In his first NFL draft as a first-time NFL general manager, Monti Ossenfort of the Cardinals found himself in the center of organized chaos on Thursday, trading down, trading back up and moving all around during a dizzying and whirlwind experience in the early stages of the opening round.
After flipping the third overall pick and a fourth-round selection (105) to the Texans for the 12th overall pick, a second rounder (No. 33) as well as a first- and third-round pick in 2024, Ossenfort was quickly on the move again making a deal with the Lions.
He got Detroit to take Arizona’s first-round pick at No. 12, along with the Cardinals’ original second-round pick (No.34) and fifth rounder (No.168), to move back up into the first round for the sixth overall pick along with the Lions’ third rounder (No.81 ).
At No.6, Ossenfort and the Cardinals selected one of the top-rated offensive linemen in this year’s draft class — Paris Johnson Jr. from Ohio State, a player that had been linked to the team earlier this week and who can immediately step in to help the team at left guard.
It was a wild 45-minute stretch for Ossenfort, who proved to be quite the wheeler and dealer in his debut draft as GM.
“I’m not going to lie, it was exciting,” Ossenfort said. “Man, it was awesome. That was fun. That was a lot of fun. But I’ll tell you, I had a lot of help in there because it was tense there. The clock was winding down there on our third pick when we finally got the deal with Houston worked out.
“When it came time to (pick) once we did the trade back, there (were) multiple spots that we thought we could jump. … Those guys did a phenomenal job, and I couldn’t have done it without them.”
Although Ossenfort and his staff drafted a player in Johnson who can serve the team well for a long time at a position of need, including tackle at some point in the near future, obtaining a first-round pick in next year’s draft was a huge feather in the Cardinals’ cap.
The Texans’ first rounder next year will probably be fairly high, and it should give the Cardinals some extra flexibility to add a possible difference maker.
They could have done that at No. 3 had they kept the third overall pick. Former Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. was available after quarterbacks went first and second (Alabama’s Bryce Young going to the Panthers and Ohio State’s CJ Stroud going to the Texans, respectively). Anderson had long been projected to go to Arizona at No.3, giving the team the pass-rushing help it so desperately needs, but Ossenfort passed.
“We had a couple options there, depending on what would happen at 1 and 2 and when Houston made their pick at No. 2, it adjusted kind of who was interested in coming up to No. 3,” Ossenfort said. “At that point, we were on the clock and we were prepared to take a player. We were weighing a couple options and the option with Houston presented itself for us to grab a high second-round pick and for us to also grab a first and a third next year, which was really important.
“It’s not something we set out to do. We were ready to pick a player. But the opportunity presented itself, so we dropped back to 12.”
Ossenfort said he had been in contact with the Lions as well as other teams in recent days about the prospect of trading back up into the first round if Arizona was able to move down from No. 3. Johnson was a prospect the Cardinals had been heavily targeting, especially after an impressive private visit he had with the team in Tempe, Ossenfort added.
“High, high football character,” he said of the 6-foot-6, 313-pound Johnson. “Highly intelligent, well spoken, mature, dependable and you can tell he’s made of the right things — the things that we want not only our offensive linemen to be made of, but our entire team.
“So to be able to add a player that is both high football character and has a lot of ability on the field, that’s a big step for us as a program moving forward.”
It wasn’t a perfect day for the Cardinals on Thursday, however.
Minutes before the first round began, the Cardinals and Eagles sent out a joint statement that the teams have agreed on the settlement of an issue concerning impermissible contact by Arizona during its search for a head coach this past January.
The Cardinals self-reported to the NFL that Ossenfort had a phone conversation with then-Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon in the days following the NFC Championship Game, a period during which contact is not permitted under the League’s Anti-Tampering Policy.
To resolve the matter between the two clubs, the Cardinals and Eagles have agreed to swap third round picks in the 2023 NFL Draft and the Cardinals will receive Philadelphia’s fifth-round selection in 2024. Instead of having the 66th overall pick this year, the Cardinals will now pick 94th overall in the third round.
“I made a mistake. I own that,” Ossenfort said. “It’s a situation we were able to resolve. I’ve apologized to (team owner) Michael Bidwill, I’ve apologized to our staff, and I think the deal that we worked out, it is what it is and we’re just moving on from it. I really don’t have a lot more to say on it.”
As busy as things were for the Cardinals during the first round, a possible move that had been speculated but did not occur was a trade involving star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. Rumors had been heating up that a deal would get done at some point on Thursday, but it didn’t and Ossenfort said he isn’t expecting anything to happen regarding Hopkins on Friday or Saturday, either, for that matter.
So, might Hopkins actually remain with the Cardinals?
“Absolutely,” Ossenfort said. “DeAndre’s a Cardinal. We’re moving forward.”
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort had ‘awesome fun’ in first NFL Draft night