The Arizona Cardinals made the surprising move to trade their first-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft to the Baltimore Ravens as part of a deal that got them wide receiver Marquise Brown.
There were players the Cardinals liked in the draft but. as they waited their turn with the 23rd overall pick, players they coveted started coming off the board.
Trading for Brown was a possibility before, according to team vice president of player personnel Quentin Harris, who appeared on The Dave Pasch Podcast.
Harris said talks were “light” but heated up as they expected players they wanted would be unavailable. It was after the Detroit Lions selected Jameson Williams that the report came of the trade.
For the team to make the deal, it came down to one thing.
“At that point in the draft, is Hollywood Brown going to have more of an impact than anyone that we were going to draft, and the answer was yes,” Harris explained. “At that point, it was an easy call for us.”
At the time, fans did not know of the six-game suspension of DeAndre Hopkins, which makes the acquisition of Brown that more important now.
Brown already has a 1,000-yard season under his belt but the Cardinals believe he can be even better.
“He’s going to have more opportunities here than in Baltimore,” Harris said. That is especially true with Hopkins ineligible to play for the first six games.
He played in a heavy run offense with the Ravens. The offense went through the backs and tight end.
“Even though we do have a solid run game, we’re going to throw the ball around,” Harris explained.
Halfway through last season, the Cardinals had three receivers on pace to have 1,000-yard seasons.
That is a good thing for Brown.
Brown also adds an element to the Cardinals’ offense.
“One thing we’ve been lacking over the years is that run-after-catch guy,” Harris said. “Now we’ve got two of them.
“We’ve got two guys that can make mismatches in space.”
That would be Brown and 2021 second-round receiver Rondale Moore.
Brown appears to be a perfect fit in the Cardinals’ offense. He knows the style from his days at Oklahoma. He is close with Kyler Murray. He has a skill set they need.
It is a recipe for a big season.
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