There are a few options the Arizona Cardinals have with the third overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Despite having all of those options, as Sports Illustrated’s Donnie Druin recently shared, it looks more and more obvious that the Cardinals are looking to trade the pick.
This talk about trading the pick is nothing new. ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. recently said that “Arizona holds the key to this entire draft,” in reference to the chance they trade down. He would go on to advocate for that move, so that Arizona could stockpile picks while picking players at positions of need where their talent would more accurately slot them as picks.
Druin added to that, explaining the Cardinals’ GM Monti Ossenfort has a history of trading back. He noted, “Through his three years orchestrating drafts in the desert, the Cardinals have moved up and down the board on all three days of festivities.”
There is reporting that backs up these rumors and recommendations too. Albert Breer of SI recently included the Cardinals on a list of teams who are going to be looking to move down.
“Teams picking behind the Jets are looking to move down. Count the Cardinals, Titans, Giants, Browns and Commanders among those already looking at trying to drop down in the order to accumulate capital. The problem for those five is finding teams to move up,” Breer wrote.
There are going to be challenges to that. In particular, finding someone who wants to move all the way up to No. 3 and is willing to pay a fair price for that draft slot. Still, while it’s not going to be easy, Druin thinks it’s obvious that the trade would be ideal for the Cardinals.
“It’s obvious the Cardinals are wanting to trade down and take a player a bit later in the order they just might have gotten at the third overall pick,” Druin wrote. “However, finding a suitable partner and proper deal will prove to be difficult.”
The Dallas Cowboys Have Been Suggested as a Trade Partner for the Arizona Cardinals
GettyDallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones
One team that keeps coming up as a potential trade partner for the Arizona Cardinals is the Dallas Cowboys. This comes as the Cowboys hold two first-round picks and seem to want to add another star to their defense.
Recently, Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski shared a new prediction on the potential for a trade here.
The move would see Dallas send both of its first-round picks, at No. 12 and No. 20, respectively, to Arizona. That would allow the Cowboys to select David Bailey, an edge rusher from Texas Tech.
“A trade-down isn’t just an opportunity for the Cardinals to add draft ammunition and improve multiple areas of the roster—even though both are true in this situation. Instead, the most important aspect of a possible move is how Arizona can stack the board in its favor,” Sobleski wrote.
In his mock draft, Sobleski has the Cardinals going on to select Miami offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa with the No. 12 pick. Later, they’d be using the No. 20 pick on Ty Simpson, the quarterback out of Alabama. In other words, the Cardinals would hopefully be drafting their two cornerstone offensive players for the future after making this proposed trade.
Other Predictions Have Arizona Trading Back into the First Round
GettyArizona Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort.
Not everyone predicting that Arizona makes a trade thinks that the Cardinals are going to trade down. There are also several predictions floating around that they would trade back into the first round.
ESPN reporter Ben Solak shared one of those notable suggestions. In a recent mock draft, Solak has the Cardinals trading with the New England Patriots at No. 31 overall. There, he has the Cardinals taking Ty Simpson.
It’s an interesting trend that is developing in predictions about how the Cardinals are going to handle the first round of the draft. Arizona needs a quarterback, but would be reaching for a quarterback at No. 3. So, they’re looking at either trading back or up to find a way to select the consensus second-ranked quarterback this draft in the later stages of the first round.
Whether or not that actually happens, of course, remains to be seen. Regardless, this is the start of a new era and a rebuild in Arizona, so the Cardinals can’t afford to misfire in this year’s NFL Draft.
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