Arizona Cardinals should resist temptation to trade out of No.4 draft slot: Analysis

Could a Michigan man prevent the Arizona Cardinals from drafting their dream wide receiver from Ohio State?

Don’t laugh, it could happen.

When the Vikings made a trade last Friday with the Texans to acquire a second first-round pick – No.23 overall in addition to the No.11 pick they already own – it set up an intriguing possibility for Minnesota to bundle both of those selections to move up in next month’s NFL draft to land the team’s next franchise quarterback.

The Vikings probably can’t leverage their way into any of the top three spots. The Bears, Commanders and Patriots, set to pick at 1, 2 and 3, respectively, have cleared the decks to bring in their own rookie quarterbacks.

The Bears, who traded Justin Fields to the Steelers, are expected to select Caleb Williams from USC. The Commanders, who dealt Sam Howell to the Seahawks, will have their choice of either Jayden Daniels from LSU or Drake Maye from North Carolina. The Patriots, who dealt Mac Jones to the Jaguars, will likely pick whichever QB the Commanders don’t.

The Vikings, meanwhile, reportedly are hot after J.J. McCarthy, who helped lead the Michigan Wolverines to the national championship last season. And that, conceivably, brings the Cardinals and the No. 4 overall pick into play.

Cardinals fans and seemingly the majority of NFL draft analysts, of course, have been projecting for months now that Arizona has and will continue to zero in on Marvin Harrison Jr., the generational wideout from Ohio State and son of former Colts receiver and Pro Football Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison Sr.

It makes perfect sense, too.

The Cardinals divested themselves of DeAndre Hopkins a year ago and this offseason, they also let Marquise “Hollywood” Brown walk as a free agent. With a glaring need for a new No. 1 wide receiver to pair with starting quarterback Kyler Murray, why wouldn’t they target a 6-foot-3 playmaker with all the skill, size, and speed to become their next Larry Fitzgerald?

Would they dare pass on such a prized prospect 20 years later?

They could, indeed.

But only if one, reports are true that the Vikings covet McCarthy and believe he’s worthy of being the No. 4 pick, and two, if Cardinals General Manager Monti Ossenfort is tempted enough or convinced that he can still find game-changing talent by trading down for picks 11 and 23 — and possibly and probably more — to pair with Arizona’s other first-round pick, No. 27 overall, and the third pick in the second round, No.35.

Ossenfort proved last year in his first year as GM that he isn’t afraid of wheeling and dealing. Remember, he passed on former Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. by sending Arizona’s No. 3 overall pick to Houston to move down to No. 12 and acquire more draft capital only to trade back up into the first round in a separate deal with Detroit to snare former Ohio State offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr.

If a repeat-type of situation were to follow, an important step comes this Friday when the 6-foot-2, 219-pound McCarthy holds his Pro Day in Ann Arbor, Michigan. According to SI’s Albert Breer, the Vikings plan to have quarterback coaches Josh McCown and Grant Udinski in attendance. McCarthy is also expected to meet with Vikings coach Keven O’Connell and GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah during a private workout.

If all goes well, it could lead to Minnesota finding its replacement for Kirk Cousins, who agreed to a four-year, $180 million contract with the Falcons. The Vikings did sign quarterback Sam Darnold to a one-year deal worth a reported $10 million, but if he starts in 2024 it likely only would be until McCarthy is ready to go, should they land him.

What could the Cardinals end up with if they were to make a deal with the Vikings?

Well, they almost assuredly would miss out on each of the top three-rated wide receivers in Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers from LSU, and Rome Odunze of Washington. Each is likely to be gone within the Top 10 picks.

McManaman's 2024 NFL Mock Draft 2.0: Marvin Harrison Jr still the pick at No.4

At No. 11, the Cardinals might be in range for former LSU receiver Brian Thomas Jr. and/or have the option of drafting either of the top two cornerbacks in this year’s class (Terrion Arnold from Alabama or Quinyon Mitchell from Toledo). Or, maybe they could get one of the top three remaining offensive tackles (Taliese Fuaga from Oregon State or Olu Fashanu of Penn State).

It’s possible, but doubtful that either of the top two edge rushers (Jared Verse from Florida State or Dallas Turner of Alabama) will be available at that spot, but UCLA’s Laiatu Latu might be.

At Nos. 23 and 27, they could be in play for an edge guy such as Chop Robinson (Penn State), a defensive lineman like Der’Zhan Newton (Illinois), and perhaps a cornerback like Cooper DeJean (Iowa) or Nate Wiggins (Clemson). There could be an offensive tackle such as Amarius Mims (Georgia) or Tyler Guyton (Oklahoma) as well as an interior offensive lineman like or Jackson Powers-Johnson (Oregon) or Graham Barton (Duke).

And there’s enough depth in this year’s receiver class to find a catch later in the first or early in the second when it comes to names such as Adonai Mitchell (Texas), Tony Franklin (Oregon), Keon Coleman (Florida State) or Xavier Worthy (Texas).

But none of them are Marvin Harrison Jr., and it begs the question: Should the Cardinals even flirt with the idea of trading out of the No. 4 spot if the Vikings – or any other team, for that matter, come skulking around trying to play Let’s Make a Deal?

If I’m Ossenfort and the Cardinals, I’m not doing it. Harrison is too good, and he would fill a huge need on an Arizona offense that desperately needs a stud playmaker with an excellent pedigree.

Securing a couple of extra first-round picks and more might sound like a good idea, but then the Cardinals would have to live with it. Giving away the chance at drafting a difference-maker like Harrison could end up haunting this franchise for years and years to come.

Last year was last year and so far, it seems to have worked. Could Ossenfort find a way to trade back up in the first round like he did a year ago and draft a gem? Absolutely. In the uncertainty that is the NFL draft, however, there’s no guarantee he can pull it off again.

Resist trading for more and stay at 4.

Reach McManaman at bob.mcmanaman@arizonarepublic. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @azbobbymac and listen to him live every Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. on Roc and Manuch on Fox Sports 910-AM.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona Cardinals will have offers, but shouldn't trade No. 4 pick