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The Cardinals will get the No. 1 pick in the draft if they lose their last two games

The Cardinals have never had the top pick in AZ
Posted at 9:49 PM, Dec 16, 2018
and last updated 2018-12-16 23:49:49-05

The Arizona Cardinals' dismal season continued Sunday with a 40-14 defeat at the hands of the host Atlanta Falcons. The loss dropped the Cardinals to 3-11 on the season.

That loss, however, combined with the San Francisco 49ers' overtime win over the Seattle Seahawks later Sunday, moved the Cardinals into position to do something they haven't done in 60 years: make the first overall pick in the NFL Draft.

If the Cardinals lose their final two games of the season -- vs. the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday and at the Seattle Seahawks the following week -- the Cards will have the first pick in the draft for the first time since they moved to Arizona in 1988. ESPN's model gives the Cardinals an 82 percent chance of getting the top pick.

To date, the Cardinals' top pick since moving to AZ came in 2001, when they drafted offensive lineman Leonard Davis with the No. 2 overall pick. The Cardinals have picked third overall four times since moving to Arizona: in 1993, 1996, 1998 and 2004. Larry Fitzgerald, who was drafted by the Cardinals with the No. 3 overall pick in '04, has become the Cardinals' all-time leader in most receiving categories and recently set a new NFL record for most receptions with a single team.

The Cardinals had the No. 1 overall pick in the 1939, 1940, 1945 and 1958 drafts, when they played in Chicago.

Fittingly, the Phoenix Suns were awarded the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft for the first time in franchise history just a few months ago. They selected former Phoenix Hillcrest Prep and Arizona Wildcats star Deandre Ayton with that pick.

So, who would the Cardinals select with the No. 1 pick? Ohio State defensive end Nick Bosa is the projected top pick in most mock drafts.

The first round of the 2019 NFL Draft will take place in Nashville, Tennessee on April 25 and will be broadcast live on ABC15.