Three Trade-Back Scenarios for Cardinals in 2023 NFL Draft
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The Arizona Cardinals' season has been one of insane misfortune. Kyler Murray tore his ACL, Steve Keim steps away, DeAndre Hopkins was suspended most of the year, and all the while this is being documented on Hard Knocks each week.
All of these issues and distractions have resulted in the Cardinals sitting at 4-11 on the season with two weeks to go.
The lone benefit of having that poor of a record is the draft pick that comes with it unless you are Cleveland or Denver. That draft pick is going to be worth its weight in gold for the Cardinals and whoever is leading the front office.
The team can either keep the pick and get a high-end player or they can potentially get a king’s ransom to rebuild a roster with more holes in it than people realize.
Going back through the last ten NFL drafts, there are three examples of trades where teams enter the top five after being outside of it. By looking at those trades we can look at the current landscape of the 2023 NFL Draft and build scenarios that the Cardinals could face.
Teams need quarterbacks and there are three teams that can be seen as looking for a quarterback in the 2023 NFL Draft who right now aren’t in a position to get a premium one. After the Cardinals are the Colts and Falcons who teams may need to jump to get a starter, that is where the Cardinals
Here are those three trades and what they could look like for the Cardinals with a mock draft accompanying it. No sense in showing you draft picks without seeing who could help this Cardinals team next season.
Scenario One: New York Jets Trade Up
Historical Comparison: 2016 NFL Draft the Rams send the 15th overall pick, to 2nd round picks, a 3rd round pick, a future 1st and future 3rd to the Titans for 1st overall, a 4th round pick and a 6th round pick
While the first overall pick is always the holy grail and can require a king’s ransom, the fourth overall pick is worth a lot as well. In this scenario, the Jets, who need to move on from Zach Wilson, are arguably a quarterback away from contending. Trading up for a quarterback makes all the sense in the world for an aggressive general manager in Joe Douglas.
Proposed trade: The Jets send 15th overall, their 2nd and 3rd round picks, as well as a future 2nd for 4th overall.
Cardinals Mock Draft from this:
- 1st Round (15th): Joey Porter Jr., CB, Penn State
- 2nd Round (34th): O’Cyrus Torrence, G, Florida
- 2nd Round (45th): Nolan Smith, Edge, Georgia
- 3rd Round (67th): Dawand Jones, OT, Ohio State
- 3rd Round (76th): A.T. Perry, WR, Wake Forest
Scenario Two: Las Vegas Raiders Trade Up
Historical Comparison: 2021 NFL Draft the 49ers sent 12th overall pick, a 3rd round pick, and two future 1st round picks for 3rd overall
This is the almost exact scenario that the Cardinals could be looking at with the Raiders if they move on from Derek Carr. They would realistically trade Carr for a package of picks that could allow them to be more aggressive. Trading up for his replacement is the type of aggressive that is exactly in the Raiders' wheelhouse. This also is easily the best package for the Cardinals to rebuild immediately and also have extra assets in the future to be more flexible.
Proposed trade: The Raiders send 9th overall, a 3rd round pick, and a future 1st round pick for 4th overall
Cardinals Mock Draft from this:
- 1st Round (9th): Jared Verse, Edge, Florida State
- 2nd Round (34th): John Michael Schmitz, C, Minnesota
- 3rd Round (67th): Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson, CB, TCU
- 3rd Round (74th): Blake Freeland, OT, BYU
Scenario Three: Carolina Panthers Trade Up
Historical Comparison: 2018 NFL Draft Jets send 6th overall, two 2nd round picks, and a future 2nd round pick for Colts 3rd overall
Another good comparison we can look at is when the Jets traded up for Sam Darnold in 2018. Ironically his Carolina Panthers are who we have trading up in this final scenario. For the Panthers, owner David Tepper is an aggressive owner and that is in part to his stock trading approach to life that earned him his fortune to buy the team in the first place.
Add in the fact that general manager Scott Fitterer is also aggressive this could be another ideal scenario for the Cardinals in the 2023 NFL Draft with the Panthers looking for a final answer at the quarterback position.
Proposed trade: The Panthers send 8th overall, two 2nd round picks, and a future 2nd round pick for 4th overall
Cardinals Mock Draft from this:
- 1st Round (8th): Myles Murphy, Edge, Clemson
- 2nd Round (34th): Anton Harrison, OT, Oklahoma
- 2nd Round (42nd): Siaki Ika, DL, Baylor
- 2nd Round (59th): Devon Achane, RB, Texas A&M
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