Kyler Murray earns middle of the road grades among rookies
Sep 17, 2019, 12:29 PM | Updated: Sep 18, 2019, 12:36 pm
(AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
(AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Kyler Murray, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, is still looking for his first win in the NFL following a Week 2 loss against the Baltimore Ravens.
The Arizona Cardinals quarterback has had his fair share of success thus far in his career, however, ranking first in the league in pass attempts, seventh in completions and fourth in pass yards and becoming the second quarterback in NFL history to begin his career with two 300-yard passing performances.
All told, Pro Football Focus graded out each of the first-round draft picks based on their performance through the first two games of the season, and Murray’s grade reflects the mixed-bag start to his career.
Murray ranked No. 11 among the 32 first round picks with a grade of 60.0.
Murray showed a marked improvement in his second game as a pro, cutting his turnover-worthy play count from two in Week 1 to zero in Week 2 while raising his clean-pocket passer rating (from 87.0 to 94.5), his adjusted completion percentage (61.7% to 74.3%), his passing grade (52.6 to 66.3) and his passer rating on throws of 20 or more yards downfield (67.9 to 118.8).
RELATED STORIES
PFF has Murray’s grade as the No. 26 overall quarterback in the NFL, despite his robust passing statistics.
Dak Prescott, Lamar Jackson, Tom Brady and the injured Drew Brees were the only four quarterbacks to receive grades above 90.
The Ravens’ Marquise Brown, Murray’s former teammate in college at Oklahoma, was the only rookie to receive a grade above 80. The wide receiver earned an 86.9, ranking third in the NFL in receiving yards to go with his two touchdowns on 12 catches through two games.
Joining Murray out of the NFC West, No. 2 overall pick, San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa received a grade of 70.5 and Seattle Seahawks first-round pick L.J. Collier received a grade of 57.9.
The two other quarterbacks drafted in the first round, Daniel Jones and Dwayne Haskins, have received minimal playing time. Jones graded as the lowest rookie on the scale with a 27.0 in just five total snaps. Haskins has not seen playing time yet as Case Keenum holds the reigns to the starting job for the Washington Redskins.
