Why Cardinals could trade down from No. 3 in NFL Draft originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
The Chicago Bears aren’t the only team considering moving down the draft board this year.
The Arizona Cardinals own the No. 3 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft after going 4-13 last season. Starting quarterback Kyler Murray tore his ACL in December, the team fired head coach Kliff Kingsbury and general manager Steve Keim stepped down from the position.
New head coach Jonathan Gannon and new GM Monti Ossenfort have a long way to go to turn the franchise around, especially if Murray misses time at the start of the 2023 season. The No. 3 pick could go a long way toward improving the core of the roster, even if the Cardinals don’t wind up using the selection.
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NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport joined Jody Oehler of Fox Sports 910 Phoenix on Friday, and the conversation gave Oehler the impression that the Cardinals are “very, very likely” to move down from No. 3.
Only the Bears (No. 1) and Houston Texans (No. 2) sit above the Cardinals in the draft order. The Texans are almost certainly going to take a quarterback – at No. 2 or at No. 1 if they feel another team might swoop in and take their desired guy with the first selection. Even if the Texans stand pat, another team could entice the Bears, move up to No. 1 and take the QB of their choosing.
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The 2023 QB class is four-deep with first-round talents, though, and that’s where the Cardinals come in. Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, Will Levis and Anthony Richardson are expected to go early in the draft, so the Cardinals could find a trade partner in a QB-needy team looking to snag a new signal caller. The Indianapolis Colts (No. 4), Las Vegas Raiders (No. 7), Atlanta Falcons (No. 8) and Carolina Panthers (No. 9) are among the organizations that could be seeking a franchise QB in April, and they could offer up a bounty of assets to take the Bears’ or Cardinals’ spot.
From an Arizona perspective, they are sticking with Murray after signing him to a five-year, $230.5 million extension with $160 million guaranteed last summer. There are talented prospects the Cardinals could take at No. 3 to improve their defense, but additional picks from a trade down could be the more enticing path for Ossenfort and the front office.
Along with insight on a potential trade down, Rapoport also discussed the possibility of a Deandre Hopkins trade, saying it could happen before the new league year.
“Probably within the next 10 days,” Rapoport said when Oehler asked about the timeline of a possible Hopkins trade.
The tampering period for free agency begins on March 13 before the new league year and full free agency commence on March 15.
