Are the Cardinals interested in moving up in NFL Draft?

Some people around the NFL believe GM Monti Ossenfort could be considering that route, although one of the trades would be contingent on the other. 

As ESPN’s Field Yates writes, the Cardinals would “want to ensure” they they’ll be capable of trading up the board before they move on from their fourth-overall selection.

While trading back would seem to be the more significant move, the organization is focused on moving up from their hypothetical pick acquisition. That’s because the team is especially determined to leave the first round with one of the draft’s elite receivers. 

If the organization trades No. 4 for a pick that takes them out of the top-10, there’s a good chance they miss out on the likes of Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr., LSU’s Malik Nabers and Washington’s Rome Odunze.

Of course, the Cardinals could just stay put at No. 4 and have their pick of the draft’s top receiver prospects. We heard earlier this week that Harrison, the consensus top player at his position, was a “wheelhouse pick” for Arizona. 

Amid an unusually structured pre-draft program, Harrison visited the Cardinals recently. However, if the Cardinals believe there isn’t a significant gap between Harrison and the Nabers/Odunze duo, a series of trades could still land them a WR plus extra assets.

After moving back from No. 3 to No. 12 during last year’s draft, the Cardinals ended up moving back up to No. 6 in order to acquire Ohio State offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr.. The trade machinations ended up netting the Cardinals a future first-round pick, a selection that resulted in the No. 27 pick in this year’s draft.