The Arizona Cardinals own the top pick in next month’s NFL Draft. For weeks, it’s been speculated that Nick Bosa is going to be #TheGuy.
Once Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray announced that he was going into the NFL Draft, it changed the game. Since then, the rocket’s seemingly been strapped to his back. He went from ‘not being a quarterback in the NFL’ to ‘the best quarterback in this draft class’ awfully quick, as scouts continue to dive into his tape, etc.
I remember when the Cardinals officially announced Kliff Kingsbury as their next head coach, someone brought up a quote of his saying he’d take Murray in a heartbeat and suddenly rumors were swirling.
But, that was laughable at the time. The team traded up to get Josh Rosen just a year ago. The Cardinals are in desperate need of defensive line help, and you have a prospect sitting atop this class that’s like a magic elixir to what ails them. Hell, even if they decided against Bosa, Quinnen Williams is available, too!
Things aren’t laughable anymore. It seems like every day, there’s a new ‘the Cardinals love Kyler Murray’ article out there.
The 2019 NFL scouting combine may eventually be remembered for adding rocket fuel to Kyler Murray’s draft résumé while powering a rumor mill around current Arizona Cardinals QB Josh Rosen, a first-round pick himself just a year ago.
As speculation escalates about both young passers, it’s obvious to wonder what the Cards might do with Rosen if they intend to select Murray No. 1 overall. Surely they might seek something close to what they invested in the UCLA product — Arizona traded up from No. 15 overall to 10th in order to acquire him last year — but might have to grant a discount depending on the market and Rosen’s struggles (amid a checkered supporting cast) as a rookie.
“I don’t know how you can trade somebody you took with the 10th pick, even though it didn’t cost them a lot to move up to get him, for anything less than a first-round pick — after one year,” NFL Network draft analyst and former league scout Daniel Jeremiah said at the combine.
This is nuts, right?
I mean…are we really talking about trade scenarios for the 10th overall pick FROM LAST YEAR?!?! The guy you brought in to be the franchise?!?! I get it – different regime, different system – whatever. But, this is just crazy talk.
I’ll tell you what I think is going on here – the Cardinals lucked into the situation of a lifetime.
You draft a quarterback a year ago who struggles in his rookie season….enough so that people can feasibly believe you might consider moving on from him already. On top of that, the rest of your team stinks up the joint and lands the coveted top pick in the draft. You hire a coach who has already made it know he’s a big fan of Murray. THEN, Murray actually declares for the NFL Draft!!!
But, if that wasn’t enough, it just so happens that he declares in a class that only features (maybe) one other potential franchise quarterback in Dwayne Haskins. Now, you have roughly four to six teams who will be vying for one of those two guys.
One of them is going to get desperate and give up the farm for that top overall pick.
This is exactly how the Los Angeles Rams ended up with Jared Goff and the Tennessee Titans got a boat load of draft capital.
Really, it’s genius – and yeah, in case I didn’t make it clear…there’s no way I’m buying Murray to the Cardinals.
More 2019 NFL Draft Coverage
I Can Get On Board With The ‘Jachai Polite To The Titans’ Talk
Nashville Announces Schedule And Venue For The 2019 NFL Draft
Quinnen Williams Explains Why He Should Be The Top Pick In The Draft And I Don’t Disagree
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Alabama Crimson Tide football, the WWE, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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