The Arizona Cardinals have the No. 3 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Considering they have a franchise quarterback in Kyler Murray, there has been some speculation that they might want to trade down with a team in a more desperate situation.
On Thursday, the day of the draft’s first round, reports started swirling about a potential deal that would send the Cardinals out of the No. 3 spot, though a specific detail involved in the trade got confusing very quickly.
The ProFootballTalk Twitter account kickstarted the drama by saying they were “Hearing Cardinals are trying to send No. 3 overall and DeAndre Hopkins to Titans for No. 11 pick plus more.”
Hearing Cardinals are trying to send No. 3 overall and DeAndre Hopkins to Titans for No. 11 pick plus more.
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) April 27, 2023
It seems strange that the Cardinals would feel the need to package Hopkins in the deal, which is supposed to reward them for the rights to that highly coveted pick.
PFT wasn’t the only source of this potential blockbuster trade idea.
And yes…
DeAndre Hopkins could be packaged alongside the No. 3 overall selection, per league sources. https://t.co/5ftwAHRaOA
— Justin M (@JustinM_NFL) April 27, 2023
While NFL fans were freaking out over the possibility, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport swooped in to provide some clarification.
“While the #Titans have had conversations about a potential trade up to No. 3 — among other spots — they have not had conversations centered around star WR DeAndre Hopkins, source said,” tweeted Rapoport.
While the #Titans have had conversations about a potential trade up to No. 3 — among other spots — they have not had conversations centered around star WR DeAndre Hopkins, source said.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 27, 2023
While the NFL insider has been wrong before and situations can change, it appears as though the Hopkins chatter may be more smoke than fire. Of course, crazier things have happened at the NFL Draft, so we’ll see what happens soon enough.
[PFT, Ian Rapoport]
