NFL analyst John Middlekauff and Colin Cowherd got together to discuss the future of Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals. Middlekauff believes Arizona could receive a first-round pick for the mobile quarterback.
Could Kyler Murray Fetch a First-Round Pick? NFL Analyst Believes He Can
Middlekauff believes Murray has the kind of speed and accuracy that could bring a first-round pick to the desert in a hypothetical trade. Middlekauff is a former NFL scout who has become an NFL analyst.
He recently made headlines for ripping into Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, saying he does not know quarterbacks. Tomlin has done fairly well with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields in 2024 after struggling under center since Ben Roethisberger’s retirement.
“I think you could get a 1st round pick for Kyler Murray”@colincowherd & @JohnMiddlekauff discuss if the Cardinals should trade their QB pic.twitter.com/rPnhVl1RlW
— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) December 30, 2024
Cowherd and Middlekauff discussed whether the Cardinals should trade their starting quarterback. Cowherd refers to Murray as being better than Russell Wilson.
“I was always a defender on Kyler Murray because I thought he was a better version talent-wise of Russell Wilson. I thought he was more elusive and threw a better ball. He is historically small. He’s 5’8″ and a half, but in the last six games: five touchdowns, eight picks and a passer rating in the 70s,” Cowherd said.
“If you got him the right team – I think Arizona’s going to have a discussion to see if they can move him. I really do.”
Middlekauff does not like Murray and has no problem saying so.
“To me, my takeaway last night was I would ride it out another year and just keep building up the team. But if you are able to unload him for anything of value, I think you could justify it. I mean, he has been a turnover machine down the stretch.”
Middlekauff then looked at Murray’s other intangibles.
“Now on the flip side I would go — is this team even that good? I do think it’s hard. I do wonder – would you just get rid of him for a third-round pick? I think you’re better off just keeping him.”
Murray will be hard to trade, regardless, because of his five-year, $230 million contract. His contract could be difficult to move.
How Have Murray and the Cardinals Performed in 2024?
With 2024 nearing its end, Murray’s body of work can be evaluated relative to his peers. Using PFN’s QB+ metric to analyze his performance this season, he has performed around average, with an 18th-ranked grade of 76.7, good for a C.
“As this ranking suggests, there is not much to get excited about in Murray’s overall numbers,” wrote PFN’s Ben Rolfe. “He ranks eighth in completion rate (68.6%) but is down to 14th in EPA/DB (0.08). His 39.9% third-down conversion rate and 6.7 nYPA are not what you would expect from a player of his caliber. There is nothing to suggest he can elevate this team to a Super Bowl so far in his career.”
As for the Cardinals’ offense as a whole, Arizona ranks sixth through 17 weeks despite being eliminated from postseason contention with multiple weeks to go.
With a grade of a B, Arizona’s offense has performed admirably, thanks to its offensive line’s production being greater than the sum of its parts.
“Despite some recent struggles, the Cardinals rank as a top-10 offense by both passing and rushing success rate. The other offenses in that category are the Ravens, Lions, Buccaneers, and Commanders,” wrote PFN’s Sterling Xie.
“This may not be the perfect team, but the offense gives Arizona the ability to contend with anyone in the NFL. That didn’t result in a playoff appearance in Jonathan Gannon’s second season, but an improvement to the 27th-ranked unit in Defense+ could easily result in a playoff trip in 2025.”