Phoenix has an ordinance that says that tenants must have rooms that are coolable to at least 86 degrees Fahrenheit,” he said.

A new Nevada law that went into effect last week requires larger jurisdictions to come up with heat mitigation plans.



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Arizona Cardinals’ Jordan Burch takes lessons from rookie year

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Arizona Cardinals’ Jordan Burch takes lessons from rookie year


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Last year in early July, Cardinals edge rusher Jordan Burch was a rookie third-round draft pick out of Oregon who was looking forward to his first NFL training camp and eventual first season.

That rookie year is behind him now, and Burch has identified what he needs to improve on heading into his second season. He said he now knows what to expect and look for, and after talking with outside linebackers coach Matt Feeney, Burch built an offseason plan with which he was comfortable.

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“I don’t think anything was like a surprise,” Burch said on Thursday, July 9, at the Cardinals’ Tempe headquarters. “I kind of know what to prep for, so this offseason I can look at my old plays, and then I can call my coach and tell him, from last year to this year, what does he want to see on the field.”

Burch seeks to improve his pass rush. He played in all 17 games last season and had five solo tackles with a sack, and also broke up three passes.

Much of his position was dropping into pass coverage, so Burch looks to recognize pass catchers’ routes better in 2026. He gets help from veteran Josh Sweat, who is there to answer questions about the position they share.

“Every week, every game going against somebody good,” Burch said about takeaways from last season. “The talent of the quarterbacks. We’re playing the Rams, how quickly they get the ball out.”

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Burch looks forward to building a stronger bond with his teammates, having invited some of them for dinner or to watch TV. He said he was happy with his progress as a player throughout last season.

The Cardinals open training camp Wednesday, July 22, at State Farm Stadium. It’s a week earlier than most teams because Arizona plays the Carolina Panthers in the Aug. 6 Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio.

Cardinals legend Larry Fitzgerald will be among those inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame Aug. 8.



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Arizona is among the worst states to move to, study says. Here’s why

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Arizona is among the worst states to move to, study says. Here’s why


A new study has ranked Arizona as one of the worst states to move to for two years in a row, largely due to what it calls a poor quality of life.

The study conducted by Consumer Affairs analyzed the best states to move to in the United States, putting Arizona at the bottom of the list.

Before Arizonans get too defensive about the Grand Canyon State, Consumer Affairs used factors such as affordability, safety, economic strength and education to measure each state, leaving out factors like entertainment, retirement benefits and other considerations that may be important to people living here.

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Popular states such as California and New York also landed at the bottom of the list due to their lack of affordability, even though they both have some of the best health care and education in the nation, Consumer Affairs noted.

Here’s why the study says you shouldn’t move to Arizona. Do you agree?

Why you shouldn’t move to Arizona

Arizona ranked No. 10 out of the worst states to move to, scoring especially poorly in quality of life.

Quality of life was measured by the state’s Social Progress Index, average air quality, weather, environmental protection and number of national parks. Due to Arizona’s extreme summers and Phoenix’s consistently poor air quality, it’s easy to see why Arizona ranked No. 44 in quality of life out of 50 states, even though the Grand Canyon is one of the most popular national parks in the nation.

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However, Arizona also ranked poorly in other categories, sitting at No. 42 in health care and education, No. 41 in safety and No. 34 in affordability out of 50 states.

There was one category Arizona did impressively well in, ranking No. 5 in economic strength even as one of the youngest states in the country. Still, Arizona’s economic power wasn’t enough to boost its ranking.

Top 10 worst states to move to

Arizona wasn’t alone; some of the biggest states in the country were also considered the worst states to move to in 2026.

  1. New Mexico
  2. Louisiana
  3. California
  4. Arkansas
  5. Oklahoma
  6. Nevada
  7. Alaska
  8. Mississippi
  9. Oregon
  10. Arizona

Top 10 best states to move to

  1. Utah
  2. New Hampshire
  3. Idaho
  4. Minnesota
  5. Massachusetts
  6. Maine
  7. North Dakota
  8. Pennsylvania
  9. Iowa
  10. South Dakota



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