In the NFL, it isn’t terribly common for rookies to start right away. The saying is that they try to get rookies ready to contribute by Thanksgiving. Some, though, get to compete and play earlier.
No. 1 overall pick Kyler Murray will start at quarterback, which is completely expected, but the Cardinals’ second-round pick, cornerback Byron Murphy, should also play early and often.
“He’s going to be in the rotation somewhere,” coach Kliff Kingsbury said of Murphy after Day 2 of the draft. “He’s that type of playmaker. You see the production, the pass breakups. He always seems to get his hand on the football somehow and (is) a dynamic talent in the slot, at corner.”
The Cardinals already have two starting cornerbacks in Patrick Peterson and Robert Alford. Murphy will most likely slide right in immediately as the first-team slot corner. Technically, it won’t really be starting unless the Cardinals open on defense in the nickel, but it means he will play a lot.
The Cardinals have been widely praised for their draft. Getting two starters in their first two picks will do that.
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