New England Patriots rumors: Why Kyler Murray could impact team’s future

Heisman winner Kyler Murray has decided to enter the NFL Draft rather than pursue a career in baseball, which could actually impact the New England Patriots draft outlook in a huge way.

In case you’re unaware, Tom Brady is old. He is actually 41 years old to be exact. Although TB12 is still playing at such a high level, it is clear that he can’t play forever. The New England Patriots need to look for the next franchise quarterback that can be mentored by Brady.

That may just happen in the 2019 Draft, and it all starts with Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray. The Patriots may not necessarily select the Heisman Trophy winner in April’s draft, but that doesn’t mean the impact of him coming out isn’t monumental.

It was assumed by nearly every expert analyst before the season that Murray would play his season at Oklahoma, and then forgo a professional baseball career.

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The Oakland Athletics selected him with the 9th pick in last years draft, and it was easy to just say that all the cards lined up in favor of him joining the minor leagues at the end of the football season. However, that was before everyone watched him play.

Murray was on another level at Oklahoma. He ran Lincoln Riley‘s air attack to perfection and even improved upon stats of the Sooners QB before him in Baker Mayfield. It was clear despite his stature that Murray was a fantastic player, and his skills could translate to the next level.

With top quarterback prospect Justin Herbert returning to Oregon, it was said by many draft experts that this would be a weak class at the signal caller position However with the addition of Murray, that can make for some interesting draft day scenarios.

Murray is a projected a late first round pick, but it is clear he will go before that. There are not many QB needy teams at the top of the draft, but just like any year teams can move up and try to secure they get the man they want for the future of their franchise.

Kyler Murray then gives a team that has a hole at the QB a better option than those before him, which thus increases the chance one could fall in the Pats lap.

Options for the New England Patriots

The top of this years draft class as far as quarterbacks go is far from a sure thing. Dwayne Haskins is number one on most draft analysts big boards due to his intangibles and how well he played at Ohio State over the last season.

However, his lack of experience is a major doubt, and in most years would probably be a late first-round pick who will almost certainly go in the top 5 of the upcoming draft.

Taking that into consideration, the rest of the places where quarterbacks are drafted will be skewed. With Murray coming into the draft though, it may balance it out a bit. Quarterbacks like Nick Foles and Joe Flacco on the market means that teams may be reluctant wasting such a high pick on a signal-caller in a class that is very “potential” based.

The New England Patriots can either trade up for Murray or stay pat at the back end of the first round and take another QB. Trading for Murray would be very possible because as of now the New England Patriots have 12 picks in the draft. That gives them plenty of ammo to move up to around top 15 to get Kyler. The main issue with Kyler Murray is height. He is listed at 5″11 but most scouts say he is actually closer to about 5″8. I don’t think height matters nearly as much as it used to in the NFL.

Players can throw the ball at more unique angles than ever before, play out of the shotgun more often, and throw the ball at an average further distance than just a decade ago. With West Coast and vertical offenses far more present, it allows the quarterback to be able to use his arms and leg more than any other decade before, which unless excessively short, won’t really affect the quarterback as it once did.

Staying pat could also work as this class has some potential “diamond in the rough” candidates. While watching tape on prospects, one player that jumped off the screen was Missouri’s, Drew Locke. He has a complete cannon of an arm, and one of the prettiest deep balls you will ever see from a prospect. His main issue was consistency, but since he has so much potential probably would have been a high pick in the draft. Murray being better though, drops Locke’s stock quite a bit and means a team like the Patriots can be the beneficiaries.

All and all, the New England Patriots need to start looking for a future plan. This team needs to value the experience a young player could learn from Tom Brady, and how important waiting a year or two is in developing a quarterback.

Kyler Murray’s career decision to play football should be looked at with great excitement by the Patriots, as drafting him or allowing a prospect to fall into their laps could mean the current success of the franchise lives on.