Murray to Dolphins? Some say yes

Mock drafts have Miami selecting QB with 13th pick

DAVIE — Don’t get your hopes up too early, Miami Dolphins fans.

The Dolphins, who have signaled for a franchise rebuild, could be in line to select one of the most coveted quarterbacks in the 2019 NFL Draft.

The draft may be three months away, but there will be no shortage of draft speculation until teams finally make their draft selections beginning on April 25.

Here’s a good place to start: ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. has the Dolphins drafting Oklahoma star quarterback Kyler Murray with the No. 13 pick, according to his first official mock draft released Thursday.

“Murray possesses unreal speed and he can make every throw,” Kiper said. “He’s undersized at the position though at only 5-9, and with his build. Still, if he decides to give up baseball for football, Murray could be an enticing pick for a Dolphins team looking to rebuild.”

Murray, the Heisman Trophy winner who entered his name in the NFL draft this week, threw for 4,361 yards and 42 touchdowns and ran for another 1,001 yards and 12 touchdowns last season. His season ended in the Orange Bowl with a loss to Alabama in the semifinal of the College Football Playoff on Dec. 29.

Murray, a highly touted outfielder in baseball, was also selected with the No. 9 pick by the Oakland Athletics in the 2018 MLB draft. He could still be offered a major-league contract with additional money, more than the $4.66 million signing bonus he already has with the team, in hopes of dissuading him from pursuing a football career.

Murray could become the first player to be selected in the Top 10 of both the MLB and NFL drafts.

Without taking potential trades into account, Kiper has Murray falling to the Dolphins with Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins being drafted No. 6 by the New York Giants.

Kiper also believes the Jacksonville Jaguars, who own the No. 7 pick and are also in need of a quarterback, could draft an offensive lineman and acquire a proven free-agent quarterback.

The Dolphins, led by team owner Stephen Ross and general manager Chris Grier, signaled for a rebuild after finishing 7-9 and 23-26 overall in three seasons under former coach Adam Gase.

ESPN recently reported the Dolphins are hoping to land one of the top quarterbacks in the 2020 draft, but Miami could opt to begin its rebuild earlier by drafting Murray.

The Dolphins also have significant needs at a number of positions, including defensive line, defensive back, offensive line and wide receiver.

Here’s what other mock drafts think of Murray and the Dolphins:

WalterFootball.com has Murray falling to the Dolphins at No. 13, with Haskins being drafted by the Giants at No. 6, and the Jaguars drafting Duke’s Daniel Jones with the seventh pick.

CBS Sports’ mock draft has Murray going to the Giants at No. 6 as the second quarterback off the board. Haskins would be selected second overall by the Jaguars if they traded for the pick with the San Francisco 49ers. In this scenario, this mock draft has the Dolphins taking LSU cornerback Greedy Williams, with the Denver Broncos drafting Jones 10th, and the Cincinnati Bengals trading up to No. 11 to draft Missouri quarterback Drew Lock.

Bleacher Report also has the Dolphins drafting Williams after Haskins is drafted by the Giants at No. 6 and Murray is taken by the Jaguars at No. 7.

USA Today projects the Giants will take Murray with the No. 6 pick, the Broncos to take Haskins with the No. 10 pick, and the Dolphins taking Lock with the 13th pick.

Sporting News projects Murray to be selected by the Jaguars with the seventh pick after Haskins is taken by the Giants sixth. The Dolphins would take Michigan defensive tackle Rashan Gary in this scenario.

ProFootballFocus has the Dolphins taking Clemson defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence with the No. 13 pick, after Murray is drafted by the Giants at No. 6 ahead of Haskins to the Jaguars at No. 7.