ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay has his latest mock draft out and it has what might be a perfect scenario for many Arizona Cardinals fans.
In it, the Cardinals trade the third overall pick, acquiring extra picks in this draft and in the future, and they still land perhaps the best player in the draft.
This mock draft goes two rounds and the Cardinals land a pass rusher. They also go with a running back.
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Trade with Colts
Cardinals trade No. 3 pick to Colts
Cardinals receive pick No. 4, pick No. 79 (Round 3), future 2nd-round pick
The Colts take no chances and move up one spot. The Cardinals only move back one spot, pick up a third-round pick in this draft and a second-rounder next year (most likely).
With an extra pick in the third round, they might be able to get a center they want (maybe Ohio State’s Luke Wypler), and it gives them five top-100 picks this year.
Round 1, pick 4: Alabama EDGE Will Anderson
Anderson is perhaps the player who could make the largest first-season impact for the Cardinals. They need pass-rushing help.
Anderson had elite production over multiple seasons against the best competition in college. He has talent, athleticism and motor. He is almost a no-fail selection.
Who is rushing the passer in Arizona right now? J.J. Watt retired, and Zach Allen is off to Denver. If new GM Monti Ossenfort wants to turn this ship around, he needs to find a dominant force off the edge who can get after the quarterback. Lucky for the Cards, they land the best one in the class despite moving back a spot. Anderson has real explosion to his game, getting on offensive tackles in an instant and then displaying the power to beat them one on one. He was extremely productive in college, posting 34.5 sacks and 66 tackles for loss over three years.
While Tyree Wilson out of Texas Tech has length and size that Anderson does not, Anderson’s freshman year was better than any single season Wilson had, and Wilson played in the pass-happy Big 12.
Round 2 (No. 34): Alabama RB Jahmyr Gibbs
A running back in the second round?
Perhaps it shouldn’t be a surprise. GM Monti Ossenfort comes from the Titans where Derrick Henry carries the offense.
Offensive coordinator Drew Petzing comes from the Browns who had a duo of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt.
The Cardinals have James Conner and question marks at running back right now.
James Conner is under contract, but the Cards’ offense is at its best when it rolls out multiple backs who can do a lot of different things. Gibbs is a shifty runner with the suddenness to make defenders miss and a devastating second gear to run away from them once he hits daylight. He not only ran for 926 yards and seven touchdowns in 2022, but also caught 44 passes.
Gibbs, who has breakaway speed (he ran the 40 at the combine in 4.36 seconds), would give the Cardinals a different look at running back.
Conner is big and powerful. Gibbs, at 5-foot-9 and 199 lbs, gives them a dynamic like they had when Chase Edmonds was with Conner in 2021.
