Arizona Cardinals: Five questions that must be answered in the draft
By Avery Duncan
Who will be the quarterback for Kliff Kingsbury’s offense?
The question that has seemingly dominated the off-season, but maybe shouldn’t have: Josh Rosen or Kyler Murray?
Kliff Kingsbury is an all in hiring into the Air Raid offense. With that being known, the logic of Kyler Murray going to the Cardinals isn’t bad. He’s played in a very similar offense to Kingsbury’s at an extremely high level with Lincoln Riley (Kingsbury’s former Texas Tech teammate) at Oklahoma, has an outstanding arm, and can run circles around defenders. He’s simply electric.
But, he has his fair share of red flags. He’s on the smaller end of the spectrum (5-foot-10, 207-pounds), saw success in a pass-happy Big-12, has just one year of full-time starting experience and isn’t a mechanically perfect quarterback.
On the other hand, Josh Rosen, last year’s No. 10 overall selection, isn’t an Air Raid prototype, but he is an impressive prospect. He’s mechanically sound, has shown poise in the pocket, and is a cerebral player. But, he showed flaws in his first NFL season including a lack of mobility and stubbornness.
However, there’s plenty of hope for Rosen. He played behind a hodgepodge of an offensive line and dealt with a midseason offensive coordinator firing; not an ideal situation for a rookie quarterback.
Luckily, this question will be answered soon, and it’s not like the Cardinals are in a bad situation. They are picking between two fantastic quarterbacking prospects. Either way, they will leave the draft thinking they have the future locked up at the position.