Last week, Bleacher Report released a polarizing article with not-so kind words for Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray.
Until he potentially goes elsewhere, Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray will always have his backers. And while Murray has shown dazzling potential multiple times throughout his four-year career, giving us flashes with no prolonged success is not enough for a former number one overall pick.
Look at the top picks from 2020 and 2021 in Joe Burrow and Trevor Lawrence. Both have already led their respective teams to playoff wins and Burrow led his Cincinnati Bengals to the Super Bowl just two seasons ago.
But it’s not just former number one overall picks, it’s first round picks. Kenny Pickett (2022) led the Pittsburgh Steelers to a winning record, and he finished the year 7-5. Baker Mayfield, Josh Allen, and Lamar Jackson (2018) have all won playoff games. Even Daniel Jones (2019) has seen postseason success.
DeShaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes (2017) have seen success in this league. Even Jared Goff and Carson Wentz (2016) did more than Murray early in their respective careers. Only Paxton Lynch (2016), Mitchell Trubisky (2017), and Josh Rosen (2018) have done less.
Arizona Cardinals quarterback has been pedestrian, at best
I’ll leave the jury out on the likes of Mac Jones, Zach Wilson, and Trey Lance (all 2021) for the time being, given their limited respective sample sizes. Ditto for Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert (both 2020), since they only have three seasons of experience. But you get the point.
At best, Murray ranks ahead of three of the quarterbacks listed above drafted between 2016 and 2019. And that’s a bad look overall for a team that looks as though it’s developing in 2023 for 2024 and beyond.
Considering the names above, it’s hard to wonder why so many still believe Murray isn’t overrated. And we haven’t even touched on successful quarterbacks drafted after the first round between 2016 and 2022, including Dak Prescott, Jalen Hurts, and Brock Purdy, among others.
Sure, you can argue that they’ve had better football teams and coaches. But as a number one pick, Murray is expected to make his offense better regardless. So why do many in the desert and some in the NFL universe still rate him so highly? Here are three potential reasons.