Kyler Murray is riding the rollercoaster.
He was the tepid fourth-rated quarterback for the upcoming NFL Draft until measuring 5-feet-10 at the recent NFL Combine. Suddenly, critics saying he was too small vanished, and talk of Arizona trading last year’s first-round passer Josh Rosen to take Murray No. 1 overall surfaced.
But former Redskins and Texans general manager Charley Casserly fired a salvo on Tuesday. Now an NFL Network analyst, Casserly trashed the Heisman Trophy winner’s work habits and basically called him a bust in the making.
Full comments from @CharleyCasserly on Kyler Murray here: pic.twitter.com/tcUIckfGRU
— NFL Media (@NFLMedia) March 5, 2019“(Murray) better hope (Kliff) Kingsbury takes him No. 1 because (the Combine) was not good," Casserly said. "These were the worst comments I ever got on a high-rated quarterback and I’ve been doing this a long time. Leadership – not good. Study habits – not good. The board work – below not good. Not good at all in any of those areas, raising major concerns about what this guy is going to do.
“Now, people will say we’re going to compare him to (Patrick) Mahomes. We’re going to run an offense like Mahomes. We’re going to run an offense like Baker Mayfield. ... But those guys are much different. Those guys, you never questioned them about their ability on the board. You never questioned their leadership ability, their work habits. They were outstanding in those areas. This guy is not outstanding in those areas and it showed up in the interview.”
I’ve known Charley Casserly since 1995. He doesn’t publicly trash people. Casserly can be blunt, but he’s always fair. To hear someone who started in the NFL under George Allen in the 1970s and always limits his public remarks go after Murray, that’s not just a red flag, it’s a do-not-resuscitate order.
Arizona is on the clock for the No. 1 pick, and the Cardinals better see Murray as he is not as they want him to be, because a bad attitude is something that can’t be fixed. Ask the many coaches who lived with Jeff George, Jay Schroeder, Ryan Leaf or so many other busts.
The NFL isn’t about who has the best arm. It’s about who works hardest. Puts in the time. Works well with others. Essentially, everything Casserly was told by NFL execs that Murray didn’t show in the Combine interviews.
The first warning sign was Murray’s terrible interview with Dan Patrick at the Super Bowl. That really raised some eyebrows. Now the whole league has noticed. Still, it may not matter greatly. It only takes one team to believe in Murray.
But supposed that team becomes the Redskins at No. 15 when others have passed on the rookie. Washington’s track record ignoring warning signals is pretty poor. If Murray falls to them, it may not be a gift, but a gag.
Rick Snider has covered Washington sports since 1978. Follow him on Twitter: @Snide_Remarks.
