Kyler Murray NFL Draft Prospect Report
The top quarterback in this year’s draft is Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray. There has been some debate about him. First, he was super talented and looked like the best quarterback in the draft. Then, there were rumors that he wasn’t good and that some GMs wouldn’t take him. Then, after the Combine he seems to be the likely first overall pick. Here’s the thing about Murray, he’s really good at football. Though I don’t have a man crush on him like Tyree Jackson, he’s the best QB in the NFL Draft.
Combine and Stats
Kyler Murray’s most important test at the Combine was being measured, he came in at 5’10” and 207 pounds. This was at least a full inch taller than he was expected to measure in at. After the Combine, there were rumors that he actually measured in shorter than this. Take a second to realize how insane this is. This rumor assumes that the Combine lied about his results, and all 32 NFL teams were cool with it. Murray didn’t participate in any drills at the Combine. Murray only started this previous year, his redshirt junior season. He dominated, throwing for 4,361 yards, 42 touchdowns against seven interceptions with a 69 percent completion rate. He also ran for 1001 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Breakdown
Murray is a freak athlete with a cannon arm that is also accurate. He’s crazy fast, and he can throw the ball long and put a lot of zip on it. The obvious NFL comparison is Russell Wilson, but he’s probably a better athlete than Wilson, like a smaller Michael Vick. Murray hits receivers in stride, and has great touch, knowing when to put air under the ball. He obviously moves very well in the pocket and behind the line and is very good at extending plays. Murray is also very good at quickly going through his reads.
Negatives
The most obvious negative is his height, but he’s only an inch shorter than the previously mentioned Wilson. This means he’s probably going to have to work out of the shotgun. He also needs to learn to slide more, he needs to take less hits so he ends up like Wilson and not like RG3. While I appreciate the difficulty in making life changing decisions when you’re still in college, I am still bothered by the fact that he made a commitment to the Oakland A’s and is now backing out of it. I would be worried that he could pull a John Elway and threaten to go back to baseball if things don’t go as he wants.
Prediction
Murray is an amazing prospect. He can run as well as any quarterback in the NFL and he has the arm to back it up. Height is an overrated stat for quarterbacks, just ask Russell Wilson, Drew Brees or Baker Mayfield. Murray will have some wow plays his rookie year, he will probably go through some growing pains as well, but that is every rookie quarterback.
Draft Dive Grade: Early 1st Round
Likely Landing Spots: Arizona, LA Raiders (Possible Trade), any other team willing to give up multiple first round picks to trade up.
