"Aaron Murray should be the #1 pick in the NFL draft...

[bcaff]

because he's the best pro-style quarterback coming out of college." Said one of my coworkers who is a mutt fan. I completely disagree with this and there's no way this would ever happen. Even if he hadn't gotten hurt at the end of the season, he's still too short and slow for any NFL team to pick him up anywhere near the 1st round. But I think this opinion brings up a few interesting questions:

a) Who do you think is the best "pro-style" QB in the draft? It's hard to argue that Aaron Murray wasn't successful at UGA, but I think AJ McCarron, Teddy Bridgewater and Derek Carr are all better NFL prospects then he is.

b) Do you think NFL takes size too much into account? Russell Wilson and Drew Brees have both shown that you can be successful without prototypical size. I do think that lack of height can be an impediment and a player is better off by being a few inches taller. However, like both of these guys, a QB has to have many attributes that make up for the lack of height.

c) Do you think the NFL takes injuries too much into account? A players draft stock will fall significantly if a player gets hurt. A team doesn't want to risk a high draft pick on a player who has the risk of injury. However, players are recovering from injuries much faster recently as medical science keeps on advancing. If Manziel or Bridgewater was hurt, would a team spend a high draft round pick on them?

d) Who would you pick with the 1st pick in this draft? Do you think a team should always pick a QB first or should it be based on team needs? Would you trade your pick?

Let me know what you think.

 

[GT_Johnnybodkin]

a) I think the best pro-style QB is teddy bridgewater. However, I think Aaron Murray is easily better than AJ McCarron.
b) I don't think height is a problem- both of the QBs you mentioned have great arms and are surrounded by elite talent
c) No i think injuries are a big deal but not for a QB... I would have had a hard time drafting Marcus Lattimore
d) Teddy Bridgewater or J. Clowney

 

[bat_082994]

A) IMO this isn't a terrific class for QB. Because of this I would take Blake Bortles over any of the other QBs in this class.
B) To an extent height does matter. While there are guys like Wilson and Breeds that did make it at QB, there are countless others who don't and ultimately move to WR. Whether this happens in the transition to the NFL or prior to that is different for every situation.
C) Depends on the injury
D) Clowney unless I need a QB, then Bortles.
I also think you're underrating Aaron Murray. If it weren't for his ACL injury, I'd take him over quite a few QBs in this class including Manziel and Bridgewater. He has sneaky quickness that could have been used better than it was at uga. Of course, that's how he got hurt IIRC

 

[TampaGT]

A) Jimmy Garoppolo
B) Height is not a problem as long as they have a strong arm and can move around in the pocket
C) With the amount of $ at the top end of the draft it is hard not to blame to stay away from injuries.
D) No Qb in this draft is worth the 1st overall. I would take JC or trade and load up on pick since they have a few holes to fill.

 

[gtg936g]

Maybe I am totally slighted in my opinion, but I do not see him being drafted.

 

[gtdrew]

a) Blake Bortles or Teddy B.
b) Being short makes it tougher to succeed in the NFL, but it's not a deal-breaker.
c) No. I think what NFL teams do with their money is their business. It's like buying a car that's been in an accident. That doubt is always there.
d) I'd try to trade down. I think you can get three elite players if you had three picks in the first two rounds. If I were the Falcons, I'd try to trade back to about 15. Get Zack Martin (OL), Kony Ealy (LB), and David Yankey (OL).

 

[bat_082994]

Maybe I am totally slighted in my opinion, but I do not see him being drafted.

I think he ends up being a mid to late round pick with the injury. Had he not gotten hurt, I would say surefire mid round with a chance to go early, especially with this years QB class

 

[takethepoints]

I played a game with myself on this before the season started: did Murray remind me of any starting QB in my memory - and it's a long one.

The answer is no and the reason is his arm. I've seen QBs as immobile as Murray succeed: Sonny Jurgenson was slow as Christmas. I've seen QBs as short as Murray succeed: Drew Brees and, going back some, Joe Montana. But, as long as I can remember, there wasn't a prominent NFL QB who was as immobile and as short as Murray who didn't have a really good arm. The one with about the same arm strength who succeeded - Fran Tarkenton, say - were all much more mobile. Further, today the league is favoring mobile QBs, no matter what their size.

