The Arizona Cardinals made Kyler Murray their franchise quarterback on Thursday night, taking him first overall in the 2019 NFL Draft. Was this a strong choice for Arizona?
As most of us expected, the Arizona Cardinals took Kyler Murray with the first pick of the 2019 NFL Draft. After trading up for Josh Rosen in the first round of last year’s draft, this pick may seem odd. However, Murray is a perfect fit for new head coach Kliff Kingsbury‘s spread offense and he is a signal caller with massive upside going forward.
Murray was an absolute stud at Oklahoma last season, completing 69 percent of his passes for 4,361 yards, 42 touchdowns and only seven interceptions. He was also a big-time threat on the ground, piling up 1,001 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns on 140 attempts (7.2 yards per carry).
Simply put, Murray is a dynamic playmaker with the ball in his hands. He possesses elite speed and quickness, commonly proving to be the fastest player on the field at any given time. Murray is undoubtedly a mobile quarterback, but he also does a nice job of staying in the pocket and working within the offense when he should.
Murray’s mobility and athleticism immediately stand out and help give him his massive upside at the next level, but do not discount his ability as a passer. He is a smart quarterback who reads defenses well, shows an extremely strong throwing arm, has accuracy to all parts of the field and consistently puts proper touch on his passes. Honestly, he is an ideal quarterback prospect for the modern NFL who can pick apart defenses from both inside and outside the pocket.
The only real concern about Murray is his size. There simply are not many successful 5-10 quarterbacks in NFL history. That being said, modern NFL offenses can work around lack of size at quarterback and Murray also does a fantastic job of protecting himself on the field.
Selling low on Rosen just one year after investing heavily in him is not ideal, but Murray is an incredibly talented player and a perfect fit for Kingsbury’s offense. The Cardinals took a chance on Kingsbury, betting on his brilliant offensive mind. Giving him Murray to build his offense around makes plenty of sense.
Grade: A-