The Arizona Cardinals have been all over the map with their possible draft options. It was first speculated that the Cardinals would play a heavy role in trying to grab one of the top quarterback prospects. They had brought in both Geno Smith and Matt Barkley for private workouts for the team. However, once they drafted veteran Carson Palmer, things changed. Head coach Bruce Arians said Wednesday that the team was never interested in drafting a quarterback with their top pick.
The Cardinals draft No. 7 overall. That would put them in position to grab someone like Barkley who saw his draft stock rise after a strong performance at the USC Pro Day. But, the Cardinals seem confident that the team has found their future starter and do not have an interest in any other prospects in the position.
"I'm here to introduce our starting quarterback and put it to bed. We're extremely excited about our new starting quarterback, Carson Palmer," Arians said at Palmer's introductory press conference.
The team currently now holds four quarterbacks on the roster, including recently signed Drew Stanton, along with Brian Hoyer and Ryan Lindley. There was still speculation the Cardinals would attempt to draft a young player to possibly build at the position for the future. Arians said that is not the case and never was considered an option.
"Right now I don't see a quarterback in this class coming up that would have been in that spot for us. Now, it might be for somebody else, but not for us. Especially with the elite offensive linemen that are out there this year, and defensive linemen," Arians said.
Arians is only confirming what many have said; none of the quarterbacks this year are prepared to be a starter right away. The Cardinals needed a big-time quarterback and they believe they have that in Palmer. Last season in Oakland, Palmer threw for 4,018 yards, including 22 touchdowns and a completion percentage of 61.1 percent. That was without really any offensive weapons. Now that he is on a team with receivers like Larry Fitzgerald, the Cardinals believe they have the next Kurt Warner on their hands.
The Cardinals are now focusing on linemen in the upcoming draft. It is reported their top prospect is Alabama guard Chance Warmack. While Luke Joeckel is considered the top player in that position, he is expected to be off the board by the time Arizona gets ready to draft.
