Despite the late smoke-screen, the Arizona Cardinals made the long expected pick official by drafting Oklahoma QB Kyler Murray No. 1 overall in the NFL Draft.
The Arizona Cardinals kicked off the 2019 NFL Draft by selecting Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray, a pick that is sure to drum up plenty of debate for coming weeks, months, and even years. It’s certainly a risky selection, as Murray becomes the shortest No. 1 pick in NFL history, but the reigning Heisman Trophy winner has the talent to be an elite player in the NFL.
A late smoke-screen had people believing that Arizona might go elsewhere with the No. 1 pick, potentially even looking at trading down to gain some draft capital later on, but in the end the fit between Murray and head coach Kliff Kingsbury was too intriguing to pass on.
Kingsbury has long been enamored with Murray since he was a five-star high school quarterback. The former Texas Tech coach famously said in an interview last year that he would draft Murray No. 1 overall if he had the chance, a thought at the time that seemed completely far-fetched for a variety of reasons.
Kingsbury backed up that talk by drafting Murray on Thursday night. Murray was one of college football’s most dynamic players last season, throwing for 4300 yards and 42 touchdowns to go along with over 1000 yards and 12 more touchdowns on the ground. He led the Sooners to the Big 12 Championship and a berth in the College Football Playoff.
Murray will immediately be one of the NFL’s most polarizing players. There’s unlikely to be any sitting and learning for the Heisman winner, and a baptism by fire will be awaiting him at the next level.
The Cardinals are once again on the clock now, but for a different reason. Drafting Murray almost certainly means the team will now trade Josh Rosen. The UCLA quarterback was the team’s first round pick last season, and there will certainly be plenty of interest around the league for him.
It will be interesting to see if Arizona is able to recoup the first round pick they invested in Rosen, or if they will have to settle for less. We might find out that answer tonight.
Regardless, the Kyler Murray era in Arizona is upon us. Whether or not it will be successful remains to be seen, but a Murray/Kingsbury combination will be fascinating to watch over the next several years.
The Cardinals chose to swing for the fences in what they are hoping ends up being a homerun instead of a strikeout.
Grade: B