Redskins: Top 10 quarterback big board after the Senior Bowl
Kyler Murray is going to be one of the most hotly debated prospects in this draft class. In fact, he may be one of the most debated prospects ever. Murray has one season as a collegiate starter for Oklahoma, but he was excellent in Lincoln Riley’s offense. But realistically, few thought that he would actually opt to go to the NFL.
Murray, the former No. 9 overall pick of the Oakland A’s in the 2018 MLB Draft, chose to try for an NFL career instead of taking the guaranteed money to play baseball. Clearly, he loves football, so that should be considered a big positive. However, at the same time, there really hasn’t been any quarterback like Murray in the history of the NFL.
There will many debates about this leading up to the draft, but Kyler Murray measured in at 5-foot-10 for the Sooners this season. He could be even smaller, but it’s safe to assume that figure is his maximum height. There has only really been one quarterback to have recent, significant success under 6-feet, and that’s Russell Wilson. That doesn’t necessarily mean Murray can’t have success, but it’s important to note that he would be doing something unprecedented.
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The major concerns about height are related mostly to field vision. It’s tough for smaller quarterbacks to see over the towering offensive linemen, so that could prove to be an issue. It wasn’t at Oklahoma, but that was in a pass-happy offense that runs very different from the pro-style NFL units.
Frankly speaking, an offensive coordinator may have to design a system specifically for Murray to operate within, much like Mike McCoy did with Tim Tebow in Denver. That can work, as evidenced by Lamar Jackson and the Ravens’ offense this year, but it can also be difficult to acquire the personnel needed to execute specific offensive systems.
With that major negative out of the way, it is important to note that Murray does have special arm talent, great athleticism, and does throw a pretty ball. He really carried the Sooners to victories this year, as their horrific defense couldn’t stop anybody, and that’s the main reason that Murray won the Heisman. He could become a dynamic starter at the NFL level, but the major concerns come from moving to the NFL from the Big 12 and his size are still looming.
Murray could end up going in the top-10. He might go at the end of the first round. Maybe he even falls to Day 2. But make no mistake. Some team is going to take a chance on him as a quarterback. I have my doubts about whether or not that will work, but in a league starving for quarterback talent and star power, Murray is going to intrigue quite a few teams.