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2013 NFL Mock Draft: Tyler Wilson or Matt Barkley the better fit for the Cardinals?

Contrasting mock drafts both have Arizona taking a quarterback, but which one would be the best choice?

Wesley Hitt

There's very little question that the Arizona Cardinals were at the bottom of the barrel for quarterbacks in 2012, but there is still doubt as to how they will rectify that situation. There will be a number of interesting free agents and players on the trading block, but still the draft is going to be one of the main avenues to finding the new face of your offense. While John Skelton, Ryan Lindley, and Kevin Kolb have all failed to secure a job with Arizona, there will be at least a few names in the 2013 NFL Draft that are going to spark some interest for the Cardinals with their first-round pick.

But will they take one there, wait until later, or find a player that's already in the NFL? If they take a QB with the seventh overall pick, there are a number of different options. Both Rob Rang and Dane Brugler of CBS Sports mocked a quarterback to Arizona, but they had different opinions on who that guy would be.

For Rang, Matt Barkley of USC was the best option for the Cards, apparently not shying on Trojans after the Matt Leinart disaster:

Barkley has fallen in the eyes of many scouts, but we all know how the value of the position rises as the draft approaches. Barkley may not be universally viewed as a first-round player anymore, but that may not matter come draft day.

It probably should matter. Barkley feasted on bad competition, struggled against good, and was hurt at the end of the year. That doesn't entirely kill his possibilities of being a good NFL quarterback, but it could be something that makes him available in the second round.

Brugler went another direction for the Cards, projecting Tyler Wilson of Arkansas to Arizona:

With a new GM and head coach at the helm in Arizona, a quarterback is a strong possibility with this pick, possibly Tyler Wilson who might be the toughest prospect in this class, regardless of position.

Wilson doesn't come without concerns of his own, which should be obvious for any QB that slips past both the Chiefs and the Jaguars, but he's certainly a possibility here. However, should the Cards, with one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL, just take a tackle or guard prospect instead?

Doesn't make much sense to get a QB back there and not protect him. Just ask Kolb.