Cardinals' Top 2023 NFL Draft Targets

The Arizona Cardinals are the first team in the 2023 NFL draft order without a true need at quarterback.

Arizona has plenty of other roster holes to fill on its roster around Kyler Murray to achieve some sort of success under first-year head coach Jonathan Gannon.

The Cardinals should have their pick of the premier draft prospects at No. 3 overall.

There is a scenario in which the Houston Texans select a non-quarterback at No. 2, but that would still leave the Cardinals with plenty of top-tier options to choose from at No. 3.

Will Anderson and Tyree Wilson are the ideal candidates to land with the Cardinals since they would usher in the new generation of pass-rushers on the roster after J.J. Watt's retirement.

Arizona does not seem like a team that would deliver a huge surprise at No. 3 because of its glaring defensive line need, but it could chase one of the top cornerbacks if the organization feels strongly about a specific player.

Will Anderson, EDGE, Alabama

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OXFORD, MISSISSIPPI - NOVEMBER 12: Will Anderson Jr. #31 of the Alabama Crimson Tide during the game against the Mississippi Rebels at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on November 12, 2022 in Oxford, Mississippi. (Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images)

Anderson has been near, or at the top, of many 2023 draft boards for two years.

He broke out in 2021 with 101 tackles and 17.5 sacks for the Alabama Crimson Tide.

A case could be made that if Anderson was eligible for the 2022 draft, he would have been a top-10 selection because of the output from his sophomore season.

Anderson followed up his remarkable sophomore year with a 10-sack junior campaign.

Arizona needs someone who can get to the quarterback on a constant basis. It lost 18 sacks from last year's team between Watt's retirement and Zach Allen's free-agent move to the Denver Broncos.

The Texans are the only team who could prevent the Cardinals from selecting Anderson.

The Carolina Panthers are widely expected to land Anderson's college teammate, quarterback Bryce Young, with the No. 1 overall pick, which would leave Houston with the option of choosing a signal-caller or who it believes is the top defensive prospect.

Anderson would be a fantastic foundational piece for Gannon to build his new defense around, and he could be a Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate if his college totals translate to the professional level.

Tyree Wilson, EDGE, Texas Tech

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LUBBOCK, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 26: Defensive lineman Tyree Wilson #19 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders reacts after a tackle during the second half of the college football game against the Texas Longhorns on September 26, 2020 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)

Wilson might be the Anderson alternative at No. 3.

However, the Texas Tech edge-rusher may also be gone by the time the Cardinals are on the clock on Thursday night.

NFL Network's Peter Schrager told The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday that he thinks Wilson is going to the Texans at No. 2.

Until Houston's pick is made, the Cardinals have to consider Wilson near the top of their draft board. He and Anderson are the top two edge-rushers in the draft class.

Wilson's collegiate career was not followed as closely as Anderson's, but he was as much of a disruptor from the defensive line as the Alabama product.

Wilson produced 27.5 tackles for loss and 14 sacks in his last two seasons with Texas Tech.

If Anderson lands at No. 2, Wilson should be Arizona's selection because of its need off the edge without Allen and Watt on the roster in 2023.

At minimum, one of the two edge-rushers will be available for selection since Carolina will most likely take Young first.

Devon Witherspoon, CB, Illinois

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CHAMPAIGN, IL - NOVEMBER 12: Illinois Fighting Illini defensive back Devon Witherspoon (31) looks to the sideline during the college football game between the Purdue Boilermakers and the Illinois Fighting Illini on November 12, 2022, at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The Arizona front office would be foolish to singularly focus on the defensive line at No. 3 because so many things can happen on draft night.

There are two possible situations in which Devon Witherspoon lands with the Cardinals as the long-term replacement for Byron Murphy, who moved to the Minnesota Vikings in the offseason.

The first is more far-fetched than the other, since it would feature either the Panthers and Texans taking Anderson and Wilson at No. 1 and No. 2, or the Cardinals taking Witherspoon over one or both of the edge-rushers at No. 3.

The more realistic possibility is that the Cardinals trade down a few spots and nab Witherspoon in the back end of the top 10.

Arizona could make a deal with a quarterback-hungry team who would be looking to jump over the Indianapolis Colts at No. 4.

The Cardinals probably would like to stay within the top 10 to land a premier prospect.

Witherspoon is the top-ranked corner in the final draft rankings from ESPN.com's Mel Kiper Jr.

Kiper pointed out that Witherspoon let up 16 catches on 54 targets as the primary defender in 2022.

Like Anderson or Wilson, Witherspoon would be a foundational piece for the new-look defense to form its identity under a new head coach.