Ask Odegard: Should the Cardinals Trade the Texans Pick for a Star?

Welcome to the first official offseason mailbag. Let’s get to it.

“I’m seeing more and more “trade picks for players. What players would be worth that? Not to mention the contracts many of them will desire. Do you just wait till people get released?” New football guy

“Are there any veterans you would want Monti to trade for using our (now late) first round pick from Houston?” – Carl Marks

Kyle Odegard: I spent too much time looking at possibilities and there does not seem to be a perfect match. When an NFL team trades away a first-round pick, it needs to receive both a premium player and a salary cap discount, or else the deal doesn’t make sense.

Therefore, it is generally players in their third or fourth seasons that get dealt in this manner (think Hollywood Brown and A.J. Brown a couple years ago) because they are still on their rookie deals. 

The best potential fit could be Patrick Surtain. The Broncos’ All-Pro cornerback will be under team control the next two seasons at a low cost.

Cornerback is huge area of need for the Cardinals and Denver may be completely rebooting with the expected departure of Russell Wilson. 

The most likely scenario is a massive extension for Surtain to stay in Denver, but if they are looking to deal him, Arizona could get in the conversation with the Houston pick + more trade considerations. However, if it indeed costs two first-rounders to secure Surtain, that asking price is probably too high.

Brandon Aiyuk, Joey Bosa and Jonathan Allen are three other big names that could be traded this offseason, but I don’t think any would cost a first-round pick.

"What teams would trade up to pick MHJ at #3?" – Eric

KO: The Cardinals trading up one spot may be the most realistic, though I don’t think it happens. The Bears might be the other one. They have the No. 9 overall pick and could be aggressive to pair up Caleb Williams and Marvin Harrison, Jr.

But in the end I don’t think anyone trades up for him, and MHJ either goes No. 3 or No. 4 in the draft.

“Now can we be afraid about the probability of the Texans winning the sb?” – lugiasaurio

KO: At this point it doesn’t really matter. The Cardinals are going to pick late in the first, and whether that’s No. 27 or No. 32 is not a huge difference. The big blow was watching a team projected to end up top-3 put together arguably the most surprising season in the league.

When I tweeted about this, many downplayed the lost draft capital, but I consider it a very big deal. Top-5 picks are regularly bonafide game-changers. You can find those later on, but it gets harder, and the potential of drafting an all-out bust is also higher in the 20s compared to the top-5.

“Besides Rome Adunze, who else would you target if the Cards traded back? Assuming Alt, Olu, and Nabers are gone as well” – Jordan Laube

KO: I honestly don’t love that second tier of prospects. In fact, after reading all the feedback from my first mock draft, I tend to agree with the consensus that the Cardinals shouldn’t drop past 7 if they do trade back.

Odunze is a very good prospect, but if you remain top-7 and guarantee yourself one of Alt, Fashanu or Nabers, that would be ideal. 

“Give me three must-haves at a Super Bowl party.” – Donnie Druin

KO: Oh, man, I only have buffalo chicken dip once a year, but that’s a Super Bowl essential. And then you’re going to need an outside TV because I don’t want to crowd inside with everybody else. And, well, beer. Preferably Dos Equis.

“What would you want them to do with the second first round pick? Trade up with the extra third rounder for a tackle persay? Or trade down if a qb like McCarthy is there for a team who wants him with that 5th year option.” – Monsterdemo2

KO: I’m never averse to trading down if it adds a Day 2 pick. I thought the trade with the Titans last year was fantastic. 

I’m also fine with a trade up in that spot. There are supposedly about 8-to-10 quality offensive tackle prospects in the draft, and if Monto Ossenfort really likes one, packaging the Houston pick with a later one to secure his services could be a good move.

“Who’s an underrated guy you would like the cards to get in the draft trade or FA” – Omar

KO: I think someone like Jonah Williams could be a nice addition in free agency. He has played both left and right tackle and is a very dependable player. Then you could happily take Harrison at 4 without worrying about the OT situation.

“We should put Leki Fotu under center for a tush push.” – Caleb Anderson

KO: Believe it or not, this came up in a prior mailbag. I have already coined it the Fotu Finish. This needs to happen.

“Do you see any coaching changes? Especially if the Eagles dismantle. I would think there’s gotta be guys in JG’s old team he’d want to have.” – Scott A. Baily 

KO: Always possible in the second year, when contracts free up and head coaches continue to try to perfect their staff. I think this group looked very competent, so no big changes are needed, but tweaks could happen.

“What do you see Rondale becoming next year? Proper slot WR? Gadget guy? or a trade piece this offseason?” – Jayco

KO: I think he probably drops down to No. 4 receiver a.k.a. gadget guy. I think Moore can excel at it because of his speed, but he had a full year to prove he should be the starting slot, and by the end he was getting outplayed by Greg Dortch.

“Is marv a Cardinal?” Smokey D. Porter

KO: Honestly feels 50-50 at this point. Maybe even higher if Jerod Mayo was not smokescreening.

“Do the cardinals make a playoff run in 2024?” – Matty Matt

KO: The offensive performance in the final two weeks has me feeling like it’s definitely possible. I’d lean ‘no’ right now because the defense is such a wasteland, but get back to me once the draft is over and we will see where this team stands.

“Any word on who is going to be coaching at the Senior Bowl? With 13 draft picks it would be a great year for some Cards coaches to get the opportunity to get some first hand knowledge of some of these guys.” – Joe Shmo

KO: I am not sure about that, but I agree, getting to know personalities in that manner would be a boon.

“I never understood the ‘frayed’ relationship between Kyler and Kliff. Is there any inside info?” – Zach

KO: Well, working that closely with someone for four years is going to test any relationship. And I just think they have different personalities. Kingsbury is more laid-back while Kyler likes it when a coach challenges him and pushes him. It wasn’t the perfect pairing.

“What will be this offseason’s fabricated national media distraction regarding the Cardinals?” – Chris Minton

KO: It certainly feels like it’s going to be quiet, eh? Not much drama this offseason.

While I’ve laid into the national media for its inaccuracies, the Cardinals do deserve some of the blame. Things were messy by the end of Steve Keim and Kliff Kingsbury’s tenure and leaked info was rampant.

Jonathan Gannon and Monti Ossenfort have buttoned that up, and now that Kyler is set to be the quarterback in 2024, I think it will be a pretty quiet offseason in Arizona.

Well, until another NFLPA report card comes out.

“I've told Saul and Johnny I will work for phnx after college and be the best young reporter for Arizona my question is ... until then , need a high potential prodigy to intern and learn from one of the Arizona reporter vets ?” – CardinalCharles71

KO: We’re going to be a dynamic duo for a finite length of time, and then you’re going to drop me to join PHNX? What if you and I change the media landscape together? What do Johnny and Saul have that I don’t have?!?!?!?

Seriously, though, I recently returned from a global work summit in Europe and am super excited about the future. I’m hopeful we can boost our U.S. staffing down the road and make this a reality, Charles.

“What’s your 40 time?” – Chase

KO: I don’t know, and as long as I don’t look like this when I’m running it, I don’t really care.