Peter King: Arizona Cardinals ‘sweet’ on Derek Carr and A.J. McCarron

The Arizona Cardinals haven’t selected a quarterback in the first round of the NFL Draft since taking Matt Leinart 10th in 2006.

Since then, the highest they’ve taken a signal caller is the fifth round. That’s where, in 2010, the team nabbed John Skelton.

It goes without saying that even though it is possible to find a capable quarterback late in the draft, most top passers are gone after the first few rounds.

And while the Cardinals are certainly pleased with Carson Palmer, their starter is 34 years old and not exactly expected to be around for the long term, and neither backup Drew Stanton nor Ryan Lindley, a sixth-round pick in 2012, appear to be quarterbacks of the future.

So is this the year they take that guy?

According to SI.com’s Peter King, they are pretty fond of a couple of this draft’s passers.

Arizona is sweet on a couple of quarterbacks, Derek Carr and A.J. McCarron, who are first- and second-round possibilities. With coach Bruce Arians’ love of the deep ball, McCarron in round two seems a bit of a reach. I will say this about McCarron: He doesn’t have a great deep arm by any standard, but he’s an accurate deep-ball thrower when he does air it out.

Both quarterbacks project to be around when the Cardinals are on the clock at 20, but it’s tough to say if either would be there when the team’s second pick, number 52, comes around.

But if they are, it wouldn’t necessarily come as a shock, as now would be a good year to draft the quarterback of the future and allow them to sit behind Palmer and Stanton.

Follow @theAdamGreen