The Arizona Cardinals were very active in the trade market during the 2023 NFL draft. New GM Monti Ossenfort pulled off two separate trades involving top-10 picks while on the clock in April.
In an exceptional edition of the Cardinals’ in-house media production called “Cardinals Flight Plan” we get to see how Ossenfort executed the trades.
First, he dealt No. 3 overall to the Houston Texans in exchange for No. 12, No. 33 and a first-round and third-round pick in 2024, also sending No. 105 to Houston. But that comes after a rapid series of negotiations over the exact compensation that occur while the Cardinals are on the clock.
After that thrill ride, Ossenfort and his staff don’t have much time to catch their collective breath. They engineered another trade, packaging the No. 12 pick they just acquired to move up to No. 6 in a trade with the Detroit Lions.
Ossenfort talks with all four teams picking between No. 5 and No. 8 before agreeing to the deal with Detroit. It’s an indication of just how strongly the Cardinals valued Ohio State offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr., who they elected at No. 6 after the trade.
The entire program is an exceptional behind-the-scenes look at how a draft plays out in real-time.
