Sharp Analysis Of The Cardinals 2023 Draft Needs Ahead Of Big Season
Coming off a season that was less than perfect, the Arizona Cardinals find themselves amid an age-old quandary…
To rebuild…?
Or not to rebuild because we might have just enough talented key pieces to remain in contention for another year or two, maybe?
… That is the question.
Cardinals 2023 Situation
The reality of the situation is that the 2023 Arizona Cardinals season is likely entirely dependent on Kyler Murray. They’ve also been expecting and preparing for the loss of one of their best weapons in, DeAndre Hopkins. They are dealing with the adjustments necessary to assimilate together under their super-fun new head coach Jonathan Gannon (Shoom shoom shoom shoom shoom).
Jonathan Gannon is something else 😂 pic.twitter.com/isqycAYJDA — PFF (@PFF) February 19, 2023
Shoom.
This is a team stuck in rebuilding purgatory or perhaps even Hell. Sometimes it’s hard just to let go and have a fire-sale and full-scale rebuild, even when a team should. Unfortunately, since Arizona finds itself in this kind of position, there’s not a great chance this season will produce the results fans are hoping for.
Instead, it will probably be a long, disappointing slog lined with excuses, with half of the fans blaming Kyler Murray and the other half blaming the incumbent Head Coach. HOWEVER, this is football, and there’s a reason we play the game. Sometimes glory is bestowed upon the least expected people in the most unexpected places.
That being said, it’s been tricky acquiring the right pieces for this team in free agency, and Coach Gannon was even quoted as saying, “Games aren’t won in free agency.” This puts a lot of pressure on this year’s Draft for the Cardinals, who desperately seek to fill various weak spots on the roster. Luckily they have a prime pick this year (third), thanks to an abysmal 4-13 season last year under previous Head Coach Kliff Kingsbury.
With the third overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Arizona Cardinals select…
Will Anderson Jr. … If they can get him. Chances are that the Texans, with the second overall pick, will be taking one of the premier QBs in the draft, but there’s a chance Houston decides to take Will Anderson first before selecting a QB with a later pick. If Anderson is already gone, the Cardinals will likely default to picking whomever they deem to be the top CB option in this year’s draft, likely Joey Porter Jr., Christian Gonzalez, or Devon Witherspoon.
Many discussions have also been about a possible trade for the Cardinal’s coveted pick this year. Still, it seems pretty likely that, for now, that will only happen on Draft Day, at the moment that Arizona potentially gets their ideal future defensive star Will Anderson Jr. sniped away from them by the Texans. If that were to happen, one of the Cardinal’s many contingency plans would likely include a pre-determined trade with another team to trade down at that point, at that moment, during the draft.
After The First Pick
The Cardinals are pegged to take either Will Anderson Jr., a CB, or a trade-down. So what other needs besides Edge Rusher and CB should the team be looking to fill this draft?
With DeAndre Hopkins basically already out of the picture and the remaining receivers somewhat undersized (Brown is 5′ 9″, and Moore is 5′ 7″), the Cardinals could undoubtedly look to add some height to their receiving corps this draft.
The best option might be Wake Forest’s A.T. Perry, who is 6′ 4″ and caught 26 TDs in his last two seasons. He’s slated at #80 currently on the PFF giant board, and if the Cards are lucky, they could manage to scoop him up with the #96 or #105 picks. He would add some much-needed versatility to their playmaking capabilities. If not Perry, look for somebody of similar stature to be drafted at WR between the #66, #96, and the #105 Picks. (Other WR possibilities include: Rashee Rice, Xavier Hutchinson, and Cedric Tillman.)
While we fully expect Jonathan Gannon to play it safe during his first NFL Draft as a head coach… maybe he doesn’t. Based on how the man introduced himself to his players, he isn’t exactly a traditional thinker. I would say there’s a distinct chance that if the Cardinals aren’t able to draft Will Anderson Jr., Gannon shoom shoom shooms around the draft room and the Cardinals somehow end up with Quentin Johnston or Jaxon-Smith Njgiba. Gannon wants his QB to like him. This is smart, given that he comes from a defensive background and the fact that Kyler already holds Gannons future in his seemingly capable hands. Who knows?
Bottom Line
Jonathan Gannon is Coach Andre from the League trying to replace Coach Andre 3000; he knows he’ll never be as cool as the guy he’s replacing, so he’s out to prove himself any way he can. The only chance Gannon has is to give Kyler Murray everything he could ever want/need with this draft and let the offense put up 40 points a game. At the same time, Gannon meanwhile does whatever he can with his defensive experience to salvage an inferior defensive unit.
You can’t pass on Will Anderson Jr., and the Cardinals are 100% going to draft him or another EDGE and a CB. Other than that, I wouldn’t be shocked if the offense is somehow the overwhelming priority for the Cardinals during this year’s draft. Which could potentially result in some surprising and unexpected decisions. Look for Coach Michael Scott to make a splash in this year’s draft.
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