Welcome to the Arizona Cardinals off-season! After a chaotic 2022 season of Cardinal football filled with injuries, uncertainty and doubt, Arizona Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill took matters into his own hands. To sum up the important pieces…
– GM Steve Keim…out
– HC Kliff Kingsbury…out
– DC Vance Joseph…out
With these moves, Michael Bidwill took the reins and cast his net far and wide, as he stated, to find his next General Manager and Head Coach. Once found, other coaching positions would follow. To sum up the new pieces…
– GM Monti Ossenfort…in
– HC Jonathan Gannon…in
– DC Nick Rallis…in
– OC Drew Petzing…in
The dream team of coaches is now assembled! Of course, there are additional coaches that have been added as well but for this article we will stick with the topic which is the state of the Cardinals Address for the 2023 season starting with the draft.
Happy to have former ASU Sun Devils d-line coach, Robert Rodriguez, joining the Cardinals as outside linebacker coach. pic.twitter.com/oGoVuHVT5v
— AZSPORTS Underground (@AZSports_UNDGND) February 23, 2023
2023 NFL Draft
The draft is where most successful teams are built. Unfortunately, that has not been the case under the previous regime. Well, this time it will be different. Enter GM Monti Ossenfort. If there is someone who understands the importance of successful drafting, it’s Monti. Not only does he have a very good resume of draft and scouting experience, but he is a big believer that success on the field starts at the line of scrimmage. Monti is a trench builder. It is shown in his previous drafting experience with both the Tennessee Titans and the New England Patriots. HC Gannon has stated he wants to build a team around QB Kyler Murray. Expect Monti to do so.
Here are the official Arizona Cardinals 2023 draft picks.
– R1 pick 3
– R2 pick 34
– R3 pick 66
– R3 pick 96
– R4 pick 105
– R5 pick 169
– R6 pick 180
– R6 pick 213
The Arizona Cardinals are in a prime position in this draft to get high-level, impact players at positions of need. Will Monti be able to fill all the holes? The answer is probably not. Will he fill the biggest holes? I believe he can. Let’s try to see the draft from Monti’s perspective here.
Understand that each round presents a trade value. As each pick is announced the trade value decreases. With the Cardinals situation, the needs are great. In no particular order here are the positions of need currently for the Cardinals:
– Interior defensive lineman
– Interior offensive lineman
– Edge/Pass rusher
– Corner back
In my honest opinion, the best strategy for trade value would be to trade down either their 1st round or 2nd round pick as they present the highest trade value. I don’t see any scenario where the Cardinals would trade up. As for me, I prefer to keep the 1st round pick to get an elite non-QB prospect in either Jalen Carter (my preferred pick) or Will Anderson. Both prospects are considered blue chip defensive players for the future which the Cardinals absolutely need. Either player will be a set it and forget it player at their respective positions for at least the next 4-5 years.
A trade down for the Cardinals’ 2nd round pick presents opportunities to load up on high quality players, specifically on the O-line. There are two positions of great need on the O-line which are center and guard. A trade down could seal two high quality players at each of those positions.
Round three of the draft presents even more opportunities as the Cardinals have two picks in that round. Here, the Cardinals have options. Of the top needs left on the list, the Cardinals can go edge/pass rusher and corner back. The good news about this year’s draft is that it is loaded with defensive talent so Monti and his team will have to do their research to get the best value for the later rounds.
Round four and five are interesting. This is where you hope to find diamonds in the rough as they say. In my example, the main positions of need are filled so now the Cardinals can branch out and load up on depth. Round four I would go with a running back. In the NFL you can never have to many running backs as the position tends to have a short lifespan. I would look to take a running back that compliments the Cardinals star running back James Conner. Conner is the short yardage battering ram that can get you those close 1st downs and 1st and goal touch downs. The type of running back to draft would be a speedy and shifty one.
Round five is an optional pick. Currently what is known is that Kyler Murray is injured and is expected to be out until mid to late October. Taking a quarterback here could be a possibility. If not, a depth piece at either running back, offensive tackle, or defensive tackle would suffice.
Round six, which is the final round for the Cardinals, would be considered more depth picks. Here Monti and his team will have hopefully done enough scouting and research to see a potential diamond in the rough. I would consider a depth piece at the safety position or the wide receiver position.
My mock draft for the Arizona Cardinals
Here is an example of my vision for the Arizona Cardinals looking through Monti’s eyes. 
Mock Draft courtesy of PFF.com
Understand this is before the combine and I am most certain that after the combine, player rankings in the draft will be shaken up specifically in the day two and beyond rounds. Could I see some changes to my mock draft? Most certainly. Until then, cheers to a successful 2023 NFL draft Arizona Cardinals fans!