I think he's a mid-round pick and that he'll never start for an NFL team. He could have a long career as a backup, however; he is that good.

 

[gtg936g]

We will all be complaining about his poor commentating in 5 years.

I just do not see why he is a take except as a free agent. He has a decent arm, but in the era of mobile precise QBs, I do not see where he fits in.

 

[CobbTech]

Where is everyone getting the idea that Murray is slow and/or immobile? He's very athletic and runs pretty well. He'll do just fine but will probably drop significantly due to his injury. But to answer the questions:

A. Teddy Bridgewater
B. If you lack size, you better make up for it in other areas. Wilson is small but he's thick, athletic, fast, intelligent, poised and has a great arm. Not to mention a great roster around him.
C. You have to take injuries into account, especially a knee injury.
D. You draft by need. If you have Julio Jones and issues on the offensive and defensive line but Sammy Watkins is the best player available, you don't take Watkins. I would either trade down, like others have said, and get more picks or I would take Clowney and solidify an already good defense. They were 7th in total defense last year. Clowney and JJ Watt? Wow. If you trade down, I would take an offensive linemen because that was probably their worst unit last year. Houston fans are ready for the Schaub era to be over but if I'm Texans fans, I wouldn't exactly be fired up about Bridgewater, Manziel or Bortles.

 

[bat_082994]

Where is everyone getting the idea that Murray is slow and/or immobile? He's very athletic and runs pretty well. He'll do just fine but will probably drop significantly due to his injury. But to answer the questions:

I think the biggest thing is that until his senior year Richt didn't really let Murray run it a whole lot. I'm with you though. Murray isn't a sitting duck in the pocket like some other QBs are. And what he adds to that is his intelligence of the game. He may have gone to uga, but he is actually a pretty smart guy. My sister works as an academic adviser for the athletic association. She's never actually met Murray, because he's never had to go.

 

[Yoda]

Aaron Murray was a helluva QB. He was a leader that won a lot of games. Why does this make him any different than a David Greene or Major Applewhite?

 

[Rodney Kent]

I would take Blake Bortles. He appears to have a strong leadership ability that would set well with the other pro playes. Some of these quarterbacks are too flashy and mouthy and might not do well in meshing with the pro team members. Even if Bortles did not become the starter on a team, he appears to have the intestinal fortitude to become a good leader as well as a steady quarterback. I believe he is the kind of QB that just gets the job done withour trying to be flashy or obnoxious. Also, the front office may have an easier time negotiating a contract with Bortles.

 

[GT Man]

Murray sucks and his team sucks. THWG

 

[Legal Jacket]

because

he's the best pro-style quarterback coming out of college." Said one of my coworkers who is a mutt fan. I completely disagree with this and there's no way this would ever happen. Even if he hadn't gotten hurt at the end of the season, he's still too short and slow for any NFL team to pick him up anywhere near the 1st round. But I think this opinion brings up a few interesting questions:

a) Who do you think is the best "pro-style" QB in the draft? It's hard to argue that Aaron Murray wasn't successful at UGA, but I think AJ McCarron, Teddy Bridgewater and Derek Carr are all better NFL prospects then he is.

b) Do you think NFL takes size too much into account? Russell Wilson and Drew Brees have both shown that you can be successful without prototypical size. I do think that lack of height can be an impediment and a player is better off by being a few inches taller. However, like both of these guys, a QB has to have many attributes that make up for the lack of height.

c) Do you think the NFL takes injuries too much into account? A players draft stock will fall significantly if a player gets hurt. A team doesn't want to risk a high draft pick on a player who has the risk of injury. However, players are recovering from injuries much faster recently as medical science keeps on advancing. If Manziel or Bridgewater was hurt, would a team spend a high draft round pick on them?

d) Who would you pick with the 1st pick in this draft? Do you think a team should always pick a QB first or should it be based on team needs? Would you trade your pick?

