If Nick Bosa is as good as we hope, the Cardinals have another wrinkle.
And the football gods said, “Let there be draft chaos!” Rumors are making the rounds that NFL quarterback prospect Kyler Murray has significant interest from the Arizona Cardinals. This follows a narrative from a few months back where head coach Kliff Kingsbury has said he’d take Murray with the No. 1 pick. Well, that option is certainly available.
Draft Wire’s Luke Easterling put together a mock draft that follows these rumors with Murray going No. 1. This would be the second year in a row the Cardinals had spent a first-round pick on a quarterback:
Is it crazy to think that Murray made his firm commitment to football over baseball because he knows something we don’t? Maybe Kliff Kingsbury wants to hand-pick his franchise quarterback, one with a rare skill set who would fit perfectly with his offense? Taking Murray at No. 1 and putting Josh Rosen on the trade block would instantly throw this draft into chaos.
The Cardinals do have a quarterback, Josh Rosen. While his numbers weren’t at all good, he was saddled with a horrific offensive line that not only couldn’t protect him, but provided a sub-par running game as well. A rookie quarterback is going to have difficulty developing and functioning with that. NFL teams must know this, and making a trade to get a quarterback who has gotten through their rookie year in the NFL may be somewhat enticing. It’s still going to be a strange set of picks, especially when you remember the Cardinals traded up to get him in the first place, but it’s not like Rosen would be released and out of the league. He could generate some trade interest. It’s not going to return the Cardinals initial investment, but it won’t make the hit be near as significant.
This pick of course returns Ohio State defensive end Nick Bosa to his place as the 49ers edge-rusher. The 49ers do just that with No. 2:
Any scenario that leaves Bosa on the board for the 49ers would be a dream scenario for general manager John Lynch and his crew. Getting the top overall prospect in the draft any later than the No. 1 overall pick is a steal, and it just happens to fill San Francisco’s biggest need.
For the curious, the Raiders trade out of No. 4 and let the Jacksonville Jaguars take Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins. So both quarterbacks go in the top five. The Raiders land Josh Allen, who falls all the way to No. 7 in this scenario. And Quinnen Williams? He goes at No. 3 to the New York Jets.
Remember yesterday’s nightmare scenario? This one today is the opposite. Have a good Combine, Murray. Make it happen.
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