New York Giants: Top Quarterback Prospect Kyler Murray Declares For Draft Amid Baseball Rumors

It has been one week since Dwayne Haskins Jr. declared for the NFL Draft. On Monday, his competition for the top quarterback spot in the 2019 NFL Draft, Kyler Murray, officially declared. Kyler Murray is a junior quarterback out of Oklahoma University.

Kyler declared on the final day that underclassman could declare for the draft, with the deadline being at midnight. It has been an uncertain rumor wether or not Murray would declare due to his possible career in baseball, but he has decided to keep his options open and declare for the 2019 NFL Draft.

Kyler Murray Controversy

In June of 2019, the Oakland A’s selected Kyler Murray with the 9th pick in the 2018 Major League Baseball Draft. Murray is a talented out fielder. Some fans believe he could be a better professional baseball player than he could be a professional football player. Kyler has not been able to come to a decision on which sport he will choose to play, but declaring for the NFL Draft is a way to keep his options open.

Declaring for the draft does not mean Kyler Murray is choosing to play football instead of baseball. It simply means he is keeping his options open. He has a few more weeks to decide which sport he will pursue. By declaring, he now has the ability to choose football if he wants to, whereas not declaring would have meant he had to choose baseball or stay at Oklahoma one more year.

Murray declaring for the draft means he is strongly considering choosing football. It was believed for a while that Murray would choose baseball instead, but things changed over the past couple months. Kyler Murray won the Heisman Trophy in December, which proves he is an insanely talented football player who had an electric 2018 season. However, some scouts and analysts do not think he could succeed in the NFL due to his small stature.

Kyler Murray is listed at 5 feet 10 inches, but many fans and analysts are skeptical of that height. Some believe he is closer to 5 feet 9 inches, and some believe he is actually 5 feet 8 inches. This would make him the shortest quarterback in the NFL. This makes scouts worry wether Murray can even see over his offensive linemen when throwing the ball at the NFL level. On top of that, Murray is listed at 194 pounds, which fans and analysts are also skeptical of. With such a small stature, fans and scouts have the right to wonder wether Kyler’s body can handle taking hits in the NFL. All eyes will be on Kyler Murray as he gets measured at the NFL Scouting Combine in February.

Kyler Murray Statistics And Highlights

Kyler Murray started one season at quarterback for the Oklahoma Sooners. In 2018, Kyler Murray threw for 4,361 passing yards to go along with 42 passing touchdowns. His touchdown to interception ratio was impressive, as he only thre 7 interceptions. He was also an accurate passer with a 69% completion percentage.

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One trait that makes Kyler so special is his dual-threat ability. Kyler had 140 rushing attempts on which he averaged 7.2 yards per attempt and totaled 1,001 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns. His ability to make plays with his legs makes defenses need to construct special game plans.

Murray is the ultimate dual-threat quarterback. Having him in an offense with Saquon Barkley and Odell Beckham Jr. could be electric, must-see TV. However, Kyler Murray will need to fill out his frame and remain healthy to find success at the professional level.