Report: Kyler Murray will be chosen first-overall in 2019 NFL Draft
By Nick Villano
It’s been months of “will he or won’t he” with former Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray. Now, seemingly for the first time, one ESPN source says the pick is confirmed.
It’s the best- and worst-kept secret in the NFL this offseason. Will the Arizona Cardinals actually choose Kyler Murray with the first-overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft? We are only a few hours away from Thursday night’s first-round festivities, and it seems like we have our first clear-cut report that Murray will spend the beginning of his career in Glendale. ESPN’s Wendi Nix apparently said this during NFL Live on Thursday afternoon:
ESPN's Wendi Nix just said this on ESPN of the Cardinals: “Will they opt for Kyler Murray, the presumptive No. 1 overall pick? Our sources say they sure will.” I don't think anyone from ESPN has reported this. Am I missing something?
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) April 25, 2019
There have been rumors circulating that the NFL themselves told reporters from the NFL Network, and ESPN, who are among the outlets airing the draft, not to disclose who will be selected first-overall to allow the suspense to continue until the pick is official. However, Nix’s colleague, Chris Mortensen, reported earlier on Thursday that if the identity of the No. 1 overall selection is confirmed, they have been cleared to report it.
Lot of smokescreens as always but I can 100% report that we have not been instructed to avoid disclosure of the No. 1 pick. We are not tipping picks during the draft but as for the No. 1 choice, we can report if we get firm confirmation.
— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) April 25, 2019
Well, if that’s true, then it was Nix who broke the news. It’s fairly obvious that Murray was going first, but doubt has frequently crept into that process. One place to see that is on the betting line. Murray is currently -375 to go to the Cardinals. He’s still a heavy favorite, but if someone put serious money on it, it’s not the slam-dunk we’ve seen in previous years.
Next. Final Fansided Mock Draft. dark
It’s as though this news, if true, is a total surprise. It’s been the biggest draft conversation in football: Whether Murray’s career will be tied to new Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury and his very public love for the quarterback. Now that it’s apparently been confirmed by an ESPN personality, the big question is whether or not the Cardinals will trade Josh Rosen tonight.
Murray has a superstar-level upside, and makes sense to be the top-overall pick, but the NFL’s supposed “plan” to keep the pick under wraps is all but over. Good ear goes out to Mike Florio for pointing out ESPN’s reporting, because it’s the type of comment that could have been easy to miss.