NFL Rumors: Cardinals Drafting Kyler Murray With #1 Pick? Kliff Kingsbury Addresses Rumors

A hypothetical scenario laid out by Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury that seemed unlikely in October could potentially come true in April. In an interview,, Kingsbury said he would take Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray first overall in the NFL draft if he could.

Four months later, Kingsbury is the head coach of the team with the top pick in the draft. Murray eschewed a career in the major leagues to commit to football full-time. Now that it is actually a realistic possibility, Kingsbury walked back his comments, according to Cardinals reporter Darren Urban.

“Josh [Rosen] is our guy,” Kingsbury told Urban on Tuesday.

Kingsbury made those comments ahead of Texas Tech’s football matchup with Oklahoma. He was the head coach of the Red Raiders at the time and may not have considered he would be fired by his alma mater, hired to run USC’s offense and then hired to run an NFL team within the span of three months.

Even if Kingsbury still wanted to coach Murray in the NFL, he might not get the opportunity. The Cardinals just drafted Rosen in the first round last year and seem committed to the former UCLA star.

“Josh is a smart guy, he’s been around and he’s seen what happens year in and year out. There’s always a lot of speculation that turns out to not be true,” team president Michael Bidwill said. “But moving forward, we’re going to continue to build this team and build around the foundation that we have.”

Rosen had a poor rookie season after taking the starting job from Sam Bradford midway through the year. He completed just 55 percent of his passes for 2,278 yards, 11 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. The Cardinals’ offensive line was unable to adequately protect Rosen all year, while he dealt with a poor surrounding cast and a mid-season offensive coordinator change.

Murray could be tempting as a replacement, even if NFL teams tend to not draft quarterbacks in the first round two years in a row. He threw for more than 4,000 yards and 42 touchdowns while rushing for more than 1,000 yards and 12 touchdowns in his Heisman campaign in 2018.

However, Murray is not widely expected to be taken at the top of the draft. He is only 5-foot-10 and 195 pounds, leading to concerns about his ability to withstand hits in the NFL. Still, in a draft lacking in top-tier quarterback talent, Murray is expected to go somewhere in the first round in April.