NFL Rumors: Kyler Murray May Not Be First Round Draft Material

Kyler Murray has created quite fuss when he declared for the 2019 NFL Draft. Most see him as likely to go in the first round, with the Arizona Cardinals mentioned as one of the teams likely to take him in.

As mentioned in a previous post, new Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury is high on the 22-year-old quarterback. He was singled out as one of the reasons why Arizona may trade Josh Rosen, but the 39-year-old coach said that all that was ludicrous and not happening. That, of course, could change depending on the call of Kingsbury.

While most NFL mock drafts see Murray gone in the first round, there are now some who believe he could be picked in later rounds, either second or third. While he is athletically unbelievable, most single out his height as a problem. Murray stands at only 5 feet, 9 inches, a handicap that could become a problem for the Heisman Trophy winner when facing the big boys of opposing NFL teams, NBC Sports reported.

"Based on the scouts I've talked to, they project a second- or third-rounder, and complicating things is his height. He is very short, five-foot-nine, probably. And athletically, he's unbelievable. But it's been difficult for these guys I've talked to evaluate him because there just aren't a lot of examples of a five-foot-nine quarterback trying to do what he does," Ian Rapoport said of Murray.

Aside from the height disadvantage, there is money matters on the table. After being selected 9th overall in the 2018 MLB Draft, Murray got a $4.66 million signing bonus from the Oakland Athletics. If he is selected in the first round, he is likely to get more than that -- perhaps even more than what Lamar Jackson got when he was selected 32nd overall by the Baltimore Ravens with $4.968 million.

If Murray does end up being selected in the second round, he would receive a whole lot less. The first pick of the second round in 2018 got a $3.584 million signing bonus, while the last pick of the third round got $761,516.

Depending on how Kingsbury or other NFL teams eyeing Murray do their homework, there seems to be pros and cons in taking him in the first round. Could this hurt his stock before the 2019 NFL Draft? The Arizona Cardinals are likely to factor that in with the final decision hopefully done come Draft Day.