Ask Farrell: Should QB Kyler Murray consider NFL career?
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Before he won the Heisman Trophy earlier this month, Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray said he would like to play both professional baseball and football if possible – and that possibility looks stronger by the day.
Murray was the ninth overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft by the Oakland Athletics and he was awarded a signing bonus worth nearly $5 million. The understanding was that this would be his last season playing football and then he would transition over to baseball.
And then this season happened.
Murray has completed nearly 71 percent of his passes for 4,053 yards with 40 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He’s also third on the Sooners in rushing with 892 yards and 11 scores. Oklahoma is averaging nearly 50 points per game heading into its College Football Playoff matchup against top-seeded Alabama.
Last NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns selected former Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield with the first overall pick and that has worked out brilliantly this season. There were also significant questions about Mayfield’s size and his future success in the pros.
In a recent interview, ESPN Draft analyst Todd McShay said he thinks Murray could be a first-round NFL Draft pick. Mel Kiper, Jr. placed him in the second round. Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders played both baseball and football, and had great success. But neither was a quarterback. Furthermore, there are questions about Murray’s size, something neither of those other two players faced.
We ask Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell if he was advising Murray, would he tell him to stick only to baseball with the A’s, would he drop baseball and focus on a possibly bright NFL future, or would he tell him to seriously pursue playing both sports professionally.
“The logical answer, at least to me, is to stick to baseball because he’s so skilled in that sport and he can make a lot more money with less risk of injury. Yes, as a quarterback he could make major money in the NFL as well, but the risks are greater and the contracts aren’t as guaranteed.
"Murray should stick with his original plan and focus on baseball and have a great career. I’d love to tell him to do both, but I don’t think that’s possible at the quarterback position because so much goes into it. Stick with baseball Kyler and make your millions there.”
