© Yannick Peterhans-USA TODAY Sports
Mock Trade Sends Broncos WR to Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals net Denver Broncos WR Courtland Sutton in this mock trade.
ARIZONA -- We're less than a week away from the Arizona Cardinals being on the clock in the 2024 NFL Draft, and your guess is as good as anybody's when it comes to evaluating potential trades the organization could or couldn't execute.
That's if the Cardinals ultimately decide to move down - Arizona could very well stick at No. 4 and take a player such as Marvin Harrison Jr. to instantly upgrade their offense.
If the Cardinals opt to trade out, teams to watch include the New York Giants, Minnesota Vikings, Las Vegas Raiders and Denver Broncos.
The Broncos haven't been shy about acknowledging the potential to move up and snag a potential franchise quarterback (which is looking like Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy at No. 4) - though they don't exactly have the most substantial draft capital compared to other suitors.
A potential move would involve a player such as WR Courtland Sutton, and ESPN writer Bill Barnwell constructed the following deal in his mock draft:
CARDINALS GET - WR Courtland Sutton, No. 12, 2025 first-round pick, 2025 second-round pick
BRONCOS GET - No. 4, No. 90
"If the Broncos do want to move up, it's going to cost them," wrote Barnwell. "The Cardinals might prefer this offer to what they would get from the Vikings for a couple of reasons. One is that they would be landing a future first-round pick from a team that projects to be very bad next season. Arizona GM Monti Ossenfort made that same sort of move in moving down with the Texans last year. The trade proved to be a false hope given how quickly Houston emerged as a playoff team with C.J. Stroud, but it was a worthwhile risk to take.
"The Cardinals would also send a player who can help Kyler Murray and the offense now in Sutton, who is 29 and has two years remaining on his existing deal. They would miss out on the opportunity to draft one of the top three wide receivers by dropping down to No. 12, but they would still have plenty of draft capital to add wideouts in a deep class. Arizona could also probably use this pick to take Brian Thomas Jr. (LSU) -- considered to be the fourth-best wideout in this class -- or move back into the top 10 to snag Rome Odunze. The Broncos would move forward with Marvin Mims, Tim Patrick and Josh Reynolds as their starting wide receivers."
Sutton will turn 29 years old later this year and has two seasons left on his current contract. He has not recorded a 1,000 yard season in the last four years.
All-Pro CB Patrick Surtain II was initially believed to be involved in potential trade packages, though NFL insider Ian Rapoport shut those reports down earlier this week:
"I don't see that. That's the kind of guy you build around, not the kind you trade. It's important you get a quarterback - I get it, but that's a foundational piece. That's a Pro Bowler. That's a shutdown corner. I'd be surprised. There's other guys who could be traded - Courtland Sutton could be traded," said Rapoport.
ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler also added that Denver has received multiple calls on Sutton, though Denver doesn't plan to trade him.
The Cardinals showed interest in numerous WR's through the pre-draft process and are highly expected to add a top wideout through the early rounds of the draft. Arizona has a total of six picks through the first three rounds.
