ESPN pundit Stephen A. Smith recently had a scorching hot take about Kyler Murray.
Murray continues to be the talk of the sports world as he figures out whether he’ll be playing pro football or baseball next season. Well, the ESPN host seems to believe Murray could be a Pro Bowl caliber quarterback in the NFL right now.
“You’re better than about 20, 25 quarterbacks right now in the National Football League. Let’s just get that out of the way,” Smith said during a conversation with the Oklahoma Sooners Heisman winner Friday.
Look, I like Murray a lot. I think he’s incredibly talented, but this is an absurdly stupid thing for Smith to say.
Do I think the dual-threat gunslinger could start in the NFL as a rookie? Absolutely. There’s no doubt at all in my mind. He’s got a big arm, he’s fast as all hell and he can make plays. (RELATED: Jon Gruden Sounds Very Impressed By Kyler Murray, Isn’t Worried About His Size)
He didn’t win the Heisman by accident. He won it because he can ball out.
However, I highly doubt Murray would be a top 10 quarterback in the league from his first snap. That’s just absurd.
Has there ever been a rookie QB in recent memory that was a top 12 or top 7 player in the league at the position? I really don’t think so.
The sport is just way too difficult to grasp for rookies.
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Will Murray be a very talented player in the NFL if he chooses that path? Absolutely, but he isn’t going to be a top 10 player on his first day. It’s just not going to happen.