Monti Ossenfort Arizona Cardinals
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Looking at the hypothetical trade between the Dallas Cowboys and the Arizona Cardinals for the No. 3 pick in the NFL Draft.
With the NFL Draft rapidly approaching, the rumor mill is on fire. One of the biggest has been the potential for a trade between the Arizona Cardinals and the Dallas Cowboys for the No. 3 overall pick, as the Cardinals look to stack picks and build their full roster while the Cowboys want to add a new star who can have an immediate impact.
Keeping that rumor in mind, the Dallas Morning News recently suggested a trade between the Cardinals and Cowboys. In it, the Cardinals would receive two first-round picks from Dallas, at No. 12 and No. 20, as well as the No. 92 pick, which is going to come in the third round. In exchange, the Cowboys would get the No. 3 overall pick.
Would the Arizona Cardinals Accept this Hypothetical Trade?
Mike LaFleur Arizona Cardinals
GettyArizona Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur
The question then is whether or not the Arizona Cardinals would accept this hypothetical trade from the Dallas Cowboys. On the surface, at least, the deal would make some sense.
While Arizona needs a quarterback for the future, there isn’t one who seems like they’d be appropriate to pick at No. 3, unless Fernando Mendoza somehow slipped from the first pick. However, that seems exceptionally unlikely. So, instead, it’s about planning to enter a rebuild. Getting as many picks, particularly high draft picks, to do that as possible is going to be important. In exchange, it would set Dallas up to draft someone like Arvell Reese or David Bailey and try to get the Cowboys back into NFC East contention.
Writing about the trade, Donnie Druin of Sports Illustrated compared it to the 2023 NFL Draft. There, the Cardinals made a similar trade with the Houston Texans. So, it would seem like fair value is coming back to Arizona here.
“In 2023, the Cardinals executed a similar trade with the Houston Texans going from No. 3 to 12 in exchange for an additional first and third-round picks,” Druin wrote. “While there’s not quite a prospect at the level of Will Anderson Jr. in this draft, that should still be a reference point for any discussions.”
For now, of course, this is all a hypothetical exercise, though. There are still a few weeks to go before the NFL Draft, and trades often don’t happen until moments before a pick is actually made. So, there is still plenty of time not just to work out a deal but for more rumors to stem from the No. 3 pick.
Todd McShay Fueled Rumors About Arizona Trading the No. Pick
Arizona Cardinals NFL Draft
GettyArizona Cardinals NFL Draft
The Arizona Cardinals have plenty of needs they could fill at the No. 3 pick. That includes some of the defensive players that the Dallas Cowboys are interested in. Beyond that, there is the offensive line to think about.
Despite that, it was draft analyst Todd McShay who added fuel to the fire recently on his podcast. There, he said there was “buzz” about the Cardinals moving the pick to the Cowboys.
McShay has proven over the years to be one of the most connected NFL Draft experts. So, when he mentions rumors like these, there is a good amount of weight that gets put on them.
Still, those are just rumors, and if Arizona does hold onto the pick, there are some interesting options. The Cardinals have been linked to David Bailey in mock drafts, as well as several offensive linemen. So, there isn’t any need to trade the pick either.