Could Cardinals have a big 'surprise' with the first pick?
The Arizona Cardinals are still trying to confuse opponents just hours before the NFL draft. The latest rumor: The team’s choice at No. 1 overall could “surprise” people, according to Michael Silver of NFL.com.
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What would that even mean? At this point, many expect the Cardinals to select Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray with the first pick of the draft. Prior to taking the Cardinals job, Kliff Kingsbury flat out said he would take Murray with the No. 1 overall draft pick.
Most oddsmakers believe Murray is the favorite to be taken No. 1 overall, though his odds have dropped in recent weeks. If it’s not going to be Murray, the oddsmakers believe Nick Bosa or Quinnen Williams are next in line.
Reports suggest the Cardinals agree that those three players are the standouts in the draft:
According to several sources familiar with the Cardinals' plans, the team ran an inclusive redraft process that encouraged blunt evaluations from coaches & scouts... and emerged with a mindset that three players (Nick Bosa, Quinnen Williams, Kyler Murray) stood above the rest...
— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) April 25, 2019
Would picking Bosa or Williams over Murray really shock people? Our own Eric Edholm ranked Bosa and Williams ahead of Murray in his draft rankings, so they would be justifiable picks at No. 1 overall.
Given that, there are only two ways the Cardinals could shock their rivals Thursday night. The team could either go off the board and take a mysterious fourth player with the No. 1 overall pick. Or the Cardinals could pull off a trade with a team willing to part with everything to get Murray.
More than likely, though, this is just a ploy to increase Josh Rosen’s trade value in the hours before the draft. If the Cardinals keep suggesting Murray won’t be their pick, it sends a message that they still value Rosen. That could convince teams to give up more in order for the Cardinals to trade Rosen.
The possibility to be surprised by the Cardinals on Thursday does exist. It just seems unlikely considering everything they’ve done leading up to the draft has involved textbook obfuscation tactics.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
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