Ever since Kliff Kingsbury accepted the head coaching job with the Arizona Cardinals, there has been major speculation that the Cardinals are going select Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray with the No. 1 overall pick. During his time at Texas Tech, Kingsbury vocally supported Murray and even said he would take him with the No. 1 overall pick if he had the chance.
Now that Kingsbury and the Cardinals staff own the top pick, the consensus is that the Cardinals were a lock to take Murray with the first pick. To add to the drama NFL Network analyst Charley Casserly reported Tuesday on Up to the Minute that a source from another NFL team informed him the Cardinals are shopping Josh Rosen.
Kliff Kingsbury back on October 28, 2018:
"Kyler is a freak…..I would take him with the first pick of the draft if I could."
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(via @EricKellyTV) pic.twitter.com/N9m99DkTNr— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) January 10, 2019
However, today during the Kingsbury Chronicle Podcast, Kingsbury publicly denied that the Cardinals were a lock to take Murray with the first pick. He sarcastically stated, “Yeah, just rolling around Indy saying it’s a ‘done deal.” He continued on to say “I would have to adamantly deny that.”
Even with previous reports, it seems that the Cardinals are still considering multiple options with the top pick.
Kingsbury even spoke upon the positives in having the No. 1 overall pick. He stated, “It makes it fun having the first pick because nobody knows if you are trying to throw smokescreens or telling the truth or what.” He continued on to say “There are a thousand different ways you can go with this and we are still 50 days away.”
Now, even though Kingsbury denied Murray was a lock for the first pick, he never said he wasn’t still in contention. Up until the Cardinal’s make their selection come draft day, they will continue to be linked with Murray, based off of Kingsbury’s previous comments, and the report that Arizona was shopping Rosen.
50 days might seem like an abundance of time, but Arizona’s quarterback decision will determine the team’s success in the near future. Kingsbury and the Cards better use their time wisely, because everything rides on it.
