With the 2019 NFL Draft less than 24 hours away, now is the time for teams to turn in their cards, agree to their selection and submit their final picks.
Teams will bunker down in “war rooms” across the country and still to and die by their board. No other person can either ruin or alter all of those draft boards more than Arizona Cardinals quarterback Josh Rosen.
Drafted 10th overall out of UCLA, the now second year QB has been mentioned to be traded to the likes of Miami, Oakland, Los Angeles, New England, New York as glorified trade bait. The sad part is is that Rosen will proverbially dictate how the entire draft unfolds tonight. Hard to believe but it is true.
Name any one of the aforementioned teams above, and there is a rumor of Rosen getting dealt to them for a pick, and draft stock. Is he worth it? Don’t know, can’t answer that. But IF Arizona is sold on the prospect of Kyler Murray—as reports are to believe, and not likely hold on to him and draft Nick Bosa out of Ohio State—then it’s a win.
If they deal Rosen for more picks AND still take Murray, it’s a win-win for Rosen as he will be the likely starter in his new city.
It’s a prime example of just how cutthroat and ruthless the NFL is a business. Are the Cardinals really going to trade a first-round QB that they drafted last year? Are they really going to select a 5’10 200-pound quarterback with the top overall pick?
I can understand that rookie head coach Kliff Kingsbury and his Air Raid system and Murray’s elusiveness and talent area perfect fit, but wouldn’t it be wise and prudent to try and work with the physcially-gifted 6’4 218-pound Rosen, that has plenty of arm talent, instead of impulsively trading him?
Call this the Baker Mayfield effect. Murray is a byproduct and beneficiary of Mayfield’s success in Cleveland, and with the advent of smaller and more mobile quarterbacks such as Russell Wilson and the forementioned Mayfield—who was also coached by Lincoln Riley at Oklahoma.
In the case of Rosen, his best fit would be in a big market like New England, New York, Los Angeles or Miami who all have needs at QB, and would likely be able to either sit behind future Hall of Famers such as Eli Mannin or Tom Brady or step in as the start on Week One in Miami.
The clock is ticking out in the desert, not only for the Cardinals to make their pick, but also for the next chapter of Rosen’s NFL career.