Nick Bosa would’ve helped the Arizona Cardinals as well

While Kyler Murray has been outstanding, the Arizona Cardinals unfortunately missed out on adding a tremendous defensive force

Six months have now passed since the Arizona Cardinals were forced to make an incredibly tough decision. With two outstanding college prospects placed before them, general manager Steve Keim and his crew ultimately made their choice. While it appears that the Cards did well by choosing signal-caller Kyler Murray, one also can’t help but wonder how great it could’ve been if the alternate option had made his way to the desert.

The player that Arizona passed on, San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa, has been wreaking havoc on the NFL. In eight appearances, the Ohio State University product has racked up 21 tackles (11 for loss), seven sacks, 13 quarterback hits and an interception. There’s talk around the league that Bosa is a candidate not only for Defensive Rookie of the Year, but for Defensive Player of the Year as well.

Bosa’s impact has been undeniable. Just seven games into his professional career, the 22-year old has already accomplished an impressive feat. During a clash with the Carolina Panthers on October 27th, Bosa became only the third rookie since 1982 to total three sacks and a pick in the same contest.

The fact that Bosa found a home with a division rival of the Cardinals makes not selecting him even more difficult to stomach. Perhaps it’s no coincidence that the 49ers currently own the NFC’s top-ranked defense. Having to face Bosa for years to come is hardly an ideal situation for Murray and the offensive unit.

In all fairness, Bosa posted one of his worst performances of the season this past Thursday night versus Arizona. Left tackle D.J. Humphries actually did an excellent job of controlling the 6’4, 266 pounder. By the end of the evening, Bosa had been credited with just one tackle and zero sacks.

Another point that needs to be made is that Murray has also performed at a high level thus far in 2019. Coincidentally, the new leader of the Cards recorded his highest passer rating (130.7) of the current campaign against Bosa and his 49er teammates. Through nine matchups, Murray has completed 64.2% of his passes for 2,229 yards and nine touchdown tosses, and has thrown just four interceptions.

The question concerning whether Murray or Bosa was the better pick will likely be debated for quite awhile. As Bosa pointed out in the days leading up to the meeting in Glendale, the Cardinals preferred Murray because “they needed a quarterback”. Only time will tell if Keim and his cronies made the correct call.