Ranking Seahawks’ Russell Wilson among NFC West quarterbacks

4. Kyler Murray – Arizona Cardinals

Murray may one day be a great quarterback. But there are two reasons Murray went first overall in the 2019 NFL Draft. One was hype. There was so much momentum for Murray as the draft neared that Arizona almost had no choice but to take Murray first for fear it would be a mistake not to take him. But Murray only had one real year of being a starter in college and was going up against weak Big 12 defenses behind a great offensive line.

Things will be different with the Cardinals, especially early in his career. Arizona’s line is terrible. Besides Larry Fitzgerald, Murray doesn’t have a really good receiver to throw to. Of course, NFL defensive players are a lot faster than the ones Murray faced in college. Murray is not a big quarterback. He may have the same height as Wilson or (near) Baker Mayfield, but he doesn’t have the same build. I never want anyone to get injured, but Murray could take a lot of punishment in his first season.

The second reason Murray was taken first was that the NFL seems to finally be coming around to the fact that Russell Wilson is a really good quarterback even though he doesn’t fit the mold of what a classic NFL quarterback looks like. Wilson is relatively short and so is Murray. Both have the ability to escape the pass rush with their athleticism. And both have good arm strength.

But Wilson came into his rookie season having to prove himself and came in with a humble attitude. Murray doesn’t seem to have that. The NFL has a way of making young quarterbacks, no matter how much potential they have, be humbled. Just ask Josh Rosen.