Kliff Kingsbury says Cardinals still undecided on No. 1 overall pick, but is he telling the truth?
The Arizona Cardinals aren’t tipping their hand just days before the NFL draft. Either that, or they actually have no idea what they’re doing.
According to Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury, the team is still undecided on who they will select with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft.
.@AZCardinals Coach Kliff Kingsbury just said the team has not finalized the top pick in Thursday’s draft: “We’re still working through things. It is a process. I wouldn’t say the hay is in the barn.”
— Steve Wyche (@wyche89) April 23, 2019
Kingsbury made that comment 48 hours before the start of the draft. The Cardinals’ braintrust is either agonizing over the decision or Kingsbury is lobbing out last minute smoke screens.
Given the gravity of the situation, you would have to assume the latter, right? The Cardinals have had months to analyze this pick. If there was ever a contentious debate about who to select No. 1 overall, the team likely had it weeks ago. That’s not the type of thing you save until crunch time.
Our own Charles Robinson agrees with that sentiment:
If people don’t see the game that’s being played here, I don’t know what else could make it more obvious. They aren’t duking it out behind the scenes over who the pick is right now. That’s complete BS. You don’t suddenly realize 48 hours before the draft who your guy is at No. 1. https://t.co/cOAA7cQIAb
— Charles Robinson (@CharlesRobinson) April 23, 2019
If it is a lie, what does Kingsbury have to gain by keeping the pick shrouded in mystery? For one, no coach is ever going to reveal their team’s pick. That just doesn’t happen.
Looking deeper, Kingsbury could be lying to avoid drama. Many believe the Cardinals will select Kyler Murray with the No. 1 overall pick. The team already has Josh Rosen, and there’s no need to create that drama days before the draft begins. That situation will be much less awkward when Rosen gets traded shortly after the team selects Murray.
It’s also possible Kingsbury doesn’t care about that, and just wants to create chaos. Maybe he’s hoping that creating uncertainty will throw off the San Francisco 49ers, who pick second. Or perhaps he’s trying to confuse teams looking to trade up in the draft by making them think the Cardinals will take a surprising player. Maybe he just wants to watch the world burn.
Despite what Kingsbury says, the Cardinals almost certainly know who they are taking with the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft. They just aren’t eager to make that public information right now.
———
Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
More from Yahoo Sports: