The Arizona Cardinals had a wrap-up to their 2023 season that showed growth and promise. But while growth is good, promise can be misleading. When a fanbase gets excited about a four-win season, the expectation is that more wins will happen. Kyler Murray looks to be in the driver’s seat. But to make sure progress continues, depth is key. That is why the Cardinals drafting a quarterback in the second round is smart.
Arizona Cardinals Should Consider Drafting A Quarterback
The backup quarterback in today’s NFL is vital. If you’re a team that is in playoff contention and you lose your starter, it could also mean games lost. Most importantly, you can find a Hall of Fame candidate who lifts the team to greatness when the incumbent cannot.
One great example Cardinals fans should know well is the Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks had signed Matt Flynn and then selected Russell Wilson in the third round (75th overall). That was in 2012. Wilson would go to back-to-back Super Bowls, winning one and then losing a second. But he’s not the only non-first-round pick to find overwhelming success in the league.
Joe Theismann went in the fourth round to Washington and won a Super Bowl. Mark Brunell was drafted in the fifth round (Green Bay) and led the Jacksonville Jaguars to the AFC Championship. Roger Staubach went in the 10th round to the Dallas Cowboys. The Navy quarterback was a two-time Super Bowl Champion, Super Bowl MVP, six-time Pro Bowler, and a Pro Football Hall of Famer.
Tom Brady, the quintessential no-frills quarterback coming out of Michigan, was drafted in the sixth round. He would go on to win seven Super Bowl Championships. His accolades are endless and is a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
Here’s Brady throwing for 354 yards & 3 TD’s in Super Bowl 38 at NRG Stadium the site for tonight’s National Championship pic.twitter.com/uIHhw9x90g
— RandomTomBradyHighlights (@TomBradyDaily) January 8, 2024
And now, the San Francisco 49ers have a guy taken with the last pick of the draft, one win away from a Super Bowl. Brock Purdy came out of nowhere. However, the Niners did their work, and now he looks like a first-rounder.
See a trend here Cardinals fans? These are quarterbacks not selected first overall. These are signal callers who went late and led their team to greatness and a few Lombardi Trophies along the way.
Is this a slight at Murray? Of course not. But has he hit his ceiling? Can he stay healthy post-knee injury? Will he adopt a better coaching regimen, or rely on what he wants to do outside of the game plan? Lastly, can he shake the reputation of being a one-trick pony who is all or nothing? Perhaps a better way of saying it, were his wins an outlier or a preview of things to come? All fair questions to ask a team rebuilding.
Depth at the quarterback should be something Arizona takes a serious run at. With three, third-round picks, some names that the Cardinals should take a long look at are the following:
Spencer Rattler, 6′ – 218lbs. South Carolina
Michael Pratt, 6′-3″ – 200lbs. Tulane
Michael Penix Jr. 6′-3″ – 218lbs. Washington
Joe Milton, 6′-5″ – 235lbs. Tennessee
Likely, Clayton Tune is not a starting NFL-caliber quarterback. He’s a great practice guy and excels at the “gadget style” play inside the red zone, but that is the ceiling on the Houston product. He might be able to start in the preseason or hold a clipboard. But players like Rattler, Pratt, Penix, Jr., or Milton could carry the Cardinals for a game or two, or even a season.
The Arizona Cardinals organization needs to think big and long term. Nothing lasts forever, Kyler Murray included.
Main Photo: Melanie Maxwell – USA Today Sports
The post The One Move the Arizona Cardinals Need to Make In the 2024 NFL Draft appeared first on Last Word on Pro Football.