“Is Josh Rosen our quarterback? Yeah, he is, right now, for sure,” Keim said.” (Kevin Patra, NFL.com)
I thought only of this exchange:
Person: “Hey babe, do you love me?”
Significant Other: “Yeah I do. For right now. LOL”
The most benevolent (to Steve Keim) explanation for this quote from Keim is that it’s a smokescreen from the Cardinals GM to provoke trade offers from potential QB-needy teams lower in the draft. The surface-level interpretation of the quote could mean Rosen will soon be replaced come April.
Murray’s a much more complete passer than Rosen stats-wise (Rosen’s 2017 vs Murray’s 2018) while competing against at LEAST as difficult a schedule in the Big 12 than Rosen in the Pac-12. Personally, I believe the Cardinals storyline makes little sense to hire Kliff Kingsbury and hold on to Josh Rosen when Kyler Murray is openly available, but then, at one point it almost made sense for the Cowboys to draft Johnny Manziel instead of Zack Martin. If the Cardinals roll the dice on Murray at One overall, the first handful of picks may look like this:
- Arizona – Kyler Murray
- San Francisco – Quinnen Williams (SF has two first rounders starting at Edge right now)
- Oakland (Trade with Jets) – Nick Bosa (Oakland has the league’s worst pass rush)
- New York Jets – Josh Allen (Allen plays at outside linebacker and is a better scheme fit for what Jets are doing.
- Tampa Bay – Andre Dillard – Getting a left tackle who can pass-block is pretty damn important. Jawaan Taylor, Jonah Williams and Greg Little are sexy tackles when it comes to measurables, but Dillard grades out at the best pass-protecting tackle in the top group of college tackles according to the nerds at PFF. Washington State throws the ball a ton and Dillard performed well during his time there.
- New York Giants – Dwayne Haskins – There is zero need to overthink this. The Giants should have drafted a QB three years ago.
- Jacksonville – Ed Oliver – Maybe the Jaguars sign Nick Foles, or trade for Josh Rosen. As much of as need they have here, Oliver is a really JUICY prospect and the Jags don’t need to reach for Daniel Jones here.
- Detroit – Rashan Gary – Admittedly a copout selection Gary could hypothetically play Tackle or End for Detroit depending on if DaShawn Hand works out as Ansah’s replacement or not. Gary’s been praised for his inconsistent if awe-inspiring athleticism for a 280-lb human being.
- Buffalo – Christian Wilkins – The Bills are paying enormous sums of money to Star Lotulelei to be an okay defensive tackle. Wilkins has demonstrated effectiveness to stop the run and consistently pressure the quarterback.
- Denver – Greedy Williams – Denver may draft a passer but has the luxury of waiting for a deeper class in 2020 with Tua Tagovailoa and Jake Fromm who will be draft eligible.
Just like my post-college life, that mock draft spiraled out of control pretty damn fast. It also leaves many questions unanswered. Who would the Cardinals trade Josh Rosen to? Will the Jaguars ACTUALLY sign N̶a̶p̶o̶l̶e̶o̶n̶ ̶D̶y̶n̶a̶m̶i̶t̶e̶ Nick Foles to a fat contract only to see him turn into the 2018 version of Case Keenum? If the Cardinals don’t draft Murray, how far would he drop? How could Steve Keim look at this face and not envision the future of his franchise?
Find out the answer to all of these questions and MORE on the next episode of NFL Football (now with 29% fewer concussions).
Today’s song: Wonder by Adventure Club featuring The Kite String Tangle
Gridiron Seasonal 