NFL draft updates: Aaron Rodgers, Tim Tebow set NFL world abuzz before 2021 NFL draft
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Cardinals 2021 NFL Draft preview
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Return to this story for the latest updates on the NFL draft and the Arizona Cardinals during the first round on Wednesday night.
More: NFL draft tracker 2021: Instant analysis on every pick in the first round
First wide receiver off the board
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LSU wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase went to the Cincinnati Bengals with the No. 5 pick, giving Joe Burrow another weapon for his second season.
Chase is the first wide receiver off the board and wasn’t linked to the Cardinals in mock draft selections.
Two other SEC receivers have been, however: Alabama’s Devonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle.
Chase, Waddle and Smith are widely considered the best receivers in the class.
Could one of them fall to the Cardinals?
Minnesota’s Rashod Bateman, Florida’s Kadarious Toney, Purdue’s Rondale Moore and LSU’s Terrace Marshall Jr. are among those widely considered to be in the second tier.
More: Arizona Cardinals’ NFL draft odds: Money shifts to wide receiver as team’s first pick
The Atlanta Falcons took Florida tight end Kyle Pitts at No. 4 overall in the draft, the first non-quarterback selected.
There had been some speculation that the Arizona Cardinals might attempt to trade up to land Pitts, a dynamic pass catcher who would have provided Kyler Murray with another weapon on offense.
It represented a “dream scenario” for the Cardinals, in some people’s minds.
Good Morning Football’s Peter Schrager wrote in a recent mock draft: “Pitts isn’t falling out of the top eight. Too many teams are intoxicated by him. I’ve got the Cardinals as aggressors — as they’ve been all offseason — with Steve Keim bringing in yet another weapon for Kyler Murray. Arizona gives up this year’s first-rounder, next year’s first and next year’s third to move up from No. 16.”
Alas, it wasn’t to be.
More: NFL mock draft: Arizona Cardinals trade up or trade down in first round of 2021 NFL draft?
Run on quarterbacks could help Cardinals
Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence was taken with the No. 1 overall selection of the 2021 NFL draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday night in a move that surprised no one.
Lawrence has been linked to the Jaguars for months.
BYU quarterback Zach Wilson then went to the New York Jets at No. 2 in another non-surprising move.
The San Francisco 49ers took North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance at No. 3.
An early run on quarterbacks could help the Cardinals, as it might allow a wide receiver or cornerback they covet to fall to them at No. 16, or at least allow them the option to attempt to trade up a few spots to get one of them.
Alabama’s Mac Jones, and Ohio State’s Justin Fields have also been projected as first-round NFL draft picks.
The Cardinals have been linked to Alabama wide receivers Jaylen Waddle and Devonta Smith and Alabama cornerback Patrick Surtain II and South Carolina cornerback Jaycee Horn in mock draft projections, but all four have been projected to go higher than No. 16 in many mock drafts.
More: NFL mock draft: Top prospects fall to Arizona Cardinals at No. 16 in NFL draft projections
More: Arizona Cardinals NFL draft-day speculation: Team not in good position to land coveted CB
Aaron Rodgers sets NFL world abuzz
The NFL buzz started early Thursday, well before the first pick was set to be announced in the 2021 NFL draft.
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers told multiple members of the organization that he does not want to return to the team, a person with knowledge of the situation confirmed to the USA TODAY Network on Thursday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.
ESPN first reported the development, which prompted all kinds of speculation and rumors entering the NFL draft.
More: NFL Draft 2021: How to watch, what to know for Thursday’s first round of 2021 NFL draft
Rodgers has three years remaining on the four-year, $134 million extension he signed in August 2018.
Green Bay has offered Rodgers another extension, according to ESPN.
Possible NFL trade partner speculation with the Packers quickly surfaced, with the San Francisco 479es and new England Patriots among the team’s mentioned as potential landing spots.
Click here to read more.
More: Arizona Cardinals NFL draft-day speculation: LB Zaven Collins very popular pick for team
Another story involving a quarterback got a lot of attention before the NFL draft Friday night, but this one involves a former quarterback potentially making a return to the league – as a tight end.
The NFL Network and ESPN reported Thursday afternoon that Tim Tebow recently worked out for the Jacksonville Jaguars as a tight end. ESPN reported the former Heisman Trophy winner was the one who reached out to the team and requested the tryout.
More: Steve Keim’s NFL draft record veered the Arizona Cardinals off the path to success
The Jaguars are coached by Urban Meyer, Tebow’s former coach at the University of Florida.
Tebow hasn’t played a professional football game since 2012 when he was with the New York Jets, although he spent time on the rosters of the New England Patriots (2013) and Philadelphia Eagles (2015).
Click here to read more.
More: Cardinals could hit jackpot with one of these four picks; could trade up to get one, too
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: NFL draft updates: Could run on quarterbacks help Arizona Cardinals?