Revenge of the Birds
Will GM Monti Ossenfort stay or go at #4? Let’s explore scenarios where he trades down. What do we make of these recent mock draft trade scenarios? (Spoilers: Most of them are terrible!)
We’ve almost made it, Birdgang: the 2024 NFL Draft is a week away. Throughout the buildup to the draft, the Arizona Cardinals have been one of the most intriguing teams to watch around the league. Will they trade down to a QB-needy team to stockpile extra draft picks? Or will they stand pat and take a blue-chip WR prospect like (hopefully) Marvin Harrison Jr.?
We’ll see what GM Monti Ossenfort does one week from today.
For now, mock draft season is still in full swing. Most draftniks seem pretty split on whether Monti will stay at #4 or trade back. I made my position on the matter clear a few weeks ago: I think he’d be making a colossal mistake if he passed on MHJ and traded back.
But let’s say he ignores my obviously correct advice and does move back. What are the mockers saying he’d be able to get to move back from #4? Remember that he is supposedly looking for three 1st-rounders. And who would he wind up taking in the 1st round wherever they wind up picking?
Let’s take a look at a handful of scenarios from recent mock drafts. I’ll rate each scenario on the following scale:
*** - Tolerable. I’ll grumble (a lot) but I could stomach it.
** - Don’t Like It At All. I’ll rant and rave and likely cuss up a storm, but it could be worse.
* - Hate It. I’ll be punching a hole in my flatscreen and/or tossing it out a window.
Yes, tolerable is as good as it gets—as mentioned above, I’m a full proponent of standing pat and taking MHJ (assuming he’s available). So let’s see if any of these scenarios are anything MHJ stans could stomach or if they’d be punching holes in their flatscreens. We’ll start with the worst potential trades and move up to the most tolerable.
Well, this is about the worst Cardinals mock I have ever seen. My reaction can be summed up in this gif from Team America: World Police. Let’s break it down: we pass up MHJ to move down TWENTY-FOUR(!) spots and wind up with a WR who isn’t even in Mel Kiper’s top-10 WRs (Insider link)? For what? Picks at the end of the 1st and 2nd round next year? At least we got a 2nd and a 4th this year. (Oh, plus we lose a 4th this year.) Egads, this is as...
