Draft season is officially on top of us -- especially since the Cardinals own the No. 3 overall pick. That also means mock draft season is upon us in earnest, and with it, our mock draft trackers. (We will have a handful of these in the weeks leading up to the draft on April 27, marking the "progress" of everyone's guesses.)
We have moved on to the third version, which includes mock versions only that have been submitted since Tracker 2.0. There was even a troll mock here, which really just tells us a) there is too much run-up time to the draft and b) people really really like clicking on mock drafts, because why else would you make every version ever possible.
Edge Will Anderson, Alabama
Rhett Lewis, NFL.com; Tony Pauline, Pro Football Network; Benjamin Robinson, Football Outsiders; Joel Klatt, Foxsports.com; Staff, USA Today; Sam Monson, Pro Football Focus; Ryan Wilson, cbssports.com; Chad Reuter, NFL.com; Adam Rank, NFL.com; Steve Palazzolo, Pro Football Focus; Doug Farrar, USA Today; Pete Prisco, cbssports.com; Lance Zierlein, NFL.com
Hey look! There are a ton of picks as Will Anderson as the Cardinals choice. I never woulda guessed. There are a lot of people making the caveat that they don't think the Cardinals will stay at No. 3 and get Anderson (and four of these Anderson choices indeed have the Cardinals swapping 3 with the Colts at 4 and still getting Anderson.) The one Anderson-comes-after-a-trade mock that has actual trade details (Ryan Wilson of CBS sports) has the Cardinals also getting the Colts pick No. 79 (third round) and No. 106 (fourth round).
Defensive tackle Jalen Carter
Tom Fornelli, cbssports.com; Nick Baumgardner, The Athletic; Colin Cowherd, foxsports.com
Carter was not mocked to the Cardinals in the previous tracker. Now he gets a little steam. In the Cowherd case, he has Anderson going No. 2 to the Texans. In the other cases, Carter arrived after a trade. Fornelli has a trade to No. 5 with the Seahawks -- I don't see that happening -- so Seattle can get Anthony Richardson. But he also has the Falcons trading up from 8 to the Colts at 4 (once Richardson was gone) and nabbing Anderson. No compensation is revealed. Baumgardner's Carter pick comes at No. 6 in a trade with the Lions (who take Anderson), but all the Cardinals would get extra was pick No. 48 and that wouldn't be enough for me to move down. You know, if I had a say.
Cornerback Christian Gonzalez, Oregon
Walter Cherepinsky, Walterfootball.com; Ian Cummings, Pro Football Network;
Props to Cherepinsky who continues to say the Cardinals will trade down so that's why they get Gonzalez but doesn't say where. Not sure Gonzalez lasts to some of the trade-down possibilities. Cummings has the Cardinals trading down to 7 with the Raiders. Alas, no trade details offered.
Edge Myles Murphy
Will Brinson, cbssports.com
As you will soon see, Brinson gets two of his mocks mentioned. There are a couple reasons for that, including that he was willing to name-check me and truly, when I know someone is reading the work, they are gonna jump a few rungs in my rankings. My tracker, my rules. Interestingly, he's got Anderson going two, with the Titans moving up to 3 to get C.J. Stroud. Hence, the Cardinals' super haul from the Titans to go to 11 (not that we know what it is, since Brinson doesn't specify, although props for the self-awareness that he doesn't.)
Quarterback Bryce Young, Alabama
Will Brinson, cbssports.com
To be fair, this one comes with a strong warning label. It is admittedly a (semi-)troll mock. The "worst mock ever" has Will Levis going 1 to the Panthers, Stroud to the Bears, Young to the Cardinals, Will Anderson to the Colts and Bijan Robinson (!) to the Seahawks. Are the Cardinals going to take a quarterback? No. Not in the first round. Would make for a heck of a draft story though.
