NFL Draft results 2014: Aaron Murray joins Chiefs in 5th round
Aaron Murray fell to the Chiefs in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL Draft after finishing his career at Georgia as the SEC’s all-time leading passer.
Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports
NFL Draft results: Aaron Murray will be joining the Kansas City Chiefs after a long and prolific career with the Georgia Bulldogs. The SEC's all-time leading passer fell to the fifth round of the 2014 NFL Draft due to inevitable questions about his size, arm strength and injury history. In Kansas City, he'll compete for playing time with Tyler Bray and Chase Daniel behind Alex Smith.
By the numbers, Murray is one of the best quarterbacks in the draft. He finished his career with 13,166 yards and 121 touchdowns passing to 41 interceptions. Murray was named the starter as a redshirt freshman and threw for more than 3,000 yards in four consecutive seasons.
Aaron Murray
Murray’s star was arguably highest coming off his junior season, during which he threw for 3,893 yards and 36 touchdowns for a 174.8 quarterback rating -- all career highs. His senior season was a mild letdown by comparison. Murray threw for 3,075 yards and 26 touchdowns for a 158.8 quarterback rating. Worse, he missed two games due to a torn ACL against Kentucky, and his draft stock dropped accordingly.
Murray measured in at 6'0, 207 pounds at the NFL Combine, which is small by the prototypical NFL standard. Normally, that would be a big hindrance in the eyes of scouts, but lucky for him the mold has been broken by an NFL doppelganger. Tyler Green at Raiders blog Silver and Black Pride explains:
Aaron Murray is similar to Russell Wilson in that both would have likely been first-round picks had they been three inches taller. Even with Murray's height, he was projected to be a second- or third-round selection. But after he tore his ACL against Kentucky, his draft stock dropped significantly. If he can fully recover from his injury, a fourth-round pick would be a bargain for a player of his caliber.
Murray couldn’t participate at the combine because of his knee, but he was able to take part in Georgia’s pro day two months later. He shined, showing off a notably quick dropback under center six months after tearing his ACL. Murray moved around the pocket well, and reportedly threw several impressive deep balls against a brisk wind.
SB Nation had Murray as the No. 151 overall player on its top 200 big board, and ranked him as the ninth-best quarterback with this to say:
Because of his size, Murray needs to improve his ability to create throwing lanes and throw the ball from different arm slots. He gets too many passes batted down at the line of scrimmage. His lack of physical tools may limit his upside, but Murray looks to be at least a solid backup in the NFL.
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