The Cardinals drafted Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Kyler Murray with the No. 1 overall pick, a year after drafting Josh Rosen.
TEMPE, Ariz. — The Arizona Cardinals need to be right about quarterback Kyler Murray.
There’s no way around it.
On Thursday, they did what many have been expecting them to do for months: They drafted Murray, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, with the first overall pick of the NFL draft. They did so a year after drafting quarterback Josh Rosen No. 10 overall.
The risk in that alone is incalculable.
Rosen has vowed to prove the Cardinals made a mistake, and the scorned former UCLA quarterback could grow into one of the best at the position.
Yes, Rosen had a miserable rookie season: He threw 14 interceptions against 11 touchdowns, the offense looked discombobulated, points were at a premium and Arizona finished 3-13. To be fair, it wasn’t all Rosen’s fault. He was playing under a first-year head coach in Steve Wilks and for an offensive coordinator — for the first seven weeks — in Mike McCoy, who was forced on Wilks by the front office. After McCoy and his exorbitantly large playbook were fired, Byron Leftwich took over. He is an up-and-coming coach but had no experience as a coordinator.
By the end of the season, Rosen was playing in front of a half-full State Farm Stadium — and team president Michael Bidwill noticed.
