The Arizona Cardinals need to have a memorable draft to turn this tragedy of a 2023 season they have going on before it’s even started.
The Arizona Cardinals are in trouble for 2023, and the Budda Baker Saga is the latest piece of bad news. Further, for all intents and purposes, we really haven’t even gotten started yet. But, it is what it is, and it’s the hand they have to play.
Fortunately for the Redbirds, it doesn’t have to be all bad. Perhaps a heroic turnaround will begin sooner than later when the team unveils its newest threads? And maybe that momentum will carry over into Draft Day?
So in foresight, let’s assume that it will. And with it, comes nothing but awesome results across the board. Bold? Absolutely. Impossible? Not at all.
5 bold predictions for the Arizona Cardinals 2023 Draft
1 - Cardinals snag a ransom from the Tennessee Titans
I’ve been writing about this one for a while, and even with Jeffery Simmons off the table in what could have been a sure blockbuster, Tennessee still swaps picks and more with the Arizona Cardinals.
Arizona will get Tennessee’s first and second round picks in 2024, and they will also acquire the 41st and 72nd picks, respectively, in 2023. Using these additional picks, Monti Ossenfort will add some much-needed cornerstones to the foundation he’s laid.
2 - Cardinals land the steal of the NFL Draft in Emmanuel Forbes
Emmanuel Forbes is lanky, and that will scare teams away. But once he’s still there in the third round, the Arizona Cardinals won’t think twice and they will grab him with that 72nd overall pick acquired from the Titans.
Forbes, despite falling to the middle rounds, could be in line to be the Cardinals CB1 should this projection come about. Expect him to be the impact player he was in college once adjusted to the NFL.
3 - Cardinals trade DeAndre Hopkins on Draft Day for the price they asked
There are NFL teams out there who could use a proven receiver to catapult them over the Super Bowl threshold. Once they miss out on their receiver of choice, they will call Ossenfort and negotiate a trade.
Arizona gets their second and middle-round pick for Hopkins, and they land yet another potential impact player in the Top 60. If this occurs, plus the trade with the Titans, the Cards are shaping up for an incredible 2023 Draft.
4 - Cardinals draft two impact players in the second round
I’ve had the Arizona Cardinals taking Quentin Johnston in several previous mock drafts with the 11th pick. They will do the same thing here, and you can expect them to land not one, but two impact players at defensive line. In my seven-round mock, those players were Calijah Kancey and Dylan Horton, respectively.
Both are highly-productive, under-the-radar prospects. But they’ve proven at the college level that they can line up and play well vs. virtually anyone.
5 - One pick on Day 3 becomes a Week 1 starter
In my mock, I went with several players capable of contributing to the team early, having modeled that particular exercise around team needs. Bryon Young, who I mocked at 105th overall, jumped out more than the others.
Defensive tackle is one of the weakest units on the Cardinals as I write this, and Young’s presence could remedy that to an extent in 2023, and he could play an even bigger role in 2024. Look for him to bust into the starting lineup early if he falls to the Cardinals late.