Based On Stats, Kyler Murray Is By Far The Best Quarterback Available In The 2019 NFL Draft

Trey Daubert/College Football, NFL, NFL Draft/March 2, 2019

The 2019 NFL Draft has a lot of themes. One of those themes is it’s going to be a tricky quarterback class to follow. Kyler Murray, Drew Lock, and Dwayne Haskins are the top three guys. Then there is the group of Daniel Jones, Jarrett Stidham, Will Grier, and Ryan Finely. There’s a lot of depth but is there a star? We do have one piece of evidence, however. Based on pure college statistics, Kyler Murray is by far the best quarterback.

Kyler Murray won the Heisman trophy for a reason. While that hasn’t been a great forecaster for NFL success, Murray was awesome at Oklahoma. He was better than everyone else too.

Murray: 69%, 4,361 yards, 42 TD, 7 INT, 11.6 YPA, 199.2 Rating

Haskins: 70%, 4,831 yards, 50 TD, 8 INT, 9.1 YPA, 174.1 Rating
Lock: 62.9%, 3,498 yards, 28 TD, 8 INT, 8 YPA, 147.7 Rating
Grier: 67%, 3,864 yards, 37 TD, 8 INT, 9.7 YPA, 175.5 Rating

Stidham: 60.7%, 2,794 yards, 18 TD, 5 INT, 7.9 YPA, 137.7 Rating
Finley: 67.4%, 3,928 yards, 25 TD, 11 INT, 8.1 YPA, 148 Rating

But what about the Big 12? Well, Haskins is the only quarterback that is close but Haskins actually led the country in one stat. His receivers compiled more yards after the catch than any other team in the country. Haskins average depth of target was 7.9 yards which ranks 13th in his own Conference. His receivers like Parris Campbell and others just took a lot of short passes to the house to up his passing yards. Murray’s depth of target was 12 yards down the field per pass.

I’m a fan of Lock who is a 4-year starter and had real production in a real conference. Look at what Lock did a year ago compared to Stidham. Lock also had a goofy 44 touchdowns in the SEC the year prior. The fact of the matter is that nobody stacks up to Murray throwing the ball. That’s not including his rushing ability. Murray is obviously the best rushing threat of any of these guys.

The 2019 NFL Scouting Combine Official Preview

With the combine set to get underway, a lot of conversation is going to focus on Murray’s hand size and height. Whether that question is fair or unfair, Murray has shown the ability to be an elite thrower of the football. Is that enough to overcome his size? That remains to be seen. Just don’t forget about how good Murray is.