The Arizona Cardinals had one of the worst seasons in the league last season, finishing with a record of 4-13 and completed the worst season since Head Coach Kliff Kingsbury joined the franchise in 2018. The Cardinals felt it best to part ways with Kingsbury following the end of the season and General Manager Steve Keim opted to step away from the position as well. While obviously unfortunate, the vacancies could present an opportunity for the franchise to grow in a new direction, both in the short-term and long-term.
With the team holding the third overall pick in this year’s draft, Arizona is in a prime position to address one of their biggest needs, especially with teams jockeying to move up in order to select one of the top quarterback prospects in this class. With one such move already completed, that being the Carolina Panthers moving up to the first overall pick after trading wide receiver D.J. Moore, the 2023 ninth and 61st overall selections, a 2024 first round selection, and a 2025 second selection to the Chicago Bears, the Cardinals are sure to be assessing all of options available to them.
Despite a glaring need, which I will discuss later in this piece, Arizona may still be open to shopping the pick, especially if both the Panthers and Houston Texans choose quarterbacks with their selections, as they are both widely expected to do. The Cardinals may be willing to listen to offers for their first round pick as quarterback-needy teams scramble to move up in hopes of securing one of the two remaining quarterbacks still on the board, out a presumed four likely to be drafted on Day One of the NFL Draft. If such a trade were to occur, I believe Arizona would do two things. First, they would wait until the pick is on the clock before accepting an offer. They would do this in order to maximize their bargaining positions and to apply pressure to any teams interested, especially to a team selecting within a few picks after them, as those teams will want to ensure they are able to select their desired player and may be willing to overpay in order to prevent another team from obtaining the Cardinals’ selection. Second, Arizona would almost exclusively entertain offers from teams within the remaining top ten selections as they do not want to drop far from their existing spot.
In either case, be it if they decide to stay in the third spot or if they trade a few picks down, I believe that the Cardinals are focused solely on selecting an edge rusher with their first-round pick. This seems all but certain after Arizona saw a disappointing season from the position last year, where collectively their edge rushing linebackers collectively accumulated just 9.5 all season, as well as the release last week of veteran Markus Golden, who accounted for just 2.5 of those sacks. Additionally, while not an edge rushing linebacker, the Cardinals have additional weakness along their defensive front as J.J. Watt announced his retirement in the offseason. Together, this, too, presents an opportunity for change and a revamping of their pass rushing attack.
Koa’s first ever NFL game.
My last ever NFL home game.My heart is filled with nothing but love and gratitude. It’s been an absolute honor and a pleasure.
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) December 27, 2022
Some may question why Arizona would chose to select an edge rusher after they spent a pair of third round picks in 2022 on outside linebackers, both of which saw significant playing time last year as well as some promising upside. The key to this has to do with Watt’s departure more than anything else.
When the Cardinals selected Cameron Thomas with one of their third-round picks last year, he was announced as an outside linebacker and mentioned broadly as just that. However, when developing The ORANGE Report prior to last year’s NFL Draft, I never viewed Thomas as that. During his time at San Diego State, Thomas played primarily as a five-tech down lineman, coincidentally, the same position Watt played during his time with Arizona. It is my guess that the Cardinals will, and even should, move Cameron into Watt’s now vacant position. Making this move would clearly open up the edge role that Golden and Thomas platooned at last season while still managing to get Thomas on the field so that he can continue to develop.
This begs the question, who should Arizona select with their first-round pick?
Ultimately, I believe there is only one real answer to this question, Will Anderson Jr. – Alabama.
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - JANUARY 10: Alabama Crimson Tide LB Will Anderson Jr. (31) lines up for a play during the Alabama Crimson Tide versus the Georgia Bulldogs in the College Football Playoff National Championship, on January 10, 2022, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN. (Photo by Michael Allio)
Anderson is, far and away, the most consistently productive and pro-ready edge rusher in this class. Last season he was named the first back-to-back SEC Defensive Player of the Year since the inception of the award in 2002. Furthermore, the 34.5 sacks he accumulated over the span of his three-year career at Alabama ranks him as the all-time sack leader for the SEC, and ranks him fifth-overall in NCAA sack totals, and his 59 tackles for a loss also ranks him as the all-time leader in that category for the SEC. I want to stress that he achieved these totals over just three years as well, an unbelievable feat no matter how you view it.
His presence on a depleted and still relatively young Cardinals defense will give them yet another piece in what has become a very talented and cohesive unit. If Arizona does, in fact, select Anderson, he would instantly become a clear front runner for the AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award.
While I have consistently placed a percentage likelihood on various positions, or players, that a team may target with their initial draft picks, this is one instance where both the player and position appear, to me at least, to be all but certain.
