Assessing Washington Redskins First-Round Options: QB Kyler Murray

Should the Redskins draft Murray in Round 1?

If available, it’s going to be difficult for the Redskins to avoid taking Kyler Murray. Simply put, he has enormous potential and upside that could appeal to a lot of teams in the league. He would add excitement to a fan base that desperately needs something to believe in.

But at the same time, the risks could outweigh the reward with Murray. His short, compact frame may make it difficult for him to take hits at the NFL level. His stature might be a concern too, though it didn’t impact him much at Oklahoma.

However, one of the biggest concerns is that Murray could turn away at any point and go play baseball if he desires to do that. He could actually use that as leverage to land on a team he wants to play on, much like Eli Manning did when he worked his way from the Chargers to the Giants in the 2004 NFL Draft. Murray could get drafted by a team like the Redskins and decide he’d rather play baseball — unless he’s traded. That potential drama would certainly be bad news for the organization, though Murray hasn’t shown any indication of controlling his landing spot…yet.

Also, it’s hard to trust that Murray is committed to football entirely. After all, he did tell the A’s that he would play baseball. And that didn’t happen. So, those concerns must be addressed.

In this analyst’s opinion, it seems that taking Murray early simply carries too much risk. The Redskins would probably be better served waiting on a quarterback until the middle rounds and they could target a top option in the superior 2020 NFL Draft if all else fails. Murray could turn into a franchise quarterback, but Washington should let another team take the bait on him while they build up the rest of their squad.

It’s possible that Murray won’t even be on the board, but if he is, the Redskins will have to think long and hard about his fit with the squad.