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No Clear Weakness In Kyler Murray's Skillset

Diminutive quarterback has elite combination of arm talent and speed

QB Kyler Murray can attack defenses with his arm and his legs
QB Kyler Murray can attack defenses with his arm and his legs

Kyler Murray is one of the smallest quarterbacks to ever enter the NFL, and in order to succeed professionally, the No. 1 overall pick must prove that his diminutive stature won't lead to durability or field vision issues.

But when it comes to pure skill, Murray is unique because it's hard to identify a weakness in his game, according to Pro Football Focus.

The analytics site evaluated 25 quarterback prospects in their NFL draft guide preview, and with every other signal-caller found something that was not exceptional.

Dwayne Haskins, for instance, was below average in big-time throws and mobility compared the rest of the draft class. Daniel Jones was middling in deep passes and avoiding turnover-worthy plays. Drew Lock was above average in everything, but his intermediate passes, mobility and adjusted completion percentage were not elite.

When Pro Football Focus evaluated Murray, he scored at the top of the charts in all 10 of their categories: passing grade, rushing grade, short passes, intermediate passes, deep passes, against the blitz, against pressure, big-time throws, avoiding turnover-worthy plays and adjusted completion percentage.

While it's an exciting proposition, there are caveats to point out: Firstly, Murray only started for one season in college, so the sample size was limited. Secondly, it was an ideal situation in 2018, as Murray was surrounded by a talented supporting cast and played in a scheme well-tailored to his abilities at Oklahoma. Third and most importantly, players in the NFL are faster and the schemes more exotic, so some of those categories probably won't glow as much with the Cardinals.

Even so, the combination of game-changing speed and special arm talent allows for an extremely high ceiling, and if Murray reaches it, the offense will be in great shape for years to come.

Images of the 11 players selected by the Cardinals in this year's draft

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