Oklahoma football Heisman Trophy winning QB Kyler Murray has declared for the 2019 NFL Draft ahead of Monday’s deadline, but was it the right decision?
Kyler Murray, the 2018 Heisman Trophy winner, has decided to enter his name into the 2019 NFL Draft after a couple of weeks of deliberation over his sporting future.
Murray was selected in the 2018 MLB Draft by the Oakland Athletics and signed a $4.66 million signing bonus. His decision to enter the NFL Draft does not affect his standing with the Athletics at this time, but if he ultimately signs a contract with an NFL team, he would forfeit that signing bonus.
If Murray is selected in the first round of the NFL Draft, he stands to make more in a signing bonus than he was given for his professional baseball contract. Last season’s No. 32 pick, fellow Heisman winning QB Lamar Jackson, signed a contract with the Baltimore Ravens that paid him over $5 million in a signing bonus. Last season’s No. 1 overall pick, former teammate Baker Mayfield, had a signing bonus north of $22 million.
Murray technically has 72 hours to remove his name from the draft, and his decision likely will come down to what he hears from potential teams about his draft stock. If he is going to be a first round pick, then the choice is pretty clear. If he falls out of the first round, he stands to lose money on this deal in the short run.
But this isn’t a move that is being made in the short run. Murray will make more money from endorsement contracts he signs as an NFL player even if he drops to day two of the draft than he would as an obscure minor-league baseball player in the A’s farm system.
If the A’s truly value Murray the way they seem to, they could choose to sign him to a major league contract that would give him a lot more guaranteed money in addition to his signing bonus. The A’s obviously do not want to lose their first round draft pick, and Murray’s decision to enter the draft will likely force their hand toward upping the ante.
There are some scouts who believe Murray is a without-a-doubt first round prospect, some of which have gone so far to say he will be in competition with Dwayne Haskins for the No. 1 QB spot.
He’s undoubtedly special as a football player, throwing for over 4300 yards and rushing for 1000 more in his junior season with the Sooners to lead them to the Big 12 Championship and a berth in the College Football Playoff. But his slight stature won’t do him any favors when scouts begin combing over prospects with a fine-tooth comb.
He’s listed at only 5-foot-10, which means there’s a good chance he’s actually shorter than that. The only current NFL starting QB who measures under 6-feet is Seattle’s Russell Wilson, who was selected in the third round of the 2012 draft mainly due to concerns over his size.
Since the AFL-NFL merger, only one QB has been selected in the first round of the NFL Draft that measured under 6-feet. That player was Johnny Manziel in 2014, who came in just a hair under six-feet. (H/T Tom Fornelli)
While he was the head coach at Texas Tech, new Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury stated in an interview that he would select Kyler Murray with the No. 1 overall pick if he had the chance. The Cardinals hold the No. 1 pick, but just selected Josh Rosen in the first round last year. Would Kingsbury put his money where his mouth was and pull the trigger on Murray with the first pick, or was he merely paying a big compliment to Murray’s abilities?
Murray’s size limitations never affected him in college as he put together one of the most efficient seasons from a QB in NCAA history, but the NFL is a different breed. Concerns over his ability to see over defenses, and more importantly, stay healthy for a full season with his playing style and slight frame, are valid concerns that NFL teams will have when considering using a coveted first round selection on the Oklahoma product.
While Murray still has time to change his mind, all indications are that he is set on continuing his football career. That’s a positive development for fans of the sport who hoped to see him don the pads again after an incredible season in Norman, but it’s also a risky decision for Murray if he ends up falling out of the first round.
The weakness of this year’s QB class, with no real consensus No. 2 prospect after Dwayne Haskins, surely played into his decision to enter the draft. It seems likely that QB needy team would see Murray’s sky-high potential and pull the trigger on day one.