The Arizona Cardinals selected Heisman Trophy-winning Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft on Thursday night in Nashville, Tenn.
The pick unites Murray with Kliff Kingsbury in Arizona, seven years after the coach first began pursuit of the player.
“I feel we can be very dangerous. He’s one of the best in the world at calling plays and offensive mind, so for me, I can’t wait to get up there with him. It’s been a long time coming, and I hope he feels the same,” Murray said.
The San Francisco 49ers selected Ohio State defensive end Nick Bosa with the second overall pick, and the New York Jets followed by taking Alabama defensive tackle Quinnen Williams at No. 3.
Murray threw for 4,361 yards and 42 touchdowns with seven interceptions last year while leading Oklahoma to the College Football Playoff. He also rushed for 1,001 yards and 12 touchdowns.
After former teammate and Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield went first overall last year to the Cleveland Browns, Murray’s selection marks the first time since 1968-69 that the top pick in back-to-back years came from the same school (offensive tackle Ron Yary in 1968, running back O.J. Simpson in 1969, Southern California).
The pick of Bosa deepened the legacy of one of football’s most accomplished families.
Bosa, widely considered the draft’s best or second-best player, wound up going one pick higher than his brother, Joey Bosa, whom the then-San Diego Chargers took third overall in 2016.
Their father, John Bosa, was also a first-round defensive end, taken 16th overall by the Miami Dolphins in 1987. A uncle of Joey Bosa and Nick Bosa, Eric Kumerow, was also a defensive end drafted 16th overall by Miami in 1988.
Nick Bosa was limited to three games for the Buckeyes in 2018 due to a core muscle injury, but he still managed four sacks and six tackles for loss. He had 8.5 sacks and 16 tackles for loss in 2017 as a true sophomore.
Williams, whom some put ahead of Bosa as the draft’s top player, came out of nowhere last season to become a consensus All-American and win the Outland Trophy winner, given to the best interior lineman in college football. After working as a rotational player in 2017, Williams racked up eight sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss in as a redshirt sophomore in 2018.
The pick marked the 11th straight year in which an Alabama player has gone in the first round.
The fourth pick of the draft brought the first major surprise, with the Oakland Raiders opting for Clemson defensive end Clelin Ferrell.
Ferrell was widely expected to be a first-round pick, but few pegged him as a top-10 selection, and almost no mock drafts had him in the top five.
Two Tigers’ teammates, defensive tackles Christian Wilkins (13th, Miami Dolphins) and Dexter Lawrence (17th, Giants), were also first-rounders. Another ACC pass rusher, Florida State defensive end Brian Burns, was the 10th defensive player drafted in the top 16.
Tampa Bay went defense at No. 5, taking LSU linebacker Devin White, who racked up 256 tackles (25.5 for loss), 7.5 sacks, nine pass breakups and one interception over the last two seasons for the Tigers, winning the Butkus Award as the nation’s top linebacker in 2018.
The New York Giants made waves with the sixth overall pick, grabbing Duke quarterback Daniel Jones as the apparent successor to Eli Manning.
The Giants had been connected to Jones throughout the draft process, but many believed he might be the team’s target with the 17th overall pick rather than at No. 6.
Jones went ahead of Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins (15th, Washington Redskins) and deep connections to current Giants’ employees were a factor. Jones played at Duke under head coach David Cutcliffe, who coached both Peyton and Eli Manning in college and remains a mentor for both. Jones, personal quarterbacks coach, David Morris, also played under Cutcliffe while backing up Eli Manning at Ole Miss.
Next, the Jacksonville Jaguars capitalized on the slide of Kentucky defensive end Josh Allen at No. 7 overall. Allen led the FBS with 17 sacks in 2018.
At No. 8 overall, the Detroit Lions took Iowa tight end T.J. Hockenson, the first tight end drafted by any team in the top 10 since Detroit took Eric Ebron 10th overall in 2014.
Hockenson was the Mackey Award winner — as the nation’s top tight end — in 2018 after totaling 49 catches for 760 yards and six touchdowns, plus a seventh on the ground.
With the ninth pick, the Buffalo Bills nabbed Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver.
Oliver, who declared he was entering the NFL before his junior season began, totaled 13.5 sacks and 53 tackles for loss in 32 career games. He battled injury in 2018 and was limited to three sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss in eight games.
The 10th pick brought the first trade of the night, as the Pittsburgh Steelers sent the 52nd overall pick and a 2020 third-rounder to the Denver Broncos to move up from No. 20 to No. 10. With the 20th pick, the Broncos nabbed Iowa tight end Noah Fant.
The Steelers, whose last first-round trade-up came in 2003 to take Troy Polamalu, grabbed Michigan linebacker Devin Bush at 10. Two picks later, the Green Bay Packers selected Michigan defensive end Rashan Gary.
At pick 11, the Cincinnati Bengals selected the first offensive lineman of the draft — Alabama offensive tackle Jonah Williams.
The hometown franchise Tennessee Titans used the 19th pick on Mississippi State defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons. He’s recovering from a torn knee ligament and might not be on the field until midseason.
A trade with the Seattle Seahawks put the Packers on the clock at No. 21, up nine spots, for Maryland safety Darnell Savage, who ran a 4.36 40-yard dash and has also played cornerback.
Another deal put the Philadelphia Eagles up next to select offensive tackle Andre Dillard.