Rumors are spreading that the Arizona Cardinals are planning to draft Kyler Murray with the first pick of the NFL Draft. Kliff Kingsbury has said he would take Murray number one overall while at Texas Tech, adding to the suspense of this possibility. Arizona should pass on Murray and address other needs in a defensive stacked class. Josh Rosen had a tough rookie season, but to give up on him after trading up to draft him seems like a poor decision. The Arizona Cardinalsneed to trust the process.
Arizona Cardinals: Trust the Process
One Year Can Make Him a Wonder
Josh Rosen struggled in his first season, in 13 starts he threw for 2,278 yards and 11 touchdowns with 14 interceptions. He was not considered the most pro-ready prospect entering the draft, so early struggles are understandable. Against the San Francisco 49ers, he overcame a 15-point deficit to win with under one minute remaining. There is a reason he was picked in the top ten, he just needs some time to learn and develop. Arizona was desperate to get anything going on offense and threw him in way too early.
A similar situation happened in Los Angeles, where Jared Goff struggled his rookie year throwing five touchdowns and seven picks in seven starts. A young head coach and quarterback guru in Sean McVay comes and immediately grooms Goff into a franchise quarterback leading the Rams to the playoffs. The following season Goff and the Rams offense is unstoppable most of the season and makes it all the way to the Super Bowl. Kingsbury is a young head coach and quarterback guru, why can’t he do what McVay did for Goff? Murray is not considered a generational prospect, and Rosen has only had one year so waiting to see how the relationship develops could end up being a wise decision.
This Draft Class is Loaded on Defense; Some Are Considered Generational
Nick Bosa has been the consensus number one pick in mock drafts since he declared. He dominated at Ohio State and is considered a potential Pro Bowl selection. Arizona lacks star power in the front seven and matching Bosa with Chandler Jones who has double-digit sacks the last four seasons could be a lethal duo. This defensive class is the strongest in years, with talent across every position and most mock drafts have a large majority of defensive players in round one. On NFL.com the top five graded prospects are defensive players and are all considered as Pro Bowl caliber. Jake Rill of Bleacher Report has seven of the top ten players as defensive picks with three of the top five picks on defense. When you have players such as Todd Gurley, Brandin Cooks and Russell Wilson in your division, improving on defense seems wise. Arizona has needs other than quarterback, and with teams such as the Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Giants interested in finding one, they can trade down and gain more picks to stock up on talent for the future.
The Last Word
Arizona should not give up on Rosen, he hasn’t even played a full season yet. The Cardinals gave up three picks to move up and take Rosen, that seems too high of a price to move on after one year. If they can surround Rosen with weapons and protection, he can potentially be the franchise quarterback they have needed. Murray has the potential to be great, but it should not be in Arizona.
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