With Kyler Murray’s announcement that he’s entering the NFL Draft rumors are swirling around that he might potentially be picked by our Miami Dolphins. With that being said let’s look at Kyler’s stats and accomplishments from this past year at Oklahoma where he led the Big XII conference in passing yards (4,361) and touchdowns (42). These numbers without a doubt helped him win the Heisman trophy this season and Kyler had a fantastic 2018 that ended up with a loss to Alabama in the college football playoff semifinal. Kyler was drafted ninth overall by the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball but his strong senior season is the reason why he is now thinking about playing football full time. Kyler has mentioned he prefers football over baseball so this big news for potential suitors of the Heisman winner. With Miami’s first pick being the 13th overall of round one there is a chance he could end up with the Dolphins and here is why he could be a great asset to the team.
Kyler has an excellent release, fantastic accuracy, and he also can throw a bullet downfield, but his size is the variable in his scouting equation. I believe Kyler is most similar to NFL Quarterback Russell Wilson although coming out and into the draft people worried about Wilson’s size, he quickly proved the doubters wrong and I believe Murray could end up going down the same path. In a year when Murray won the Heisman Trophy, Murray put up historic numbers, accumulating 4,361 passing yards and 42 touchdowns to just seven interceptions. He also recorded 1,001 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns on 140 carries (7.2 yards per carry), making him the best dual-threat quarterback in college football. Despite his lack of size (5-foot-10, 195 pounds), Murray has a powerful arm that he uses to rifle passes to his targets with high velocity. He doesn’t typically throw into a lot of tight windows, but the velocity Murray can put on his passes lends itself well to tight-window throws in the NFL. That arm strength allows Murray to complete passes to every portion of the field. The Dolphins can use all of these skills to their advantage with the correct supporting cast around Murray.
Murray was sixth among FBS quarterbacks in completion percentage (69), third in passing yards, first in yards per attempt (11.6), first in adjusted yards per attempt (13) and second in passing efficiency rating (199.2). Murray put together the second-best passing efficiency rating in the history of college football behind only Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s 199.4 passing efficiency. Murray is deadly accurate in short zones, where he was able to pick apart defenses using Oklahoma’s quick passing game. I believe if Murray can find a similar offense in the NFL the sky’s the limit for this talented young man. The Dolphins need Kyler Murray in order to become a playoff contender for years to come and to spark some energy and leadership on this Miami team.
