The New York Giants might select a quarterback in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft, but don’t bank on them picking reigning Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray at No. 6 overall.
Murray, a two-sport athlete, announced Monday he plans to pursue an NFL career rather than report to spring training with Major League Baseball’s Oakland Athletics. The Oklahoma Sooners star could be drafted in the first round, especially with so few solid QB prospects available, but a team source told SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano that Murray is “probably a little too small” for the Giants.
Murray is listed at 5-foot-10 and 195 pounds, and even that seems generous. According to Vacchiano, the Giants prefer to stick to established measurables they have for a prototypical quarterback, and Murray falls short in that regard.
Thus, the Giants might eye Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins (6-foot-3), Missouri’s Drew Lock (6-foot-4) or Duke’s Daniel Jones (6-foot-5) if they decide to target Eli Manning’s successor in Round 1. Giants head coach Pat Shermur even admitted last April he prefers taller QBs, and New York’s track record speaks for itself.
Here’s more from Vacchiano:
Eli Manning is 6-foot-4. His predecessor, Kerry Collins, was 6-foot-5. Even the long list of quarterbacks before him – like Danny Kanell (6-foot-3), Kent Graham (6-foot-6) and Dave Brown (6-foot-5) – were taller than 6-foot-2. Phil Simms was even 6-foot-3.
In fact, the Giants haven’t had a starting quarterback under six feet tall since the 5-foot-11 Gary Wood took over for Earl Morrall and went 0-6 during the 1966 season.
Obviously, things could change. Maybe Murray, who was selected by the A’s in the first round of the 2018 MLB Draft before opting for football, will impress the Giants — and others — at the NFL Scouting Combine and/or his Pro Day.
But Murray landing with the G-Men would be surprising, even though Manning’s continued regression makes it fair to assume New York will address its quarterback situation in the upcoming draft.
