GLENDALE – Need or best overall is always a draft-time discussion for teams looking at their big board. For Arizona Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort and head coach Mike LaFleur the answer is simple: need is overrated. The two of them spoke to the media on Thursday at the Dignity Health Training Center about their perspective heading into the 2026 NFL draft.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Ossenfort bluntly stated that it’s not a good idea to draft for need. Many NFL mock drafts has Arizona taking an offensive lineman or edge rusher because that is a high need for the roster. However, if it was strictly the best availability the answer is clearly Norte Dame running back Jeremiyah Love. Ossenfort went into depth about his perspective on drafting for need and why teams should be cautious of that mindset.
Arizona Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort during a pre-draft news conference on April 16, 2026, at the Arizona Cardinals training center in Tempe.
Ossenfort on Cardinals not looking at “need” ahead of NFL Draft:
“I never think it’s a good idea to go into a draft and draft for need. I don’t think that’s a good philosophy overall. I think you end up tending to reach at that point. The philosophy that I have that Mike and I have talked about is… we can never go wrong taking who we feel is the best player who fits this team, who is about what we’re about. And when somebody can check those boxes and it’s the guy who’s on the top of the board, like we’re going to be happy with that player, you know, whatever position they’re playing.”
Arizona Cardinals new head coach Mike LaFleur at a news conference on Feb. 3, 2026, at Arizona Cardinals training center in Tempe.
LaFleur echoed that sentiment by saying the team is always looking to draft the “best football player” available, regardless of position. For a roster that just went 3-14, it’s understandable why Ossenfort would want to inject the franchise with some high-caliber talent and give some hope to a fanbase that has such little the past few years.
Feb 3, 2026; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort at a press conference at the Cardinals training facility. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
While experts have penciled in players like Miami OL Francis Mauigoa or Texas Tech edge David Bailey to the Cardinals because of need, Love is the best prospect in the draft behind Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza. Ossenfort did sign RB Tyler Allgeier in free agency, but based on his words, that shouldn’t eliminated Love from contention.
Love is six-foot, 210 pound All-American that had over 1,600 total yards and 21 touchdowns. At just 20 years old, he is looked to be a franchise running back for the next decade and could revive a dying organization like the Cardinals.
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Reporter Tanner Tortorella covers general assignment for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @TannerTSports
