Report: Cardinals Might Struggle to Get Value for No. 3 Pick in NFL Draft

The Arizona Cardinals hold the keys to a potential franchise quarterback with the number three pick.

The entire NFL world will be watching and waiting on the Arizona Cardinals for their handling of the No. 3 pick in the upcoming 2023 NFL Draft. 

Arizona sits near the very top of the draft order and could very well take advantage of a quarterback-needy squad wanting to make a leap into the top three. New Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort could exchange his pick for quite the amount of draft capital. 

They could also stay and take a potential cornerstone player on the defensive side of the ball, too. 

As it stands, there's a large expectation for the Cardinals to move down in some capacity. With any major move, it will take the right package for Arizona to knock themselves a few notches down the draft board. 

What exactly the compensation will be remains to be seen, though MMQB NFL insider Albert Breer wonders if the Cardinals will actually get what they're asking for:

"If you, like most of the league, assume the first two picks are quarterbacks, and add Colts owner Jim Irsay’s hunger to get a long-term answer at QB at No. 4 into the equation, then new Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort could find himself in the draft’s catbird seat," said Breer in a recent mailbag. 

"The reason: Given all the above, the only way to ensure that you’ll get one of the top four quarterbacks, if you’re outside the top four picks, goes right through Arizona."

Breer then dove into the potential teams who could move up with the Cardinals:

"As for which teams should be on Arizona’s radar for a trade, you really can’t rule out the Seahawks or Lions coming up for one, though that seems unlikely. After that, the Raiders already tried to trade up once (with the Bears). They’d be coming from No. 7. And you’ve got the Falcons (8), Titans (11) and Commanders (16), though I’d say, at least with Atlanta and Washington, you’ve got teams executing plans to be more economical at the position.

"So, yes, Arizona’s in a good spot. But getting proper value for the pick might be a challenge."

It's hard to imagine the Cardinals not being able to cash in greatly on their current pick. ESPN NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper projected a trade down to No. 4 with the Indianapolis Colts:

"This trade down likely would give Arizona the Colts' second- and third-rounders (Nos. 35 and 79) at the very least, giving it a bunch of capital to make upgrades. Now, new general manager Monti Ossenfort has to use that capital wisely -- and hope quarterback Kyler Murray is ready for Week 1," said Kiper. 

Time will tell if the Cardinals will trade back (and what the eventual price tag will be), but Arizona holds the keys to what could be a franchise quarterback for a desperate team. 

Anything other than a tremendous haul would be disappointing. 

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