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Since the end of the NFL season, the Arizona Cardinals have unofficially been on the clock. While the NFL Draft is over two months away, the Cardinals have the first pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. There is speculation about what the team could do with this pick, making general manager Steve Keim talk about the situation.
On Arizona Sports 98.7, Keim said, “It’s good for the game, it goes to show the level of excitement there is for the National Football League, and in particular with this situation, the No. 1 pick. It’s sort of like The Bachelor or the Housewives of Orange County. This is real-life stuff.”
The Cardinals have a new head coach in Kliff Kingsbury, who coached current NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes at Texas Tech. They used a top-10 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft on Josh Rosen out of UCLA, so taking another quarterback here would not make much sense. Rosen was inconsistent in his rookie season but essentially played behind a backup offensive line as all five starters ended up on IR.
Offensive tackle Jonah Williams is an option with the first pick, but the tackles should be healthy by the start of next year. This draft class is filled with talented defensive linemen and the Cardinals need players who will make an impact right away. Nick Bosa is viewed as the top prospect in the draft, but he only played in three games in 2018 because of a core muscle injury.
The Ohio State defensive end is extremely talented, but his recent injury history could make him too much of a risk for the top pick. Alabama’s Quinnen Williams is an interior pass rusher that could give the impact they thought Robert Nkemdiche was supposed to be. He might not be as talented as Bosa, but Williams’ lack of injury history could give him the edge over Bosa.
The Cardinals have until April 25 to decide who they will take and their decision will impact the team forever.
