With the Cardinals’ first pick in the 2017 NFL Draft they select Patrick Mahomes II, quarterback, Texas Tech. This is not with the 13th overall pick, however. In this scenario, Arians and Keim decide to trade down out of the 13th overall pick.
Out of the four experts from NFL Mock Draft Central, none of them expect Mahomes to be off the board until late in the round (pick 25 to Houston is the earliest). Mahomes slipping into the 20s would allow the Cardinals to either trade back to 19 or 20 which are currently owned by Tampa Bay and Denver, respectively.
This would result in the Cardinals potentially gaining a second round pick while still having the chance to get their QB. Mahomes fits perfectly into the system with a strong arm, the ability to avoid the rush, and unteachable accuracy. With a year behind Palmer, Mahomes could jump into a starting role in 2018 and become the quarterback he is capable of being.
Think the Cardinals would rather have Trubisky? “The question is why wasn’t all that talent starting for the last three years? That’s always bugging me,” Bruce Arians said. It does not seem that Coach agrees.