Cardinals land QB Clayton Tune in 5th round

The Arizona Cardinals selected Houston quarterback Clayton Tune in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, 139th overall.

The Cardinals bolster their depth at quarterback as starter Kyler Murray continues to recover from a torn ACL. Colt McCoy, Jeff Driskel, and David Blough are Arizona's other options at passer.

Tune passed for a career-high 4,074 yards and 40 touchdowns while completing 67.3% of his pass attempts in 2022, earning first-team All-AAC recognition. The Texas native also posted 1,248 rushing yards and 15 scores during his career at Houston.

Tune is the Cardinals' latest offensive selection, joining first-round choice Paris Johnson, third-rounder Michael Wilson, and Round 4 selection Jon Gaines.

Pre-draft profile

Tune should be getting more attention among mid-round QB prospects in this draft. He doesn't have a great arm, but it's certainly good enough to thrive at the short and intermediate levels of the field - especially with his accuracy and ball placement. Tune is also a steady presence in the pocket, demonstrating the ability to buy time with subtle movements and then resetting to make a throw. There's starter potential in his future if he can become a little more decisive with his post-snap decisions and address his tendency to lose sight of underneath zone defenders.