Kyler Murray draws rave reviews from teammates

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CGI_Ram

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https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/...risons-to-russell-wilson-and-patrick-mahomes/

Kyler Murray draws rave reviews from teammates as well as comparisons to Russell Wilson and Patrick Mahomes
Murray, the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, faces lofty expectations in Arizona after a three-win 2018

It's safe to say that Kyler Murray's first few weeks as a franchise quarterback have gone smoother than Daniel Jones' -- fair or not. And with OTAs in the books for all 32 teams, we have a month and a half until the start of training camps and our first real glimpses at how these rookie quarterbacks will perform with starting jobs on the line.

Until then all we can go on is what we hear. And Murray, the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, has done nothing but impress. We know this because his teammates keep talking about it.

"First off, he's faster and quicker than I thought when we got on the field," running back David Johnson said, via ESPN.com's Josh Weinfuss. "I think a lot of people underestimate how great he can throw. He throws a dart. Accurate dart. Even in quarterback drills, seeing him throw it at the net and seeing him hit it five in a row. I think a lot of people underestimate his throwing ability."

Former Bears first-round pick Kevin White, who is in his first offseason with the Cards, added: "As soon as he came in, he looked just as good as he does now. I think now, he is more fluid where everyone's on the same page, I would say, but he's a special talent."

Guard J.R. Sweezy, who also joined the team this spring after spending five of his first six NFL seasons with the Seattle, sees a lot of similarities between Murray and Russell Wilson.

"I see hundreds of similarities," Sweezy said. "I always say, we got to see this guy really play. I think he's going to be just fine. But just to even be compared to Russell Wilson is a huge compliment. He's going to back it up. I just love that he's getting compared to him already and everything. He's going to be great."

This comes weeks after Murray was being compared to Patrick Mahomes.

"You could compare it to that (Murray and Mahomes' arm strength). It's very unique, for sure," said wide receiver Christian Kirk, who played one year with Murray in college, via the Arizona Republic's Bob McManaman. "I've talked about it before. Obviously, everyone knows what he can do with his legs, but what he's able to do with his arm and just the way it comes off his hand. It's never a duck; it's always a spiral. It's just so quick coming off his hands and the ball is usually never late and it's usually never under-thrown."

First-year coach Kliff Kingsbury, who coached Mahomes for three seasons at Texas Tech, didn't seem surprised that Murray and Mahomes were mentioned in the same breath, in part because both are wildly athletic, but also because both have baseball backgrounds.

"It's just a quick, efficient release," Kingsbury said of Murray back in late May. "He can drop it down. Pat [Mahomes] was the same way and is the same way. They can drop it down and not lose accuracy, not lose touch. They're so used to throwing from different platforms, different angles in baseball and it just translates over to football for them."

More importantly, Murray is more than just insanely athletic.

"He's shown nothing but great leadership and hard work and doing the right thing," guard Justin Pugh told Weinfuss. "Once we get the pads on, we'll get a lot more of a feel for each other, and I'm looking forward to that."
 

OldSchool

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First QB in NFL history to not be able to ride all the rides at Disneyland because of his height :D
 

TheTackle

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I believe, perhaps wrongly, that he will have trouble finding passing lanes - and will be beaten up, as the season progresses, running the ball too often.

HEIGHT 5' 10" ARM LENGTH 28 1/2" WEIGHT 207 HANDS 9 1/2

Those height and arm measurements are small, by any standard

For comparison

Russell Wilson was 5'11" HEIGHT 31" ARM LENGTH 204 LB WEIGHT 10 1/4" HANDS
Drew Brees was 6'1/4" HEIGHT 31" ARM LENGTH 213 LB WEIGHT 10 1/4" HANDS
Jared Goff 6'4" HEIGHT 32 3/4" ARM LENGTH WEIGHT 215 9" HANDS

Height and Arm length make a BIG difference. Drew's height is no-where near the deficiency that people have made out and he has long arms. Russell Wilson is the next smallest QB, but is built solid - has had trouble finding passing lanes, at times (especially v us), but is a throw first QB who runs only when the pocket breaks down or a large lane presents itself. Physical comparisons to Patrick Mahomes are not even close (Height: 6-3 Arms 33 1 ⁄ 4 Weight: 230)
 

BonifayRam

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He might want to talk to some other first round QB's about the limitations of the knee joint on young running QB's...i.e Robert Griffin III, Marcus Mariota & Deshaun Watson.:whistle:...should I add Backbone's & Carson Wentz?
 

Selassie I

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Might as well just put him directly into the HOF at this point.
 

Akrasian

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I wanna see if Murray is able to keep on going after some nasty hits.
train

Yeah. Especially with NFL quality physical training, EVERY defender he will face in the pros will be as good as the very best ones he faced in college. When a 250 pound OLB hits him at full speed multiple times, will things pop? When a 225 pound CB blitzer who runs a 4.4 in pads hits him from the blind side, how will his body react? Even if nothing breaks, he will be slowed down. And if he's not faster than them, non-pocket passers get feasted on by decent NFL defenses. Even in the pocket - they will be coming for him. Nothing personal, but this is what they get paid to do. Most of the young guns who survive learn to throw the ball away to prevent hits - a skill that's hard to master without overdoing it.
 

Rams43

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I believe, perhaps wrongly, that he will have trouble finding passing lanes - and will be beaten up, as the season progresses, running the ball too often.

