Will Anderson Jr. - NFL Mock Draft Roundup 2.0

After making the playoffs in 2021, the Arizona Cardinals didn't expect to be in this position—but it did give the organization a chance to reset at general manager and head coach while gaining the opportunity to add a blue-chip talent in the draft. That's exactly what they get in Will Anderson Jr. After a dominant career in the SEC, Anderson has the makings of a highly-disruptive playmaker that can change the dynamics of the Cardinals' defense moving forward.

Chicago attempts to upgrade its pass rush with the selection of Will Anderson Jr. The Bears want to move back from No. 1 overall without sacrificing the chance to select a top defensive talent like Jalen Carter or Anderson. A three-way trade with Carolina and Arizona makes that possible as the Cardinals trade back to pick up additional draft capital in Monti Ossenfort's first year.

Thanks to the incompetence of the Houston Texans, the Bears were able to obtain the top pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Unless Chicago drafts a quarterback, it will trade out of this pick, holding it for a king's ransom to the highest bidder. Given that so many teams are desperate for a franchise quarterback, the Bears will get a great haul for this selection. They will move down and select one of the top offensive linemen or defensive players available.

The Bears have a miserable offensive line, so Justin Fields doesn't stand a chance when battling teams with elite pass rushes. The front office must do something about this. However, at No. 2 overall, they should pick the best player available, and it's not like they don't need an improved pass rush. In fact, the Bears have the worst pressure rate in the NFL aside from the Falcons.

Will Anderson has ridiculous speed and athleticism. He's been a force in Alabama's defense.

Done and done. It's possible he could be the No. 1 overall pick, and it's possible Chicago trades down and goes with the superstar pass rusher over the superstar defensive tackle in Jalen Carter. Arizona needs O line, but it's not passing up Anderson.

Anderson gives me serious Khalil Mack vibes, which makes this perfect for the Bears, particularly after trading back. In the trade, the Bears get this pick, the Colts' selections in Round 2 and Round 4 along with a 2024 first-round pick and third-round pick plus a 2025 second-round choice.

The Bears will be listening for just about any offer they get, but if they stay put atop the draft, Anderson will land in the Windy City after being the best defensive player in college football the past two years by a wide margin.

Long gone are the days of Bruce Irvin and Cliff Avril meeting in the backfield for Seattle. And it's been that way for roughly half a decade. The drought ends with Will Anderson Jr. in this 2023 NFL Mock Draft.

Anderson is far and away the top edge rusher in the class. His game is predicated on speed, but if he can add some more power without zapping his athleticism, the Seahawks won't need to address the position for years to come.

Anderson is one of the more complete players in the draft. While at Alabama, he was used in various spots along their defensive line, primarily on the edge but there were times you would see him in either the B- or the A-Gaps. Off the edge, he relies on power and could benefit from adding a few more pass-rushing moves to his arsenal, but the technique is coming. A dip-and-rip sack against Vanderbilt from this season is an example of what he could become.

Will Anderson Jr. could very easily be the No. 1 pick in this draft, but the Cardinals land the elite pass rusher here after a forgettable season that will see a lot of changes in the coming months.

With a turnover in head coaches and QB Kyler Murray healing from a season-ending injury, the Cardinals need a pass rusher and a cornerback.

Arizona picks up the additional second-round pick and gets the most decorated and productive edge rusher in this draft, something its defense was sorely missing last season. Anderson will bring an immediate presence off the edge with length, instincts and motor.

For the fifth time in its franchise history, the Arizona Cardinals will pick third overall in the NFL draft. Their past #3 overall picks have netted mostly good results, including Simeon Rice in 1996, Andre Wadsworth in 1998, and Larry Fitzgerald in 2004. The Cardinals will search for their next legend in the 2023 draft as they say goodbye to another one. Their new pick will likely be J.J. Watt's replacement on the defensive line, with big shoes to fill almost immediately. Either Will Anderson or Jalen Carter, the likely candidates, will be compared ad nauseam to Watt after he seemingly left the game with still a lot left in the tank, starting all 16 games and securing the sixth season of his career with 10+ sacks.

The one making the final decision on that pick will be newly hired General Manager, Monti Ossenfort, who made headlines in his first press conference, sternly declaring that "ego will not be tolerated in this organization." We'll see.

Ossenfort is the franchise's first outside hire for General Manager in nearly three decades, working as director of player personnel for the Titans since 2020. Before that, he worked with the New England Patriots starting in 2006, starting as an area scout before moving up to assistant director of college scouting and finally a director of college scouting before moving to Tennessee. With Ossenfort, Arizona also hired new Assistant GM Dave Sears, the Detroit Lions' Director of College Scouting. With these additions, the franchise has emphasized scouting and obtaining the right players as they begin their rebuild from a highly disappointing season to round off an extremely frustrating era of football.

New faces for a new era. The first pick of many is likely to be an easy one. But the Cardinals have a lot of holes to fill on both the offensive and defensive lines as well as deciding whether to replace an aging and expensive core. It's a baptism by fire for the new front office while the hunt for the head coach to replace the Thailand-bound Kliff Kingsbury continues.

New Arizona general manager Monti Ossenfort gets a premium pick to try to improve this roster, and he could luck into a Pro Bowl edge rusher right off the bat. Anderson was a tackle-for-loss machine in college -- he had 54 over the past two seasons -- and dominated offensive tackles in both the run and pass game. He was unblockable at times against SEC competition. For the Cardinals, who are losing the retired J.J. Watt, he could play some outside linebacker and move around the defense to create mismatches. This would be a home run pick for Ossenfort & Co.

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