NFL Draft: Kyler Murray has work to do before NFL Combine

Kyler Murray has legitimized his NFL Draft candidacy, opting for pigskin over horsehide. The die has been cast. What does he have to do now to elevate his stock?

More: 5 teams who should draft Kyler Murray in the first round of the NFL Draft

The most interesting potential prospect in both Major League Baseball and the NFL, Kyler Murray has held his cards close to his chest over the past several weeks. His leverage was tied to the ambiguity surrounding his future.

Those secrets are gone now. Kyle Murray is going to play football.

The sentiment is nice, but for Murray, the real work must start now. Several of his competitors at the position have hired quarterback coaches and spent the offseason training for the NFL Combine. They’ve been prepped for all the throws they’ll have to make and trained how to answer the most piercing interview questions. Kyler has not.

Murray is playing catch up. Fortunately for him, there isn’t a “can’t miss” quarterback prospect in the 2019 NFL Draft class — and that includes him. Every passer has some knock on them or another. Those apparent flaws mean it’s not too late for Murray to thrust himself back into the first round pick conversation. There’s even a chance he goes No. 1 overall, breaking the record for the shortest top pick in NFL Draft history.

None of that is going to happen if Murray doesn’t put 100 percent of his focus into his craft over the coming weeks. He needs to sell himself to 32 different NFL franchises and convince at least one of them he’s worth more than the significant signing bonus he’ll be returning to the Oakland A’s this month.

Murray has answered the all-important question: football or baseball? Now it’s time to get to work.