OU Star Murray Picks NFL over MLB for Now
With a simple tweet, Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray, who signed with MLB’s Oakland A’s last summer, declared himself eligible for the 2019 NFL draft.
I have declared for the NFL Draft.
— Kyler Murray (@TheKylerMurray) January 14, 2019
“I have declared for the NFL Draft,” Murray, the 2018 Heisman Trophy winner, tweeted Monday.
This seems like a pretty straightforward declaration, but with Murray it’s a bit more complicated.
Murray is an excellent baseball player who was selected with the ninth pick in the 2018 MLB draft. He received a $5 million signing bonus with the A’s, who allowed him to play his junior year as starting quarterback on the Oklahoma football team with the promise of reporting to spring training in February.
However, Murray went on to take college football by storm in his first year as a starter, leading the Sooners to the College Football Playoff and winning the Heisman Trophy. His success on the gridiron presented the opportunity to play football professionally.
Still, as ESPN’s Jeff Passan points out, just because Murray declared for the draft doesn’t necessarily mean he will ultimately forgo his baseball career.
Monday was the final day for underclassmen to declare for the NFL draft, so if Murray had not declared, he would have had to wait until the 2020 draft. So this buys him time and gives him options.
But there is uncertainty about where Murray will be drafted in April.
Many mock drafts have him as a top 10 pick and the second-highest quarterback picked after Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins.
For example, a mock draft by CBS Sports has him going with the sixth pick to the New York Giants. ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Todd McShay also expect him to be a first-rounder.
I need the NY Giants to take Kyler Murray in the draft
Then I need Kyler Murray to play baseball
— Cameron Magruder (@ScooterMagruder) January 14, 2019
While he would be the shortest NFL quarterback at just under 5 feet 10, that does not seem to be a huge drawback.
Murray is due to report to spring training on Feb.15. It seems unlikely that he will do so, given that the NFL scouting combine starts Feb. 28. If he doesn’t report to spring training, the A’s would recoup the bonus, but the team would retain Murray’s rights as he would be placed on the restricted list, said ESPN’s Passan.
That means that if he wasn’t drafted as high as he thought or a football career doesn’t pan out, he could still play for the A’s.
If Murray is an early NFL draft pick, he’ll have a better chance of making more money, faster, than if he chooses MLB. Typically, a first-round draft pick would sign for twice as much as he received with his A’s signing bonus.
On the other hand, there is the potential for a longer career in baseball (although don’t tell that to Tom Brady or Drew Brees). Plus, there is less physical wear and tear on the body in baseball.
It’s good to have choices. It’s good to be Kyler Murray.
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