Cardinals Predicted to Trade Down With Titans in NFL Draft

The Arizona Cardinals and Tennessee Titans could do some serious business in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
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The Arizona Cardinals are in a great spot for the 2023 NFL Draft. 

The Cardinals sit just two spots removed from the top of the draft order in what will surely be a hot quarterback market with Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, Anthony Richardson and Will Levis likely to go in some order in the top ten. 

While Kyler Murray rehabs a torn ACL, the Cardinals enter a rebuild and will try to capitalize off their golden ticket by trading down with a team willing to pay a premium price tag. 

Franchises such as the Indianapolis Colts, Las Vegas Raiders, Detroit Lions and Atlanta Falcons all sit with top ten picks and could very well deal with one of those teams. 

However, a new team has recently emerged as a name to watch: The Tennessee Titans. 

The Titans sit just outside of the top ten at pick No. 11 and would have to give up quite the haul to move up, which would include significant compensation for drafts in 2023 and 2024 as well. 

For a Cardinals team that isn't close to contending, that's pretty tempting. 

Pro Football Focus' Trevor Sikkema predicts that the Cardinals will ultimately move down with the Titans when the time comes: 

Cardinals Predicted to Trade Down With Titans in NFL Draft

"The Arizona Cardinals have one of the hottest tickets in town, holding the No. 3 overall pick. As a team that doesn’t need a quarterback, they know a bidding war sparked by quarterback-needy teams behind them could commence," said Sikkema.

"We’ve heard teams such as the Lions, Raiders and Falcons as potential trade-up candidates for that spot, but another outside of the top 10 seems to be in the mix, as well. NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah recently said on his podcast 'Move The Sticks' that one team he’s heard of as a surprise candidate for the No. 3 overall pick is the Tennessee Titans.

"The Titans are in a weird spot. They fired general manager Jon Robinson in the middle of the 2022 season before going on a seven-game losing streak to end the year, subsequently missing the playoffs. The current state of the Titans is a massive fall from grace from their No. 1 overall seed status a year ago. Their roster is devoid of talent, and they look like a team a lot closer to rebuilding than competing. 

"Quarterback Ryan Tannehill is 35 years old and in the final year of his contract coming off his worst season as the team's starter. Tennessee could save almost 18 million if he's cut. They do have Malik Willis, who they selected in the third round of last year’s draft, but the general manager who drafted Willis is gone. Is there still faith in him to be the franchise's next starter?

"These are just a few reasons why the Titans could very well be the team that offers the biggest purse for No. 3 overall to go get a new quarterback."

With Stroud and Young likely going in the top two picks, many believe Richardson will be the third quarterback off the board. 

There's a strong possibility that four quarterbacks could begin the draft order. After the Carolina Panthers and Houston Texans make their picks, there's a strong possibility that the Cardinals won't stick at No. 3 and trade out. Indianapolis is also a strong candidate to draft a young passer one spot after them, too. 

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Donnie Druin
DONNIE DRUIN

Donnie Druin is the Publisher for All Cardinals and Inside The Suns. Donnie moved to Arizona in 2012 and has been with Fan Nation since 2018. In college he won "Best Sports Column" in the state of Arizona for his section and has previously provided coverage for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona State Sun Devils. Follow Donnie on Twitter @DonnieDruin for more news, updates, analysis and more!