Nick Bosa has become a ghost for the Cardinals.
Before the 2019 NFL Draft, in which the Cardinals owned the No. 1 overall pick, Bosa provided Arizona and their ex-general manager Steve Keim a stern warning.
The Cardinals had just hired Kliff Kingsbury as their new head coach and reports leading up to the draft strongly suggested that they were targeting Kyler Murray despite just drafting another quarterback, Josh Rosen, in the first round a year prior.
Rosen had struggled through a woeful rookie season.
Bosa, an edge rusher, was in the mix for the top pick as well, and many viewed him as the best overall prospect in the draft.
In his pre-draft meeting with Keim and Kingsbury, Bosa didn’t mince words about the possible repercussions of passing on him.
“He puts his arm around me and Kliff Kingsbury, both of us, in basically a headlock,” Keim told Colin Cowherd on Fox Sports’ “The Herd” on Friday. “And he said, ‘I think you guys are going to end up taking that little quarterback, and if you do,’ he looked over at me and said, ‘Steve, I will haunt you for the rest of your career.’”
Despite Bosa’s declaration, the Cardinals selected Murray with the No. 1 pick, which allowed the 49ers to subsequently take Bosa with the No. 2 pick.
Bosa has since emerged as one of the best defensive players in the league, while Murray has had a roller-coaster start to his career.
Both Bosa and Murray won Rookie of the Year on defense and offense, respectively.
After missing the majority of his second season with a torn ACL, Bosa returned to his dominant production with 15.5 and 18.5 sacks the last two seasons, respectively.
He was named the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year last year.
Murray, on the other hand, has had trouble continuing his early-career production as injuries and off-the-field concerns have began to plague him.
Keim admitted that Bosa was the Cardinals’ highest-rated player, but opted for a quarterback instead.
“When Kliff Kingsbury and I got together to go to see players and have dinners, we went to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and had dinner with Nick Bosa prior to the draft,” Keim said. “And loved him, obviously. Our highest-graded guy on the board. Amazing in every way.”
Kingsbury was fired after last season, while Keim resigned to focus on his health.
Credit: Source link
