The Arizona Cardinals currently have eight picks in the 2023 NFL Draft. What will they do with them in each round?
The Arizona Cardinals want to revamp their roster, so don’t be surprised when they trade back from the third pick to further pile up a few more selections. The Tennessee Titans have been one of the hottest teams in the rumor mill, so for this exercise, Arizona will trade down with Tennessee and acquire the following along with the 11th pick:
This will give the Cards a total of 10 picks in 2023, and they will also snag an additional two early-round selections next year. So how will this draft play out? Perhaps not the way you think it will. Let’s dive in.
Arizona Cardinals seven-round mock draft 1.0
Just about everyone will have the Arizona Cardinals going defense here. But if you want to load up talent around quarterback Kyler Murray, then Quentin Johnston is your guy.
Calijah Kancey could easily go in the first round, as his stock has risen since the NFL Combine last month. If he falls to the 34th pick, however, Ossenfort shouldn’t think twice and snag the former Pittsburgh Panther.
One reason I’d have no problem with Arizona going offense in the first round stems from how deep the defensive end/edge class is. Honestly, Ossenfort could wait until the third round before snagging a future star, but with Dylan Horton falling to 41, he should look no further.
The Arizona Cardinals need a center, and Ricky Stromberg could be there when they pick at 66th overall. Even if they wait until the third round, a player like Stromberg has potential to immediately win the starting center job in camp.
Based on productivity alone, Emmanuel Forbes should be a first round pick. But he’s so lanky that it will scare off a lot of teams, plummeting him to the third round. That slide stops one of the draft’s most productive corners at the 72nd pick.
James Conner made a name for himself at the University of Pittsburgh, and Israel Abanikanda did the same last season. Once the Cards snag him, he will immediately become the team’s RB2.
The Arizona Cardinals don’t have a lot of depth at defensive tackle, so they will go with another one with the 105th pick. Alabama’s Byron Young should be there.
At this point, Ossenfort should be looking for depth, and there is nothing at safety. Look for him to remedy that with someone like Notre Dame’s Brandon Joseph.
Jaren Hall would become the fourth quarterback on the roster, but he’s the kind of dual threat you want if you’re looking for a long-term backup to Kyler Murray. Hall will be nothing more than a practice squad player this season, with potential to become the QB2 in time.
At this point of the draft, you’re just taking a flier on who you believe is the best player on the board. K.J. Henry could be that player, and he will add even more depth to the defensive line if he sticks to the roster.
A solid draft for the Arizona Cardinals
Overall, the Arizona Cardinals are going to get substantially younger this season, and it all starts with the NFL Draft. As you can see, in this particular mock, I went the quantity route over the high-quality pass rushing specialist that the Cards can snag with the third overall pick.
But as you can also see, hopefully, that in this mock, many quality players with less-than-stellar grades fell to the Redbirds. Emmanuel Forbes is my favorite example, because despite his legendary stats at Mississippi State, his size does him few favors, and he's one of those high-value prospects the Cards can scoop up since chances are, he will fall down more than a few draft boards.
I've also long advocted for taking a quarterback in each draft, even if you don't need one. You never know who you can develop, and even flier picks like Jaren Hall could pay dividends down the road if he develops into a decent passer andn Kyler Murray returns to the Top 15 quarterback he was earlier in his career.