The NFL draft is at the end of the month and we continue to see innumerable mock drafts and projections of what might happen.
The Arizona Cardinals have the third overall pick in the draft and might use it or might trade it.
In a new mock draft from PFF, the Cardinals trade back from No. 3 to No. 6 and get a nice haul of draft picks, but it costs them twice. They miss out on perhaps the best player in the draft and that player lands with a division rival.
In these projections, they get the sixth overall pick, the Lions’ second-round (No. 48) and third-round (No. 81) picks and also their first and fourth-round selections in 2024 for the third pick.
The Lions take quarterback Anthony Richardson.
The fourth and fifth picks are cornerback Christian Gonzalez to the Colts and then pass rusher Will Anderson to the Seahawks.
Anderson is considered by some to be the best player in the draft.
The Cardinals then take a pass rusher, Texas Tech’s Tyree Wilson.
Arizona begins overhauling its roster with a trade-down to stockpile draft capital, then they take a prospect with insane traits and tools who could develop into a special player under the tutelage of new head coach Jonathan Gannon. Wilson’s 35 5/8-inch arm length is in the 98th percentile, and his 7-foot-2 wingspan is one inch shorter than Giannis Antetokounmpo’s. At 271 pounds, Wilson can generate a lot of power and drive back opposing tackles and guards, allowing him to line up all over.
Wilson isn’t just a tantalizing prospect because of his measurables, either. His 34.6% pass-rush win rate on true pass sets ranked seventh among FBS edge defenders in 2022, and his 28.4% pressure percentage tied for fifth. He could be the franchise cornerstone to help jumpstart the new Cardinals regime, and he addresses the roster’s biggest weakness.
Wilson is perhaps a better physical fit in the Cardinals’ defense at defensive end, and he has rare length and athleticism. However, Anderson’s freshman year was better than any of Wilson’s seasons.
Is Wilson plus five more selections in the top 100 and an extra first-round pick next year better than Anderson, three more top-100 picks and only one first-round pick in 2024?
Ultimately, this is the question general manager Monti Ossenfort must ask himself if a trade-down possibility arises.
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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