Arizona Cardinals: Monti Ossenfort must hold onto the third pick until Draft Day

It’s no secret that the Arizona Cardinals can gain a plethora of draft picks once they trade the third overall selection. But they need not rush it.

The Arizona Cardinals won’t be holding onto the third overall pick. A quarterback-starved team is going to make general manager Monti Ossenfort a prime offer, he’s going to take that offer, and the Redbirds are going to continue their massive roster overhaul. 

But Ossenfort would be foolish to rush this thing. A couple of days back, I wrote that Ossenfort and the Cardinals have a power play in the draft. And that power play is that they can hold onto the pick while continuing to entertain offers, hopefully until the brink of 8 pm on April 27th. 

If Ossenfort rushes this trade, he could potentially miss out on snagging the best possible deal. And while a team like the Indianapolis Colts would make an ideal trading partner since the Cards would land Will Anderson Jr sans a potential curveball, he can’t shortchange himself if he wants to completely make over what became one of the NFL’s worst rosters in 2022. And that means more draft picks. 

Arizona Cardinals must eliminate teams from ‘Third Pick Contention’

Ideally, every team who calls the Cardinals should be offering more compensation than the previous team who called. Ossenfort can use this as leverage each time he gets a new, or fresh, inquiry regarding the third pick. 

This will let Ossenfort maximize his number of selections, ideally in the Top 100 for 2023 and 2024. And if Ossenfort hits ringers with those picks, it will dramatically shorten the rebuilding curve, putting the Redbirds in a better position to field a successful NFL team sooner than later. 

Will Ossenfort follow through with this? Let’s hope. If he does, you’re going to see a younger, more inexperienced team in 2023. But you will also see one full of potential that can quickly grow into a viable roster.