Cardinals’ Kirk on former college teammate Murray: ‘He’s just electric’
May 20, 2019, 1:50 PM | Updated: 3:03 pm
Kyler Murray #1 and Christian Kirk #3 of the Texas A&M Aggies celebrate the Aggies' 35-28 victory over the South Carolina Gamecocks in a NCAA football game at Kyle Field on October 31, 2015 in College Station, Texas. (Photo by Eric Christian Smith/Getty Images)
(Photo by Eric Christian Smith/Getty Images)
Christian Kirk and Kyler Murray were once looked at as a team’s present and future dynamic offensive duo, but we never got to see it out.
Let’s try that again.
In 2015 at Texas A&M, Murray and Kirk were both impact freshmen. Kirk led the Aggies in receptions (80), receiving yards (1,009) and touchdowns (7). Murray, meanwhile, was trading the job with Kyle Allen, flashing his playmaking ability with over 300 yards rushing, 686 through the air and six total touchdowns.
Murray, though, transferred to Oklahoma and that was that.
Four years later, Kirk and Murray are reunited on the Arizona Cardinals. Murray was picked with the top spot in the 2019 NFL Draft while Kirk is coming off a productive rookie season after going in the second round last year. And on top of that, head coach Kliff Kingsbury is running the same offense the two played in as freshmen.
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Kirk spoke on the No. 1 overall pick’s ability as a quarterback on 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station Monday.
“He’s just electric,” he told Bickley & Marotta. “The stuff he does is unique. That’s the only way to explain it.”
Kirk knows everyone is well-aware of Murray’s predominant feature being how quickly he can make a play with his feet, but he’s excited for fans to see what Murray can do with his arm.
“I think the thing that people won’t get to see until the season starts is just the way the ball comes off his hands. He throws a spiral every time. It’s smooth, it’s quick. He knows where to put the ball and he just has a certain swagger about himself, a certain confidence that you can already see the guys feeding off of.”
The two, of course, are far different players than they were in 2015. But Kirk has been keeping an eye on Murray’s growth.
“He’s developed. So have I,” he said. “He’s played a lot more football games since then but you can just see the way he’s able to put the ball in tight windows. Just watching him this past year, his deep ball is elite as well.
“As players, as we play and get better, we continue to excel, and the exciting thing is at this level is we’ll be able to watch him do the same thing.”
Catch Bickley & Marotta from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. as they broadcast live from the Cardinals’ facility for OTAs through Wednesday.
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