Sooners QB, Athletics prospect Murray declares for NFL draft

Kyler Murray, the firstround Major League Baseball draft pick and Heisman Trophy-winning Oklahoma quarterback, says he is declaring himself eligible for the NFL draft.

Murray announced his decision Monday in a tweet.

The Oakland Athletics made the speedy outfielder the ninth overall selection last June and agreed to $4.66 million signing bonus. The A’s agreed to let him continue playing football, and he made the most of it by winning the Heisman in his only season as a starter for the Sooners. He passed for 4,361 yards and 42 touchdowns and ran for1,001yards and another 12 scores, posting the second-best passer efficiency rating in FBS history.

As Murray dominated, his draft stock improved. Jim Callis, a senior writer on MLB.com, said the A’s couldn’t have foreseen that Murray would be a potential first-round NFL draft pick because of his size. Listed at 5 feet 10 and 195 pounds, Murray would be a small quarterback in the NFL by any standard.

“The primary risk was, what if he gets hurt on the football field?” Callis said, recalling his conversations with scouts before the season. “I don’t think anybody was saying he could be an NFL first-round pick.”

Once the NFL emerged as a potential option for Murray, the A’s took action. Representatives of the A’s and Major League Baseball met Sunday with Murray, and the possibility existed that Oakland could offer more money by putting him on the 40-man major league roster.

Even with the A’s efforts, Murray would have a shot at a bigger payday sooner in football, and he wouldn’t have to go to the minor leagues.

The NFL scouting combine is in late February and early March and could intersect with his spring training.