Baseball looks like it will be losing a top athlete to the NFL.
The Oakland A’s expect Kyler Murray to enter the NFL Draft, according to a report from the San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser. Moreover, when it comes time in February for him to decide whether he will attend big league camp with the Oakland A’s or prepare for the draft at the NFL Combine, Murray is expected to choose football.
Murray was drafted No. 9 overall by the A’s in the 2018 MLB Draft following his spectacular spring season at Oklahoma. The Texas native batted .296 with 13 doubles, 10 home runs, a .954 OPS and 10 stolen bases for the Sooners baseball team, which led to him becoming a top-10 pick. At that point, Murray had only played college football sporadically as a freshman at Texas A&M and as Baker Mayfield’s backup at Oklahoma as a sophomore.
The A’s let Murray play college football in the fall, and he exploded with a season that culminated in him winning the Heisman Trophy. Given his abilities as both a passer and runner, combined with the success Mayfield had as a rookie, the expectation is Murray would be a first-round pick and have success in the NFL.
Murray’s chances of success seem higher in football than baseball, where he would have to work his way up through the minor leagues. Unless choosing the less dangerous sport were his priority, picking football makes more sense. He would be highly-paid as a quarterback and have a better chance at immediate success than baseball.
Murray would have to pay back his bonus with the A’s, who would not receive a compensatory draft pick if they do not sign the outfielder.
