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The Arizona Cardinals have someone special in Kyler Murray, just ask ESPN.
This was the response when Jeremy Fowler talked to 50 execs, coaches, scouts and players about the top quarterbacks in the NFL and Murray wasn’t mentioned:
Murray might not be a consensus top-10 quarterback in 2020, but he’s coming. And fast.
“He’s got something to him, man,” one veteran NFL quarterback said. “He’s got some magic to him.”
So, when ESPN ranked the top second year quarterbacks in the NFL, Murray was ranked as the top player:
How Murray offsets his 5-foot-9 frame with the ability to throw from the pocket is part Neo from “The Matrix” and part shortstop turning two.
“Kyler can still take a normal drop, then can makes instinctual lateral slides in the pocket to get himself into an open throwing lane,” an NFC personnel exec said. “That’s rare. That’s the baseball in him.”
Murray’s ability to throw unscripted or from the pocket has people inside the league projecting big things for him.
Make no mistake: Murray is not a run-first quarterback. Many expected Murray to take off more behind a suspect offensive line, but he averaged 4.9 rushing attempts per game over the final nine games, strengthening those future Russell Wilson comps as a run-to-throw QB. He ran for more than 70 yards one time, in Week 5 against Cincinnati (10 rushes, 93 yards).
Murray goes into his second season with sky-high expectations and he’s put in the work to meet and potentially exceed those expectations.
There is some incredible buzz around Murray going into year two, let’s hope that buzz is just the tip of the iceberg for Murray.