Kyler Murray declaring for the 2019 NFL Draft could be good news for the Redskins

Kyler Murray made his decision regarding the 2019 NFL Draft on Monday’s deadline for underclassman declarations. His decision will be a good one for the Redskins.

In the lead up to the deadline for declarations for the 2019 NFL Draft, the league got some good news. Kyler Murray, the Oklahoma quarterback who had a difficult decision to make between playing baseball or playing football, ultimately decided to declare for the NFL Draft. That doesn’t necessarily guarantee that he will end up playing football, but it’s certainly a step in the right direction for his career.

Murray’s decision to declare is going to make him a hot topic among NFL GMs and analysts. He has an intriguing skill set and the one knock on him is his size. Still, there are plenty of quarterback-needy teams that could choose to go after him in the first round of the draft. Namely, the Giants, Jaguars, Broncos, Dolphins, and Redskins will be among the teams interested.

The Redskins may not be interested in Murray in the long run, but either way, his presence should benefit the team if they end up targeting a quarterback with their first-round pick.

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The fact is that the Redskins do need a young quarterback if they are going to be competitive in the coming years. While many, including myself, would be content to see the team wait to address the quarterback position until 2020 when a stronger group of quarterbacks will be declaring, the team may not have the patience to wait that long. They may fall in love with one of the top prospects at the position and could end up targeting a player in the first round.

Without Murray declaring, there would be three likely first-round prospects in Dwayne Haskins, Drew Lock, and Daniel Jones. However, with Murray in, there’s a possibility a team could fall in love with his skill set and see a Russell Wilson clone in the making. That could push Murray up boards and one of the top three guys down to the Redskins, and they could have their quarterback of the future to develop.

Of that group, Jones would be the most intriguing one that could possibly fall. He has all the tools needed to become a starting quarterback in the NFL, and he looks a bit like Carson Wentz. If he shows well in the pre-draft process, he could rise. But if the others perform on par, Jones has the possibility of falling to the 15th pick. If that happens, the Redskins would happily snap him up. Murray’s involvement with the other first-round quarterbacks would only increase the chances of this scenario and thus, it is a positive.

Of course, it’s also possible that the ‘Skins could see something they like in Murray. Admittedly though, it’s a bit hard to imagine the team falling in love with an undersized quarterback who tore up the Big 12 for just one season. They have already been burned by a first-round Big 12 quarterback in recent years, Robert Griffin III, so they may have some reservations about targeting another — especially given Murray’s diminutive stature (5-foot-10 at the most). But still, the possibility remains that they could see a playmaker with arm talent and mobility and target him. And at the very least, that would add an unpredictable element to the offense.

No matter what happens, adding another hot name to the mix at quarterback is definitely helpful to the Redskins. They may now have a shot at upgrading quarterback with a younger player if it makes sense to take advantage of that opportunity. And at this point in the offseason, having extra options is never a bad thing.