Although the 2023 NFL Draft is just hours away, that’s still plenty of time for some major dominoes to fall via trade.
According to a report, the Arizona Cardinals, who currently hold the No. 3 overall pick in the draft, are mulling multiple trade offers for their selection.
It sounds like the Tennessee Titans are among the teams that are looking to trade up to No. 3, as they’re reportedly eyeing C.J. Stroud.
I’m told the Arizona Cardinals are currently mulling trade offers from multiple teams interested in moving to No. 3 overall.
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) April 27, 2023
As things stand now, the Titans have the No. 11 overall pick.
“The Tennessee Titans are exploring a potential trade up to the Arizona Cardinals’ third overall selection with Stroud their target, according to league sources,” wrote NFL insider Aaron Wilson.
The Titans currently have quarterbacks Ryan Tannehill and Malik Willis on their roster. Willis was just a rookie in the 2022 season after being selected by the team in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
If Tennessee were to trade up and snag Stroud in this year’s draft, it would certainly raise some questions about Willis’ future with the organization.
Stroud did wonders for his professional stock during his final two seasons at Ohio State University, solidifying himself as one of the top quarterbacks available this year.
In his 2021 season with the Buckeyes, he completed 71.9 percent of his passes for 4,435 yards, 44 touchdowns and just six interceptions across 12 games. In the 2022 season, he was impressive again, completing 66.3 percent of his passes for 3,688 yards, 41 touchdowns and six interceptions in 13 games.
He was a Heisman Trophy candidate in both of those years. As a player, the 21-year-old rarely puts the ball in harm’s way and has plenty of tools that figure to help him at the NFL level.
The Titans are coming off of a disappointing 2022 season in which they finished with a 7-10 record and missed the playoffs for the first time since the 2018 campaign. Adding Stroud would certainly pump some new life into the organization, though it’s unclear just how serious the team is about getting such a move done.
Some drafts lack chaos, but it doesn’t seem like this year’s edition is going to be one of them. With the first round rapidly approaching, there are still more questions than answers about how everything is going to unfold.
