If the Arizona Cardinals have made a final decision regarding which player they will select with the top overall pick in Thursday night’s draft, they are going to great lengths to protect that information.
Cardinals general manager Steve Keim has said for weeks that the team has not settled on Kyler Murray or any other player with the No. 1 pick, and many people believe that is just a smokescreen. However, Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that Keim has reached out to at least one player to let him know he is a possibility to go first overall, and that player is not Murray.
If the #AZCardinals have made a decision on No. 1, they are keeping it quiet. Source said GM Steve Keim reached out to at least one player — #Bama DT Quinnen Willliams — to let him know he’s still a possibility to go first overall.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 25, 2019
Interestingly enough, the odds of Quinnen Williams being the first overall pick have seen a big shift this week. Murray is still considered the favorite, but oddsmakers do not consider it to be nearly as much of a certainty as they did just a few days ago.
It would still be a surprise if the Cardinals took a player other than Murray, but it would be even more shocking if they took Williams. Most analysts believe Ohio State’s Nick Bosa is the best defensive player in the draft, so that would be an upset in more ways than one.
