Cardinals shouldn’t trade Patrick Peterson despite Byron Murphy pick

The Arizona Cardinals used their 33rd-overall pick in the NFL Draft to select Byron Murphy Does this mean that Patrick Peterson is on his way out?

The Arizona Cardinals have a lot of major decisions to make during the NFL Draft. One of those includes what to do with All-Pro corner Patrick Peterson.

The Cardinals used the second-round pick to choose Byron Murphy, a highly-touted cornerback out of Washington. He’s a talented player who, with the right direction, could become a star in the making.

Peterson may be wearing thin in Arizona, but they need a player like this to help mold a player like Murphy. They also have Robert Alford, and if they keep Peterson they could have a very good group. That will allow Murphy to gain confidence, continue to develop, and play against lesser competition in his rookie year. Even if the team is losing, his performance will dictate what he does from here on out.

In that vein, he’ll need the right minds to bounce off of in order to succeed. Right now, the Cardinals have Vance Joseph as defensive coordinator and Marcus Robertson as cornerbacks coach. They both came over from the Denver Broncos, where Joseph was formerly the head coach. They are trying to get the lay of the land, and with a very offensive head coach in Kliff Kingsbury, he’s going to lean on the defensive coaching staff. Having a veteran in the secondary who can play coach on the field is huge.

Peterson will get the Cardinals a little bit of draft capital, but he’s more valuable throughout training camp and in the beginning of the year. We’ve learned that teams are willing to make deals at the trade deadline, so if they really want to capitalize on the twilight of his prime, they still can while getting the most out of his leadership. Either way, right now is not the time to trade Peterson.