Worst case scenarios for Arizona Cardinals 2023 NFL Draft

The Arizona Cardinals may have the third pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, but it doesn’t mean they won’t squander it. Literally anything can happen.

Since they have the third pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the ball rests within the Arizona Cardinals court. But we’ve seen this scenario play out so many times through the Steve Keim Era. The Cards have a high pick in the draft, only to make the wrong selection.

Or they trade up and pick wrong. And worse yet, we’ve seen situations where better players have gone off the draft board shortly before it was their time to pick. So what could go wrong in 2023? Here are three scenarios the Redbirds should seek to avoid.

1 – Arizona Cardinals don’t draft for need

This was the case several times when Keim was in town. Instead, it seemed like the Cardinals former general manager opted for potential, which is fine if those potential-based picks actually worked out.

This season, general manager Monti Ossenfort, if he wants to win the fans over quickly, must pick either Jalen Carter or Will Anderson Jr. if he sticks with the third pick. If he trades back, it’s not the end of the world, but he’d do well to at least draft for need over potential.

2 – Cardinals don’t get the projected compensatory picks

Over the Cap stated the Arizona Cardinals will get three compensatory picks. But with just five so far for 2023, lack of compensatory selections will slow the rebuilding process.

Sure, current projections state the Cards will only have a third, a fifth, and a sixth. But those picks could unearth potential diamonds in the rough that could wind up becoming solid depth pieces or role players, or in a best-case scenario, a future starter. As it stands, the Cardinals, if they want to get younger and rebuild, need draft capital.

3 – Teams draft Jalen Carter, Will Anderson Jr. in front of Cards

While the Chicago Bears, with Justin Fields at quarterback, may swap with a quarterback-needy team looking to draft Bryce Young, the what-if still exists. Perhaps Chicago wants to draft defense and take their choice of Will Anderson Jr. or Jalen Carter?

The Houston Texans may be quarterback-needy, so you would think they’ll go with Young and be done with it. But what if they, for one reason or another, want to roll with Davis Mills for another year? Or what if they make a big trade for Lamar Jackson or another, and give up the second overall pick in the process?

Either way, if Carter and Anderson Jr. go before the third pick, the Cardinals just missed out on the NFL Draft’s top two projected defensive players. And that would be a major blow to the star-crossed organization.

Want your voice heard? Join the Raising Zona team!

Write for us!