Arizona Cardinals: Evaluating the pros and cons of Kyler Murray

Con: He’s raw

For as good as Murray is, there is still a lot of room to grow. No, I’m not talking about his build (yet), I’m talking about his mechanics. He’s the very opposite of Josh Rosen in this category. Whereas Rosen excels due to his mechanics, Murray has a ways to go in that department.

One of Murray’s biggest knocks is his footwork. This is a common theme amongst dual-threat quarterbacks, Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson and Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson both come to mind. Like Murray, both are talented runners, but they often get themselves in trouble behind the line of scrimmage due to sporadic steps in the pocket.

The thing about Murray is that he is excellent under pressure, which I will get to soon. But, he often tries to escape the pocket to make a play instead of taking proper steps to make a slightly pressured pocket more manageable. That style of play left him susceptible to hits in college and will do the same while in the NFL.

Mechanically, another issue of Murray’s game comes on his throwing motion. While he has a naturally gifted arm, his throwing motion and release are a bit inconsistent. However, those inconsistencies could be due to the weak base that Murray sets up for himself in large part due to that scattered footwork.