Georgia Football: 5 Things Aaron Murray Must Do to Become a First Round Pick

By (Featured Columnist) on January 31, 2013

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Aaron Murray will have several goals set for himself and for his team when the 2013 season begins in September.

The obvious goals are winning the SEC East, winning the conference and playing for a national title which is the reason why Murray returned for his final year of eligibility.

But there's another reason why Murray is back and it has to do with the NFL Draft.

When he was graded by the pro scouts, he received a second-third round grade, which means that he would likely be picked in the second day of the draft.

That is not bad, but there's no doubt he would like to be a first round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft.

Here are five things Murray has to do to make this happen.

Improve Accuracy

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Murray's completion percentage was on point in 2012, completing 64 percent of his passes which led to an efficiency rating of 174.8.

He has improved in this category each year, and there is no reason he would drop off in 2013.

But with the talent he has coming back on offense including wide receivers Malcolm Mitchell and Michael Bennett, pro scouts will expect him to have a better completion percentage because the NFL quarterback has to be able to be on point with his throws in order to convert third downs as well as controlling the clock.

Quick Delivery

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One of the things Murray tends to do is hold on to the ball longer than he should which leads to sacks.

Today's NFL quarterback has to be able to get the football out of his hands as soon as he finishes his three, five or seven-step dropback because the defenders are a lot faster than they have been in the past and will get their hands on a QB if the ball is still in pocket more than three seconds.

Murray has gotten away with it during his time in Athens, but that is one thing he needs to work on this year in order to get ready for the speed of the NFL.

Limit Turnovers

The one thing Murray tends to do more than he wants is turn the ball over more than he would like.

In 2012, Murray threw 10 picks, which is much better than the 14 he threw in 2011.

Of the 10 interceptions he threw, three of them came against Florida and two came against Nebraska in the Capital One Bowl.

In the bigger games, Murray will tend to force throws in order to make big plays.

Murray needs to make better decisions this season to show scouts he is able to make the right decisions and not make costly errors.

Play Bigger

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This may sound strange, but Murray has to play bigger than what he already is.

Standing at 6'1'', 211 pounds, Murray is not the prototypical size for an NFL quarterback.

However, his game does resemble New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees when he played at Perdue.

Murray just needs to continue to keep his eyes downfield and stand tall in the pocket. If he does that, more scouts and NFL teams will think Murray could have a very bright future in the pro game.

Win, Win, Win

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The one thing that has plagued Murray the last three seasons is not being able to win big games.

He did have a a huge win against Florida this past season and was five yards away from winning the SEC title. But for the most part, when Murray is in a situation where he has to perform well in a game with postseason implications, he does not do as well as many would hope.

In the NFL winning is the most important stat for a quarterback. If a quarterback can't help a team win, they will be out of a job in a hurry.

Murray has to show that he is able to win the big games consistently and that he can perform well while doing it.

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