Cardinals president: Don't read into my attendance at Mahomes' workout
The Arizona Cardinals are a team some analysts have identified as likely to spend an early draft pick on a quarterback.
Head coach Bruce Arians seemed to endorse the idea this week, saying his team is "one of the best situations for a young quarterback to walk into" and suggesting a young passer could develop behind Carson Palmer for a few years.
With that in mind, the news that Cardinals team president Michael Bidwill recently attended the team's private workout of quarterback Patrick Mahomes caught the attention of many in the draft community.
Bidwill says it shouldn't have.
"It's funny, because each year I go to the scouting combine and I let the personnel people do their thing," Bidwill said Thursday on Arizona Sports 98.7, according to the Cardinals' official team website. "Steve (Keim) and his team, with the input of Bruce (Arians) and his coaching staff. They do a great job. But I attend all of those scouting activities. I (also) attend private workouts. I attend them every year. Some of them, people report on, some of them people never report on them. We really don't announce which ones I go to and which ones I don't. I go to them as my schedule allows because I love it, I love being around and learning from our scouts and coaches.
"Patrick Mahomes is one we weren't able to schedule at the combine, and that was an important one because again, all of the top prospects I meet. Whether it is at the combine, at our training facility or, on occasion, a private workout. I'm going to be attending many more private workouts, I'm not sure all of them will be leaked out to the media, but don't read anything into that."
Mahomes is perhaps the most intriguing quarterback prospect in his class. He's raw, and doesn't really play the position like a conventional NFL quarterback, but some analysts believe he has immense potential.
If the Cardinals believe the same, they could use a pick in the first few rounds to ensure they can stash him as the eventual successor to Palmer. Arizona's earliest picks are 13th, 45th, and 77th overall.