Arizona Cardinals could be in position to draft the next Larry Fitzgerald at present pace

Someone asked Kyler Murray if he could walk away from Sunday’s 21-16 loss at the Houston Texans feeling optimistic in any way after all the chances he and the Arizona Cardinals had despite suffering through another defeat.

He was succinct and to the point.

“Not right now,” he said. “For me, no.”

The quarterback is right, of course. After losing for the ninth time in 11 games, finding any sliver of optimism can be as frustrating as a toddler not being able to reach the cookie jar for an NFL team.

If Cardinals fans allow themselves to look a little further ahead, however, hope could be closer than they think. At 2-9 with six games left to play, including Sunday’s game against the visiting NFC West rival Rams, the Cardinals presently hold the second overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.

If that holds true until season’s end, it means Arizona could be in position to draft the next Larry Fitzgerald.

And how nice would that be?

The Bears presently hold the No. 1 overall pick, courtesy of a trade with the Panthers, who are an NFL-worst 1-9. And if Chicago selects a quarterback such as USC’s Caleb Williams or North Carolina’s Drake Maye or deals the pick to a QB-needy team for a ton of extra draft capital, Ohio State’s star wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. could be available for the taking by the Cardinals.

The 6-foot-4 Harrison, son of former Colts superstar and Hall of Fame receiver Marvin Sr., would be a franchise-shifting move for an Arizona team that has managed to win only one playoff game since its Super Bowl appearance during the 2008 season.

Just the first receiver in Ohio State history to have two seasons of 1,000 or more receiving yards, he would give the Cardinals another tallish wideout to pair with 6-2 rookie Michael Wilson and star alongside 5-9 fifth-year pro Marquise “Hollywood” Brown.

As if Murray couldn’t use more playmakers on offense.

Harrison Jr. has caught at least one touchdown in seven straight games (10 of them overall during that stretch) entering Saturday’s grudge match between second-ranked Ohio State (11-0) and third-ranked Michigan (11-0) in Ann Arbor. He’s expected to be announced as a Heisman Trophy finalist on Dec. 4 and he’s projected to be the first non-quarterback selected in next year’s NFL draft.

NFL Media draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah watched every snap Harrison Jr. took last season as a sophomore with the Buckeyes and said he already reminds him of a cross between A.J. Green and Andre Johnson in their prime.

During an interview with GQ magazine last week, Harrison Jr. was asked what he thinks separates himself from his peers.

“Just the total package, really,” he said. “I think I have the route-running ability. I have the speed. I can change directions like smaller receivers at my size – 6-4, 200-plus pounds. I think having the total package really separates me from the rest.”

If the Bears end up with the No.1 overall pick and draft Harrison Jr., Cardinals General Manager Monti Ossenfort would be in position to wheel and deal considering Arizona would be in line to take one of the top-tier quarterbacks in next year’s class. That could net the Cardinals multiple first-round picks and probably more.

Then again, considering they are still in an evaluation process when it comes to Murray, would they be swayed to draft another quarterback and start over? Anything is possible.

By virtue of their draft trade earlier this year with the Texans, the Cardinals also hold Houston’s first-round pick next year. After improving to 6-4 following Sunday’s win over Arizona, that pick at present sits at No. 21 overall.

That selection could net the Cardinals an edge rusher, an interior defensive lineman, another offensive lineman, or additional help in the secondary – four key areas of need moving forward. And don’t forget, the team has six total picks among the first 86 selections overall.

Not that players on the current roster are thinking that far ahead, mind you. Some of them, though, wouldn't blame the fans for starting to focus on the draft.

"I wouldn't blame fans for anything. That's the nature of being a fan," linebacker Josh Woods said this week, adding, "You love us when we're doing well and when we're struggling, always trying to find solutions from the outside looking in. ... If that's what people think the solution is, so be it. Cool."

Murray, for one, seems confident in the direction Ossenfort and coach Jonathan Gannon is taking the franchise. He knows he’s a bit under the microscope at the moment, but he also can see the energy and determination with which his teammates are playing week in and week out. It’s different, he said.

“Yeah, yeah. I mean, it is different,” Murray said after Sunday’s loss. “I mean, this is my second game, so I've seen – obviously, our record is what it is. I’ve been here for every single one of them, so I've seen how the guys react and I’ve seen how they fight back, and I’ve seen how they rally after a loss.

“But like I said, it's just frustrating. I felt like the team, the defense gave us opportunities to go win the game and we didn't win the game, so that's pretty much really all that's on my mind right now.”

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Cardinals fans might as well start looking ahead to the 2024 NFL Draft