Top 5 defensive ends the Arizona Cardinals could consider in the 2023 NFL Draft

5 - Lukas Van Ness, Iowa

Chances are, someone will scoop up Lukas Van Ness in the top half of the 2023 NFL Draft. But given his marginal production, with just 13.0 sacks in two seasons as a starter at Iowa, and 19.0 tackles for loss, he could slip to the second round, and the Arizona Cardinals should only consider him if he happens to freefall. 

Van Ness, like Horton, would fare best in a rotational role with Thomas and Sanders should the Cardinals draft him, and this could be the case for over a year. Also like Horton, he could develop into a full-time starter that the Cards would be glad they took a chance on early. 

Overall, the Cards need to roll with a defensive end/edge rusher. While they have better-than-advertised talent in Cam Thomas and Myjai Sanders, they either need someone to add to the rotation, or ideally, they need a game-changer. Anderson would be preferred, but there are still viable options if they can’t snag him. 

(Statistics provided by Sports-Reference/CFB and ESPN.com)

Source: Arizona Cardinals: Ranking the 2023 NFL Draft's top 3 prospects behind Carter, Anderson by Sion Fawkes, RaisingZona.com.