The Arizona Cardinals finished 4-13 in 2022, and they will be picking third in the 2023 NFL Draft. What can you expect them to do with the third pick?
With the third pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Arizona Cardinals have a plethora of options. Considering new head coach Jonathan Gannon is the defensive-minded type, the Redbirds will likely go defense with the third pick.
Will Anderson Jr. and Jalen Carter are two of the biggest names they can select here. But of course, with the draft two-and-a-half months away, anything and everything can happen. Anderson Jr. and Carter could see their draft stocks slide while someone else, like Myles Murphy, could rise.
It’s also possible that between now and April 27th, the Redbirds could find themselves with two first round picks. This would occur if they traded DeAndre Hopkins either before or on draft day for a first rounder.
Arizona Cardinals have a high pick in the 2023 NFL Draft
Whether the pick is Carter, Anderson Jr., or someone else, expect general manager Monti Ossenfort to go after need, as opposed to glamor or even the top-rated player on the board as his predecessor, Steve Keim did. One reason Ossenfort is sitting in Keim’s seat stems from the fact that the latter routinely squandered draft picks with boom-or-bust talent.
We saw players like Robert Nkemdiche, Haason Reddick, Josh Rosen, and even Isaiah Simmons and Zaven Collins struggle. Nkemdiche and Rosen were flameouts, while Reddick bolted for the East Coast one season after he posted double-digit sacks in the desert.
Simmons and Collins look as though they’ve finally gotten it together, but it called for a longer-than-advertised learning curve. Overall, things are looking up for the duo.
The first round of the 2023 NFL Draft takes place on Thursday, April 27th at Union Station in Kansas City, Missouri at 8:00 pm EST. If the Cardinals decide not to trade the third pick, they will make their first selection within the draft’s first 30 minutes.
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