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Former OU quarterback Kyler Murray impressed at OU’s football Pro Day in front of hundreds of NFL scouts, general managers, coaches and media March 13.
STAR OF THE DAY Kyler Murray impresses NFL personnel at OU Pro Day with athletic ability, work ethic
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y n a m i c . I m p re s s i v e. Versatile. Exceptional. T h o s e a re t h e f o u r words eight anonymous scouts, general managers, coaches and league executives at OU’s pro day Wednesday chose to describe Kyler Murray. “By far he should go No. 1,” one anonymous league executive told The Daily Wednesday. “Why not?” When asked to give one word to characterize the former OU quarterback, four scouts said dynamic, two said impressive, one said versatile and another said exceptional. And Murray was all four on Wednesday, putting on a show in front of more than 60 NFL personnel, including the likes of New York Giants head coach Pat Shurmur and Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor, among others. He didn’t re-measure his height or run the 40-yard dash despite everyone wanting him to. Instead, the Heisman Trophy winner showed off his cannon of an arm in a 36-minute throwing session and held his calm, business-like personality through a nearly sixhour day. He did what he set out to do: Impress. “ He’s a w i n n e r,” s a i d G i l Brandt, the former vice president of player personnel for the Dallas Cowboys. “He’s an excellent athlete. He’s got a lot of ability. And I think if you go back to anybody that is in the school district in Dallas, Texas, and you say who is the best, and you’re 43-0 … That’s a pretty good reason to take him No. 1.” DYNAMIC. VERSATILE. Ma rq u i s e B row n ’s p h o n e broke the silence. O n M u r r a y ’s 6 8 t h t h r o w Wednesday, Brown’s ringer went off as he sat roughly 10 yards behind his former quarterback. Murray didn’t skip a beat. It was the only noise throughout the Everest Center for nearly 36 minutes other than the whistling of Murray’s spiral. Murray finished 64 of 70 on his passes (Baker Mayfield went 62 of 70 at his pro day last year), making all his throws from the pocket. He missed three deep balls and two out-routes, and Myles Tease had the lone drop
GEORGE STOIA • @GEORGESTOIA
Former OU quarterback Kyler Murray throws the ball at OU’s football Pro Day March 13.
on a five-yard out. “He’s a phenomenal athlete and, I think, a very underrated pocket passer,” ESPN analyst Todd McShay said. “I think if he fits the system you want to run, then it works. As long as you’re utilizing him in a similar fashion the way OU Coach Lincoln Riley utilized him, then I think he is the best quarterback in the draft.” Riley’s scheme is one that’s quickly taking over the NFL. Kansas City, Philadelphia, Los Angeles (Rams) and other teams have restructured their offenses to fit the style of quarterbacks like Murray and replicate offenses like Riley’s. What separates Murray from other quarterbacks is exactly what the anonymous scouts said: He’s dynamic and versatile. While Murray opted out in running the 40-yard dash, there’s no one questioning his speed. And few, after his performance Wednesday, will question his arm. “He’s athletically so far beyond anything in this game, and that league either, at that position, there’s really honestly not any point (to run the 40-yard dash).” Riley said. “This guy’s skillset is good in any era, any offense, any time … You can go travel to any pro day you want to — you’re not going to see another throwing performance like
that.” He can beat you with his legs and he can beat you with his arm. In an era of football where dual-threat quarterbacks like Russell Wilson and Cam Newton are finding success at the highest level, Murray has the potential to stand above them all. “He doesn’t just throw the ball hard or strong in terms of his arm strength. He is a great passer of the football,” FOX College Football analyst Joel Klatt said. “He anticipates, he throws with touch, he understands the schematics and then you couple that with the fact that he’s as dynamic a runner as we’ve ever seen come out of the college level … That combination of that is too much to pass up.” On the field, the only issue that continues to come up is Murray’s height. Wednesday, Murray only weighed himself (205 pounds) after measuring at 5-foot-10 and 1/8th inches at the NFL Combine two weeks ago. Murray’s height didn’t seem to be an issue last season when he played behind an offensive line with an average height of 6-foot4, and most don’t believe it’ll be an issue in the NFL either. “The height doesn’t bother me because I’ve seen a 5-foot10 quarterback win the Super Bowl,” Klatt said, referring to Seattle’s Russell Wilson. “And I think Kyler is a better passer and
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runner then what Russell Wilson was coming out of college.” And Riley put the height question to bed with the quote of the day. “How many 6-foot-5 quarterbacks have been drafted throughout the years and can’t play dead?” IMPRESSIVE. EXCEPTIONAL. Murray said — with a smile of course — that he never heard what NFL Network’s Charley Casserly said about his leadership and work ethic. Whether that’s believable or not, Murray has never been one to care much about the outside noise. And for many, including those who are and aren’t close with Murray, Casserly’s comments — in which he called Murray’s leadership and work ethic “below average” — aren’t even believable. “The leadership angle I don’t get at all. I don’t think it’s factual — 100 percent made up and totally fake,” Klatt said. “Because his leadership, to a man on the team, and to his coaching staff have been very good. He might not be on a soapbox giving a speech every single day, but that doesn’t necessarily qualify you as a leader. He leads by example, he’s a very strong leader, a positive leader — candidly, I don’t know where that came from and I thought it was totally false.”
While Murray wasn’t the center of attention until the end of the day, everyone in attendance — the 100-plus credentialed media and the 60-plus league personnel — had one eye on the other athletes’ performance and the other on Murray. His poise was impressive and exceptional. “From what I’ve seen, his demeanor is what stands out,” the anonymous league executive said as he watched Murray interact with former teammates. “And people want to talk about his height, but that’s not a problem. You can’t measure heart and desire, though. And he has that. I know that.” Murray was his usual self Wednesday — cool, calm and collected. Through it all, he was relaxed, smiling and joking with his former teammates. He even greeted Trey Sermon and Tanner Schafer with a wet willy. A f t e r h i s w o rko u t, w h i c h didn’t start until 12:45 p.m., and a meeting with the New York Giants, Murray strolled into his what was likely his last press conference in Norman. He hinted at talking to Kliff Kingsbury, said he would run a 4.3 40-yard dash and joked about Casserly. He didn’t give into the pressure of making a comment he would later regret, wanting no part of the leadership question and quickly telling the media to “ask my teammates.” Which brings us to Cody Ford. What kind of leader is Kyler Murray? “His leadership skills are kind of different. He’s not going to yell every five seconds. He’ll yell when he needs to, he’ll get on somebody’s butt when he needs to,” Ford said. “I can recall against Texas, he’s getting hit a lot. I’ve never seen a guy get hit like that and never complain to his O-line. But we knew we needed to get the job done, which I feel like we did… “ Bu t f o r h i m n o t t o s ay a word to us besides, ‘Let’s get it, let’s go’ — no complaining — showed what kind of leader he is and will be for a long time.”
George Stoia
georgestoia@ou.edu