It is mock draft season and the Arizona Cardinals have the third pick in the 2023 NFL draft. ESPN’s Todd McShay released a new mock draft that has a trade up to the No. 1 pick and then two quarterbacks getting selected before Arizona makes their pick.
After the Colts trade up to No. 1 to select Alabama quarterback Bryce Young and then the Houston Texans select Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud, the Cardinals have their choice of the best non-quarterback on the board.
McShay has them taking Alabama pass rusher Will Anderson.
Yet another team that will have a new coach in 2023 after hiring Jonathan Gannon, Arizona has to beef up the pass rush. Enter Anderson, who racked up 27.5 sacks, 130 pressures and 54 tackles for loss over the past two seasons. He overpowers blockers with lower-body strength and an explosive first step, and he’d immediately improve the Cardinals’ ability to get after the QB. Their 36 sacks tied for 23rd last year, and they could lose Zach Allen (free agency) in addition to J.J. Watt (retirement). This one just makes a ton of sense and will be a popular mock draft fit over the next two months.
The next two months will likely have a big debate about whether the Cardinals should take Anderson or Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter, who goes fourth overall to the Bears in these projections.
New head coach Jonathan Gannon led a defense last season that had 70 total sacks and four different players with at least 10.
Since the only player the Cardinals had reach double digits is now retired, getting a big-time pass rusher could be a game changer for the new defensive scheme.
Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
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