N.F.L. Draft 2019: The Cardinals Pick Kyler Murray No. 1

The 2019 N.F.L. draft is underway in Nashville, with 254 picks spread out over three days. Day 1 will feature the first round (32 picks), and will undoubtedly change the fortunes of several franchises.

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2. San Francisco 49ers: Nick Bosa, DE

Ohio State
6-foot-4, 266 pounds

A remarkably strong player from head to toe, Bosa can generate interior power like a tackle while still possessing the skill and speed levels of an end. He comes from a football family, with his father, John, having played for Miami and his brother Joey currently starring for the Los Angeles Chargers. Nick, who had 17.5 sacks in limited action over three years, might have to compete with Joey to be the most accomplished Bosa, but to many talent evaluators he was head and shoulders above any other player in this draft class, even after he missed most of the 2018 season as a result of core muscle surgery. There was a mild hubbub about comments he made on Twitter, but the only thing that kept him from being the No. 1 pick was the perfect fit of Murray and Kingsbury.

1. Arizona Cardinals: Kyler Murray, QB

Oklahoma
5-foot-10, 206 pounds

Murray had the unenviable task of following in Baker Mayfield’s shoes at Oklahoma. Not only did he live up to Mayfield by keeping the Heisman Trophy at the school for a second straight season, but in many ways he surpassed the top pick in last year’s draft. Murray’s numbers were staggering: 42 touchdown passes (with just seven interceptions), 4,361 passing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns. His athleticism is so outrageous that he was the ninth overall pick in last year’s M.L.B. draft, with talent evaluators saying he had the potential to have a Rickey Henderson-like impact on that game. The biggest question mark about Murray, by far, is how a player of his height and weight can succeed in the modern passing game, but there is also at least some cause for concern that he only has one season under his belt as a full-time starter.

How he fits: The Cardinals undoubtedly are not in love with using the top pick on a quarterback a year after using the 10th overall pick on Josh Rosen, but the pairing of Murray with Coach Kliff Kingsbury is too perfect to pass up. Kingsbury will presumably install an Air Raid-style offense, and short of Mayfield or Patrick Mahomes, there are few quarterbacks in the world more suited to it than Murray. Arizona will have to sort out what to do with Josh Rosen, but the second-year quarterback out of U.C.L.A. should have some trade value for a team hoping he can build on his modest rookie season.