*Kyler Murray – Noteworthy
Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray will be front and center at the NFL Combine, which begins Tuesday in Indianapolis, Ind. Murray, the Heisman Trophy winner, already made headlines by saying he will commit to an NFL career, rather than pursue baseball as a first-round draft pick of the Oakland A’s. But with that decision comes a problem … a big one. It’s his size. Or lack thereof. Murray is well under six feet tall, and some people, including Giants head coach Pat Shurmur, fancy taller quarterbacks. But Murray’s height isn’t the only concern. It’s also the size of his hands.
Per NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero: “There’s not a quarterback in the NFL that has a smaller hand than like a 9 — a 9-inch hand, the span from the thumb to the pinkie,” an NFC executive said. “They say [Murray’s] could be really small, like 8 5/8 or 8 7/8. The difference (from other short QBs) would be like Russell Wilson’s is [10 1/4]. Drew Brees is like a 10 1/4.” Small hands are huge problems for some coaches, because of the potential for fumbles, although it’s worth noting Murray wasn’t turnover-prone at Oklahoma. He fumbled three times last season, losing two of them, in 14 games. – NJ.com
*Kyler Murray – Noteworthy
It turns out that the most important moment of the week in determining whether Kyler Murray is the next franchise quarterback of the Miami Dolphins won’t be in the much-anticipated, once-and-for-all verdict on his size. No, in a perfect world, it would happen in a small meeting room, late at night, when general manager Chris Grier and coach Brian Flores huddle with a worn-out Murray and test not his arm, but his mind. “We’ve seen a lot of guys come through the league that have big arms and can make every throw but if they’re not wired right upstairs they’re not going to make it,” Grier said Wednesday at the NFL Combine. Murray, the former Oklahoma quarterback and Heisman winner, is favored by oddsmakers to be selected by the Dolphins, who own the 13th overall pick in the NFL Draft.
Murray completed 69 percent of his passes last season (260 of 377) for 4,361 yards. He had 42 touchdown passes against only seven interceptions. “I think he had a phenomenal year this year,” Flores said. “I think he’s a great athlete. I think he’s a very good player.” That’s evident for all to see on film. Now it’s a matter of what the Dolphins can learn when they spend their allotted 15 minutes interviewing prospects, including Murray. “We want them smart, we want them tough, mentally and physically,” Flores said. – Palm Beach Post
*Kyler Murray – Noteworthy
If Josh Rosen was seeking clarity on his status with the Arizona Cardinals, whether it’s a long-term relationship just starting to bloom or a brief fling about to end, the answers were not coming directly from the NFL scouting combine. Asked what Rosen’s status was with the team, Cardinals GM Steve Keim said Wednesday, “Yeah, he is [the starting QB] right now, for sure.” Keim later added that “we’re together right now, for sure.” It just so happens that the Cardinals are the owners of the first pick in the draft this year, when there might not be a clear-cut option for their team at another position. Cardinals first-year head coach Kliff Kingsbury famously said back in October (when he was Texas Tech’s head coach and not realistically poised to be an NFL head coach at that time) that he felt Oklahoma QB Kyler Murray was “a freak” and that he “would take him with the first pick of the draft if I could.”
Funny how things can change in this league in such a short amount of time. Keim backed his new head coach’s comments from a few months ago, back when Kingsbury’s circumstances were far different. “I think what Kliff said was trying to avoid bulletin-board material,” Keim said. “I think if you’re [at] Texas Tech, I would’ve said the same thing about an Oklahoma quarterback.” Asked specifically about Murray’s potential. Keim sidestepped the question for the most part. “Again, it’s still early in the process,” he said. “We haven’t even gone through a full evaluation at all the positions so really, again, it’s too early to say.” – Oneida Dispatch
*Kyler Murray – Noteworthy
Without throwing a single pass at the NFL combine, Kyler Murray stood tall — or more precisely, tall enough. When the official measurements came out of Indianapolis on Thursday, the Heisman winner from Oklahoma and Allen measured at 5-101/8, or a half-inch shorter than what Seattle’s Russell Wilson measured at the 2012 combine. Yes, he’s short by NFL standards but not so much so that teams will have nagging doubts with the way offenses have evolved. Call the combine overhyped and a supersized version of an elementary school field day and you’d be right. But it’s also a rite of passage for any player headed to the NFL.
For Murray, it was especially important. For weeks, talking heads had suggested that he would actually measure at 5-8. Or even shorter, like a quarterback version of Tyrion Lannister. Now, that concern is pretty much removed. Murray reportedly doesn’t plan on participating in any drills or testing at the combine, according to the NFL Network, but any lingering questions about his arm or accuracy will be answered at Oklahoma’s pro day. Scouts have reached the stage with Murray where they’re left searching for some sort of red flag. He was remarkably productive last season at Oklahoma, and his athleticism is off the charts. In high school and at OU, he has done nothing but win. – Dallas News
*Kyler Murray – Noteworthy
Kyler Murray may not throw at the NFL scouting combine, but he checked in just over 5-feet-10 and weighed 207 pounds. His hand size, as measured from his pinkie to his thumb, was 9½ inches. Murray’s measurements on Thursday compare favorably to two other undersized quarterbacks in recent years: Russell Wilson in 2012 and Baker Mayfield, last year’s top overall draft pick. Murray’s measurements were among the most anticipated at this year’s annual gathering of 300-plus prospects. He turned down the Oakland Athletics and a career in baseball for a shot at the NFL. – AP Football