Denver Broncos: Kyler Murray shakes up 2019 quarterback crop

The Denver Broncos were in hot pursuit of Baker Mayfield a year ago. What about taking a long look at his successor at Oklahoma, Kyler Murray?

Oklahoma’s Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Kyler Murray was expected all year to play one season of college football and take off for Major League Baseball after being selected in the first round by the Oakland Athletics.

Even with a $5 million signing bonus, Murray seems to have been enticed to the point that skipping the NFL altogether is no longer an option for him.

John Elway took an unconventional (open) approach to hiring a new head coach. He went for an older (60-year old) defensive specialist while other teams have been searching for the next Sean McVay.

Perhaps Elway would defy conventional thinking and consider Murray with his top selection in the 2019 NFL Draft as well.

The Broncos hold the 10th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, which wouldn’t be too high in my opinion to take the unique playmaker.

Murray is listed by Oklahoma’s athletic department as 5’10” 195 pounds. In reality, he’s probably a bit smaller than that. Still, the major determining factor for a smaller quarterback like this is whether or not their size comes up as a flaw on tape.

That wasn’t the case for Murray this season at Oklahoma.

He accounted for nearly 5,400 yards of offense this year, 54 touchdowns, and just seven interceptions. When you talk about a unique skill-set, this guy has it. He is obviously a phenomenal athlete having been drafted to play baseball professionally, but it’s hard to argue with his decision to enter the 2019 NFL Draft.

In a class considered significantly weaker than 2018 and a prospective 2020 class, Murray has a chance to be one of the top three or four players off the board at his position. He just has to convince teams that he’s not going to bail for baseball at the first sign of trouble or difficulty in the NFL.

There are definitely size concerns with Murray but a quarterback his size could get injured just as easily as a 6-foot-6 quarterback. You just never know what’s going to happen.

It will be interesting to dissect his 2018 tape over the course of the next couple of months, and my guess is, everyone’s going to get more and more excited about the prospect of him playing for their NFL team.

Imagine Murray’s speed in the backfield at quarterback with Phillip Lindsay. Imagine Murray’s huge arm outside the pocket on the classic bootlegs we know and love from Gary Kubiak’s offense.

The potential here is massive, but teams have the right to question whether or not his size will be a hindrance going forward.