The NFL draft is coming on Thursday and the first round is in primetime and that means rumors are starting to fly and one has Blake Bortles going to the Arizona Cardinals if he makes it out of the top eight, with the Oakland Raiders, Cleveland Browns and Minnesota Vikings as potential options and another target for the team could be Zach Mettenberger if Bortles is not available when the Cards picks at number 20 in the first round.
Bortles has been looked at as a potential top five, top 10 and even first overall pick at various points this offseason and now the rumors have the quarterbacks possibly falling out of the top 10 with Johnny Manziel included. According to ESPN.com, there is a chance that Bortles could fall and that would be if he gets past number eight with the Vikings, as the teams in the middle of the first do not need a quarterback for the most part and while some trades could happen, the Cardinals could luck out.
The team has Carson Palmer, but they don't have a QB for the future and head coach Bruce Arians could love to build with one and someone like Bortles could be an option. Many have looked at Bortles as the player with the highest ceiling, as he has a big arm and size like Ben Roethlisberger and that could put him in the mix as an option for the Cardinals. Bortles had over 3,500 yards passing last season with 25 touchdowns and his size is what makes him a very solid NFL prospect. Some see him as more of a sure thing than Johnny Manziel, but he may get drafted after him.
Mettenberger has been mentioned as a potential pick for the Cardinals earlier in the offseason, but that may not be the case now. According to Pro Football Talk, Mettenberger was flagged for a diluted urine sample at the NFL combine and while that isn't exactly a failed test, the league considers it as such and that could be an issue for the QB in the draft. The report says that Mettenberger's therapist came out to say that he has been drinking at least a gallon of water per day as part of his recovery from ACL surgery and that could be the reason for the diluted sample. Last season he was injured at the end of the year and ended up with 3082 yards and 22 touchdowns and now he could slip a bit due to this news.
The Cardinals went 10-6 last season and they are close to being a playoff team in the toughest division in football and this year the draft is a big one for the team as they try and build towards that.
