Kyler Murray was the #1 overall pick in the 2019 draft and was an incredible pick by the Arizona Cardinals. Once a franchise without an identity and a QB is no longer, as they have direction and a star. He is one of the most electric quarterbacks in the NFL and he’s a player who’s become an emerging superstar. He’s a stud, and he’s someone who in 2020 will take a step towards absolute stardom.
Kyler Murray Had an Incredible Rookie Season
In 2019 Kyler Murray’s success was so underappreciated even though he won Offensive Rookie of the Year. He had posted 20 TDs and 12 INTs with a 64.4% completion percentage and was 9th in Total Expected Clutch Points Added (EPA). He also had also had 553 yards and 4 TDs on the ground as a runner, despite how awful his O-line was. He was able to be successful as he was with the 26th ranked pass protection according to Football Outsiders. Murray is one of the best young studs in the league, but what makes him so good?
Kyler Murray’s Best Attributes
When you talk about speed and arm talent, Kyler Murray is a premier prospect. He can move around in the pocket and can make smart passes. According to Next Gen metrics, he was 8th in the expected completion percentage at 65.9% which is 1.5% better than his real completion percentage. The Arizona Cardinals didn’t have a bad receiving core, however, they did a lot to help Murray out in terms of giving him options. He is an elusive QB who has a great arm and it makes their offense modern and more mobile especially with Kliff Kingsbury at the helm with his air raid offense.
Speaking of help, who on the Cardinals can help him evolve this offense?
Impact Player Who Will Help Murray Emerge
I think the obvious choice is DeAndre Hopkins, who’s a top 3 WR in the league and arguably the best. Since 2017 D-Hop is averaging 1,371 yards a season and 1,431 yards per 16 games. He’s also got a 64.7 catch percentage and 31 TDs in 3 seasons. He’s going to be a safe target for Kyler Murray and will help him complete deep throws. While he’s a very obvious choice to help Kyler, there’s another player who’s going to help him a ton.
Sneaky Good Player on the Cardinals
Kenyan Drake came over in a deal with the Dolphins and rushed for 643 yards with 5.2 Y/A as a Cardinal. In 3 of the 8 games where Kenyan Drake rushed for over 100 yards, Kyler Murray’s stats were actually quite good.
| 3 Games | TD | INT | Completion Percentage | Passer Rating | Sacks |
| Kyler Murray | 4 | 1 | 71% | 99.7 | 5 |
Over 16 games that would total 21 TDs and 5 INTs with only 27 sacks. This is without the weapons like D-Hop to help give him a true number 1 target. This makes Christian Kirk and Larry Fitzgerald second and third options. Having a reliable runner in the backfield is going to help Arizona and Kyler Murray have a breakout campaign and torch the NFL.
Predicting Kyler Murray’s Stats
I think Kyler Murray will go off and put up some great passing AND rushing numbers for a QB. He won’t win the division or anything but he’ll take a pivotal second step this season and breakthrough for the Cardinals.
| 2020 Prediction | TD | INT | Completion Percentage | Passer Rating | Yards |
| Kyler Murray | 30 | 10 | 64.6% | 96.84 | 3,900 |
I ran the Passer Rating Calculations through Pro Football Focus, but I think that Kyler Murray will be an elite passer next season. Those numbers won’t be on par with MVP Patrick Mahomes, but it will be a huge second step. This isn’t it though, as there’s also rushing stats that I think he’ll do well with.
| 2020 Prediction | Y/A | Yards | TDs | Attempts |
| Kyler Murray | 5.7 | 684 | 4 | 120 |
These aren’t groundbreakings rushing stats for a QB but it’ll help this offense a ton.
I think that overall this year will be a huge success for the Arizona Cardinals with Kyler Murray, and by the time this decade ends he’ll have one or more MVPs.