Could Arizona Cardinals swap Hopkins for player, draft pick?

With just four days before the 2023 NFL Draft, chances are growing that the Arizona Cardinals could trade DeAndre Hopkins on draft day.

While I’ve been adamant on the Arizona Cardinals keeping their price for DeAndre Hopkins as is - second round pick, and a potential mid-round pick, Maurice Moton of Bleacher Report put together five trade packages for Hopkins that have changed my mind, even if none of them involve a second rounder. 

However, four of the five contain one player who could immediately help the Cards, plus a third round pick. For example, they proposed a trade with the Bills that would send Hopkins to the Queen City, while the Cards acquire the 91st overall pick plus defensive tackle Ed Oliver. 

As you can see, this would give Arizona yet another pick in the top 100, and they need as many of these picks as they can get their hands on, plus a defensive lineman who could immediately help them out. Obviously, the Bills are one team Hopkins would love to play for, so it’d be a win-win situation for everyone. 

Arizona Cardinals could trade Hopkins for third rounder and still win big

There are three other trades that contain similar packages, one involving the Kansas City Chiefs, another involving the New Orleans Saints, and finally, one with the New York Giants. It’s the first time I’ve read an article and I said to myself, “I’d accept all of these,” since they would help the Cards fill up to two holes in the lineup. 

The final trade involved a blockbuster with the Tennessee Titans, which had the Cards simultaneously shipping the third overall pick. In one of my previous articles, I touched on the scenario that Hopkins could indeed find himself packaged in with the third pick for what would be an unforgettable draft day trade. That said, it’s refreshing to see that someone else out there shares my viewpoint.  

Regardless if the Cardinals trade Hopkins to one of the teams Moton mentioned in their article or someone else, if another team offers them even a serviceable player who could fill a hole plus a third round pick, general manager Monti Ossenfort needs to take the deal. Sure, a second round pick would be great, but so would a young player like Ed Oliver who could thrive off of a change of scenery, even if it took the second rounder off the table. 

It will be interesting to see if Hopkins is traded on Thursday night. And if so, will he be part of a blockbuster that also involves the third overall pick, or will he simply go for a player and a third? I’m proud to say that we won’t need to wait long to find out. 

Source: 5 NFL Draft-Day Trade Packages to Acquire WR DeAndre Hopkins by Maurice Moton, BleacherReport.com