Oklahoma is now quarterback U until further notice after Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray made history as the first two signal-callers to go No. 1 in the NFL Draft two years in a row.
The NFL is changing. Gone are the days where height and weight mattered for teams. Today, mobility and accuracy seem to quiver the minds of today’s offenses.
Recently, Oklahoma football has been exciting for its dynamic offense, which highlights the quarterback’s all-around passing and mobility. Head coach Lincoln Riley has created an offense that quarterbacks can use in college and the NFL.
Tonight, the Arizona Cardinals bet their future on Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray with the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Murray won the 2018 Heisman Trophy with 4,361 yards and 42 touchdowns. His mobility also accounted for 1,001 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns.
Riley also has to be proud of what he has done in Norman. With the Cleveland Browns taking Mayfield in last year’s draft and Murray in tonight’s draft, this makes back-to-back years that NFL teams have taken OU quarterbacks with the No. 1 overall pick.
Murray and Mayfield will often be compared to see how both passers fare in the NFL. Both quarterbacks are smaller than most passers. Both passers transferred into OU from Texas A&M and Texas Tech respectively to become Heisman Trophy winners. Mobility also plays a role in how both passers move within the pocket.
The Arizona Cardinals also made some NFL Draft history by taking Murray after drafting UCLA’s Josh Rosen with the No. 10 pick in last year’s draft. The Cardinals and Baltimore Colts are the only two franchises to take quarterbacks with top-10 picks in consecutive years.
Before tonight’s pick, King Hill was the last No. 1 pick that the Cardinals franchise took in 1958. Hill played 12 NFL seasons with the Cardinals, Philadelphia Eagles, and Minnesota Vikings.