NFL Draft: 2018 Round 1 mock after flurry of NFL trade deadline deals

2018 NFL Draft: Round 1 mock after flurry of NFL trade deadline deals

CHICAGO, IL - APRIL 28: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell annonces DeForest Buckner of Oregon as the #7 overall pick by the San Francisco 49ers during the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University on April 28, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jon Durr/Getty Images) /

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Mason Rudolph. 10. player. 32. . Quarterback. Oklahoma State

I thought the Arizona Cardinals would look for a player like Patrick Mahomes in last year’s NFL Draft.

The Kansas City Chiefs beat them to it, though, which left head coach Bruce Arians and Co. hoping veteran QB Carson Palmer could survive the season fully healthy. He didn’t, breaking his arm in Week 7 and landing on injured reserve. Any hopes the Cardinals could bounce back towards the playoffs this season followed Palmer to the IR list.

Palmer, 37 years old, needs to be replaced. So does veteran wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, although this year’s crop of wideouts isn’t as talented or deep as last year.

With many of the second-tier quarterbacking prospects still available, the Cardinals take a flier on Oklahoma State’s Mason Rudolph.

Rudolph has been bailed out by a QB-friendly offense at Oklahoma State, but the raw skill set is something Arians and Co. could work with, especially if they’re able to find some young receivers to surround the raw quarterback.