3 NFL Draft first-round mistakes that continue to haunt the Arizona Cardinals

1.) Trading up for Josh Rosen, getting first overall pick in 2019 and not getting Nick Bosa

Back in 2018, the Arizona Cardinals were one of the five teams who drafted a quarterback in the first round. They traded up to the 10th overall pick to select UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen, who was the fourth quarterback taken in the top ten that year. In 13 games as a starter, Rosen was a bust compared to the rest of his draft classmates. He threw for just over 2,200 yards and had 11 touchdowns to 14 interceptions. His play ultimately landed the Cardinals the number one pick in 2019. With new head coach Kliff Kingsbury coming into the building, there was a great speculation that the Cardinals would use that pick on current Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray. Arizona would eventually draft the Oklahoma quarterback and trade away Rosen to the Miami Dolphins.

While Murray still remains on the roster and will be looking to continue to bounce back from his ACL injury, the Cardinals were in a predicament where they had no choice but to draft Murray and miss out on getting defensive end Nick Bosa, who would be the next draft choice to the San Francisco 49ers. 

Bosa is now part of a 49ers’ defense that has been near the top of the league for the majority of his career up to this point and the Cardinals face Bosa twice a year being in the same division. Bosa is a game changer and a player that offensive coaches have to gameplan for. With Bosa signing his contract extension that he received last offseason, he is not leaving the division for awhile.