Dynasty Fantasy Football Rookie Update: Kyler Murray, QB ARI

Dwight Peebles Posted On May 14, 2019

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Name: Kyler Murray

Position: Quarterback

Pro Team: Arizona Cardinals

College Team: Oklahoma Sooners

Draft Status: Round one, first overall

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS

COMBINE REVIEW

Height: 5’10”
Weight: 207 pounds
Arms: 28 ½”
Hands: 9.5”
40-Yard Dash: N/A
Bench press: N/A
Vertical Jump: N/A
Broad Jump: N/A
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A
60-Yard Shuttle: N/A

STRENGTHS

Incredibly elusive in the pocket
Rifles through progressions and doesn’t lock on one target
Quick release and smooth follow-through
Makes all throws and has command of touch and placement
Throws exceptional on the move and dangerous after play breaks down
Doesn’t go running first but when he runs, slippery and hard to tackle
Played best in clutch situations when he needed to
Exceptional command of his team with leadership

WEAKNESSES

Always going to be size questions, can he be durable enough?
Only one season as a starter at collegiate level
Doesn’t slide at the end of runs, needs to adapt in NFL
Takes unnecessary chances he got away with mostly at Oklahoma
Hasn’t faced a lot of adverse situations such as bad games
Mechanically could use some work, sometimes leaves feet when throwing

OPPORTUNITIES

Murray started his collegiate career at Texas A&M – he was recruited heavily by Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury – and played sparingly in eight games before transferring to Oklahoma in 2016. He sat out the season and then watched Baker Mayfield tear up the Big-12 in 2017. Murray was able to play in seven games and throw 21 passes before taking the mantle after Mayfield departed for the NFL, the Heisman winner famously drafted to the Cleveland Browns at first overall.

Murray grabbed the reins and won his own Heisman trophy in 2018. He completed 69% of his passes for 4,361 yards and tossed 42 touchdowns against only seven picks. He also ran 140 times for 1,001 yards and 12 more scores. If you are doing the math at home, those numbers add up to 5,362 total yards and 54 total touchdowns – like racking up numbers in NCAA Football 13 on your Playstation 2!

Murray led Oklahoma to the College Football Playoff Series in which they narrowly lost to Alabama in the first game despite 417 total yards and three touchdowns by their QB. He was selected in the first round of the MLB draft by the Oakland Athletics but spurned baseball to end up being the first overall pick of the NFL draft by the Arizona Cardinals.

THREATS

The job is Murray’s to keep and there isn’t any competition on the roster at this point. Brett Hundley and Chad Kanoff are the only other quarterbacks on the roster. Adding a veteran backup such as Josh McCown, Geno Smith, or Brock Osweiler would make sense for the team though.

SHORT-TERM EXPECTATIONS

A season similar to Mayfield’s – the comparisons keep flowing – is the high side of what we should expect short term. There will be growing pains and the offensive line is not the greatest – which could actually feed into a strength of Murray’s. Obviously, he is facing much better defenses which will prepare for those aspects of the game but many don’t see a player scramble like him.

I think an upside of 3,500 yards and 25 scores with ten picks, along with 600 yards and five scores on the ground, is about the ceiling for this season but the offensive line and flock of new wide receivers could lower his ceiling. It will be worth noting that Kingsbury is a first-time head coach and his offensive scheme may have some growing pains in the NFL as well.

LONG-TERM EXPECTATIONS

Murray is an exciting young quarterback and the sky is the limit despite his size. I believe more is made of that than should be. He makes every throw with touch and anticipation and ability to create doesn’t come along often. Murray will continue to get better and he is smart enough reading defenses that he will get better and learn what he can get away with. There will be a point in which he will need to limit his running and run smarter. The history for running quarterbacks isn’t good and the history consists of players bigger and stronger. Murray should be a mid-QB1 for many years to come and his arm will be the weapon which keeps him starting and winning, not his legs.

NFL PLAYER COMPARISON

Everyone says Russell Wilson and it makes all too much sense. They both have similar size and play style, although I would say Murray is a better thrower of the duo and Wilson is more cerebral. Both create well on the move and both run extremely well – if Murray runs smarter and takes fewer chances a similar career arc would be uncanny.

PROJECTED ROOKIE DRAFT RANGE

According to our Rookie ADP, Murray is currently 11.50 on average in the first 10 rookie mocks since the NFL Draft. In Superflex rookie drafts, he is the 1.01 no question. He is the only quarterback who will make an impact at this point.