Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray is one of the best and most athletic passers in the NFL. He has lightning quickness, a rocket arm and could have played professional baseball if he wanted to (it's safe to say he made the right decision). I'm sure Kliff Kingsbury is happy, too.
Prior to his Heisman Trophy, before becoming a first-round MLB Draft and NFL Draft pick and even earlier than watching Baker Mayfield torch everybody to win his own Heisman in Norman, former Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray was just another transfer student from Texas A&M University. Oh, and apparently he ran a lighting-fast 40-yard dash, too.
Kyler Murray didn't run the 40-yard dash at the 2019 NFL Combine or on his Pro Day, so we'll never have an official 40-yard dash time for him. However, we do have his reported 40 time, and he's unsurprisingly blazing fast.
What is Kyler Murray's 40 Time?
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According to a report by the Oklahoman, Murray reportedly ran a hand-timed 4.38-second 40-yard dash during spring practices back in 2017. What's even scarier is that the young quarterback wasn't 100 percent healthy when coaches timed him back then.
"I'm not running 100 percent out here at practice, but during games whenever I need to, I try to," Murray said back in 2017.
A hamstring injury, which kept Murray in the dugout of the Oklahoma Sooners' baseball team for two weeks, wasn't quite fully-healed when coaches clocked him in the 40-yard dash that spring.
The five-star recruit, who was a perfect 42-0 as the starting quarterback for Allen High School in Texas, was apparently even faster than JUCO transfer wide receiver Marquise Brown that year, and many considered Brown one of the fastest players in all of college football.
In 2019, Murray raced wide receiver Andy Isabella, who ran a 4.31 second 40-yard dash at the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine. You decide if he kept up step for step:
Either way, he's fast.
Kyler Murray's 40-Yard Dash Compared to NFL's Fastest QBs
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RELATED: Lamar Jackson's 40 Time Proves He's a Defensive Nightmare
Several NCAA records, a Big 12 Conference championship, an appearance in the College Football Playoff and one Heisman Trophy later, Murray announced that he would pursue an NFL career full time and give up baseball for good. The ninth-overall pick by the Oakland Athletics in the 2018 MLB Draft was selected first overall in the 2019 NFL Draft by the Cardinals.
Murray didn't officially run the 40-yard dash at the combine, but he likely would have stacked up against the fastest quarterbacks in the NFL.
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson ran it in 4.34 seconds (although not at the combine). Michael Vick ran it in 4.33 seconds back in 2001. Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes logged a 4.80-second 40-yard dash, while former MVP Russell Wilson recorded a 4.55. Former Carolina Panthers and New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton logged a 4.59-second 40-yard dash in 2011. Las Vegas Raiders backup Marcus Mariota recorded a swift 4.52.
The fastest time for a 40-yard dash by a quarterback at the NFL Combine in recent memory is Texas A&M's Reggie McNeal, who clocked in at 4.35 seconds in 2006.
Since 2006, only a handful of quarterbacks — including McNeal (4.35), Robert Griffin III (4.41), Marcus Vick (4.42) and Brad Smith (4.46) — have ran faster than 4.5 seconds at the NFL Combine, but only Griffin, the 2011 Heisman Trophy winner, found success in the NFL as the 2012 Offensive Rookie of the Year. Smith, who starred as a quarterback at Missouri, ultimately transitioned to become a return specialist and utility wide receiver in the NFL.
Speed is hardly the deciding factor when it comes to elite quarterback play in the NFL. Vision, arm talent and mental fortitude far outweigh straight-line athleticism in pro football.
However, having a quarterback that's faster than everybody on the football field certainly opens some eyes. Murray has proved that his speed, athleticism and arm are a lethal combination for NFL defenses.
Whether he's scoring touchdowns and gashing the linebackers, defensive backs and linemen on defenses in the regular season or NFL playoff games, it's no secret Kyler Murray has elite speed like that of a running back. Now we just need him to race Lamar Jackson.
