A Thought on the Arizona Cardinals' QB Situation

Somehow, even with Carson Palmer being hurt twice this season (and now out for the year), the Arizona Cardinals are the best team in the NFC.  They have a great defense, excellent offensive weapons, and have gotten fairly good play out of both Palmer and backup Drew Stanton.  Stanton will be playing out the rest of the season since Palmer tore his ACL Sunday afternoon.  While Palmer just signed a 3-year $50 million extension, the Cardinals eyes have to now be shifting to a time without their oft-injured QB.  And no, I don't believe Logan Thomas is the future of the franchise.  So, it seems to me that while Stanton will be playing for the starting spot at the beginning of next year, and that it may be time for Arizona to research this year's deep crop of talented college quarterbacks.

Since the Cardinals are doing well this season, it is not likely they will be picking in the top 20 of the 2015 NFL Draft.  So Marcus Mariota, Jameis Winston and possibly Bryce Petty could be off the table.  If Petty happens to be there in the late 1st, I think the Cardinals should pick him, but let's just assume he won't be.  The next QBs expected to be around are UCLA's Brett Hundley, Michigan State's Connor Cook, and Oregon State's Sean Mannion.  While Mannion has the size, I don't think he has the consistent talent that an NFL team would be looking for in a QB of the future.  Cook has played very well at times, but other times his defense has saved him.  He will only be a junior, and may want that one more season in East Lansing in such a deep QB class.

Finally there is Hundley, who could have been a 1st Round pick last season in my opinion.  Almost all of his numbers are up this season from last year, and he has the Bruins sitting at 8-2.  While his mobility would be a great asset to any team, his most impressive stat is a 72% completion rating, and that is with an a yards per attempt average of 8.4.  He isn't just dumping off passes to his check-down all game to inflate that number.  Add in the fact that Brett Hundley just happens to be from the Phoenix suburb of Chandler, Arizona, and I think the pick makes perfect sense.  Assuming Hundley comes out this year, I think the Cardinals have to take him.  Carson Palmer will be 35 before the start of next season, and will be coming off his 2nd ACL tear of his career.  The Cardinals are a team that is talented and young enough to be in Super Bowl contention for a couple seasons.  The time could be right to take a dynamic young playmaker like Brett Hundley.