The Arizona Cardinals were one of the NFL's more surprising teams last season and missed the playoffs by one game at 10-6. Now they find themselves in the middle of a transition that could keep them in contention for years to come or waste the talent they do have because of a lack of quarterback depth.

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The draft always has a surprise team select a quarterback, although they weren't involved in any talks or rumors during the months leading up to the draft. The Cardinals could be this years version, considering they have an aging starter in Carson Palmer and possess the talent to contend now.

The Cardinals are in a tough situation considering how talented they are, but if they were to lose Palmer they would revert to their old ways of being a mediocre team with poor quarterback play. Coach Bruce Arians showed he is the right man in Arizona during his first season at the helm, but we will not know what Arians’ legacy will be until he drafts his own guy.

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The Cardinals have suffered from this problem before with former head coach Ken Whisenhunt. Whisenhunt had the Cardinals in the Super Bowl with Kurt Warner at the helm, but as soon as Warner retired the team reverted back to mediocrity due to Whisenhunt’s inability to draft a viable replacement.

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This is the turning point for the Cardinals of the future. Rumors are the Cardinals are smitten with Derek Carr and A.J. McCarron, but drafting at No. 20 can lead to issues. Carr will likely be gone by the Cardinals pick and McCarron will be considered a huge reach. The Cardinals could take a luxury pick at No. 20 and hope McCarron drops to them in the second round or they could trade up for Carr and mentor him behind Palmer.

The Cardinals are built to win now and have some young talent, but all of it will go to waste if they don’t find the heir to Palmer’s throne soon.

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