HEIGHT 5' 10" ARM LENGTH 28 1/2" WEIGHT 207 HANDS 9 1/2

Those height and arm measurements are small, by any standard

For comparison

Russell Wilson was 5'11" HEIGHT 31" ARM LENGTH 204 LB WEIGHT 10 1/4" HANDS
Drew Brees was 6'1/4" HEIGHT 31" ARM LENGTH 213 LB WEIGHT 10 1/4" HANDS
Jared Goff 6'4" HEIGHT 32 3/4" ARM LENGTH WEIGHT 215 9" HANDS

Height and Arm length make a BIG difference. Drew's height is no-where near the deficiency that people have made out and he has long arms. Russell Wilson is the next smallest QB, but is built solid - has had trouble finding passing lanes, at times (especially v us), but is a throw first QB who runs only when the pocket breaks down or a large lane presents itself. Physical comparisons to Patrick Mahomes are not even close (Height: 6-3 Arms 33 1 ⁄ 4 Weight: 230)

I think that it might be a mistake to get too hung up on KM’s measurables, Tackle.

Just look at what he’s actually accomplished at the highest levels in HS and college.

I think that he’s gonna be a real handful to defend in the NFL. If the Cards can surround him with talent and give him competent coaching? Look out!
 

OldSchool

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I think that he’s gonna be a real handful to defend in the NFL. If the Cards can surround him with talent and give him competent coaching? Look out!

You’re correct but you also just described most ever qb in the nfl.
 

DVontel

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I think that it might be a mistake to get too hung up on KM’s measurables, Tackle.

Just look at what he’s actually accomplished at the highest levels in HS and college.

I think that he’s gonna be a real handful to defend in the NFL. If the Cards can surround him with talent and give him competent coaching? Look out!
Nah man, every tackle receives will look like a mortal kombat fatality because of the big & bad strong me. How will he survive?
 

jjab360

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I'm not scared, but I am taking notice. The kid is very, very talented and I don't think there's any doubt about that. We'll just have to see which part of his game we'll be able to limit like we have with Wussell over the years. If they're anything alike, then we can keep him contained by not letting him get outside the tackles and playing disciplined in the secondary.
 

Mojo Ram

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It remains to be seen how durable he is in the league, but one thing's for sure...the Rams historically destroy Cardinals QB's. The list is long. The threat is REAL.

Cards fans will always go the lazy route and call the Rams dirty. I think it's simply a matter of playing twice a year and more often than not a matchup of bad OLines vs elite DLines in recent history.

edit: Wilson gets wrecked and harassed in our matchups as well. I'd be surprised if any other team has even come close to sacking him as much as the Rams have. Who's our resident stat guy?
 

oldnotdead

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At the combine Murray ran a 4.38 in the 40 but he's added weight since then. So most feel his time with pads will be closer to 4.4 or a bit over. That is fast but not so much at the NFL level. An NFL player who runs a 4.5 with an angle can catch him. That's the key here. In the NFL he's going to be facing defenders who he won't be able to out run. He's going to get his share of plays, but at what cost?

The NFL used some years ago a form of spread offense called the Run & Shoot, and the variations of most collegiate spread offenses are similar. Two things stand out IMO. Both required strong oline play and a mobile QB to be successful. I don't think that Murray is going to have as much time in the NFL as he had in college. The two main questions that need to be answered are does AZ have the oline and do they have the receiver depth? I'm not sure they do. Teams are going to run zone defenses and if they have a strong pass rush they are going to be ready to jump those quick routes. Kyler is going to have to run around to buy time or throw into tight windows. Or he will like most rookies, pull the ball down early and try to run. Regardless, this type of offense is going to expose him to a lot of hits and accordingly the strong possibility of getting hurt.

Kyler only has one year of starting experience. I will tell you right now he will have problems reading NFL defenses. He also has problems with his mechanics which break down under pressure. Also he tends to stare down receivers a huge no no at this level. He also won't hesitate to throw into tight coverage. So I can see he is likely to turn the ball over a number of times, especially as a rookie. I simply don't see all these issues being resolved in one TC or even one year. Wilson came in with 3 years as a starter and much more polished in his mechanics.

One interesting guy to watch is Weddle. He is a master at reading and jumping short to intermediate routes. With the addition of Weddle and Rapp this secondary looks at this point ready for the task. With Donald and Fowler they should be able to flush Kyle early. The Rams also have good speed in Ebukam who has 4.5 speed. Good luck Kyler.
 

Dieter the Brock

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I wonder what his Arizona teammates said about Josh Rosen...

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Hmmmm
 

oldnotdead

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Personally I think that Rosen will have a better and longer career than Murray. I think AZ panic'd and made a bad choice to completely start from scratch with Murray. The fins struck gold for a few pennies. They now have a franchise QB for years with a very high ceiling. Give him a decent oline and he will rip defenses. His game reminds me of Philip Rivers in many ways. I think the Chargers were typically stupid in not making a real play to get him. Rivers has already said he probably won't play beyond 2020-21. Can you imagine Rosen having 2 years to learn how to read defenses behind Rivers? Rosen was the perfect QB for their system.

This is the difference between the Chargers and the Rams. The Rams understand talent and scheme fit. They built their team old school. Strong oline, quality pocket passer stressing accuracy over arm strength, and a outstanding RB. Their defense was also built old school with strength in the dline and CBs.

Rosen is in a good place with a team that wants to build around him.