In 2018 the Arizona Cardinals drafted Josh Rosen as their future quarterback out of UCLA. The Cardinals moved up to get the young gunslinger at number ten and traded some draft picks to seal the deal. Only a year later, the Cardinals this time had the number one draft pick in 2019, which means things did not go right in 2018. The Cardinals could not pass up a dual threat type of quarterback that can run and throw. A Heisman trophy winner. A very athletic type of person not only great in football, but who can play well in baseball. You could of said the next Bo Jackson. However Kyler Murray chose football over baseball. Then the Cardinals chose Kyler over Josh. The Cardinals traded Josh Rosen after the draft to the Miami Dolphins. What if the Arizona Cardinals made the wrong choice?
If you compared both Josh Rosen and Kyler Murray’s college resume, who is the better quarterback without taking a professional snap? Hands down Kyler Murray. When the San Diego Chargers drafted Phillip Rivers they had Drew Brees already in place. Eventually Brees was let go due to an injury. Phillip Rivers and Drew Brees were even teammates for two seasons. Who was the better college quarterback between Drew Brees and Phillip Rivers? Stat wise goes to Phillip Rivers as the better college quarterback. Both had similar numbers though. Rivers had a higher rating and completion percentage but the yards and touch downs thrown are pretty close. The Chargers figured Brees’ days were done when he got injured. However if they thought Drew Brees was the guy, they would have never drafted Phillip Rivers.
How can you pass up on somebody very athletic like a Kyler Murray. He was so athletic he was picked in the first round in two major sports. He was picked number one over all in football. People will compare him to Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks. Wilson has two Superbowl appearances and a ring from winning one of them. Wilson now is one of the highest paid quarterbacks in the league. Kyler Murray last year was outstanding as he led the Oklahoma Sooners to the Orange Bowl. Kyler Murray passed for over 4000 yards while completing 69% of his passes. He had 42 touchdowns in the air. Threw only 7 interceptions. Then the dual threat also ran for over a 1000 yards while scoring twelve touchdowns.
Josh Rosen completed only 60.8% of his passes at UCLA. The original plan for Josh Rosen was to watch from the sidelines. Sam Bradford the starting quarterback for the beginning of the 2018 season was God awful. Rosen was thrown into the wolves den which would actually be Bears.The Bears defense is the first action he faced in the NFL. That has to ruin many young quarterbacks’ confidence taking on the best defense in the league and surviving. Rosen did survive and he went on to play the rest of the regular season. Josh Rosen played in 13 games in his very first year in the NFL. He threw for 2,278 yards in the air. He had 11 touchdowns and yikes, 14 interceptions. Rosen had the worst offensive line in the league. Cardinals should be ashamed of themselves to have no protection at the time for their future. Rosen also had to work with a few different offensive coordinators. Plus he had no rushing attack. Larry Fitzgerald was their best receiver and he got hurt. The rest were a bunch of bums. With all those circumstances he went into Green Bay and knocked the Packers out. Which cost them the playoffs and their long time head coach who was fired after that game.
The only knock on Kyler Murray is that he is short to play quarterback in the NFL. He is only a hair shorter than Russell Wilson when he arrived in the NFL. Drew Brees has been vertically challenged his whole career as a quarterback in the league and look what he has done. The Murray pick does look like a no brainer. However some people thought Ryan Leaf was better than Peyton Manning that year they both got drafted. Dual threats like Murray need to follow the same blueprints of Steve Young and Russell Wilson. Not just become a running quarterback like Mike Vick and RG III. Which those two have experienced multiple injuries. Injuries after which they were not the same each time they came back. But the difference between Young and Wilson over the dog killer and RG III is getting hit. Murray needs to be able to pass in the pocket and run when he needs to. Not running for your life Charlie Brown on every other play. Vick and RGIII and many other running quarterbacks can not just stand in pocket all Sunday and throw. Sometimes it could take one hit and Kyler Murray might not have much of a career. He has to show he can stand in the pocket and deliver the ball right when he is being tackled. We know he can throw on the run. We know he can run like Forest Gump.
Drew Brees left San Diego and won a Superbowl with the New Orleans Saints. He has become one of the top quarterbacks of all-time. He is playing still at a high level closing in on 40 years of age. Phillip Rivers has been an Iron Man type in Chargers history. He has won a few playoff games. Never has gotten to the Superbowl. If you can find a Charger fan, they will tell you they should have kept Drew Brees. In the NFL sometimes a quarterback will be traded to second team and take off. Brett Farve was in Atlanta and then traded to Green Bay. If Kyler Murray does pretty good like Phillip Rivers is doing in LA, the Cardinals will be very happy with that. Rivers is a great quarterback. However if Josh Rosen leads the Dolphins to a Superbowl and Murray never gets there, this move will go South for the Arizona organization for giving up on him that quick. Both these quarterbacks will be compared for years to come. If both of them stay in the league and become starters for their team, for years they will be dissected like a worm in 8th grade science class. The Cardinals are like that person who gets married just because the person said yes, which is Josh Rosen. Then the long years of the secret crush turns out to be available and likes you back as you drool all over yourself. Suddenly you drop the Rosen like a bad habit. Just hope she does not come back with confidence to beat your team in the big game like a Brees in the night.
The Wild shamrock 