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2023 NFL Draft: Instant Analysis and Grades for Every Team’s Picks

By Sayre Bedinger

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - APRIL 27: (L-R) C.J. Stroud poses NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after being selected second overall by the Houston Texans during the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft at Union Station on April 27, 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - APRIL 27: (L-R) C.J. Stroud poses NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after being selected second overall by the Houston Texans during the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft at Union Station on April 27, 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images) /
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2023 NFL Draft
2023 NFL Draft, Paris Johnson Jr., Ohio State Buckeyes /

Arizona Cardinals

  • 6. Paris Johnson Jr. OT, Ohio State
  • 41. BJ Ojulari, EDGE, LSU
  • 72. Garrett Williams, DB, Syracuse
  • 94. Michael Wilson, WR, Stanford
  • 122. Jon Gaines II, OG, UCLA
  • 139. Clayton Tune, QB, Houston
  • 168. Owen Pappoe, LB, Auburn
  • 180. Kei’Trel Clark, CB, Louisville
  • 213. Dante Stills, DL, West Virginia

The 2023 NFL Draft has been a very interesting one for the Arizona Cardinals. It all started with some bad news. The Cardinals were popped for tampering with Jonathan Gannon in the process of hiring him as their next head coach, and that ended up costing them about 30 spots in the third round.

At the end of the day though, the Cardinals did so much wheeling and dealing that it really didn’t end up mattering. They needed the best possible combination of quality and quantity in this class, and they really got it. Moving down from the third overall pick to the 12th, new GM Monti Ossenfort secured arguably the most valuable piece from this class: The Houston Texans’ 2024 first-round pick.

Not Cleveland’s from Houston — Houston’s.

I don’t know if that pick will be in the top five, but given the state of the Texans, it’s not impossible.

Let’s focus on the picks, though. The Cardinals took a liking to Ohio State offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. and made him their top pick after a trade up to no. 6 with the Detroit Lions. Johnson is going to obviously be a core piece for this team moving forward, but the Cardinals passed up on Will Anderson Jr. to get him.

We’ll see how that works out.

Beyond that Paris Johnson Jr. pick, I don’t know if the Cardinals found the best value at their respective slots.

https://twitter.com/SharpFootball/status/1652454713877581825

Arizona was picking third overall in this draft, and near the top of every round. They should not be this low in terms of “value” but they were. And it felt that way throughout the whole selection process. BJ Ojulari was a good pick in round two, and frankly, he might be the best true value and pick of the bunch.

As of right now, what’s keeping this draft from being a complete disaster is really that 2024 first-round pick the Cardinals added, along with quite a bit of extra 2024 NFL Draft capital.  Still, we’re grading this based on the picks that were made, not the ones that are yet to be made.

Grade: C-

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