Cardinals NFL Draft 2019 Rumors: Quinnen Williams Being Considered at No. 1

The Arizona Cardinals are reportedly still considering taking Alabama defensive tackle Quinnen Williams with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft on Thursday.

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Cards general manager Steve Keim contacted at least one player—that being Williams—to inform them that they are still in play for the top pick.

Rapoport added that if the Cardinals have made a final decision on who they intend to pick, they are keeping it close to the vest.

Arizona has been closely linked to Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray in the weeks leading up to the draft, which has made him the presumptive No. 1 pick among most draft experts.

On Tuesday, ESPN draft expert Todd McShay appeared on Get Up! and noted that the Cardinals were targeted Williams in the event that they decide to pass on Murray: "I'm told that if Arizona does not go Kyler Murray, if this is all a big smokescreen, that Quinnen Williams would be the pick over [Nick] Bosa at No. 1 for the Arizona Cardinals."

That came after fellow ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. said Monday that there is a "99.9 percent" chance that Arizona will take Murray first overall.

Murray was once a -1,200 (2-25) favorite to go No. 1 overall, but according to PJ Walsh of Action Network, he was down to -400 (1-4) as of Thursday. That still made him a significant favorite over Ohio State defensive Nick Bosa at +350 (7-2) and Williams at +450 (9-2).

The Cardinals have met with Murray on multiple occasions, and he is a known favorite of head coach Kliff Kingsbury, who recruited him in college. When Kingsbury was still the head coach at Texas Tech in October, he said that he would take Murray with the first pick:

While Murray won the Heisman Trophy last season, Williams was one of the most dominant defensive players in the nation last season and finished eighth in the Heisman voting.

Also, Peter Schrager of Fox Sports reported that at least one NFL executive was blown away by Williams during the interview process:

Murray may be a good fit in Kingsbury's offense, but Williams is arguably the best all-around player in the draft. Bleacher Report's Matt Miller ranked Williams as his No. 1 overall prospect, while Murray was only 13th.

In his final mock draft, however, Miller predicted that Murray will go to Arizona with the first pick, while Williams will fall to the Oakland Raiders at No. 4 behind Murray, Bosa and Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver.

One other possibility for the Cardinals includes trading out of the top spot, as NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Wednesday that Arizona has taken "feeler calls" leading up to the draft.

The suspense will finally end Thursday at 8 p.m. ET when the first round of the draft commences in Nashville, Tennessee.