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Kyler Murray Reportedly Has Interest from Raiders, Redskins amid Cardinals Buzz
March 6, 2019
Interest in 2018 Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray is heating up ahead of the 2019 NFL draft.
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Clarence Hill Jr. reported Wednesday the Oakland Raiders and Washington Redskins both have Murray on their radar, joining the Arizona Cardinals as interested teams. Hill added that Raiders head coach Jon Gruden "is all over" the Oklahoma Sooners star.
The Cardinals selected quarterback Josh Rosen with the 10th overall pick in the 2018 draft, but NFL Network's Charley Casserly reported Arizona is engaging with other teams about a potential trade involving Rosen.
By dealing Rosen, the Cardinals would clear the path for Murray to be the No. 1 selection.
Should Arizona pass on Murray, the Raiders would be well-positioned to get him in the first round. They own the No. 4 pick, and neither of the teams between them and the Cardinals—the San Francisco 49ers and New York Jets—is in need of a young quarterback.
Of course, another team could move up and select Murray before Oakland, which would be another cruel blow for sports fans in the Bay Area after he spurned the Oakland Athletics.
If Washington covets Murray, it will likely have to trade up to draft him. In his most recent mock draft, Bleacher Report's Matt Miller projected Murray to Arizona at No. 1. Washington has the 15th overall pick, so it almost certainly couldn't stand pat and have a chance to land him.
Doug Williams, the team's senior vice president of player personnel, went on the record last week to dismiss the possibility that Washington trades up in the first round for a quarterback.
"That's not something that we even talked about in this time," he told reporters. "We got a lot more needs on this football team than to say we can give up two or three picks and say 'pick one guy' and think we're going to have a football team that we hope to have."
That could be typical predraft subterfuge, but Williams is correct that Washington has a number of areas to address on its roster. Alex Smith's recovery from a broken tibia and fibula necessitates the addition of another passer this offseason. However, paying the price necessary to get Murray could be counterproductive in Washington's case.