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Teams who trade down in a draft aren’t trading a pick, they’re trading a player. And the Cardinals are trying to trade cornerback Byron Murphy.
Per a league source, that’s precisely what they’re trying to do. They leaked “firm confirmation” of their plans at No. 33 to ESPN in order to spark a market for Murphy.
Perhaps they will pick Murphy if they use the pick. But they’re being suddenly chatty about their plans for the first pick of a given draft night because they’d prefer to trade him.
It’s a smart play, but it doesn’t change the fact that the Cardinals have a separate goal in mind. Whether they achieve it remains to be seen.