Weaknesses:
Summary: Over the past four seasons, Murray was one of the better quarterbacks in the SEC. Georgia had a good run, but fell short of winning the conference or reaching a national championship like many had hoped. The Bulldogs have been one of the best programs for producing NFL talent, and Murray had a ton of talent to work with in his collegiate career.
In 2009, Murray was the replacement for Matthew Stafford as Georgia’s starting quarterback. Murray threw for 3,049 yards while completing 61 percent of his passes with 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions as a freshman. He also ran for 167 yards and four scores. In 2010, the sophomore completed 59 percent of his passes for 3,149 yards with 35 touchdowns and 14 interceptions and ran for two scores.
Murray’s best season came as a junior. Georgia had a great defense led by a ton of NFL talent and a tremendous rushing attack led by Keith Marshall and star freshman Todd Gurley. Murray completed 64.5 percent of his passes for 3,893 yards with 36 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 2012. The junior also ran for three touchdowns. He dominated weak opponents, but struggled against Florida, South Carolina and to a lesser extent, Alabama.
Murray played well in 2013 and carried the Bulldogs’ offense as Gurley and Marshall dealt with injuries and the receiving corps was decimated. Murray completed 65 percent of his passes for the year for 3,075 yards with 26 touchdowns and nine interceptions. On the ground, he rushed for seven touchdowns with 186 yards (155 net). Late in the season, Murray tore his ACL, which caused him to miss the final few games along with the Senior Bowl and Combine. He’s expected to work out for scouts before the 2014 NFL Draft.
For the NFL, Murray has a quality arm and can make all the throws. He does well on touch passes and can pick up apart a defense when given time. Murray does have a good arm and some mobility, but he isn’t fast or athletic enough to be a dual-threat quarterback.
Murray looks like an NFL backup. He is undersized and doesn’t have the physical athletic ability to make up for it. Murray doesn’t have a cannon for an arm or rare running ability. He also is prone to meltdown performances against good defenses. Murray can get flustered by the pass rush sometimes and seems to feel a lot of pressure. His height could be limiting his field vision as well.
WalterFootball.com reached out to sources from around the NFL, and they said that Murray is being graded out as a fourth- or fifth-round pick. They think that the demand for signal-callers and the number of quarterback-needy teams could cause some organization to overdraft him, so he could go sooner than expected. These sources believe that Murray could be a solid backup and spot starter in time.
Player Comparison: Shaun Hill. Hill has been one of the better backup quarterbacks in the NFL. Hill is bigger than Murray, but both are intelligetn pocket passers with quality arms. In the NFL, I see Murray having a similar career to Hill.
NFL Matches: Detroit, Green Bay, Chicago, Cincinnati, New Orleans, New England, St. Louis
There are a lot of teams who could consider Murray. Both Detroit and Chicago lost their backup quarterbacks to free agency. Murray could be selected to replace either of them, plus there have been rumors linking him to the Bears.
Eihter New England and New Orleans could draft Murray on Day 3 to backup their Hall of Fame quarterbacks. The Packers were hurt by their backups in 2013, so Murray could be brought in as competition. Green Bay could be the best fit for Murray.
Cincinnati could use a backup to Andy Dalton. The Bengals have shown a lot of interest in Murray. St. Louis could use a backup option behind Bradford.
RELATED LINKS:
2014 NFL Mock Draft: Charlie’s | Walt’s
2014 NFL Draft Prospect Rankings
2014 NFL Draft Scouting Reports
NFL Picks - Nov. 17
2025 NFL Mock Draft - Nov. 13
NFL Power Rankings - Nov. 12
Fantasy Football Rankings - Sept. 4
