The next step in Kyler Murray's football journey is the NFL Scouting Combine, which kicks off next week. The Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback isn't sure what his level of participation will be during the event.
Murray told reporters at the Davey O'Brien Awards banquet Monday he's not decided if he will participate in any of the on-field workouts, including throwing drills, per the Associated Press.
It's not unheard of for quarterbacks to decline to participate in the passing drill sessions. Some believe there is no upside to throwing during the combine given the setting and that the receivers are unfamiliar.
If Murray ultimately decides not to throw it would surely cause some to question his commitment to football and competitive nature (questioning a person's "competitiveness" is a classic NFL old school move to demean a player when he doesn't kowtow to the imposed process).
The personal meetings with teams will be key for Murray, who will need to display the type of next-level mental acumen on the whiteboard to affirm he's worth a first-round pick.
The 21-year-old quarterback could use the combine's on-field session to flash an NFL-ready arm and blazing speed, but the biggest questions will be answered when he steps on a scale.
On Monday, Murray addressed the biggest question scouts have heading into the combine: His size.
"I've been a 5-10 projected in the first (round), I mean, that's crazy to me, the fact that I'm already projected that high," Murray said. "I'm not over 6-foot. I haven't seen that since I've been alive."
The signal-caller insisted his size has never been an issue.
"I'm never the biggest guy on the football field," Murray said. "That's not the way I think, 'I'm the smallest guy on the field, I have to go out there and do this and do that.' I just go out there and play."
