Spotlight on Kyler:
The attention is back around the Cardinals’ Kyler Murray, suggesting he could be the story of the 2019 season if he can back it up.
The Kyler Murray hype is starting to resurface entering the 2019 NFL season.
ESPN recently released a story predicting the biggest storylines of the upcoming season, and two of its writers said that 2019 would be the year of Kyler Murray.
The Cardinals drafted Murray with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft out of Oklahoma.
He hasn’t played a snap in the NFL.
The quarterback was a popular answer under the question “2018 was defined by the league’s offensive explosion. What will be the story of the 2019 season?”
Matt Bowen, an NFL analyst with ESPN, wrote of Murray: “I can’t wait to watch the rookie in Kliff Kingsbury’s offense. Sure, Murray will go through some growing pains in his first pro season. Kingsbury, too.
“But the upside here? It’s Murray’s electric dual-threat ability in an up-tempo offense. The Cards are going to play fast, and I anticipate Murray posting some impressive numbers as a rook.”
Jason Reid, a writer with The Undefeated, wrote of Murray: “Will there be some bumps along the way? Sure. Despite his talent, Murray will be tested. With rookies, that’s the way it works. But Murray should absolutely thrive in the Cardinals’ up-tempo offense. By the end of the year, we’ll be saying, ‘That was fun.’ ”
Hype has been building for the Cardinals and their rookie quarterback since Arizona drafted the Heisman Trophy winner out of Oklahoma.
A lot of people are excited to see how Murray and new Cardinals coach Kingsbury’s offensive system faces in the NFL.
ESPN writer Kevin Seifert didn’t name Murray as his NFL story of 2019, but he did include him in it.
He wrote that “quarterback
reckoning” would be how the upcoming season would be known.
He wrote: “The NFL will have at least two starters who, just a few years ago, would have been considered ill-equipped for the job. Kyler Murray in Arizona and a full year of Lamar Jackson in Baltimore will show us whether the NFL can transition to passers who find unique ways to get it done.
“We’ll also begin the long process of moving away from an aging base of future Hall of Famers. Drew Brees, Tom Brady and Philip Rivers are all approaching free agency.”
ESPN’s story wasn’t done hyping up Murray.
It also asked the question “Which rookie would you plant your flag on being a star for fiveplus years?” and Murray was a popular answer.
Fantasy writer Mike Clay wrote: “It’s hard to imagine Murray failing. On one hand, he was an elite passer at Oklahoma, as indicated by his FBS-record 11.6 yards per attempt in 2018. On the other hand, he’s an elite rusher, running for a ridiculous 1,001 yards while averaging 7.2 yards per carry last season. Yes, Murray is undersized, but his absurd combination of efficiency and production as both a passer and rusher makes him a perfect fit for the modern NFL.”
NFL writer NFL Graziano added of the quarterback: “Why not? No one has the star potential Murray has, with his multidimensional talents entering the league at a time when it’s all set up for quarterbacks to be superstars.”
Reid also chimed in: “Obviously, the tools are all there. And he has been playing on the biggest stages at every level of the game. The moment won’t be too big for him. In five-plus years, we’ll look back and praise the Cardinals for getting it right.”
One of his predictions through 2022 in the league was that Murray would lead Arizona to at least one division title.
He wrote: “The NFC West is a nutty place. The Rams are on top, the Seahawks aren’t ready to go away and the 49ers haven’t made their anticipated arrival yet. Arizona looks like a clear No. 4, and I don’t expect the Cardinals to contend in 2019. But I do believe the marriage between Murray and coach Kliff Kingsbury will be exciting and hard to stop – especially once the Cardinals patch the holes on their offensive line.”
In recently released odds to win Offensive Rookie of the Year in the NFL by BetOnline, Murray is a big favorite.
The site lists him at 8-5. Rams running back Darrell Henderson and Redskins quarterback Dwayne Haskins are next on the list at 7-1.
Murray also appears at 50-1 to win the NFL MVP award, tied with the Saints’ Alvin Kamara, the Giants’ Saquon Barkley, the Vikings’ Kirk Cousins and other established players in the league.