*Kyler Murray – Noteworthy
NFL Network analyst Charley Casserly on Tuesday delivered a damning “report” that offered brutally negative assessments of Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray, in terms of how he performed in his NFL Scouting Combine interviews with teams. Murray, of course, could possibly be picked first overall by the Cardinals. And that might still happen, even after Casserly’s comments Tuesday. Or he could go sixth overall to the Giants. Or Murray could plummet in the draft, if enough teams actually feel the way Casserly said some do.
“He better hope [Kliff] Kingsbury takes him No. 1, because this was not good,” Casserly said of the feedback he received from teams on Murray’s combine interview performance. “These were the worst comments I ever got on a top-rated quarterback, and I’ve been doing this a long time. Leadership – not good. Study habits – not good. The board work – below not good. Not good at all in any of those areas, raising major concerns about what this guy is going to do.” Casserly said Patrick Mahomes and Baker Mayfield – two recent non-traditional high draft pick quarterbacks – “are much different” than Murray, because “they were outstanding in those areas,” in terms of how they performed with leadership, study habits, and board work during combine interviews. “This guy is not outstanding in those areas, and it showed up in the interview,” Casserly said. – NJ.com
*Kyler Murray – Noteworthy
At some point during the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine, it was widely assumed the Arizona Cardinals would select Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray No. 1 overall. On Saturday, NFL Network’s Kim Jones said it was “almost universally” believed Murray would be the first player off the board in Nashville, opening the door for the 49ers to draft Ohio State edge rusher Nick Bosa. NFL draft analyst Tony Pauline wrote on Sunday that Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury was telling teams it was a “done deal” Arizona would draft a player he once said should be the top pick.
On Tuesday, Kingsbury said that it is not. “I would have to adamantly deny that,” Kingsbury said on the Kingsbury Chronicle podcast. It’s worth noting that, just last week, Kingsbury was more forceful arguing for the Cardinals to keep 2018 first-round pick Josh Rosen than Arizona general manager Steve Keim was. “We’re big on adapting our offense to our quarterback and our personnel, Kingsbury told reporters at the combine. “We’ve had all types in this system, so I don’t think that is very relevant. He’s a tremendous talent. I feel like he got better as the season went on last year. Showed a lot of mental toughness and competitiveness.” – NBCSports.com