Arizona Cardinals 2025 NFL Draft picks

GREEN BAY, Wis. — This week, dreams of being drafted into the NFL are coming true for hopeful NFL players and three of them are headed right here to Arizona as the newest members of the Cardinals.   

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On Friday, the Cardinals drafted cornerback Will Johnson from Michigan in round two.  

Johnson, who many pundits believed would have been a first-round pick, was a steal for the Cardinals at No. 47 overall. 

Johnson was the defensive MVP of the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship Game, where Michigan defeated Washington, 34-13. Johnson had an interception and four tackles in the game.  

Johnson played in 32 games with the Wolverines (22 starts) and recorded 68 tackles (57 solo), four tackles for loss, nine interceptions, and 19 broken-up passes.  

He was named an All-American twice by multiple outlets. In 2023, He was named a first-team All-American by Sports Illustrated and a second-team All-American by USA Today and the Athletic. In 2024, he was named a second-team All-American by the American Football Coaches Association and a third-team All-American by the Associated Press. 

Johnson was also named a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, which is presented to the nation’s top defensive back, this past season.  

Johnson was ranked as the third-best cornerback in the 2025 NFL Draft by Pro Football Focus. 

The Cardinals later added defensive end Jordan Burch from Oregon with the 78th overall pick in the third round.  

The former five-star recruit played three seasons at South Carolina before transferring to Oregon, where he played two seasons.  

In 34 games (14 starts) with the Gamecocks, Burch racked up 105 tackles (55 solo), 12.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and four pass break-ups. 

In 23 games (21 starts) with the Ducks, Burch recorded 64 tackles (25 solo), 18.5 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks, a forced fumble and seven pass break-ups.  

He was an All-Pac-12 Conference honorable mention selection in 2023 and an All-Big Ten Conference third team selection in 2024.  

On Thursday, the Cardinals drafted Ole Miss defensive lineman Walter Nolen with the 16th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.   

Nolen began his college career at Texas A&M and played 22 games with the Aggies, recording 66 tackles (37 solo), five sacks and 11 tackles for loss before entering the transfer portal and transferring to Mississippi. 

In his one year playing for head coach Lane Kiffin in Oxford, Nolen had 48 tackles (25 solo), 14 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, three pass breakups and two fumble recoveries. He was named a first-team All-American by the Associated Press, the Football Writers Association of America, Sporting News, USA Today, ESPN, The Athletic and Phil Steele. He was named a second-team All-American by the American Football Coaches Association, CBS Sports and Walter Camp. He is one of 14 consensus All-Americans in Ole Miss history.  

Nolen was also named a finalist for the Outland Trophy, which is presented to college football’s best interior lineman. The award was won by Texas offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr., who was drafted with the ninth overall pick by the New Orleans Saints.  

Nolen was also named a semifinalist for the Walter Camp and Bednarik Awards this past season and was invited to play in the Senior Bowl.  

Nolen was a five-star recruit in the Class of 2022 out of Powell High School in Powell, Tennessee. He was an Under Armour All-American. In his senior year at Powell, Nolen had 93 tackles, 33 tackles for loss, 17 sacks, 27 quarterback hurries, six forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.  

Nolen will team up with fellow Cardinals defensive linemen Calais Campbell, L.J. Collier, Anthony Goodlow, Justin Jones, P.J. Mustipher, Bilal Nichols, Darius Robinson, Ben Stille, Dante Stills and Dalvin Tomlinson.   

The Cardinals players were quick to react on social media after the team drafted Nolen. Here’s a look at some of the reactions. 

This was the first of six picks for the Cardinals in this year’s draft, and the only one the team will have on Thursday night, unless they trade back into the first round. 

The draft will continue with the second and third rounds on Friday and then rounds four, five, six and seven on Saturday. 

The Cardinals’ next scheduled pick will come on Friday, as the team holds the 15th pick in the second round (No. 47 overall). 

Here’s a look at every pick the Cardinals hold in 2025. 

Round 1, Pick 16: Walter Nolen, DT, Ole Miss
Round 2, Pick 15: Will Johnson, CB, Michigan
Round 3, Pick 14: Jordan Burch, DE, Oregon
Round 4, Pick 13 (No. 115 overall) 
Round 5, Pick 16 (No. 152 overall) 
Round 7, Pick 9 (No. 225 overall)  

Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan drafted by Carolina Panthers 

McMillan, one of the best wide receivers to ever play for the Arizona Wildcats, was drafted with the eighth overall pick by the Carolina Panthers.  

The Biletnikoff Award finalist had 3,423 yards and 26 touchdowns in his three seasons in Tucson. He was named to the All-Big 12 Conference First Team in 2024 and is the all-time leader in receiving yards for the Wildcats. 

McMillan will now head to Charlotte, where he will be teamed up with quarterback Bryce Young as the Panthers continue to rebuild.  

McMillan is now the highest-drafted player from Arizona since the New England Patriots selected Wildcats linebacker Chris Singleton with the eighth overall pick in the 1990 NFL Draft, according to the Arizona Daily Star’s Justin Spears. 

Tyler Shough, former Hamilton quarterback, was drafted by the New Orleans Saints. 

He played seven years of college football for three different teams (Oregon, Texas Tech and Louisville) and turns 26 years old in September.

Shough also had to shake off a series of literal pains. He broke his collarbone in 2021 and 2022 and broke his fibula in 2023. He thought about quitting football.

Instead, his super senior season at Louisville sent his stock skyrocketing.

“It gave me a lot of confidence and it kind of lit a fire in me to go out there and keep striving and keep getting better and keep persisting,” Shough said.

For full draft results, click here. 

The city of Phoenix is home to four major professional sports league teams; The NFL’s Arizona Cardinals, NBA’s Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and MLB’s Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Cardinals have made State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers play at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale.

Phoenix also has a soccer team with the USL’s Phoenix Rising FC, who play at Phoenix Rising FC Stadium in Phoenix.

The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events every year, including college football’s Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the WM Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall, including Championship Weekend in November; and Cactus League Spring Training for 15 Major League Baseball franchises.

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