Let me know what you think.

a) Murray isn't even close to the top. Bridgewater is it by far. Then Bortles, although not as polished, and Carr. I'd probably put Mettenberger, Murray, and McCarron all in the same range (3rd/4th round). Murray is certainly good, but he doesn't have great physical stats and his passing stats weren't quite as good as those of Bridgewater, Carr, etc.

b) A little bit. Russell Wilson is twice the athlete that Aaron Murray is. In terms of pocket passers, Brees is the exception rather than the rule. Aside from Brees, there aren't other recent QBs who are both short and can't make big plays with their feet like Vick (6'0) or Wilson. Artcile below has some interesting stats. QB rating under 6'2 fluctuates a lot, with 6-1 and 5-11 QBs having an average rating of under 72. The minimum average for a height 6-2 or over, though, is 76.3, and the rest are all over 77. So there is a statistical correlation between height and average rating, although the difference isn't that great.

http://www.coldhardfootballfacts.co...oes-height-matter-for-nfl-quarterbacks/22067/

c) not at all, especially with high (first or second round) picks. Look at Marcus Lattimore. There's a good chance that he may not ever be the same player again. There's also a good chance he gets hurt. Things like blown knees, especially for a RB, are a giant red flag. It's like buying a house - why would you spend money on a house that had severe (but supposedly fixed) roof problems when you can get another one that is just as good for the same price. The difference is guys like Bridgewater and Manziel are irreplaceable talents, where there isn't a house like them on the market. For guys like Murray, though, someone like McCarron is pretty close. If you were picking in the 3rd and had a choice between McCarron with a clean bill of health and Murray with a torn up knee, the choice is easy imo.

d) Not a fan of QB first picks. I'm a much bigger fan of team need. I wouldn't pick Clowney because of the work ethic questions, but if you have a need at DE he would be a good choice at #1. I like Jake Matthews a lot. To me, you want someone with very limited downside. Big offensive tackles I believe are typically the most sure thing you can get. Greg Robinson (6-5, 320) would be a good choice, but maybe at 5-6, not #1. While I think Sammy Watkins will be a good player, I'm not a fan of early picks on WRs that relied primarily on speed in college, since the DBs in the pros will be a lot faster. If it's someone like Calvin, who used speed, hands, jumping, and height, to be a badass that's one thing.

Really though, I would probably just take Matthews in this draft and then move on. He should have at least 10-13 years of being a dominant tackle in the pros.

 

[Legal Jacket]

Where is everyone getting the idea that Murray is slow and/or immobile? He's very athletic and runs pretty well. He'll do just fine but will probably drop significantly due to his injury. But to answer the questions:

A. Teddy Bridgewater
B. If you lack size, you better make up for it in other areas. Wilson is small but he's thick, athletic, fast, intelligent, poised and has a great arm. Not to mention a great roster around him.
C. You have to take injuries into account, especially a knee injury.
D. You draft by need. If you have Julio Jones and issues on the offensive and defensive line but Sammy Watkins is the best player available, you don't take Watkins. I would either trade down, like others have said, and get more picks or I would take Clowney and solidify an already good defense. They were 7th in total defense last year. Clowney and JJ Watt? Wow. If you trade down, I would take an offensive linemen because that was probably their worst unit last year. Houston fans are ready for the Schaub era to be over but if I'm Texans fans, I wouldn't exactly be fired up about Bridgewater, Manziel or Bortles.

Nobody is saying that he's slow or immobile, but he's nowhere near the mobility of Bridgewater, Wilson, or Manziel. Maybe he's similar to Brees in that regard, but Murray was not an agile out of the pocket kind of guy BEFORE the injury, and he's certainly not that now. He's not a statue like Manning, but you aren't going to run bootlegs with Murray either, which is the main way the Seahawks negate Wilson's short stature.

EDIT: Just saw one poster said he was immobile. I think most on here recognize that Murray isn't a bad athlete and that he's got some quickness.

 

[GTonTop88]

Murray was a really good college player, maybe a little bit of "product of the system" though. Im not sayin he wont ever start a NFL game, but it will be because of misfortune. Kinda reminds me of Case Keenum.

 

[vamosjackets]

This will be the easiest argument you'll ever win. Just say, "we'll see who's right on draft day."

 

[stylee]

Murray averaged more YPC than Vad this year...

 

[Mitch Matthews]

You get a little pressure on him and he is as inconsistent as it gets