There has already one blockbuster trade that will shake up the 2023 NFL Draft, with more potentially on the way.
Last week, the Chicago Bears traded the No. 1 pick to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for wide receiver D.J. Moore, the No. 9 and No. 61 selections plus 2024 first and 2025 second-round draft choices.
It’s widely expected that the Panthers will take a quarterback with the first overall pick; Alabama’s Bryce Young and Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud are the consensus top two quarterback prospects in this year’s class.
The Houston Texans hold the No. 2 selection, and they’ll likely take Young or Stroud. But the Kyler Murray-led Arizona Cardinals, owners of the No. 3 selection, can auction the pick off to the highest bidder to another QB-needy team.
Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay proposed one NFL Draft trade for all 32 NFL teams. For the Atlanta Falcons, Kay suggested that they acquire the No. 3 pick from Arizona in exchange for the No. 8 and No. 44 picks plus quarterback Desmond Ridder:
“The Atlanta Falcons are in a tough spot with the No. 8 overall pick and in desperate need of a quarterback to build around.
The rival Carolina Panthers—who were originally picking one spot behind the Falcons at No. 9 before dealing it to the Chicago Bears in a package for the No. 1 overall selection—just showed how costly it can be to guarantee a blue-chip passer, but the Falcons will need to execute a similar deal to secure themselves one in this draft.
While the team already has a young signal-caller in Desmond Ridder—a third-round pick last year—his pedestrian rookie performance and slow development aren’t worth staking the future on. Atlanta could package him up to give the Cardinals an insurance option to coach up behind Kyler Murray, their injury-prone starter.
At No. 3 overall, the Falcons could guarantee a selection of either C.J. Stroud, Bryce Young or Anthony Richardson, the consensus three best passers in the class.
Any one of them would be a fantastic get for this organization and give it the quarterback it has desperately needed since the Matt Ryan era came to an end.”
If the Falcons were to move into the No. 3 spot, they’d also have the option to take Kentucky’s Will Levis or Florida’s Anthony Richardson. The latter’s draft stock has soared ever since he put together a remarkable showing at the NFL Combine.
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The Falcons finished 7-10 last season despite uneven play from Marcus Mariota and Ridder. With Tom Brady retired, the NFC South is wide open, and the Falcons just might be a simple QB upgrade away from winning the division.
