Cardinals Add Defensive Playmakers in Two-Round Mock Draft

In Dane Brugler's two-round mock draft for The Athletic, the Arizona Cardinals add Alabama's Will Anderson and Utah's Clark Phillips III.

The Arizona Cardinals finally have their general manager of the future in Monti Ossenfort. 

Ossenfort was officially introduced on Tuesday by owner Michael Bidwill, as both fielded questions from local media members for roughly 30 minutes. 

Ossenfort, heavily involved in the scouting world, touched on the potential that having the No. 3 pick could be for the Cardinals. 

"Well, it's an exciting [approach]. I hope we don't pick third overall again, that's for one. The benefit is that we're going to be ready to pick a premium player that's going to be able to come in here and have an impact on our team. That's the benefit," he told reporters.

"The other benefit is that there'll be calls on that pick. We're going to operate at every step along the way and we're going to do what's best for the team. So if we get a chance to drop back and pick up additional picks and that will help build the team, we're going to entertain that. But we're in a great position and I would say the same for every pick of that round. There's going to be action, the phone rings at the draft. The phone will ring and we'll be ready to take a good player, and we'll be ready to listen offers too, so we're in a great position with that."

Now, the ball can officially get rolling for Arizona and their 2023 NFL Draft prep. With either Will Anderson Jr. or Jalen Carter likely to fall to them at No. 3, either option could become a cornerstone player for their future. 

The Athletic's Dane Brugler recently completed a two-round mock draft and gave Arizona two playmakers on the defensive side of the ball. 

Round 1, Pick 3: Will Anderson, EDGE, Alabama

"Since Kyler Murray isn’t going anywhere, Arizona’s new general manager and head coach will be hoping that quarterbacks come off the board with the first two selections, which would give the Cardinals the opportunity to draft the top non-QB.

"An outstanding pass rusher and run defender, Will Anderson Jr., has a bendy, flexible frame with explosiveness in his upper half to attack from different positions. His junior season (10 sacks, 17 tackles for loss, one interception) didn’t quite live up to his remarkable sophomore year (17.5 sacks, 31 tackles for loss), but he still ranked top five in the nation in quarterback pressures. J.J. Watt’s retirement means that the Cardinals are losing one of the best pass rushers in NFL history, but adding Anderson would give the franchise a new defensive cornerstone for the future."

Round 2, Pick 34: Clark Phillips III, CB, Utah

Brugler didn't provide analysis on this pick, so we pulled some of his scouting report from Joe Marino of The Draft Network.

"When studying Phillips III, his impact and elite competitive spirit are impossible to deny. He is a dog! He improved every year at Utah where his reactionary skills developed wonderfully and he continuously showed up with impact plays in the biggest stages," said Marino.

"When it comes to concerns, Phillips III doesn’t offer ideal height, weight, or length. While he competes well above his weight class, teams were not shy about forcing him to play off contact and tackle. While always competitive and aggressive with no passive tendencies, there were instances in which Phillips III’s lack of size presented challenges for him getting off blocks and getting ball carriers on the ground.

"Phillips III may not check all the boxes in terms of size but he’s a damn good football player that provides every other desirable trait at a high level to be an impact starter in the NFL."

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