Cesmat – Cardinals trading the third pick was the right move…

(AP Photo/Paul Vernon)

Two quarterbacks were taken, and the Cardinals had every opportunity to do the right thing with the third overall pick Thursday night. First-year GM Monti Ossenfort did just that…
Crush the Cardinals all you want from trading down nine slots to the Houston Texans slot at 12, then back up to six, but they used their best asset, the high first-round pick, to stockpile future selections. It’s easy to say, “they should’ve gotten more”, but who’s to say that this wasn’t the best offer to be had?
The franchise has one of the worst rosters in the League, according to people’s opinions I trust and respect. The eyeball test shows that the Cardinals are heading nowhere fast in 2023, so they bottom out. Kyler Murray won’t be healthy to start the season. (Will USC QB Caleb Williams be the Cardinals’ pick in 2024?).
So they moved back up to six and took the highest-ranked offensive lineman, Paris Johnson, from Ohio State. Love the strategy. Love the fact that they took the third pick and turned it into multiple selections.
Love the fact that Johnson started a charity for veterans while at Ohio State. I had read some pre-draft notes on Johnson being fluent in Portuguese and Mandarin Chinese. A cornerstone for the Cardinals to build around for many years.
Build a roster on the trenches and hit on the picks. The Cardinals made a smart move on both fronts Thursday night…