INDIANAPOLIS – Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray drew the biggest crowd, and here at the NFL Combine, he’s raised the most questions.
Will the Heisman Trophy winner be the No.1 pick of the NFL Draft? Is he really 100 percent committed to football? Did his height measurement ease the concerns of NFL teams? Will he be successful in the NFL?
Murray did his best to answer at least some of those questions on Friday, when he met with reporters. But plenty still remains to be seen.
And of course he’d like to be the No. 1 pick, which currently belongs to the Arizona Cardinals.
“Obviously, I’m a competitor. I love the game,” Murray said. “To be the No. 1 pick, that’s a kid’s dream come true. If my name was called No. 1, I’d be ready to go for sure.”
A day earlier, NFL Network draft analyst Charles Davis thinks Murray’s official height perhaps changed the conversation.
“When it flashed out – 5-foot-10 and 1/8th – this was my thought: 'Wow, 5-10 and 1/8th for him was like 6-3',” Davis said, smiling. “It was like all of a sudden he was Paul Bunyan, and we were like, ‘OK, we’re good.' Just think about five years ago, (people) would have flipped out.”
NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah on Friday said he thinks the Murray-to-Arizona talk with the 1st pick is legitimate.
“I don’t know how you could say it’s not legitimate,” Jeremiah said. “(The Cardinals) haven’t done anything to totally stop (the talk). They’ve made comments, but it hasn’t been definitive.”
Earlier this week, Titans general manager Jon Robinson said size doesn’t tell the entire story when it comes to quarterbacks when asked about Murray.
“I think the most important thing with quarterback play is: Do they get the snap? Do they command the huddle? Do they find the guys that’s open? And do they get him the ball?,” Robinson said. “I think the fact that he can run – we have a quarterback (Marcus Mariota) in Tennessee who is a pretty good runner, too. But it’s finding the guy that is open and getting that guy the football, especially in critical situations, whether that be third down, two-minute, red zone, however they are performing in critical situations, and what it their leadership like.”
Murray, for the record, reiterated he’s committed to baseball.
For the second time in three weeks, Murray said his decision to play football over baseball is final (he signed with the A’s last June as the No. 9 overall pick of the 2018 MLB Draft, but told the club he instead will play football).
“Yes, it’s a final decision,” Murray said. “I’m here. I’m ready to go. I was born a football player. I love this game. There was no turning back when I made this decision. I’m 100 percent in.”