2019 NFL Draft: 10 players who could fall out of the first round

The glow of a sterling season at Oklahoma is still on him currently, but the Heisman Trophy winner has some legitimate concerns that could see his draft stock slip out of the first round.

Murray is the most polarizing prospect in the draft, as well as one of the most talented. He was remarkably efficient this season at Oklahoma as threw for over 4,000 yards and rushed for 1.000 more to lead the Sooners to a Big 12 Championship and a berth in the College Football Playoff.

But will that translate to the NFL? Murray seems intent on bypassing baseball in order to play quarterback in the NFL, but he would be the shortest quarterback ever selected in the first round since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, even if his listed height with Oklahoma of 5-foot-10 is to be believed.

There’s reason to believe that Murray might be even shorter than that, though, and his measurement at the NFL combine will be of particular interest to teams who might pull the trigger on him in the first round.

Murray has a great arm and is a fantastic runner, but he’s not likely to be able to take many hits running around at the next level if he wants to stay healthy. He’ll no longer be the unquestioned fastest player on the field, and he’ll have to rely more on his arm to make plays and show more of a willingness to throw the ball away and slide to avoid too much contact.

It seems blasphemous at this moment to suggest that Murray could fall out of the first round, but his production in college will mean little to NFL teams when they start nitpicking. Also, teams are unlikely to take kindly to the potential that he could hold his baseball contract over their heads to end up in a more favorable situation, something that could be in play in particular if he falls to the second day of the draft.

Murray is too talented and this quarterback class too thin for me to think he some team won’t take a gamble on picking him in the first round, but to suggest that he’s a lock for such a lofty selection would be foolish at this stage of the process.