How did Kyler Murray do at the NFL Combine?

Kyler Murray opted not to participate in NFL Combine drills, but he still walked away a big winner as a result of his measurements.

The most intriguing prospect in this year’s draft is former Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Kyler Murray. Murray made a name for himself with a Heisman Trophy-winning performance with the Sooners in 2018, paving the way for him to abandon his baseball career and focus on preparations for the NFL Draft.

While the stats showed that Murray was an accurate passer with incredible speed for Oklahoma, many scouts wondered whether Murray’s slight frame would make him an injury risk at the NFL level. Murray was measured at the combine and came out with a height of 5-foot-10 and 1/8 while weighing in at 207 pounds.

This was a huge victory for Murray, who some experts believed could come in closer to 5-foot-8 and 185 pounds, which would be too light to stand up to punishment from NFL defenders. Murray’s new measurements put him more in line with shorter NFL stars like Russell Wilson and Baker Mayfield, who was the top pick in last year’s draft by Cleveland.

Those figures will be all that scouts got out of Murray at the combine after he decided, in consultation with his agent and family, not to participate in any of the combine’s drills. Those hoping to see how fast Murray runs the 40 yard dash and how he will fare in the traditional passing drills will have to wait to do so until March 13, when Murray participates in Oklahoma’s Pro Day.

Murray did participate in interviews with teams at the combine, however, and he appears to have made quite the impression on the Arizona Cardinals. NFL Network’s Kim Jones is reporting that teams “almost universally believe” Murray will be taken with the first overall pick by Arizona next month.

New Cardinals’ head coach Kliff Kingsbury has gone on record with his love for Murray, which makes things interesting since Arizona just drafted a quarterback in the first round last year with Josh Rosen. Arizona GM Steve Keim did nothing to quell the speculation about Rosen’s future in Arizona, saying that the former Bruin was the Cardinals’ quarterback “right now” at the Combine on Wednesday.

If Murray does go first overall to the Cardinals, it could produce a tremendous shakeup at the draft. Many draft experts had predicted that Arizona would select Nick Bosa out of Ohio State to bolster their defense, but a selection of Murray would push both Bosa and Josh Allen down at least one spot in draft boards, news that could excite a team like the New York Jets.

Murray landing in Arizona would also mean that Rosen ends up on the trade block, which could lead to a bidding frenzy for a quarterback some considered to be the most pro-ready passer in last year’s draft. It’s entirely possible that two simple measurements could be all it takes for Murray to completely shake up the league in April.