Many thought the NFL draft started at pick No. 3 with the Arizona Cardinals. The Carolina Panthers weren’t trading up to not select a quarterback. It was presumed Houston would do the same.
That meant the Cardinals could have the best non-quarterback available with pick No. 3 or trade down to add much-needed draft ammo.
Monti Ossenfort, who spent much of his career at New England, did the latter.
As the Cardinals went on the clock, the Houston Texans, who selected C.J. Stroud with the second overall pick, traded their No. 12 pick to get the Cardinals No. 3 pick to select Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson Jr.
The Cardinals pocketed the No. 12 and No. 33 picks in this year’s draft, a 2024 1st round pick and a 2024 3rd round pick, according to multiple reports. The Cardinals also sent over pick No. 105 to Houston.
Arizona also agreed to a settlement with the Philadelphia Eagles. Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort had a phone conversation with Jonathan Gannon, who at the time was the defensive coordinator for the Eagles, at a time that was not permitted.
The Cardinals (pick No. 66) and Eagles (pick No. 94) swapped third rounders in this draft. The Eagles also send a fifth round pick in the 2024 draft.
The Cardinals’ picks for this year’s draft are as follows:
No. 12 overall
No. 33 overall
No. 34 overall
No. 94 overall
No. 96 overall
No. 168 overall
No. 180 overall
No. 213 overall
Jordan Hamm
