2018 NFL Draft Trade Rumors: Cardinals Seen as Most Likely to Move Up for QB

The Arizona Cardinals are reportedly viewed by NFL executives as the most likely team to trade up in the 2018 NFL draft to select a quarterback. 

On Wednesday, Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com reported the Cards received three of the five votes in response to his question about the subject of moving up for a QB. The Buffalo Bills and Denver Broncos each received one vote apiece.

One of the unnamed executives told Jeremiah it's an opportunity for Arizona to find its quarterback of the future without having to start him right away after signing Sam Bradford in free agency.

"Initially I thought Buffalo, but the more I look at it, I will say Arizona," the exec said. "Bradford's presence allows them to develop someone for a year. A rebuild has begun already, but other parts of an aging core group will be gone in the next couple years. Perfect timing to hand the QB job over to someone like Josh Allen."

Bradford is set to fill the void left by Carson Palmer, who retired in January after his 2017 campaign was cut short by a broken left arm.

The Cardinals' new projected starter has dealt with his own injuries since getting selected with the first overall pick in the 2010 draft. He's effective when healthy, however, as illustrated in 2016, when he posted a 99.3 passer rating in 15 appearances for the Minnesota Vikings.

So it's a situation when Arizona, which owns the 15th pick in Round 1, can take a prized quarterback prospect and let him develop until Bradford falters or gets hurt.

Allen is a logical fit for that type of scenario since he possesses terrific tools, including outstanding arm strength, but is still raw and must work on his accuracy.

The question is how high the Cardinals would need to trade up to get him. The Cleveland Browns, owners of the first and fourth overall picks, announced on Thursday they are hosting the Wyoming signal-caller for a pre-draft visit.