The Arizona Cardinals made nine total selections during the 2023 NFL Draft … let’s now recap how each of their first seasons went.
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The team’s lone first-round pick and sixth-overall selection was Ohio State offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. They then drafted LSU linebacker BJ Ojulari in the second round.
WHAT A MOMENT 🔥 for the royal family of the Ojulari's 🇳🇬, as BJ Ojulari gets DRAFTED with the 41st pick by the Arizona Cardinals in the #NFLDraft2023
âž–BJ Ojulari joins his brother Azeez in the league after a standout career with LSU
@Bj_O9 🇳🇬🇺🇲 @_Azeez_8 🇳🇬🇺🇲#AfroBallers pic.twitter.com/2kOXFbYTnq
— AfroBallers (@afroballers) April 29, 2023
Arizona had three selections in the next two rounds where they took defensive back Garrett Williams, wide receiver Michael Wilson, and guard Jon Gaines II.
To round out their class, they had four picks in the fifth and sixth rounds. The team selected quarterback Clayton Tune, linebacker Owen Pappoe, cornerback Kei’ Trel Clark, and defensive tackle Dante Stills.
How They Performed
Johnson started all 17 games for the team and played every offensive snap, 1,133 in total. While he did have his ups and downs in his first season, he proved to be able to stay on the field and face the top edge rushers in the league week in and week out.
The Cardinals 2023 rookie class combined to start 64 games & play 4,654 snaps – both #1 in the NFL
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Leading the way was OT Paris Johnson, Jr – the team’s 1st Rd draft pick – who was the only Cardinal to play every offensive snap (1,065) in 2023 pic.twitter.com/wfGsAIDSb3— Mark Dalton (@CardsMarkD) January 10, 2024
Ojulari played just 37% of defensive snaps this season but was featured much more as the season progressed. He flashed his potiential with 40 tackles and four sacks in that limited playing time.
Williams appeared in just nine games due to injury but started six of them. The Syracuse product played a majority of his season in the nickel role and impressed coaches continuously.
Wilson stepped into a huge role for Arizona immediately. He appeared in 13 games and played 81% of offensive snaps during those games. Wilson ended the season with 38 receptions on 58 targets for 565 receiving yards and three touchdowns. He proved to be able to be an every-down player on the outside for the Cardinals.
This Michael Wilson guy loves ball pic.twitter.com/XzUWm2Cc2H
— JetPack Galileo (@JetPackGalileo) November 18, 2023
Gaines suffered a knee injury in August and missed the entire season. Tune started just one game for Arizona and lost 0-27 to the Cleveland Browns, as he threw just 55 yards and two interceptions.
Pappoe played just 11% of defensive snaps in 16 games while showing some flashes and spending the majority of his field time on special teams. Clark started seven games for the team but was then benched for his play. Their final pick of the draft, Dante Stills, played 54% of defensive snaps and was top-five in sacks for the team with 3.5.
Stills going strong 💪@Dstills55 x #BirdGang pic.twitter.com/CHeeCnXOvE
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) October 29, 2023
The season was undoubtedly filled with ups and downs for the Cardinals. However, there were positives in their draft class that fans should be excited about going forward.
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Saleh Awwad is a reporter/writer covering Phoenix High School Sports, ASU, and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @SalehAwwad_
