What are Cardinals Biggest Needs Heading Into 2023 NFL Draft?
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The Arizona Cardinals have gained little and lost a lot in free agency.
Top names such as Byron Murphy and Zach Allen departed for new teams and the Cardinals' biggest addition has been the arrival of Philadelphia Eagles LB Kyzir White.
With the NFL Draft less than a month away, Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon said he was pleased with how the free agency period went despite outside noise suggesting disappointment in the lack of activity.
"You don't win any games in free agency, I know that," he told reporters at the NFL annual meeting earlier this week.
"So I feel really good about the pieces that we added. We had a very clear vision of why we added them. We know why they know why they're coming here, which is huge to me. They know their role and what we're going to ask them to do and how we're going to ask them to fit in. I'm excited to get to work with those guys."
With majority of big names off the board in free agency, the Cardinals now shift their attention to the 2023 NFL Draft to really get their rebuild up and running.
What's their biggest need?
Bleacher Report says CB, EDGE and WR.
"Defensively, the Cardinals could use a premier cover corner to help bolster a unit that ranked 24th in passing yards allowed (230.3 per game) and 28th in passing touchdowns allowed (29). [Colt] McCoy is a good spot starter, but he isn't going to carry Arizona through weekly shootouts," said Kristopher Knox.
"The Cardinals also need someone who can get after the quarterback. They added L.J. Collier (three career sacks) in free agency, but he's a dramatic downgrade from the recently retired J.J. Watt (12.5 sacks in 2022) and free-agent loss Zach Allen (5.5 sacks).
"Expect the defense to be a big draft focus for new head coach Jonathan Gannon, who last served as the Eagles' defensive coordinator."
For a Cardinals defense looking to bounce back from allowing the second-most points per game last season, help anywhere would be a good start - especially after losing Murphy, Allen, J.J. Watt and Markus Golden.
Cornerback
The Cardinals are counting on Marco Wilson to be their CB1 heading into next season, which can be good or bad depending your trust in his growth as a player. Under him, Antonio Hamilton has flashed good play when on the field, and the team did recently sign former Chiefs/Falcons CB Rashad Fenton.
However, the Cardinals could be in prime position to take a potentially elite cornerback if they move out of the No. 3 draft pick, somebody like Devon Witherspoon or Christian Gonzalez.
EDGE
The Cardinals lost 50% of their sack total (18/36) just between Watt/Allen. Is L.J. Collier a step in the right direction? Sure. Do the Cardinals still need to do more to get after the passer? Absolutely.
That's where the argument to stay put and pick Will Anderson comes into play. Is Arizona really banking on Myjai Sanders and Cameron Thomas to make major strides heading into year two?
The Cardinals are almost surely going to trade down. Perhaps Tyree Wilson is on their radar if they're still looking to move down.
Wide Receiver
With the assumed departure of DeAndre Hopkins, the Cardinals still have a solid room with Rondale Moore, Marquise Brown and Greg Dortch at the helm.
However, another legitimate presence is still missing from Arizona's WR depth chart - though with the current state of the team that pick may not be made until Day 2 at the earliest thanks to other prominent needs.
Can I offer you one Marvin Harrison Jr. in next year's draft?
It feels like there's no right/wrong answer to answering what Arizona's biggest need is - so long as they actually make good on their draft position and bring in somebody who can help change the trajectory of the team moving forward.
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