Ranking the Arizona Cardinals 2019 rookies off of their NFL comparisons

1. Kyler Murray – QB

Player comparisons: Russell Wilson (Lance Zierlien, Doug Farrar, Charlie Campbell), Steve Young (Ryan Wilson), Michael Vick (Todd McShay)

This is a no-brainer; when you’re compared to a Hall of Famer, a probable Hall of Famer, and a generational player that changed the way the game is played, you tend to get first on these types of lists. Despite being just 5-foot-10, and not being in contention to be the top pick until months before the draft, Murray earned top-notch comparisons from dozens of draft experts.

All three of the comparisons, along with Murray have a very similar skillset. All are undersized dual-threat quarterbacks that can score in a flash with their legs or their arms. Ryan Wilson of CBS compared Murray to 49ers’ great Steve Young, saying;

"I’ll admit I wasn’t scouting Young when he came out of BYU after the 1983 season. In fact, I wasn’t alive yet. But I do remember the way he could take over a game with pinpoint accuracy or as a scrambler in the NFL. Murray only showed it for one year in college, but I truly believe he has “take over the game” type skills as a refined passer and runner. Young was pretty unique. So is Murray."

While Wilson may prove to be right with this comparison (hopefully he is), personally, I tend to agree with Farrar, Zierlein, and Campbell in their comparison to Russell Wilson. Like Wilson, Murray is undersized, but they share far more similarities beyond size.

Both Wilson and Murray are excellent anticipatory deep ball quarterbacks, both are also accurate, both also have pocket poise, and, of course, the two possess the rare speed to run laps around defenders. Luckily, for football fans everywhere, we will get to see the two face each other twice a year, which should tell us if the comparison is accurate or not.

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