After many months of months of analysis and rumors, the 2023 NFL Draft is almost here, finally. And as the draft approaches, one of the wildest rumors yet has emerged.
On Saturday, NFL draft analyst Tony Pauline of Pro Football Network tweeted, “Latest- The Cardinals are getting calls from teams who want to move to #3 then take one of the offensive lineman. Did not hear which OT is being targeted.”
Latest- The Cardinals are getting calls from teams who want to move to #3 then take one of the offensive lineman. Did not hear which OT is being targeted.
— Tony Pauline (@TonyPauline) April 22, 2023
Pauline is one of the most connected NFL draft sources, so whenever he drops a nugget like this, it’s worth taking seriously.
At the same time, this suggestion is rather stunning.
It’s been easy to assume that the Arizona Cardinals would be very willing to trade the No. 3 overall pick; they already have a quarterback in Kyler Murray, and they’re a rebuilding team with many other needs. Like the Chicago Bears did with the No. 1 pick, it makes sense for Arizona to trade its pick for haul of draft capital rather than settle on one prospect. The Carolina Panthers (especially, after they traded up from No. 9) and Houston Texans may be staying put, so the Cardinals should get a ton of interest for the No. 3 pick.
However, the assumption has been that NFL teams interested in trading up to No. 3 would want a quarterback (such as Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, Will Levis, Anthony Richardson, and Hendon Hooker) or a top defensive player (such as Will Anderson, Jalen Carter, Tyree Wilson, Christian Gonzalez, and Devon Witherspoon). There’s been minimal — if any — talk of an offensive lineman going in the top five, and especially not the top-three.
Who would the player be?
Northwestern offensive tackle Peter Skoronski, Ohio State offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr., Georgia offensive tackle Broderick Jones, and Tennessee offensive tackle Darnell Wright are among the top prospects at the position.
Many evaluators believe Skoronski is one of the best football players in this draft, but there are questions about his ability to be a starting offensive tackle (he’s 6’4″ and with 32 1/4″ arms). And if he’s viewed as guard, using the No. 3 overall pick on a non-premium position would be a very questionable use of resources for an NFL organization (especially after giving up draft capital to move up to the pick). Johnson, Jones, and Wright are all intriguing prospects, but all come with question marks/deficiencies and haven’t been expected to go earlier than the eighth or ninth pick.
So, it would be very interesting to see what player would be taken at the pick, and it would be as interesting to see what team is trading up to No. 3 to make the selection.
We’ll get answers about the No. 3 pick soon, with the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft scheduled for Thursday night.
