Kyler Murray holding 2019 NFL Draft hostage

Its no secret that Kyler Murray is the top quarterback in the 2019 NFL Draft, but the infatuation that Arizona has with Murray is boiling over. Will they or won’t they? Murray is holding the draft hostage.

There are two questions that are holding the 2019 NFL Draft in limbo. As we approach the first round on Thursday, no one is sure what to believe. What is a smokescreen, what is real, what is conjecture?

Question 1: Will the Arizona Cardinals draft Kyler Murray first overall? Question 2: What happens to the pick if they don’t want him? Question 2 alternate: What happens to Josh Rosen if they do want Murray?

One player can’t win it all in the NFL, but they certainly can hold the draft hostage. Murray is exciting and electric as a player, but he’s not the best available in the draft. Arizona is rebuilding, but they don’t need a quarterback. What will happen Thursday night?

Two brothers from New York, Dan Salem and Todd Salem, debate Kyler Murray in today’s NFL Sports Debate.

Todd Salem:

I suppose the first question comes down to simple preference. If the Arizona organization has fallen in love with Murray the man and Murray the player, they will take him and figure the rest out later. If that means keeping Rosen for the time being and seeing what trade market develops, so be it.

More likely, the Cardinals would immediately ship Rosen out of town for something less than his ordinary value. But if Murray becomes the franchise passer they would expect, the return for Rosen hardly matters. So, will Murray be taken first overall by the Cardinals? I say yes.

This time of year, we are always worried about misinformation and misdirection. The team could simply be building up the idea of Murray in order to grow the trade market for that first pick. But that seems unlikely. No other franchise is going to trade for Murray just because Arizona likes him. And more importantly, no team that wants Murray and is able to trade up to number one will shy away because rumors say the Cardinals want him.

They would still inquire. And they definitely would not risk letting him go if the opportunity to trade up was available. A smokescreen for the first overall pick is completely unnecessary. I say yes they will take him, but should they take him?

Obviously, we are not privy to private workouts or interviews. If they view Murray as a perfect fit, nothing else matters. But from the outside, this seems like a mistake. I mostly base this opinion on the fact that I’m still a huge fan of Rosen and his game. I don’t see Murray as being a better franchise QB option.

With that, Arizona is certainly better off keeping a comparable QB and getting something else out of that first selection, whether it be Nick Bosa or a trade return, etc. That is a better team overall.

The Cardinals have the inside view of Murray as a prospect. They also have the inside view of Rosen as a professional player. Their decision with the draft will depend entirely on information we don’t have access to. Nevertheless, Rosen shouldn’t be a lost cause by any means. His future remains high, meaning Arizona is better served not casting him aside to draft his replacement.

Dan Salem:

Kyler Murray is holding the draft hostage, which is probably the best-case scenario for an NFL hopeful. In what many consider a suspect quarterback class, Murray has dominated all headlines and nearly silenced the buzz around his positional peers. A headline on ESPN basically stated there’s a 99.9 percent chance Murray goes No. 1 in the draft. That means there’s no uncertainty! One-10th of a percent does not count.

We are all familiar with the blatant lies and misinformation NFL teams use to shroud their draft motives in secrecy. Either the Arizona Cardinals are hiding nothing, or they are putting up the greatest smokescreen in draft history.

Every indication is that Murray will join the Cardinals, despite Arizona having a second-year quarterback who would be the number one pick this year if he’d left college a year later. The Cardinals have many glaring needs, but quarterback is not one of them. Can they possibly pass over the three best players to grab Murray, who might be better than Rosen, but grades out equally?

To answer our leading question, I do believe the Cardinals draft Murray. Kliff Kingsbury is a rookie NFL coach with a head of steam. He appears confident to a fault and has loved Murray for far too long. New coaches notoriously want to bring in “their” guys. Murray has been “his” for seven years. Yet Arizona is going about this all wrong. Everyone thinks they will draft Murray, meaning everyone knows they want to deal Rosen. The Cardinals killed his trade value by professing their love of Murray.

Rosen did nothing last season to hurt his stock. He had an up and down rookie year for a very bad football team. Arizona could have been “all-in” with Rosen, meaning other teams might start wanting what they couldn’t have. Instead, the Cardinals appear “all-in” for Kyler Murray, so no one wants to give them anything for Rosen. Nick Bosa should be the No. 1 pick. Teams usually draft for need or draft the best player available.

Arizona is about to do neither.