Bad decision in 2019 NFL Draft continues to haunt the Arizona Cardinals

Many fans of the Arizona Cardinals were able to rest better at night when Steve Keim stepped away from the team. In all fairness, not everything that the club's former general manager did was wrong. Over the last few years, however, Keim's bad decisions began to far outweigh the good ones.

One big blunder by the organization's longtime executive that still haunts the Cardinals occurred back in April of 2019. With the number-one overall pick of the NFL Draft at his disposal, Keim chose the wrong player. And two times during each and every campaign, the current Arizona regime has to be reminded of that crucial mistake.

This coming Sunday, San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa will be the individual that the Cards improving offensive line will need to be concerned about the most. Quarterback Kyler Murray, Keim's choice on that fateful night, will not be in the lineup. That leaves backup Josh Dobbs as the signal-caller who will have to deal with the havoc that a monster like Bosa can wreak.

What Bosa has been able to accomplish for the 49ers defense speaks for itself. In 54 pro appearances (52 starts), the 6 foot 4, 265 pounder has racked up 163 tackles, 44 sacks, eight forced fumbles, and a whopping 112 quarterback hits. Bosa has three Pro Bowls under his belt, and has taken home the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year (2019) and Defensive Player of the Year (2022) awards as well.

Arizona Cardinals could look to move on from quarterback Kyler Murray in the near future

Murray, on the other hand, as not enjoyed the same level of success with the Redbirds. The 5 foot 10, 207 pounder did win the league's Offensive Rookie of the Year back in '19, and also has two trips to the Pro Bowl on his professional resume. However, Arizona won just three times in 11 tries with Murray under center last season, and his one and only playoff start back in January of '22 was a complete disaster.

There's even been talk that Arizona may be looking to move on from Murray in the near future. That's probably not financially feasible in 2023. But while Murray will likely remain in the desert for the time being, that won't stop first-year GM Monti Ossenfort from revisiting the idea of trading the passer during the 2024 offseason.

For his part, Bosa will more than likely be residing in San Francisco for a very long time. A trip to the Hall of Fame when his time in the league is over is a distinct possibility. Passing on a flat-out stud like Bosa in favor of the erratic Murray could rank as one of the most egregious miscalculations in Cardinals history.

(Statistics provided by Pro Football Reference)