Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Aaron Murray is ready to throw at his pro day on Wednesday, something many thought was out of the question at the beginning of the year. Murray had surgery to repair a torn ACL only five months ago, a surgery which normally takes well over six months to heal from.
Aaron Murray pro day: Georgia QB healed and ready to throw
Down in Athens, Murray is preparing to put on a show for curious NFL scouts.
Scott Cunningham
NFL Mock Draft
Murray, who starred for four seasons at Georgia, worked out for former NFL coach Jon Gruden at Gruden's QB camp, and impressed the Super Bowl winner, per USA Today.
“I just can’t tell you how amazing it is — his knee is almost completely healed,” Gruden said. “He’s going to be ready to go for training camp. I don’t think there’s any question.”
Throughout his career in the SEC, Murray made a habit of flying under the radar but compiling impressive stats. In his time with the Bulldogs, Murray had four seasons of over 3,000 passing yards while amassing 121 touchdowns against only 41 interceptions. Against Auburn this season, despite a very depleted receiving corps, Murray threw for 415 yards on 33 of 49 passing and a pair of scores in a narrow 43-38 defeat.
Heading into the draft, Murray is overshadowed by a quarterback class considered deep on talent but high on questions. Blake Bortles, Zach Mettenberger, Johnny Manziel, Teddy Bridgewater and Derek Carr are all almost unanimously rated above Murray. Still, some wonder if Murray could be the sleeper of the draft, including Gruden.
“I didn’t want to stress him that much because I realized he just had surgery,” Gruden said. “So I said, ‘What can’t you do?’ He said, ‘I’m full go. Let’s let it rip.’ He put a brace on. We threw him on the move, threw some awkward deliveries. I couldn’t have been more impressed.”
Photo credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Murray, 6'1 and 205 pounds, has already visited the Kansas City Chiefs, a potential fit for him. Kansas City has Alex Smith but only with a year left on his contract. Murray also has an interview scheduled with the Miami Dolphins, perhaps a Kirk Cousins-type situation there behind Ryan Tannehill.
For his pro day, Murray chose Terry Shea, a well-known quarterback coach, to put the script together. It will be a huge day for Murray, who can prove that his repaired knee is a thing of the past, something that won’t keep him from being on the field and taking live reps come July and August.
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