Way-too-early Arizona Cardinals NFL Draft preview

The 2023 NFL Draft is April 27-29 in Kansas City. Here is the projected first-round order, per Tankathon. (Picks 1-18 are locked in.)

2022 record: 4-13 | First-round pick: No. 3 | Team needs: Edge defender, interior defense, offensive tackle

Snapshot: The Cardinals were a huge disappointment in 2022, with the bad news topped by QB Kyler Murray suffering a torn ACL in mid-December. Arizona fired head coach Kliff Kingsbury, and general manager Steve Keim won't be back in 2023. A new regime, of course, will determine draft objectives. Arizona will seek Murray's input on a new coach.

Potential first-round picks: Will Anderson Jr., edge rusher, Alabama; Jalen Carter, DT, Georgia; Peter Skoronski, OT, Northwestern

Arizona's pass rush lacked punch in 2022, recording only 36 sacks. (Philadelphia led the league with 70.) So Anderson Jr. would be a fantastic addition if he slips to No. 3. Anderson, viewed as the top defender in the class and a game wrecker, had 204 tackles and 34.5 sacks in college.

Wrote Pro Football Focus about its No. 2 overall prospect: "You won’t find many 243-pound edge rushers who come with no concerns about their size. And that’s just how powerful and explosive Anderson is."

If Anderson Jr. is gone by the third pick, Carter would be a great consolation prize. He is Mel Kiper's No. 1 rated player in the draft. With the recent announcement of J.J. Watt's retirement, he would be an instant plug-and-play from Day 1.

If the Cardinals go offense in the first round, the line would be the way to go. 

Skoronski, the top-rated offensive lineman in the draft, would be the obvious choice. Standing at 6-foot-4 and weighing 315 pounds, he had "the single most dominant pass-blocking season we’ve seen in our nine years of college grading," according to PFF.