NFL mock draft: 3 teams that need Will Anderson Jr. to save their pass rush

Arizona Cardinals should be contracted if they passed over Will Anderson Jr.

With J.J. Watt retiring and the Arizona Cardinals having just gone through another miserable season, they simply cannot afford to let a generational playmaker like Anderson slip through their fingers. Arizona already has a Pro Bowl-level franchise quarterback in Kyler Murray, a well-compensated one at that. Drafting Anderson this high is all about shoring up the defensive line.

Anderson should be one of the first two defensive players taken in this draft, along with Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter, should he declare after the national championship game vs. TCU. So if the Cardinals are picking at No. 4 or No. 5 and Anderson somehow has not heard his name called, the franchise should be contracted for making such an egregious error by passing on him.

By taking Anderson, he has the potential to be Arizona’s best defensive star since Patrick Peterson.

Chicago Bears should make it back-to-back Alabama picks with Will Anderson Jr.

Few organizations in professional sports make the simple look as complicated as the Chicago Bears. The good news is the franchise seems to finally be moving on from 1985. They have the quarterback in Justin Fields, but not much else. The wins will come eventually, maybe. In the meantime, just take Anderson at No. 2 overall, or even at No. 1 if the Houston Texans win Sunday.

Anderson could be everything Shaquille Leonard was for Matt Eberflus in Indianapolis, and then some. Since Ryan Poles did not have a first-round pick to work with last spring, this is the one that he will inevitably be defined by. He is not going to Mitch Trubisky this up. By taking Anderson at No. 2 overall, no one will ever blame Poles or the Bears organization if this pick did not pan out.

There are fewer certainties in the 2023 NFL Draft besides Anderson being a perennial Pro Bowler.

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