Arizona Cardinals: Paxton Lynch the Smart Option
By John Laird
The Arizona Cardinals are one of the NFC’s Super Bowl contenders. While most think they will use their draft pick on an immediate need, it might be best to plan for the future in Round 1. Paxton Lynch out of Memphis may fit the bill.
The Arizona Cardinals have a solid veteran under center in Carson Palmer, but he is currently 36 years old. At best, he may have one good year left in him, maybe he can squeeze a second. But., the Cardinals need to think ahead at least a little bit come April.
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I understand the Cardinals are an arm’s length from competing in the Super Bowl. But why not prepare the team to be good for the next 10-12 years instead the next 2 years? After round 1 go ahead and splurge on all the needs you have, but when you can have a potential franchise quarterback sitting there on your lap, there’s no excuse to not pull the trigger.
Drafting Paxton Lynch would be a great move on the front office’s part. Lynch is tall (6’7″) and is still pretty athletic. He has a great feel in the pocket, something not many quarterbacks come into the NFL with. He knows how to position his body away from pass rushers and has the release you want from a pocket passer. He is always looking to throw the ball first, rather then run the ball when his first read isn’t there. Which makes him more NFL ready then prior quarterbacks like Robert Griffin III.
Below you see an example where Lynch is truly looking to get rid of the ball rather then run it for a moderate gain. Not to mention it was to tie the game in the final minute.
At Memphis, Lynch had a good career. He was a three year starter who only got better as his career progressed. In 2015, Lynch posted career highs in passing yards (3,776), touchdowns (31) and completion percentage (66.8%) while throwing the least amount of interceptions (4).
If the NFL draft was solely about potential, rather than who’s ready to start come Week 1, Lynch would be in discussion for the top passer in this class.
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In Arizona, the Memphis star would come in and be able to take a redshirt year. He would be able to just learn from a good quarterback in Palmer, while picking his brain about mastering Bruce Arians’ scheme. In that time, he would also be able to really see what a winning culture is like in the NFL, and can easily pick up where left out when asked to start.
One of Lynch’s main weak points seems to be his anticipation throws, something that takes nothing but time to master. That year behind Palmer can give the Florida native time to just learn from NFL coaches and truly improve his game. He wouldn’t be asked to run the show too early which can be a down-fall for certain rookie passers.
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In the end, if Paxton Lynch is available in the early 20’s, don’t be surprised to see Arizona make the smart move, and move up to draft the Memphis passer.