Cardinals take Louisville CB Kei’Trel Clark with pick No. 180 in NFL Draft
Apr 29, 2023, 12:59 PM | Updated: 1:02 pm
Louisville CB Kei'Trel Clark (Photo by Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
(Photo by Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The Arizona Cardinals have selected Louisville cornerback Kei’Trel Clark with the No. 180 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
The 5-foot-10, 165-pounder is coming off a 2022 season in which he recorded one interception that he returned for a touchdown, four passes defensed, 51 tackles and one sack across 12 games played.
He marks the second cornerback taken by the Cardinals this draft alongside second-rounder Garrett Williams. Clark joins fellow Day 3 picks in UCLA OL Jon Gaines II (No. 122), Houston QB Clayton Tune (No. 139) and Auburn LB Owen Pappoe (No. 168).
It’s been a busy draft to say the least for first-year general manager Monti Ossenfort, who pulled off a pair of trades during the first round on Thursday night, nabbing Johnson and additional draft capital along the way.
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Ossenfort started his wheeling and dealing in a trade with the Houston Texans that saw Arizona send out pick Nos. 3 and 105 in exchange for Nos. 12 and 33 on top of a 2024 first- and third-rounder.
From there, Ossenfort got on the phone with the Detroit Lions, who sent Nos. 6 and 81 to the Cardinals for pick Nos. 12, 34 and 168.
He wasn’t done, either, dealing pick Nos. 33 and 81 on Friday in exchange for Nos. 41 and 72 in addition to a 2024 third-rounder. Arizona used the 41st pick on LSU edge defender BJ Ojulari and the 72nd pick on Syracuse CB Garrett Williams.
Then came Ossenfort’s final move of Day 2, a deal with the Tennessee Titans that returned Nos. 122, 139 and 168 to Arizona for No. 96. Arizona used the picks on Gaines, Tune and Pappoe.
There was, however, another trade facilitated by the Cardinals this draft, albeit for a different reason.
Moments before the draft began, the Cardinals and Eagles settled a tampering investigation involving the recruitment of former Philadelphia defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon as Arizona’s new head coach, the teams announced. The deal centered around the Cardinals agreeing to swap third-round picks (Arizona’s No. 66 and Philadelphia’s No. 94) in 2023. The Cardinals also received the Eagles’ fifth-round selection in 2024.
With the swapped No. 94 pick, Arizona turned around and added Stanford wide receiver Mike Wilson on Friday.
