USC quarterback Caleb Williams is such a talented prospect that fans expect NFL teams to tank for the right to draft him.
Although we’re still over three months away from the start of the 2023 season, one particular team is already being accused of tanking for Williams.
On Friday, the Arizona Cardinals outright released wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. He was mentioned in several trade rumors this offseason.
Parting ways with Hopkins will certainly hurt the Cardinals’ chances of winning games this year. Of course, it doesn’t help that star quarterback Kyler Murray is still recovering from a torn ACL.
At this rate, NFL fans fully expect the Cardinals to own the No. 1 pick in the draft. And honestly, that could very well be the front office’s plan.
The 2023 Arizona Cardinals are not a football team, they are a vessel to acquire Caleb Williams. https://t.co/XTGu8Pk3BU
— rcon14 (@rcon14) May 26, 2023
“Cardinals are tanking for Caleb Williams,” Ryan Glasspiegel tweeted.
Cardinals are tanking for Caleb Williams
— Ryan Glasspiegel (@sportsrapport) May 26, 2023
“With the top pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Arizona Cardinals select Caleb Williams, quarterback out of USC,” Antwan V. Staley wrote.
With the top pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Arizona Cardinals select Caleb Williams, quarterback out of USC
— Antwan V. Staley (@antwanstaley) May 26, 2023
Williams is expected to be a franchise quarterback from the moment he enters the NFL. He finished the 2022 college football season with 4,537 yards, 42 touchdowns and five interceptions.
Since the Cardinals are lacking talent and have a brutal schedule ahead of them, football fans believe they should just give up from so they can draft Williams. The odds of that happening are slim, of course.
If the Cardinals naturally end up with the No. 1 pick, then so be it. A 53-man roster won’t actively tank though.