Kyler Murray will interview with Cardinals at NFL Draft Combine
Mar 1, 2019, 2:20 PM | Updated: 2:34 pm
FILE - In this Sept. 22, 2018, file photo, Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray (1) throws in the first half of an NCAA college football game against Army, in Norman, Okla. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File)
(AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File)
Maybe the Arizona Cardinals are indeed interested in selecting Kyler Murray with the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
At the very least, they’re going to pretend like that’s the case.
Arizona will interview the Oklahoma quarterback and Heisman winner during the draft combine, Murray confirmed Friday during a press conference in Indianapolis.
“Obviously I’m a competitor, I love the game. To be the number one pick, that would be a dream come true,” he said.
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Murray also said he remains close with Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury, who recruited him out of high school in Allen, Texas, while Kingsbury was head coach at Texas Tech.
“I have a great relationship with him,” Murray said. “He’s always been very fond of me, and I respect that and I’ve never taken that for granted. He’s always someone I could go to if I needed anything. It’d be fun (to play for Kingsbury).”
As a junior for the Sooners in 2018, Murray replaced 2017 Heisman winner Baker Mayfield and threw for 4,361 yards, third most in college football. He completed 69 percent of his passes for 42 touchdowns and seven picks while rushing for 1,001 more yards and 12 additional touchdowns.
Murray’s running style and small size led to questions about potential durability issues in the NFL, but he measured 5-foot-10 1/8 inches and 207 pounds.
Those two numbers were enough to dispel worries that his build wasn’t suitable for taking hits in the NFL.
A similar comparison was Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, who measured 5-foot-11 and 204 pounds back in 2012. That was important to Cardinals GM Steve Keim, who said comparisons have changed how he views the prototypes for the quarterback position.
“As you grow in this process and you open your eyes, you really have a better understanding that, number one, 10 years ago, there weren’t any comps that a 5-foot-10 or 5-foot-9ish quarterback could not only play at this level and have success,” Keim told Bickley & Marotta on Wednesday.
“Now that’s changed. We’re a business that really looks at comps and we try to sort of pattern things after what others have done.”
Keim said current Arizona quarterback Josh Rosen was the Cardinals’ QB “right now, for sure,” on Wednesday but said he is considering all options with the No. 1 pick.
