NFL Rumors: Cardinals Will Not Be Taking Kyler Murray With Top Pick, Interest May Have Been A Smoke Screen

The Arizona Cardinals are rumored to be backing away from Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Kyler Murray, with a new report indicating that the team’s interest in taking the quarterback with the No. 1 overall pick may have just been a smokescreen.

For weeks, rumors circulated that the Cardinals planned on using the top pick of the upcoming NFL Draft to select Murray, even though the Cardinals had just taken signal caller Josh Rosen in the first round last year. Rosen had shown some steady improvement in a moribund offense last year, so the idea that the Cardinals may already be moving on and trading Rosen came as a shock to many.

Now, Pete Prisco of CBS Sports said that taking Murray may have never actually been in Arizona’s plans. Prisco noted that Arizona has been “pulling back” from the Heisman Trophy winner and may have only been showing interest in order to draw some interest from the fan base.

If the Cardinals really are backing away from Murray, it could create a significant ripple effect. The Cardinals would likely be able to trade back in the draft, as Murray is rated the top overall pick and a number of quarterback-hungry teams would be willing to spend some major capital to move up and take him.

There appears to be high interest in Murray outside of Arizona. Bleacher Report writer Mike Freeman noted that the Raiders may try to use some of their significant draft capital — with three first-round picks thanks to recent trades — to move up to the top of the draft and select Murray. Derek Carr had reportedly lost his grip on the starting job in Oakland, which could give the team an opportunity to move up and snag Murray.

“Few in the NFL would be surprised if they made a big move up for Ohio State’s Nick Bosa or even Murray,” Freeman wrote.

What's it going to be, AZ? https://t.co/Y4vBcRZx6M

— USA TODAY Sports (@usatodaysports) April 21, 2019

It’s not clear if there is any truth to the NFL rumor that the Arizona Cardinals won’t be selecting Kyler Murray. As many pointed out, it is common in the days leading up to the NFL Draft for teams to place false leads on who they intend to select, hoping to throw other teams off the trail and not allowing them to guess who they will actually select. That could mean that the team’s reported move away from Murray may actually be the smokescreen and that Cardinals will end up taking the talented Oklahoma quarterback with the No. 1 overall pick.