Top 3 ways the Arizona Cardinals can accumulate a ransom of picks
By Sion Fawkes
The Arizona Cardinals are in prime position to land a top five pick for the 2023 NFL Draft, but they can bring in much more draft capital.
The Arizona Cardinals need a rebuild to a certain degree. And the best way to rebuild an NFL team is through a talent-rich draft. Well, fortunately, the Redbirds chose the right season to be really bad and hopefully get to that 13th loss.
I say hopefully, because as Dan Bickley of Arizona Sports has said, 13 seems to be the City of Phoenix’s lucky number. It’s also my lucky number, but numerology aside, let’s check out three ways the Cardinals can land a ransom of draft picks here and reset the foundation for the franchise.
1 – Trade Down
There are three quarterbacks in the NFL Draft that about a half-dozen teams will be vying for in Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, and Will Levis. Most of those teams will pick behind the Arizona Cardinals, and you can be rest assured the Cards will be working the phones.
Whether it’s Steve Keim, Adrian Wilson, or someone else leading the war room, if they want more draft capital, trading from the top five and somewhere between picks six and ten is a good place to start. And since the team they could trade with will most likely want the pick to draft a quarterback, the Cardinals will receive some nice compensation in return.
2 – Trade DeAndre Hopkins
The obvious downsides with trading Hopkins are aplenty. Not only will the Arizona Cardinals have no true number one receiver on the roster (and no, Marquise Brown is not one); they would also face $22.6 million in dead cap.
I can justify both, however, given the more than serviceable talent the Cardinals will still have at receiver and tight end in Brown, Greg Dortch, Trey McBride. And don’t forget about exclusive-rights free agent, Antoine Wesley. And sure, the Cardinals could use that $22.6 million, but if they are getting younger, odds are they wouldn’t need it in 2023, so it’s not much of a loss.
3 – Trade Zach Ertz
This one will be a tough sell given Ertz’s injury, so don’t expect a team picking in the top 20 to take the bait here. However, Ertz has shown during his time with the Arizona Cardinals that he can still play at a high level, and that could attract a team figuring to contend in 2023.
We are looking at $10 million in dead cap, however, if this trade occurs. But if the Cardinals can get mid-round picks or two for Ertz to spend on a lineman or a running back, then by all means, make the trade.
Must Read. Cardinals could roll with youngster over Zach Ertz in 2023. light
While I don’t expect all of the above to happen, I am looking for at least one if not two of the above to occur. I concocted this list starting with what is most likely to happen to what is least likely to happen, so it wouldn’t surprise me in the least if the Cardinals trade back with a quarterback-needy team. I would be shocked, however, to see a team trade for, let alone overpay for, Ertz.
Article Source: Cardinals can reset by trading high draft pick, DeAndre Hopkins by Dan Bickley
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