5 sleepers on offense the Arizona Cardinals may consider in the 2023 NFL Draft
By Sion Fawkes
The Arizona Cardinals currently have eight picks, but they could have more by the time April 27th rolls around. And that means drafting potential sleepers.
The Arizona Cardinals, like all NFL teams, will be looking to improve their roster between April 27th and April 29th at the NFL’s annual player selection meeting that we know as the NFL Draft. While there are future stars all over the top of everyone’s board, there are also diamond prospects in the rough that every draft carries.
Below, you will meet five players who could be those diamonds on the offensive side of the ball. They didn’t completely impress us during their college career for one reason or another, but that doesn’t mean we should count them out. Who are these players? Let’s meet them.
5 sleepers for the Arizona Cardinals to consider on offense
1 - Jake Haener, QB/Fresno State
Jake Haener is a smallish quarterback built around the same lines as Colt McCoy. No, he’s not a scrambler, but he put up remarkable numbers during his final two seasons at Fresno State, including a 72.0 completion percentage, 20 touchdown passes, and just 3 picks during his senior season.
He also averaged over 8.0 yards per pass attempt throughout his collegiate career, and never completed fewer than 64.7% of his passes in a season. Overall, Haener could be a mid-round pick that a quarterback-needy team could reach for. Or, he could go in the later rounds to a team, like the Arizona Cardinals, who may want to consider taking a solid candidate for a long-term backup role.
2 - Tavion Thomas, RB/Utah
After posting two seasons in a limited role at the University of Cincinnati, Tavion Thomas transferred to the Pac-12 and put up 1,108 rushing yards, 5.4 yards per carry, and 21 touchdowns. He also posted decent numbers in 2022, with 687 yards in 10 games, 4.8 yards per, and 7 touchdowns.
While he isn’t much of a receiver, Thomas boasts a similar build and running style to James Conner. If he’s available on Day 3 and the Cards want to add to their RB room, Thomas would be a good choice.