2018 NFL draft: Cardinals fall into a QB solution when they trade up for Josh Rosen
When the Arizona Cardinals came to the NFL combine, they didn’t have one quarterback on their roster. They were in a nightmare scenario every team fears.
And, a couple months later, they fixed that problem pretty well.
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UCLA’s Josh Rosen, thought by some to be the best quarterback prospect in the draft, slipped to No. 10. The Cardinals smartly traded up to the 10th pick, swapping with the Oakland Raiders, and took Rosen when he fell. The Miami Dolphins, at No. 11, were a possibility for Rosen if he slipped one more pick.
According to NFL Network, the Cardinals gave up the 15th overall pick, a third-round pick (79th overall) and a fifth-round pick 152nd overall) to move up to No. 10 and get Rosen. That’s not a hefty price.
The Cardinals signed Sam Bradford this offseason, but Bradford has been disappointing most of his career and played just one game last season due to a knee problem. Bradford can’t stay healthy, and while the Cardinals overpaid him, now they don’t need to depend on him. Rosen can come in and play very soon, which is a plus with Bradford’s injury history.
Rosen was dissected during the pre-draft process for being outspoken and his attitude, which was odd. Rosen gets high marks for his intelligence, mechanics and understanding of the game. While he might not have the upside of the three quarterbacks taken ahead of him — and that’s probably a reason he slipped just a bit — he has a pretty safe floor.
The Cardinals were desperate at quarterback a couple months ago, after Carson Palmer retired. They have to feel pretty good after draft night, having landed a player who they’ll expect to be their starter for a long time.
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Frank Schwab is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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