We are only three months removed from Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray being viewed strictly as an Oakland Athletics baseball prospect, but he is now viewed as a strong candidate to go No. 1 in the 2019 NFL Draft. He checked some key physical boxes last week at the NFL Combine, and the buzz is pushing his chances higher and higher.
On Monday, FanDuel Sportsbook installed Ohio State edge rusher Nick Bosa as the favorite to go No. 1 overall next month, at +110. Murray was second with +160 odds, followed by Alabama defensive tackle Quinnen Williams at +450. By late Monday, FanDuel dropped Murray’s odds to even with Bosa at +110, per ESPN’s Ben Fawkes.
FanDuel has dropped the odds due to an influx of money on Murray. They do not think his chances improved between Monday morning and Monday afternoon, but rather are looking to offset as much of the Murray liability as they can.
The Arizona Cardinals hold the No. 1 overall pick a year after trading a third and fifth round pick to the Oakland Raiders to move up from No. 15 to No. 10 in order to draft quarterback Josh Rosen. They would seemingly be out of the QB market, but new head coach Kliff Kingsbury is a Murray fan. Last October, while coaching at Texas Tech, Kingsbury gushed about Murray and said he would select him with the first pick in the draft if he could.
Cardinals general manager Steve Keim holds personnel power, but he and ownership decided that Kingsbury is the guy they want coaching this team. Kingsbury was brought in because of his offensive mind. If he thinks he can mold Rosen like Sean McVay has done with Jared Goff, so be it. But if Kingsbury thinks Rosen can’t hack it and Murray is the guy he wants, Arizona has to think long and hard about what they want to do.
We have a little under two months until the 2019 NFL Draft gets going and we find out the Cardinals’ decision. The rumors and speculation will continue thanks in no small part to the Cardinals’ brain trust. Keim described Rosen as their quarterback “right now,” and draft analyst Tony Pauline is reporting that Kingsbury was telling people on Saturday at the combine that Murray to the Cardinals is a “done deal.”
It could all be BS to generate some interest in the pick, and until they start shopping Rosen, we’re left to wait and wonder. But I would not be surprised if come late April, Murray is the betting favorite to go No. 1. There’s not much value at this point on the wager, but if you think odds will in fact continue dropping, it might be worth a modest investment.