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Jimmy Johnson began the Dallas Cowboys' early 1990s dynasty with a pair of talented rookie quarterbacks on his roster. After watching Troy Aikman blossom into a Hall of Famer and trading Steve Walsh for first and third-round draft picks that became Pro Bowl defensive tackle Russell Maryland and potential Hall-of-Fame right tackle Erik Williams, it comes as no surprise that Johnson believes the Arizona Cardinals shouldn't hesitate to take a quarterback with a first-round pick in the NFL Draft for the second consecutive season.
But whether or not Johnson believes Oklahoma signal-caller Kyler Murray, a personal favorite of Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury, is worthy of the number one overall pick is a different story.
Article Continues Below“If they think [Murray is] a great player, if they think he’s that good they can decide who to move later,” Johnson told USA Today's Jarrett Bell. “[Josh] Rosen has shown enough that they could probably get a first-round pick for him. Everybody needs quarterbacks. They’re not going to lose money.
“Kyler is a head-scratcher,” he continued. “He can put you right in the playoffs or, alternately, he could be hurt in the second game. But I love him as a player. He’s very exciting…He absolutely has to go to a system that fits his style. Everyone talks about his height. But he’s not thick, like Russell Wilson. That scares me.”
Murray set the NCAA on fire in his only season as a starter, winning the Heisman Trophy and leading the Sooners to the College Football Playoff by throwing for 4,361 yards, 42 touchdowns, and seven interceptions while completing 69.0 percent of his passes. He also rushed for 1,001 yards and 12 touchdowns.
But despite that unprecedented production, questions remain about his potential at the next level, mostly due to a concern Johnson shares with others about his 5-foot-10, 195-pound frame.
Arizona selected Rosen with the 10th pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. Playing behind a porous offensive line, the rookie threw for 2,278 yards, 11 scores, and 14 interceptions, completing just 55.2 percent of his passes in 14 games.
