Oklahoma QB Kyler Murray has elected to enter the 2019 NFL Draft. Which teams should use their first round selection on the Heisman Trophy winner?
As has been speculated throughout the college football season, Heisman winning QB Kyler Murray has decided to enter the 2019 NFL Draft following a record-setting junior season at Oklahoma.
There’s still time for him to change his mind, but for now, it appears that Murray will forfeit the $4.66 million signing bonus that he agreed to with the Oakland Athletics when they selected him in the first round of the MLB Draft in 2018.
His decision to enter the draft doesn’t yet affect his standing with the A’s, and won’t until he signs an NFL contract. It appears that Murray is set on playing football, an understandable decision for such a unique player.
He has limitations, most notably his listed 5-foot-10 height, which would make him the shortest QB in the NFL next season. But he’s an undeniably gifted football player with a strong arm, elite accuracy, and a first step that leaves defenders in the dust when he takes off running. He threw for 4,300 yards and rushed for 1,000 more this season with the Sooners, helping to lead them to a Big 12 title and a berth in the College Football Playoff.
Murray will be entering the NFL at a perfect time as the league continues its transition toward more college-based offensive systems. More and more NFL teams have shifted toward the spread, an offense that Murray ran to perfection at Oklahoma in 2018. His coach, Lincoln Riley, is well respected in NFL circles and has received numerous overtures from NFL teams the last couple of offseasons.
Currently, NFL draft prognosticators view Murray has a first round pick. If he’s selected in the first round, he will stand to make more money in a signing bonus than the A’s gave him. Last season’s No. 32 overall pick, former Louisville QB Lamar Jackson, received a signing bonus that was over $5 million. The No. 1 pick, Baker Mayfield, was given a signing bonus worth over $22 million.
Murray isn’t likely to challenge for the No. 1 overall pick, regardless of what former Texas Tech and current Arizona Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury said in an interview last season as the Red Raiders’ head coach. He’s also unlikely to overtake Ohio State QB Dwayne Haskins as the No. 1 signal-caller in this class. Haskins has the prototypical NFL size and arm that will leave him atop draft boards.
But Murray is likely to be coveted in this cycle due to his talent and if for no other reason than the lack of viable quarterbacks in this class. With Justin Herbert‘s decision to return to Oregon, the No. 2 QB slot is wide-open.
His size is obviously a detriment, but guys like Drew Brees, Russell Wilson, and Baker Mayfield have proven that talent wins out. Murray could buck that trend even further as he stands even a full inch (maybe more) shorter than Wilson, who is currently the shortest starting QB in the NFL.
Murray’s talent is too great for him to slip out of the first round, so which teams are the most likely to swing for the fences by selecting him on day one?