Larry Fitzgerald sold on Kyler Murray: 'He knows the system better than we do'
Kyler Murray will be one of the most fascinating stories to watch in the upcoming NFL season.
The Arizona Cardinals rookie quarterback transitioned from elite MLB prospect to intriguing NFL prospect to the No. 1 pick April’s draft thanks to his Heisman Trophy-winning campaign at Oklahoma last season.
The Cardinals and rookie coach Kliff Kingsbury liked Murray so much they pulled the plug on first-round quarterback Josh Rosen after just one season.
Known for being an equally adept passer and runner, Murray brings to the league significant concerns about his ability to succeed at the NFL level primarily around his 5-10, 207-pound frame, much smaller than the prototype NFL passer.
One NFL veteran who can speak with authority in evaluating quarterback play doesn’t sound worried.
Fitzgerald: ‘He can get us into any play at any time’
Fifteen-year veteran and 11-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald has been working with Murray at Cardinals offseason workouts. Consider him impressed.
“He knows the system better than we do,” Fitzgerald told azcardinals.com, the team’s official website. “He can get us into any play at any time, and then he has the ultimate weapon in the exit button.”
David Johnson agrees
Pro Bowl running back David Johnson heaped similar praise on Murray in an interview with NFL Network.
“He looks like he’s already ready to go,” Johnson said. “He’s already conducting, leading the offense. He’s moving around, scrambling — it’s making it tough for the defense to definitely catch him.
“His arm is very good, very accurate. He can throw the deep ball pretty well.”
Fitzgerald and Johnson’s praise speaks to the reasons the Cardinals coveted Murray in the first place — he’s a dynamic, athletic playmaker with an exceptional ability to run an offense.
About his size
Their words don’t address the size concerns surrounding Murray. Those questions won’t be answered until he takes the field against live NFL defenses actually intent on inflicting pain.
But the stigma around size with NFL quarterbacks has dramatically changed in recent years.
Where Doug Flutie was a one-off in his era, smaller quarterbacks have shown tremendous success in recent years.
Drew Brees is listed a 6-foot and 209 pounds and has a Super Bowl ring and a first-ballot induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame awaiting him. Russell Wilson is 5-11 and 206 pounds and has played in a pair of Super Bowls, winning one.
Baker Mayfield, who won the Heisman Trophy at Oklahoma a year before Murray did, had one of the best rookie campaigns in NFL quarterback history last season standing at 6-1 and 209 pounds.
These guys are good. And they’re not big.
Murray will have to prove it on the field
But Murray will further test the limits of quarterback size while heaped with an enormous amount of pressure as the No. 1 overall pick.
By most accounts he’s got all of the necessary tools to succeed. And he’s made two of the game’s best players believers.
But until he proves it on the field, doubts will continue to linger about his size.
More from Yahoo Sports:
