The NFL Draft has the potential for some big surprises and trades after the first several teams announce their first-round picks on Thursday night in Pittsburgh.
By now, the world knows that Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza is going to the Las Vegas Raiders first overall. That seems to be a consensus, and the No. 2 pick, held by the New York Jets, will likely be Texas Tech’s David Bailey or Ohio State’s Arvell Reese.
After that, it becomes interesting about the Arizona Cardinals at No. 3, as there are many indications that they will select dynamic Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love to boost their roster. However, that’s not a given, and recent speculation hinges on what else they could do with the third pick.
On Thursday morning, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo shed light on the situation with Arizona ahead of them making any official decisions.
KC Concepcion Receives Strong Endorsement Ahead of NFL Draft
The Cardinals are looking at either taking Love third overall or a “trade back” in the NFL Draft, according to Garofolo’s recent report on X. That could create a similar situation to what fans saw at the 2023 NFL Draft, when the Texans moved up to third overall to draft Will Anderson.
Anderson, who is entering his fourth season with Texas, just signed a lucrative contract extension making him the highest-paid non-quarterback player in the league.
Love could be a huge upgrade for many rosters at the running back position, including the Cardinals. However, it seems Arizona isn’t attached to being third, and if teams are willing to offer more picks to trade up, the Cardinals’ office is willing to listen.
The No. 3 pick is their only first-round pick, and they’ll have No. 34 in the second round, followed by picks in all rounds after that.
In his final mock draft released Wednesday, ESPN’s Peter Schrager echoed Garofolo’s sentiments about a trade-down situation for Arizona. According to Schrager, the Kansas City Chiefs or the New Orleans Saints might attempt to move up to the third pick to secure Arvell Reese.
According to PFF stats, Love ran for 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns on 199 carries in 12 games last season at Notre Dame. He also became one of the four players on the short list for contenders for the Heisman Trophy.
The case for the Cardinals keeping Love as their third pick certainly remains, especially after injury concerns involving the running back position for Arizona. They already have James Conner and added Tyler Allgeier, but Love could have tremendous upside as part of this team’s new offense.
However, that new offense could also include a work-in-progress at quarterback, as the team is said to be heavily interested in Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson, another potential first-round or early second-round pick.
Carson Beck’s NFL Draft Odds Reveal Which Team Could Pick Him
For more about the NFL Draft, head over to Newsweek Sports.
Read the full article here
