Arizona jumped from No. 15 to No. 10 in the 2018 draft for…
Arizona jumped from No. 15 to No. 10 in the 2018 draft for quarterback Josh Rosen, sending Oakland third- and fifth-round picks. Rosen lasted one season with the Cardinals before Arizona drafted Kyler Murray and traded him away. Oakland used No. 15 on tackle Kolton Miller, who developed into a long-term starter and Pro Bowler, making the Raiders the overwhelming winner even before accounting for the additional picks.
Arizona Cardinals Received
- pick 2018 1st round pick (10th overall, Josh Rosen )
Las Vegas Raiders Received
- pick 2018 1st round pick (15th overall, Kolton Miller ), 2018 3rd round pick (79th overall subsequently traded, Rasheem Green ) and 2018 5th round pick (152nd overall subsequently traded, Dane Cruikshank )
Trade Analysis
Arizona entered the 2018 draft needing a long-term quarterback after Carson Palmer's retirement and decided Josh Rosen was worth an aggressive move. The Cardinals sent Oakland the 15th pick, No. 79 and No. 152 to climb to No. 10. Rosen arrived with polished college credentials and was expected to develop behind Sam Bradford before eventually taking over. Instead, the timetable accelerated almost immediately.
Rosen started 13 games as a rookie on a team that finished 3-13, throwing 11 touchdowns and 14 interceptions while taking 45 sacks. After Arizona hired Kliff Kingsbury and secured the first overall pick in 2019, the Cardinals chose Kyler Murray and traded Rosen to Miami. Arizona did recover second- and fifth-round compensation in that later deal, but the original trade-up still produced only one season from the player selected at No. 10.
Oakland used the 15th pick on UCLA tackle Kolton Miller. After a difficult rookie season, Miller steadily improved into a dependable left tackle and became one of the longest-tenured players of the Raiders' Las Vegas transition. He earned a Pro Bowl selection, signed long-term extensions and protected multiple starting quarterbacks through years of organizational change. The additional third- and fifth-round choices gave Oakland even more flexibility, although those picks were later moved in other transactions.
The outcome is unusually clear. Arizona paid a premium to secure a quarterback it abandoned one year later, which earns an F despite the later Rosen resale. The Raiders moved down, added capital and found a premium-position starter who became a Pro Bowler and long-term cornerstone. Oakland earns an A+, and the transaction stands as one of the strongest draft-day trade-down results of the 2018 first round.