Blaine Gabbert, QB, Missouri.
One of my cardinal draft rules is when you need a don't have a franchise quarterback and you believe there is one on the board when you select in the NFL Draft, you do not pass up the opportunity to select him. That is the situation the Arizona Cardinals find themselves in.
The Cardinals simply cannot afford to come out of the 2011 NFL Draft without a quarterback. Plainly, they don't have an NFL-caliber one on the roster. Derek Anderson? Please. Fordham's John Skelton? Tarleton State's Richard Bartel? Who even knew there was a college named Tarleton State?
Arizona really doesn't have much choice but to take Gabbert here. The Cardinals could wait until Round 2 and choose from the plethora of second-round type talent likely to be there. Many analysts, though, believe Gabbert will be the best NFL quarterback in this year's draft class. When you don't have an NFL-caliber quarterback, but you do have wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, that is tough to pass up.
Draft Preview: Blaine Gabbert (via foxsports)