Ranking Top Options for Each Cardinals First-Round Scenario

The scenarios for the Arizona Cardinals in round one of the 2023 NFL Draft feel endless, so we came up with a list of the best options for them to take no matter where they pick.

Author:
Richie Bradshaw
Publish date:
Apr 27, 2023 1:56 PM EDT

In this story:

Arizona Cardinals

What are the Arizona Cardinals doing in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft? We all expect the team to trade out of the pick, but if they can't find the value they believe the pick is worth, they could always sit and take a top prospect.

Whatever ends up happening, however, I have conducted a list of possible draft prospects for the following:

Staying inside the top-3
Trading down and staying in the top-10
Trading down and staying in the top-15
Trading down outside the top-15

There are so many options for the Cardinals in any of these scenarios, so why not take a closer look at all their options here.

Top options if sticking at third overall

Will Anderson Jr.
Tyree Wilson
Jalen Carter

If the Cardinals somehow can't pull off a trade to get out of the third overall pick then it becomes a very obvious choice for who they should take in the top three.

Anderson is one of a small handful of players who can be argued as the top overall prospect in the 2023 NFL Draft. Anderson is an elite edge rusher who would be perfect for Jonathan Gannon's defense.

Wilson is more of a project than Anderson is, but some will argue that he has a higher ceiling. The freaky athlete from Texas Tech has drawn comparisons to Ezekiel Ansah, who had a Pro Bowl-worthy career. He's worth the gamble at three.

Regardless of your opinions of Carter, he remains one of the other players who is arguably the draft's top prospect. Carter might be the best defensive tackle prospect since Ndamukong Suh and maybe even the best ever. He's a day-one starter and difference-maker.

Top options for a trade down (inside top 10)

Jalen Carter
Christian Gonzalez
Paris Johnson Jr.
Broderick Jones
Peter Skoronski

Copy/paste what I said above for Carter here. There is a chance he will fall out of the top five and if he does and the Cardinals stay inside the top 10, they should run the card with his name up to the podium.

There are tons of debate for who the top cornerback of this draft class is but one of the more consensus guys has been Gonzalez. He has elite size, coverage ability, and ball skills to justify the top spot.

Here we have who many claim to be OT1 in Johnson, who has absurd versatility thanks to his time spent at guard, right tackle, and left tackle during his time at Ohio State. He was a stud at every spot and it won't be difficult for the Cardinals to find a space for him.

Jones is my personal OT1 and for good reason. He's a nasty blocker who feeds off of breaking the will of defenders. He's a compete tackle who punishes defenders.

Skoronski may be a bit undersized to play tackle in the pros, but he would be an elite-level guard if kicked inside. The Cardinals need to upgrade nearly every spot on the o-line, so Skoronski is a slam dunk.

Top options for a trade down (inside top 15)

Devon Witherspoon
Myles Murphy
Joey Porter Jr.
Nolan Smith
Lukas Van Ness
Deonte Banks
Calijah Kancey

Witherspoon is another corner argued as the top dog. Even for an 181 pound cornerback he absolutely lays the boom and has ball-hawking skills.

Murphy could sneak into the top-10 or he could fall out of the top-20. I lean more toward the former and believe he is a complete edge rusher. Perfect for Gannon's defense.

Porter Jr. plays like his dad, a former linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers (and also a Cardinal!). He's big, physical, and a lockdown cover man.

Smith could be argued as the best pure athlete in the entire draft after running a sub 4.40 forty time. There is very little production to go off of, but the profile alone makes him worth the chance.

Van Ness was highly productive at Iowa despite being played in a part-time role. He has the capability to be an ace pass rusher and like Murphy could sneak into the top-10.

Banks has seen his stock soar lately. He is a long corner and like the guys ahead of him, has shut down potential. He can be the solution to the need for a top corner.

It's no secret that I am high on Kancey, but his ranking is wildly inconsistent across media outlets. He's more Sheldon Rankins than he is Aaron Donald, but I still believe in him becoming a stud defender.

Top options for a trade down (Outside top 15)

Anton Harrison
Darnell Wright
Dawand Jones
Bryan Bresee
Cam Smith
Emmanuel Forbes
John Michael Schmitz

Harrison is one of the better tackles that could be available in the late teens to early 20s. He is a terrific prospect whose stock is simply affected by a deep tackle class. He can be a plug-and-play guy immediately.

Wright is similar to Harrison, but he's seen his stock rise recently as a top-end tackle. There's talk of him sneaking into the top-15 and the profile and upside match the rise he has seen.

Jones is an absolutely massive man and a perfect option for the wide-open right tackle spot the Cardinals have. He's got the best traits for someone as big as he is and feels like another plug-and-play guy, but he may be limited to the right side.

Bresee has become forgotten about in the 2023 NFL Draft and whoever takes him is going to wind up with the potential steal of the draft. A healthy Bresee is a top-10 lock and getting him later would be one of the best decisions the Cardinals could make.

Another player who was once a first round projected prospect that has fallen to no fault of his own has been Smith. There have been so many cornerbacks rising in the rankings that Smith has suffered a slip but don't get it twisted, he can still be the top cover man for a team.

Forbes might have the best ball skills in the 2023 NFL Draft and reminds many of Marcus Peters. His ability to make quarterbacks pay for throwing his direction should excite Cardinals brass.

Drafting a center is never sexy, but I am sure the Cardinals would've loved to have had Tyler Linderbaum on their team a year ago. While they did acquire Marquise Brown in that trade, they can right the ship by taking Schmitz, who is the top center in this class.