Arizona Cardinals: Is Bruce Arians right about Lamar Jackson?
Former Arizona Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians thinks the team should select Lamar Jackson in the 2018 NFL Draft, but is he correct?
Transition is the name of the game heading into the 2018 NFL Draft for the Arizona Cardinals. They are under the watch of a new head coach in Steve Wilks following the retirement of Bruce Arians. What’s more, the offense is in new hands after Carson Palmer retired, which caused the team to overpay for Sam Bradford in free agency — albeit on a one-year deal.
With that said, the short-term contract handed to Bradford seemingly indicates the fact that they will be looking for a quarterback for the future in the draft. Sitting at pick No. 15 in the first round, though, it seems unlikely that any of the consensus top four players at the position will fall to them. Thus, they could wait a bit before selecting a quarterback.
Or they could take Lamar Jackson — which is what their former coach, Arians, would do.
More from NFL Spin Zone
- Dallas Cowboys made the trade everyone else should have made
- Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
- Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
- Denver Broncos’ stud wide receiver might be out for a while
- Washington Commanders: Three takeaways from win over Ravens
According to Bob McManaman of AZCentral.com, Arians would take Jackson at No. 15 if he were in the position to make that decision for the Cardinals. The former head coach praised the 2016 Heisman Trophy winner’s “unique” skill-set and the idea that he played under Bobby Petrino at Louisville, which theoretically gives Jackson a jump on learning a pro-style offense.
Jackson is arguably the most polarizing prospect in this draft class (though Baker Mayfield gives him a run). From some analysts suggesting he should convert to wide receiver to his draft stock being all over the place, he comes off as a wild card. Given Arians’ comments, you have to ask a simple question: Is he correct?
As with most everything in the NFL Draft, this is really subjective. However, it’s hard to argue with Arians’ point about playing under Petrino. Even more importantly, it’s impossible to deny the talent and upside of a player like Jackson.
Jackson might be the best overall athlete in this entire class. He can run like a receiver, but has arm strength on par with every quarterback not named Josh Allen in this class. What’s more, the big knock on the Louisville product is his accuracy, but he showed improvement throughout every year in college. Thus, you have to reason that more improvement could come with NFL coaching.
Next: 2018 NFL Mock Draft: Full 7-Round projection
Given all of that and the position that the Cardinals are in with their roster, Arians is indeed correct. Assuming that Lamar Jackson is still on the board at No. 15, Arizona should nab him. Sam Bradford isn’t a long-term answer for them. Jackson, however, could be. And the draft is the ultimate crapshoot in any regard — so why not take a roll of the dice on a player that has perhaps more potential than most that would be available in their draft slot?