Kyler Murray To The Cardinals Is Picking Up Steam

Michael Reaves/Getty Images

As the draft combine comes to a close, one thing has became a “certainty:” The Arizona Cardinals will take Heisman winner Kyler Murray with the first overall pick in April. The news comes as a surprise, considering Arizona spent their first round pick last season on UCLA product Josh Rosen.

Oddly enough, the news that the Cardinals, now led by Kliff Kingsbury, would take Murray has been brewing for a while. While he was still the head coach at Texas Tech, Kingsbury said he would take Oklahoma’s quarterback first overall if he had the chance. A few months later he resigned as the offensive coordinator of USC (a position he had just been hired for), to take charge in the desert.

If Kingsbury gets his way, as most analysts believe he will, then the Cardinals will be forced to trade Josh Rosen, who struggled mightily as a rookie. Early reports are that the Washington Redskins would jump at the opportunity to get Rosen. Washington, of course, is still reeling from Alex Smith’s devastating leg injury from midway through last season.

Arizona, understandably, would likely like a first round pick in exchange for Rosen (if not more). The bad news for them is they are unlikely to get it. It doesn’t speak highly of Rosen if the team is willing to trade him one year after drafting him. We’d be surprised if they even got a second rounder in return. Not that Kingsbury cares as long as he gets his man.