The Arizona Cardinals have eight picks and they could end up with more if they trade the third pick, Budda Baker, or DeAndre Hopkins.
While the Arizona Cardinals could end up with a plethora of picks on draft day, what if they shocked us all and traded no one? They would keep the third pick, but in this scenario, Will Anderson Jr. goes to the Houston Texans second overall.
So what do the Cardinals do if Anderson Jr. is already taken, and they also have no takers for the third pick? Here is one of a million different scenarios.
Arizona Cardinals seven-round 2023 mock draft with no trades
Third Pick: Paris Johnson Jr., T/Ohio State
Consider me as yet another one jumping on the offensive line bandwagon. And while Paris Johnson Jr. won’t make us jump out of our seats, he can also be the franchise left tackle the Arizona Cardinals need. So what about D.J. Humphries? Swing him over to right tackle.
34th Pick: John Michael Schmitz, C/Minnesota
The Cards still need to address the center position, and they do so with one of my favorite players in this draft. John Michael Schmitz is another former Big Ten offensive lineman that Big Red could potentially plug and play from the second rookie minicamp begins.
66th Pick: DeWayne McBride, RB/UAB
Here’s a breathtaking stat for you: DeWayne McBride averaged 7.3 yards per carry at UAB on 484 attempts and 3,523 yards. He scored 36 rushing touchdowns during his time with the Blazers, and his 2022 campaign went for 1,713 rushing yards on 233 carries, 19 touchdowns, and 7.4 yards per tote. Yeah, he’d look good spelling James Conner behind this line.
96th Pick: Adetomiwa Adebawore, DE/Northwestern
Of course, going heavy on offense over the first three rounds means the Arizona Cardinals still need to fill a few holes on defense, namely edge rusher. Well, Adetomiwa Adebawore will remedy that. And while his numbers weren’t spectacular with the Wildcats, it doesn’t matter; he will be a sound rotational piece with Cam Thomas and Myjai Sanders.
105th Pick: Mekhi Blackmon, CB/USC
Injuries are a massive red flag regarding Mekhi Blackmon, but he ended up playing in 14 contests last season for the USC Trojans after spending his first four years at Colorado. And when healthy, Blackmon is a revelation. He totaled 66 tackles in 2022, deflected 12 passes, and intercepted three of them for 31 return yards.
168th Pick: Jalen Wayne, WR/South Alabama
The Arizona Cardinals will need a big target to eventually replace DeAndre Hopkins, and Jalen Wayne could be the guy. At 6’2, he’ll tower over the receivers the Redbirds already have, and Wayne broke out over his final two seasons at South Alabama. In 2021, he caught 53 passes for 630 yards and two touchdowns, before he snagged 58 of them in 2022 for 816 yards and nine scores.
180th Pick: Hunter Luepke, FB/North Dakota State
Yes, a fullback could be necessary this season if we’re centering this mock draft around building a smashmouth style of football. But Hunter Luepke isn’t your average fullback, as he had 98 carries for 619 yards and nine rushing touchdowns in 2022. Luepke never carried the ball fewer than 84 times in a season, and he never averaged less than 5.5 yards per carry. If Ossenfort drafts him as a hybrid player, watch out for the Cardinals, I can tell you that much.
213th Pick: Jerrod Clark, DT/Coastal Carolina
And finally, we got Jerrod Clark, who will help provide depth at defensive tackle. Clark was great with the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers, but he has just 25 games of collegiate experience. However, his 41 stops last season, coupled with 10.5 behind the line and 3.5 sacks tells me he’s capable of developing and producing at the next level.
As mentioned, this is one in a million different scenarios Monti Ossenfort and the Arizona Cardinals could go this weekend if they held tight and chose not to embark on any trades. This mock went heavy on offense, mainly as a way to develop a rather vintage style of play for a Cardinals team searching for a new identity.
(Statistics provided by Sports-Reference/CFB and ESPN.com)