Potential trade could net Arizona Cardinals two first-round picks in 2023

The Arizona Cardinals could have a pair of first-round selections to work with on April 27th if they can work out a trade with the Detroit Lions.

With the NFL Draft inching closer every day, you can be sure that Arizona Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort is working the phones. It's no secret that the club's third-overall selection is available for the right price. In fact, there's a very good possibility that the Cards will trade the pick to a squad that would like to add a franchise quarterback in 2023.

An ideal trade partner for Arizona on the draft's opening night is the Detroit Lions, an organization that is armed with not one, but two first-round choices on April 27th. With picks #6 and #18 in their possession, the Lions are in a prime position to move up in Round 1 for one of the three blue-chip passers. Can Ossenfort convince Detroit GM Brad Holmes to wheel and deal with the Cardinals?

One holdup to any agreement between the Redbirds and the Lions could be the fact that Detroit head coach Dan Campbell is happy with the team's current signal-caller. Starter Jared Goff is fresh off of a Pro Bowl campaign, having completed 65.1% of his throws for 4,438 yards and 29 touchdowns in the 17 games he appeared in last season. Actually, the Cards hierarchy would have been doing backflips if they got those statistics out of Kyler Murray last fall.

Arizona Cardinals could benefit greatly if they can convince the Detroit Lions to trade up for a quarterback

While Goff's statistics are certainly impressive, there are plenty of Lions followers who don't believe that the 28-year-old is a winner. Since he came to Detroit back in 2021, the 6 foot 4, 217 pounder has compiled an ugly 12-18-1 record as a starter. One has to wonder if Goff is a player who Campbell and his coaching staff should be hitching their wagons to going forward.

Trading up to the 3rd-overall selection would guarantee the Lions of walking away with one of the nation's top-three quarterback prospects. In no particular order, that trio consists of Bryce Young (Alabama), C.J. Stroud (Ohio State) and Anthony Richardson (Florida). There are a good number of Detroit fans who would argue that any one of those youngsters would be an upgrade over the inconsistent Goff.

Assuming that the Cardinals receive the 6th and 18th-overall choices in the agreement, Ossenfort would now have a pair of premium assets in the arsenal. Anyone who has followed management's moves this offseason can see that it's all about the future. A pair of highly-touted building blocks would certainly help with the rebuilding process that's currently taking place in the desert.

(Statistics provided by Wikipedia)