ESPN Gives Cardinals Productive DL in Mock Draft

The Arizona Cardinals receive some help along the defensive line in Todd McShay's first mock draft of the season.

The Arizona Cardinals are likely to pick high in the 2023 NFL Draft after a dismal season, and the possibilities are seemingly limitless when it comes to their first-round selection. 

The Cardinals have roughly 30 pending free agents with plenty of needs across the board already on deck. After dealing their first-round pick for WR Marquise Brown, Arizona looks to make a big impact with what is surely a top-ten pick. 

Position groups such as the secondary and offensive line are popular picks, but in Todd McShay's first mock draft the Cardinals add Clemson Tigers defensive linemen Bryan Bresee with the No. 10 pick:

ESPN Gives Cardinals Productive DL in Mock Draft

Todd McShay: "Defensive linemen J.J. Watt and Zach Allen are both free agents after this season, and Leki Fotu is set to follow after 2023. Bresee could help fill that need on a struggling defense. His numbers won't wow you, and he missed some time this season, but when he's 100 percent, Bresee is an incredibly talented run-stuffer with the length and bend to make a big impact and play a role as an interior pass-rusher. Cornerback (Penn State's Joey Porter Jr.) and edge rusher (Myles Murphy, Bresee's teammate at Clemson) could make sense, too."

Bryce Young, Jalen Carter, Will Anderson, C.J. Stroud, Bijan Robinson, Will Levis, Peter Skoronski, Tyree Wilson and Paris Johnson went ahead of Bresee in the mock. 

The Cardinals are also set to lose Trysten Hill this offseason, marking three players along the defensive line who could potentially be gone. 

Bresee's scouting report (specifically the pros of his game) on The Draft Network offers the following:

"The physical skill set is just so obvious here and it’s very impressive. Watching Bryan Bresee on some of the shallow twists, which allow him to open his strides as he gets into a gap, offers a clear look at why he’s been so highly regarded as a prep recruit ... He’s twitchy and can rip through lateral contact in order to uncover and then flash to the football with suddenness. Bresee has showcased the needed versatility play up and down the line at Clemson and I think in the right scheme (penetration based) he could offer similar versatility in the front at the NFL level—particularly with Clemson’s tendency to reduce him down as a head-up rusher on the center to try to dictate 5-0 protection calls from the opposition."

Even if guys such as Watt and Allen were to return, the Cardinals would undoubtedly benefit from Bresee's presence along the defensive line. 

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