Kyler Murray Not Worried About Taking Over for Johnny Manziel: 'It's Good to Have Him in Your Corner'
ByKyler Murray knows who the Texas A&M Aggies quarterback was for the last two seasons, but he will not let it get to him.
According to NFL.com, Murray, a five-star QB recruit, has chosen simply to accept the "Next Johnny Manziel" moniker while he makes a name for himself. In fact, Murray has another shadow to stand in - his dad's.
Kevin Murray set several records for the Aggies in the late 1980s, but could not sustain a pro career due to several ankle injuries. Like Manziel, Kyler Murray narrowed his final two choices of schools to A&M and Oregon, committing to the Texas school in late-May. Unlike Manziel, Murray is a highly touted recruit and ESPN ranked him first overall in their list of QB recruits.
"If anything, it's all cool. Johnny is Johnny and he does his thing. We do play similar and I can't deny that," Murray told NFL.com. "But pressure? No, there's none of that going to A&M. Johnny left some big shoes to fill and they're going to miss him for sure and what he brought to the table."
At five-feet-11-inches, Murray has a strong arm for someone his height, like Seattle Seahawks' passer Russell Wilson. Manziel is around the same height, but his strength was always his ability to keep a play alive and/or to tuck the ball and run.
Evaluators are also not worried about his height thanks to a quick and efficient over-the-top throwing motion. One of Murray's strongest areas is accuracy throwing the ball and there is not much of a discrepancy in or out of the pocket. Evaluators also like Murray's ability to throw the ball at different speeds, hit tight windows and throw receivers open.
"I remember the first game [Manziel] played, against Florida. I didn't even like Texas A&M at the time, I just went down there because my dad was getting honored," Murray said. "We were asking who the quarterback was. A&M hadn't really had a quarterback in a while and then he did his thing.
"He doesn't really give me a lot of advice, we just talk like we're boys. He knows what to say and we just talk as friends. It's good to have him in your corner."