With the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, the Arizona Cardinals can do anything they like. As of Friday night, no one has a clue what that will be. Cardinals management met Ohio State defensive end Nick Bosa in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. for dinner on Friday.
Does that mean Bosa is the No. 1 pick? Not quite. The team met and shared a meal with Oklahoma quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray this month too.
So what are the Cardinals going to do?
New head coach Kliff Kingsbury has a history with Murray and rightly covets the quarterback to run his high-flying attack. The problem is, Arizona spent a first round pick on a quarterback last season, Josh Rosen, who really wasn’t bad at all.
Here’s a little intrigue to mix into next month’s NFL Draft: the Arizona Cardinals’ brass is having dinner tonight in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., with Ohio St. DE Nick Bosa, per league source. Bosa could be the potential No. 1 overall pick. A franchise-altering decision awaits Arizona.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 29, 2019
Rosen finished 3-10 as a starter, completing 55.2 percent of his passes for 2,278 yards, 11 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Yes, those aren’t great numbers, but he played for one of the worst, least inventive offenses in the NFL. It’s why the Cardinals hired Kingsbury.
Even with Rosen already on the roster, there’s no reason for Double-K to feel like he’s married to him. That was the old regime’s pick, even if that regime lasted just a single season. He hasn’t traded away any of his picks this offseason and has the full compliment. If anything, dealing Rosen would land the Cardinals, at worst, another third rounder, likely a high one.
Just a little nugget we just learned from @AllbrightNFL on @foxsports910
“The Cardinals have already told Kyler Murray he will be the guy”
— Kenny and Crash (@KennyAndCrash) March 29, 2019
If they do feel like Rosen is a potential franchise guy, then there’s no reason to do anything other than take Bosa, the best pass rusher in the draft. He played in only three games last season, but recorded 14 tackles, six for a loss and four sacks. In 2017, he had 34 tackles, 16 for a loss and 8.5 sacks. With the way the NFL is opening up its offenses, something that Kingsbury should know a little about, pass rushers will be even more at a premium. In the same division as Sean McVay’s Los Angeles Rams, Kyle Shanahan’s San Francisco 49ers and with Russell Wilson still pulling the trigger with the Seattle Seahawks, it’s imperative the Cardinals improve in that regard.
They have less than a month to figure it out.
