The closer it gets to the NFL Draft, the more it feels like Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, and Jayden Daniels will be the first three players selected. Now, whether the Chicago Bears, Washington Commanders and New England Patriots are the three teams making those picks remains to be seen. But what happens if things don't go as planned? What if New England zags and either trades their #3 pick, or instead of Jayden Daniels, selects Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.? If that's the case, then by the time the Arizona Cardinals are on the clock, you'll hear the host of whatever network's draft coverage you're watching say something along the lines of, “This is where the draft begins.”
“The Cardinals pick fourth in the draft, and some in the league believe they are open to trading back,” writes Diana Russini of The Athletic. “Could we see four quarterbacks go with the top four picks? One general manager told me, ‘Absolutely!'”
If Marvin Harrison Jr. is off the board, don't be stunned if the Cardinals end up trading out of the 4th overall pick. Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton is rumored to be enamored by Michigan quarterback JJ McCarthy. Could Arizona Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort use this knowledge to his advantage, swapping the #4 pick for the #12 pick and more? The pre-existing relationship between Jayden Daniels and Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce is well-documented. Could the Raiders move up from #13 to get Daniels? The Giants, Falcons and Vikings are all prime trade-up candidates too.
This would potentially be the second consecutive year the Cardinals traded their own 1st round pick. Last year, the Cardinals traded away the #3 pick to the Houston Texans in exchange for the #12 pick and a 2024 1st Round pick, which turned out to be the 27th pick in this year's draft. Part of the reason the Cardinals would once again decide to move back is because of the hefty haul they could get in return for the pick. But additionally, it's because the Cardinals already feel as though they are set with quarterback Kyler Murray.
Kyler Murray began the 2023 season on the PUP list as he recovered from a torn ACL he suffered late in the season in 2022. He missed the first nine games of the Cardinals season before playing the final eight. In those eight games, Murray threw for 1,799 yards, 10 touchdowns and 5 interceptions, and the Cardinals had a 3-5 record. Apparently, that eight game stretch was enough to for Cards brass to be both privately and publicly all the way behind quarterback Kyler Murray.
“I ran into Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon and was blown away by his support of Kyler Murray. It’s very clear Murray is their guy,” according to Russini.
Since being drafted 1st overall in the 2019 NFL Draft, Murray has a 28-36-1 record as Arizona's starting quarterback.
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