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Assessing Washington Redskins First-Round Options: QB Kyler Murray

By Jacob Camenker

NORMAN, OK - NOVEMBER 10: Quarterback Kyler Murray #1 of the Oklahoma Sooners looks to throw against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on November 10, 2018 in Norman, Oklahoma. Oklahoma defeated Oklahoma State 48-47. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images)
NORMAN, OK - NOVEMBER 10: Quarterback Kyler Murray #1 of the Oklahoma Sooners looks to throw against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on November 10, 2018 in Norman, Oklahoma. Oklahoma defeated Oklahoma State 48-47. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images) /
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MIAMI, FL – DECEMBER 29: Kyler Murray #1 of the Oklahoma Sooners looks to pass against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium on December 29, 2018 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL – DECEMBER 29: Kyler Murray #1 of the Oklahoma Sooners looks to pass against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium on December 29, 2018 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

Scouting Kyler Murray

When watching Murray on tape, it’s clear that he has arm talent. He has good arm strength and excellent accuracy that one would expect from a quarterback/baseball player. He threw for 42 touchdowns last season at Oklahoma and was good at finding open receivers and hitting them with accurate ball placement.

Murray also has elite athletic ability for a quarterback. He can scramble and move around the pocket very well and is surprisingly good at avoiding contact which is great for a quarterback. This will be an important trait, as it will really make Murray a dual-threat at the NFL level.

If an NFL offensive coordinator can scheme around Murray’s lack of height, the system could work out well and Murray could become a Russell Wilson-type playmaker at the next level. Still, there are concerns with Murray and they mostly relate to his size.

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Murray is only about 5-foot-9 or 5-foot-10. This didn’t affect him much at Oklahoma, but they are a Big 12 team that runs a spread offense where it is much easier to see the field. It might be harder for him to do that in more of a pro-style system. Also, in recent memory, Wilson has been the only player to become a true franchise quarterback at that height. And even then, Wilson is taller and has a thicker build than Murray, so he was built to take more hits than Murray at the NFL level.

The other major concern with Murray is his lack of starting experience at quarterback. Murray only started 14 games for the Sooners and they all came last season. Because of this, it may take him longer to develop into a quality starter at the NFL level.

Having few starts under one’s belt hasn’t been a problem in recent years — Mitchell Trubisky was the No. 2 pick in 2017 after just 13 career starts — so that probably won’t have much of an impact on when Murray is selected. However, his lack of experience could give him more of a learning curve in the NFL and he may need a season or two before developing into a true starter. That must be taken into account with his evaluation.

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