Kyler Murray declares for NFL Draft but baseball remains an option

Kyler Murray has declared for the NFL Draft, but that doesn’t mean he’ll definitely be playing football and giving up his baseball career.

As expected, Oklahoma quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner, Kyler Murray has declared for the NFL Draft. Murray declared before the midnight deadline, but this was merely a formality because it doesn’t guarantee Murray will be playing in the NFL or that he’s giving up on his baseball career with the Oakland A’s.

The A’s have yet to announce the report date for Spring Training, but that essentially serves as the drop-dead date for Murray. He will have to make a decision whether to report to Spring Training with the A’s who made him the No. 9 pick in last year’s draft and are trying desperately to steer him away from football.

If Murray shows up to Spring Training in mid-February, he won’t show up to the NFL Combine that begins on Feb. 26.

It’s either all-in for baseball or all-in for football. There are no half measures for Murray who will now use his remaining time to find out how NFL teams view the 5-9, 190-pound quarterback and if he can secure the bag from the A’s who may add him to the 40 man roster in a way to give him more money than the $4.66 million he received for his signing bonus.

Some draft experts like ESPN’s Todd McShay believes Murray will be a first round pick because of the changing NFL and believes his lack of height and size will hurt him as much as it would have in the past. That said, no quarterback as small as Murray has even been taken in the first round of the modern NFL Draft.

Ultimately, it won’t be money that determines which career Murray pursues. He’ll follow his heart. His heart might lead him to play centerfield for the A’s. It might lead him to stay in the NFL Draft and playing football for the team that drafts him and showcasing the skills that made him arguably the greatest Texas high school football player of all time and the 2018 Heisman Trophy winner.