CBS Sports recently released their annual “Top 25 Under 25” list, which in recent memory, has not included many (if any) Arizona Cardinals.
That changes this year, however, with Cardinal quarterback Kyler Murray (age 22) slotting in at number nineteen overall.
The rankings are based on the following credentials:
- What they’ve done so far.
- Future projections
- Position value
CBS Sport’s Sean Wagner-McGough highlights the following on the Cardinals young signal caller:
“Fresh off an Offensive Rookie of the Year season that included 3,722 passing yards, 20 passing touchdowns, 12 interceptions, an 87.4 passer rating, 544 rushing yards, and four touchdown runs, Murray appears to be one of the next great NFL quarterbacks. But he still has a little ways to go until he reaches the heights that the three quarterbacks ranked atop this list have already hit, something that is confirmed by the advanced metrics. By DYAR, he ranked 21st — only one spot ahead of Gardner Minshew. By DVOA, which measures value per play, he also ranked 21st. And by QBR, which takes into account his rushing contributions, he ranked 15th. However, given the circumstances — he was a rookie starting for the worst team in football, behind a bad offensive line, with a rookie coach, and against the league’s toughest division — he was brilliant. After the Cardinals engineered the trade of the offseason to acquire DeAndre Hopkins, Murray should only continue to ascend. Murray ranks this high because he’s primed for an even better sophomore season after an already impressive rookie season — remember, future projection matters too. Also, he plays quarterback, the most valuable position in the sport. That gave him a boost.Murray is slotted above the likes of Cleveland RB Nick Chubb, Tennessee WR A.J. Brown and Packers DL Kenny Clark.”
Nick Bosa, who famously went second overall in 2019 behind Murray, slots in at number thirteen. Bosa was of course the recipient of the Defensive Rookie of the Year award this past season, and was one of the few rookies to earn Pro Bowl honors.
As for Murray’s peers quarterbacks, each of them rank within the top three (and all reside in the AFC):
- Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes
- Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson
- Houston’s Deshaun Watson
That’s good company for Murray, as each of those quarterbacks have reached the post season each of the last two seasons. Both Jackson and Mahomes have MVP awards on their resume’s as well.
While Murray is Arizona’s lone representative, Cardinal Pro Bowl safety Budda Baker (age 24) is amongst those listed in the “just missed the cut” category, which features standouts such as LB Fred Warner, OT Orlando Brown and OLB Bradley Chubb.
What do you think of the list? Should Murray be higher amongst his peers? Lower? What about Budda? Did he deserve to make the list over some of his safety counterparts?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.