Murray to skip combine drills, meet with Arizona
INDIANAPOLIS — Former Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray said he won’t take the field at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis but will sit down with the Arizona Cardinals, who own the No. 1 pick in next month’s draft.
The reigning Heisman Trophy winner said during his news conference Friday that he won’t do any of the on-field drills Saturday, which includes throwing and running the 40-yard dash, and will be “just doing interviews.” Murray said he intends to throw and run at Oklahoma’s Pro Day on March 13.
“That’s the timeline me and my family, my agent and my coaches felt was best,” Murray said.
One of his interviews in Indianapolis will be with the Cardinals, Murray confirmed. Murray expressed his desire to be the No. 1 pick, while later saying he wouldn’t be upset if he wasn’t or if other quarterbacks were taken ahead of him.
“Obviously, I’m a competitor,” he said. “I love the game. To be the No. 1 pick, that’s a kid’s dream come true. If my name was called No. 1, I’d be ready to go for sure.”
Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray measured 5-foot-10 1/8 at the NFL combine, putting to rest some concerns about his height.
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Murray said he’d “love to be in New York,” referring to the Giants, and said their offense would be “very dangerous” with him involved. Murray has also met with “a couple” of Miami Dolphins coaches.
Murray, who’s being widely mentioned as the possible No. 1 overall pick to the Cardinals, also shed light on his relationship with new Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury, who recruited Murray to Texas Tech when the quarterback was in high school. He briefly explained his intimate understanding of Kingsbury’s Air Raid offense and said uniting with Kingsbury would be “nice.”
“I know what type of offense he runs,” Murray said. “Obviously, he recruited me out of high school. I have a great relationship with him. If I were to play under him, I think it’d be a great deal. But again, I don’t get to pick the players. All I can do is show up to where I’m supposed to be and work hard and get after it.”
Asked about his reaction to Kingsbury’s comments from October, when Kingsbury was still at Texas Tech, about drafting Murray No. 1 overall if he ever held the top pick, Murray was appreciative of Kingsbury’s high praise.
“That was obviously generous words from him,” Murray said. “But that’s the relationship. He’s always been very fond of me and I respect that and I’ve never taken that for granted. He’s always someone I can go to if I needed anything. It would be fun. It’d be a great deal if I was picked No. 1.”
Murray, who measured in at 5-foot-10 1/8 and 207 pounds, said he wasn’t sure what his height would come in at but knew he’d weigh in over 200 pounds, and intends to play around his current weight.
“I think,” Murray said, “we can put all that to rest now.”