Kyler Cole Murray was born in August 1997 in Bedford, Texas. He is an American football quarterback who plays for the National Football League’s Arizona Cardinals. Murray played collegiate football at Oklahoma, where he won the Heisman Trophy as a junior after a spell with Texas A&M.

The Cardinals selected Murray first overall in the 2019 NFL Draft. In addition, the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball selected him ninth overall in the 2018 selection, making him the first player to be drafted in the first round in both sports.

Professional Career

Murray confirmed his intention to follow the 2019 NFL Draft in January 2019. However, he revealed on February 11 that he would be focusing on his football career instead of baseball. Murray’s decision to pursue a football career over a possible baseball career was criticized by some as a mistake due to his small stature compared to a typical NFL quarterback.

Murray was not expected to meet his listed height of 5’10” at the NFL Combine. “Because colleges frequently misrepresent measurements to make players more appealing to professional teams, Murray’s final height and weight were 5’10 1/8”. Russell Wilson, the starting quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks, is 6’2″ and 207 pounds.

2021 Season

Murray had 400 passing yards, 31 rushing yards, two interceptions, and four total touchdowns in Week 2 against the Minnesota Vikings. The Cardinals narrowly won 34–33 because the Vikings missed a field goal with three seconds left in the fourth quarter. For his Week 2 performance, he was voted NFC Offensive Player of the Week. Murray led the Cardinals to the best record in the NFC with a 7–0 record in 2021 before being injured in the last minute of the team’s Week 8 loss to the Green Bay Packers.

Murray finished the regular season in 2021 with 3,787 passing yards, 24 passing touchdowns, ten interceptions, and 88 carries for 423 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns in 14 games. Murray was also named to the Pro Bowl for the second year in a row.