Right now, it looks pretty certain who the New York Giants will go after if they use their first round pick to take a hopeful successor for Eli Manning. Dwayne Haskins Jr. has been mentioned a lot, but there’s no guarantee that Haskins is available by the time the Giants pick at number six overall. Missouri’s Drew Lock is another name in the running, but Lock’s team didn’t achieve the same success as Ohio State and even on an individual talent level, Haskins has performed better for much of the year.
There’s another name, though, that should be considered when thinking about future quarterbacks. That name is Kyler Murray. Murray won the Heisman Trophy this season, becoming the second Oklahoma player in a row to win the award, and led the Sooners to a College Football Playoff appearance that they would lose against top-ranked Alabama.
However, Murray declaring for the NFL Draft wouldn’t be a simple matter. A two sport athlete, Murray has already been drafted by the Oakland Athletics, something that would complicate a decision on a career in football. While Murray has shown interest in playing both sports at once, it would be a hard feat to pull off.
Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller has reported that Murray is leaning towards entering the draft. “Over the last week… It has been heating up. Phone calls, texts, conversations, that Kyler Murray is going to play football. And he’s not going to do it at Oklahoma, he’s going to try and enter the NFL Draft,” Miller said on his podcast.
If Murray does enter the draft, he could potentially be a dark horse pick that the Giants could take in the second round. Others such as Haskins, Lock, and Daniel Jones of the Duke Blue Devils are higher rated at the moment, as well as NC State’s Ryan Finley. But that’s not to say that Murray doesn’t have talent, as Murray is the most recent Heisman winner and threw 37 touchdowns to 7 interceptions in 2018.
Is Murray an immediate successor to Eli Manning? Probably not. Oklahoma’s system is a far cry from what an NFL team would run, and it will take time for most rookie quarterbacks to adapt from it. But he does have potential, and could be a good pick if the Giants don’t see someone they like when they make the sixth pick in the draft.
Murray hasn’t declared for the draft just yet, though. Still, the situation is one that’s worth keeping an eye on for Giants fans and for the front office.