In the NFL draft, teams will end up selecting a mix of players they hope will be able to immediately contribute, while some are meant to develop.<\/p>\n
Granted, developmental players are generally not selected early in the draft. They are usually late Round 3 and later.<\/p>\n
Advertisement<\/p>\n
SI.com’s Justin Melo matched each NFL team with their ideal developmental prospect<\/a>. For the Arizona Cardinals<\/a>, it was a quarterback.<\/p>\n LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier<\/p>\n The Arizona Cardinals aren’t going to draft a quarterback at No. 3 overall. Taking a mid-round swing on a naturally gifted quarterback like Garrett Nussmeier would be a worthwhile experiment for new head coach Mike LaFleur. Nussmeier threw 29 touchdowns as a junior before injury and coaching struggles derailed his senior campaign. There’s a talented signal caller in there.<\/p>\n Nussmeier would make a decent pick on Day 3, assuming he lasts that long. The Cardinals don’t have a quarterback under contract after 2026. At minimum, he can be a guy who is already in the building in 2027 knowing the offense. If lightning strikes, he is a diamond in the rough.<\/p>\n He certainly has the quarterback traits, although he did throw a lot of interceptions in 2024. There was a time before last season that some believed he could be the No. 1 pick in this draft.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n If he is a Day 3 pick and only becomes a backup for a few years, that is still a good use of a Day 3 selection.<\/p>\n We will see if this ends up happening.<\/p>\n Get more Cardinals<\/a> and NFL coverage from Cards<\/a> Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify<\/a>,\u00a0YouTube<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0Apple podcasts<\/a>.<\/p>\n