Some of the talk this offseason leading up to the 2016 NFL Draft has been how the Arizona Cardinals might select a quarterback, getting ready for when Carson Palmer is no longer playing. If we want to read into the words of Bruce Arians, maybe we have a clue as to who the Cardinals might take.
Arians was asked about several of the quarterback prospects at the owners meetings last month. Josh Weinfuss for ESPN wrote about it on Thursday, noting the players to whom Arians compared Carson Wentz, Jared Goff and Paxton Lynch.
Now, we know Wentz and Goff will be long gone when the Cardinals make their selection at number 29. But he compared Wentz to Blake Bortles (a quarterback Arians loved coming out two years ago and the team allegedly was even willing to trade up to get), Andrew Luck and Ben Roethlisberger.
But now for Lynch. Arians compared him to Carson Palmer, the Cardinals' current starting quarterback.
"Paxton Lynch is a different cat," Arians said. "He's like Carson. Tall, athletic."
Arians really likes having Palmer. If Lynch is like Palmer, you would think he would be worth taking in the first round, right?
Maybe, but notice Arians didn't say anything about his game, just his body type. And he calls him different, which might not be what you want in your quarterback. Or maybe it is.
We also know Arians likes just saying stuff. Who knows if he really believes it?
Does anyone else see Palmer in Lynch? Arians is the first I have seen. Seth Cox sees Brock Osweiler. His NFL.com draft profile says Marcus Mariota. Mike Mayock sees an athletic Joe Flacco who has to make faster decisions.
Is he worth a first round pick?