Report: A’s expect OU’s Murray to enter NFL draft
Dan Graziano breaks down Kyler Murray’s decision to enter the NFL draft and discusses Murray’s increasing draft stock going forward. (1:12)
The Oakland A’s expect Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray to declare for the 2019 NFL draft before Monday’s deadline, the San Francisco Chronicle reports, citing multiple sources.
Murray, a two-sport star, was chosen by the A’s with the ninth pick of the MLB draft in 2018 and signed a $4.66 million contract in June that allowed him to play football for the Sooners for one final season before joining the A’s.
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Murray, 21, complicated things by leading Oklahoma to a 12-2 record and a spot in the College Football Playoff, winning the Heisman Trophy along the way.
ESPN draft experts Mel Kiper and Todd McShay have noted that Murray could be a first-round pick, and ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reported Wednesday that Murray was getting “first-round feedback” regarding the NFL.
Declaring for the draft would not guarantee that Murray would choose football, and the A’s would retain his professional rights, even if he tried the NFL first.
The A’s were told recently that Murray would not be going back to Oklahoma, sources tell ESPN’s Jeff Passan. The team still expects him to report to spring training in mid-February, and the plan is to keep him in major league camp until mid-March, when the A’s leave for Japan to start their season, sources said.
The plan is to have Murray start his professional career at Oakland’s high-A affiliate in Stockton, California, sources said.
Murray’s agent, Scott Boras, told ESPN on Wednesday night that his client “has a baseball contract.” Boras has been steadfast that Murray will play baseball now that Oklahoma’s football season is over.
Murray will need to make a decision in the next month. Spring training for the A’s opens on Feb. 15, and it seems unlikely that he would be able to prepare for football’s scouting combine at the same time as he was attending his first major league baseball camp.
Last month, on the eve of the Heisman ceremony, it was clear that Murray was torn about which sport he wanted to play.
“I’d like to do both if possible,” he said. “But I don’t know how possible that is.”
The Chronicle reported that one source told the paper Murray is leaning toward football.
After his team lost to Alabama in the College Football Playoff semifinal, Murray was mum about his future.
Several former MLB draft picks ultimately chose to pursue football full time, including Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston and Ricky Williams.