In what comes as a surprise to nobody, the Arizona Cardinals reportedly have multiple teams trying to trade for their No. 3 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft.
According to ESPN’s Dianna Russini, the Cardinals are mulling over more than one offer. We hope, of course, that one of those offers belongs to the Tennessee Titans, but that has not been confirmed.
There are rumors swirling that the Titans are eyeing Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud via a move up to No. 3.
Attached to that report is another one stating the Houston Texans taking Stroud at No. 2 would be “a major surprise,” paving the way for Stroud to be there at No. 3.
Based on Russini’s report, the Titans are clearly going to have competition if they are indeed looking to move up to that spot — and that could be a major problem for their efforts.
I’m told the Arizona Cardinals are currently mulling trade offers from multiple teams interested in moving to No. 3 overall.
— Dianna Russini 🏈 (@diannaESPN) April 27, 2023
That’s because the Titans are sitting at No. 11 right now and have seven other teams with a better pick to offer sitting in front of them, and some of those teams might be interested in moving up for a quarterback like Stroud.
Such a situation sets it up so that the Titans may have to offer more than they normally would have to for such a move up.
Of course, there will likely be teams looking to trade up to that spot for a player at a different position, which would push Stroud down the board.
The problem is that the Indianapolis Colts are sitting at No. 4 and, in my estimation, are likely to take a quarterback in that spot. Kentucky QB Will Levis has been connected to the Colts pretty heavily ahead of the draft, but it’s certainly not crazy to think Indy would opt for Stroud if he’s still there.
If Indy somehow passes on Stroud, the Seattle Seahawks, Detroit Lions, Las Vegas Raiders and Atlanta Falcons will follow. All four of those teams could be interested in Stroud in those spots, with the Falcons being the most likely of that group.
On the flip side, I think Seattle, Detroit and Las Vegas could also be candidates for the Titans to trade with should Stroud fall to that area.
This won’t happen but if Stroud gets past those four teams as well, the last two teams in front of the Titans, the Chicago Bears and Philadelphia Eagles, aren’t threats to grab a quarterback ahead of Tennessee.
