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Thursday 25 April 2019 13:59, UK
Quarterback is king in the NFL. And, so, ahead of the 2019 NFL Draft on Thursday, who are the teams in most desperate need of picking up a premier passer?
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Kyler Murray (Oklahoma), Dwayne Haskins (Ohio State), Drew Lock (Missouri) and Daniel Jones (Duke) are widely-considered to be the top-tier talents, but where are they most likely to end up?
Here, we pick out the six most QB-needy teams entering the draft...
The biggest buzz heading into this year's draft surrounds what the Cardinals will do with the No 1 overall pick.
Arguably, from this list, they are actually one of the less quarterback-needy teams, having selected UCLA QB Josh Rosen with the 10th overall pick only 12 months ago. But, as the draft gets ever never, so do the rumours grow of Arizona selecting another quarterback at top spot.
And not just any quarterback. Kyler Murray.
The dynamic, dual-threat QB out of Oklahoma is this year's draft darling, having declared himself available for selection rather than pursue a baseball career. And new Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury is a fan.
Back before his hiring, when he was still in the college ranks coaching Texas Tech, Kingsbury said: "Kyler is a freak. I would take him with the first pick of the draft if I could."
If Arizona do indeed take Murray with that No 1 pick, then one of the teams primed to take advantage of the 'Josh Rosen' sweepstakes are Washington.
After losing starting quarterback Alex Smith to a horrific broken leg in mid-November - derailing their playoff-bound season as they lost six of their last seven games - the Redskins knew that finding a replacement QB till Smith's return (if he indeed does return) was a must.
They have addressed that need somewhat already, trading for Case Keenum, who is only one year removed from an inspired playoff run with the Minnesota Vikings. But things didn't quite go so well for him with the 6-10 Denver Broncos last season, and so the Redskins are still likely eyeing up signal callers in the draft.
As well as their rumoured interest in Rosen, the Redskins pick at No 15 in this year's draft. Dwayne Haskins (Ohio State), Drew Lock (Missouri) and Daniel Jones (Duke) would be the likely options, if not snapped up sooner.
The team most likely to have their pick of the quarterback litter, post-Cardinals-picking-Kyler, are the Giants - selecting at No 6, and also at 17 in the first round, following their trade of Odell Beckham Jr to the Cleveland Browns.
Haskins appeared to be the fit, with many rating the Ohio State prospect as the premier passer in this year's draft class. He's also a boyhood Giants fan.
But that talk seems to have softened of late, with the usual pre-draft rumour mill suggesting Haskins may have even fallen off the Giants' board. Also, now with that pick at 17, there is talk New York will address another, more pressing need with their earlier pick and perhaps wait to get their guy later in the first round.
There is also the possibility Big Blue ride with the 38-year-old, two-time-Super-Bowl-winning - but rapidly regressing - Eli Manning for another year if they don't truly believe their quarterback of the future is among the names available in Nashville.
Bluff? Smokescreen? We'll find out in the early hours of Friday morning.
When are the Broncos not interested in a quarterback?
Ever since former Denver quarterback great, Hall of Famer John Elway took over as general manager and president of football operations of the team in 2011, it feels as though they have been in the market for every possible quarterback going.
Elway crucially convinced free agent Peyton Manning to join the Broncos in 2012, with the veteran QB subsequently leading Denver to four division titles, two AFC Championships and two Super Bowls before swanning off into retirement after winning the second of them. But Elway's QB track record in trying to find Manning's replacement since, has left a lot to be desired.
Brock Osweiler (second round, 2012) and Paxton Lynch (first round, 2016) were high-profile draft busts, Trevor Siemian (seventh round, 2015) showed flashes of potential before burning out and Chad Kelly (seventh round, 2017) very much lived up to the 'Mr Irrelevant' tag reserved for the last pick of draft - released in October after being arrested on suspicion of first-degree criminal trespassing.
Outside of the draft, Keenum has been disposed of after only a one-year experiment and in his place Joe Flacco has arrived in an underwhelming trade with the Baltimore Ravens. The Broncos pick at No 10 in this year's draft and are still very much in the mix to select another quarterback.
The Ryan Tannehill era in Miami is over.
The 2012 first-round pick showed promise in his first four years in the league, but injuries have wreaked his last three - including keeping him out of the entire 2017 season. Upon his return, Tannehill could only rally the Dolphins to a 5-6 record in his 11 starts least year and, with a new head coach at the helm for 2019, it was decided a fresh start at QB was also necessary.
Tannehill has been traded to the Tennessee Titans, while Miami decided to inject a bit of 'Fitzmagic' into the building, with the addition of veteran back-up Ryan Fitzpatrick - signed to a two-year deal.
But that is exactly what the 36-year-old Fitzpatrick is expected to be, a back-up, albeit one of the better ones in the league which could allow the Dolphins to bed in their starter for the future.
There had been hope that Murray would be that man but, with his stock rising considerably over the past few weeks, it is almost unthinkable that he drops into Miami's lap at the No 13 pick.
The Patriots have the six-time Super Bowl winning, and undisputed G.O.A.T, a certain Tom Brady starting under centre for them. So they need to draft a quarterback, right?
It doesn't seem logical, but rarely things are when it comes to the draft.
Brady is certainly still good enough, even at the ripe old age of 41, but the Patriots do need to start bedding in a successor for the day when he does finally decide to pack it in. This year's draft could be where New England find that man.
Lock and Jones have both been linked, but the Pats don't pick until No 32 in the first round so that would require both to fall down the board quite dramatically. More likely is the Patriots use one of their other 12 picks - the joint most of any team, along with the Giants - to get their man.
Or, another wild card option would see them try to pinch Rosen - with interest already rumoured - from Arizona, allowing the promising prospect time to find his feet in the NFL, rather than being battered and beaten behind a porous offensive line like his was in his rookie year.
All three days of the NFL Draft are live on Sky Sports with opening night getting underway from 12.30am on Friday, April 26 on Sky Sports Action.
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