Arizona Cardinals could address the center position during next month's draft

There's a strong possibility that the Arizona Cardinals will come out of the 2023 NFL Draft with one of the nation's top centers.

General manager Monti Ossenfort knew he had his work cut out for him when he was hired by the Arizona Cardinals back in January. After all, most NFL clubs don't shake up their personnel department when things are going well with the squad.

One particular area of the Cards roster that Ossenfort will need to address is the center position. With 33-year-old starter Rodney Hudson likely headed towards retirement, there's a possibility that the organization may want to replace the aging veteran with a youngster. If that's true, Arizona could use the 2023 draft as a tool to land a new anchor for an offensive line that could look a whole lot different next season.

It just so happens that the Cardinals will have several intriguing centers to choose from when the draft gets underway in late April. In fact, one or two of the prospects may be talented enough to be in the starting lineup on opening day.

Several young centers could pique the interest of the Arizona Cardinals during the 2023 draft

It appears that John Michael Schmitz, a 6 foot 4, 320 pounder out of the University of Minnesota, could be the cream of the crop. The 23-year-old, a First-team All-American in 2022, could be targeted in the second round by a Cards organization that owns the 34th-overall selection.

Another option for Arizona is Ohio State University's Luke Wypler, a 21-year-old who could be available for Ossenfort in Round 3. The 6 foot 3, 300 pounder is forgoing his senior campaign with the Buckeyes to turn pro this year.

There are two more centers who are also projected to be drafted in the third round. Steve Avila is a mammoth 6 foot 4, 330 pounder out of TCU who was a consensus All-American last fall. The University of Michigan's Olusegun Oluwatimi secured the Rimington Trophy in '22, an award that goes to the nation's best center every year.

A few additional anchors could be available for the Cardinals on the draft's third day. Arkansas' Ricky Stromberg, Wisconsin's Joe Tippman, Notre Dame's Jarrett Patterson and Penn State's Juice Scruggs are all viable options. We're now just a few weeks away from seeing which center, if any, Ossenfort and his comrades prefer.