The Arizona Cardinals are well into their 2026 NFL draft player evaluations. Part of that is meeting with players formally or informally. The NFL combine is one place where formal interviews happen. We are beginning to find out which players the Cardinals have spoken with.
One player is a defensive lineman who possibly could be a first-round pick — Ohio State defensive lineman Kayden McDonald.
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In an interview with SI.com’s Justin Melo, McDonald revealed that he had a formal meeting with the Cardinals and many other teams at the NFL combine. He said that it feels like he has been in contact with every team.
“Every team that needs a physical defensive tackle has been in touch with me,” he said.
McDonald is 35th in Daniel Jeremiah’s top 50 prospects but is 21st in SI.com’s draft rankings.
The Cardinals have the 34th overall pick in the draft, so he is perhaps a guy in play for them in the second round.
He is 6-2 and 326 pounds out of Ohio State, a school the Cardinals love to draft players from. He is a strong run defender.
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He was an All-American last season and had 65 total tackles in the defensive interior with three sacks and nine tackles for loss. He also forced two fumbles, recovered one and tipped a pass.
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This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: Ohio State DL Kayden McDonald met with Arizona Cardinals at combine