Murray, Sooners dazzles on Pro Day

NORMAN – Kyler Murray, winner of the Heisman Trophy in 2018, is convinced.

NFL scouts could only see Murray at the Oklahoma Pro Day on Wednesday. But in the eyes of Sooners coach Lincoln Riley, it would have been useless for Murray to do anything but pass.

"It does not make sense for him to run and do all those things," Riley said afterwards. "Not everyone can do that, but he's athletic far beyond anything in this game and nothing in this league at quarterback honestly represents anything. Its speed and speed, I think (gaming) bands can speak for themselves. He really had nothing to gain from doing this today.

Said Riley's remarks, Murray smiled and said, "I do not disagree, but I'll let him say that."

Murray attended the NFL Combine last month. His body was measured and he had interviews, but he did not start or run. "I felt good about leaving the combine," Murray said. "I felt good at every meeting. I had fun and it was a great experience. "

Wednesday was the first time that he was showing a live skill set. "I thought it was fine," Murray said quietly. "It was fun to actually do something."

Murray stated that he had chosen to focus solely on throwing, rather than risk getting tired in the 40-yard dash, shuttle drills, wide jump, vertical jump and expanded lying held earlier in the day of the OR Pro Day. "I'm pretty confident in my abilities until the race," said Murray, the athlete at the fleet, who added that he would wait to run the scorecard for 40 yards in 4.3 seconds.

Other players who participated in Wednesday's audition were defensive tackle Amani Bledsoe, linebacker Curtis Bolton, back defender Carson Meier, kicker Austin Seibert, running back Marcellas Sutton, receiver Myles Tease and as the offensive line quartet of Cody Ford, Bobby Evans, Dru Samia and Ben Powers. Wide receiver Marquise Brown (who was recovering from a left foot operation) and halfback Rodney Anderson (knee) were present, but did not participate.

Murray took center stage in front of a silent gathering of about 300 people inside the Everest Training Center, which included 75 NFL scouts, 100 media members, 70 family members, OR coaches, officials and many former players.

Murray impressed spectators with his velocity and passes. Jake Trotter of ESPN.com led Murray to complete 61 of his 67 assists with one pass, while Meier, wide red catcher Charleston Rambo, former players Geno Lewis and Jarvis Baxter, and Southwestern University invite Joel Blumenthal.

Murray had only two days to work with the group. "Given the limited preparation for that, he was damn keen," Riley said.

Murray, who was the 9th best choice by the Oakland A's in last June's amateur baseball draft, has spent the last few months working with the former NFL quarterback and new coach / general manager. from the XFL, Jim Zorn. Murray said he had planned training sessions with "at least two" NFL teams that he had not identified.

When asked what made Murray so captivating, Riley replied, "All the history. It's almost a movie script. … He's in the top 10 – probably here – in two different leagues, which is stupid. It's just unheard of. You can not even imagine that. In addition, there is the way he managed everything. "

Riley said the scout's reaction was "super complementary".

Again, with Murray, see, that is to believe.

"There are a lot of people out there who have not seen it play live before," Riley said. "You have an idea of ​​what you think you are thinking about and you see it in person. It was a very, very, very strong performance. No questions about it. You can go to any day Pro, you will not see another performance like that. "

DAY OR PRO LOGBOOK

Get his kicks

As impressive as Murray throwing the ball to the Pro Day of the OU, Austin Seibert was equally impressive to hit the ball – maybe even more.

Seibert easily converted goals after 35 yards, consistently inserting the "OU" logo in the championship banner hanging on the wall behind the goal post inside the Everest training center. He managed to nail a 55-yard run after running on the field with the rooster finishing.

Seibert also made a good kickoff in the end zone. On his last attempt, Seibert kicked his high shot in the sky, at which time half a dozen NFL recruiters quickly lined up to introduce themselves and shake his hand.

This follows Seibert's impressive performance at the NFL Combine two weeks ago.

"I really could not ask for much better, I just wanted everyone to be like that on the field," said Seibert, who is at the forefront of the FBS history in terms of career points ( 499) and additional points earned in career (310). "I was satisfied with my performance at the combo and today."

Although Seibert has been involved in placement, punting and botting with the Sooners, he is focused on placing spots and kickoffs for NFL scouts rather than punting.

"Honestly, the decision was pretty easy," said Seibert. "My stature, my size. I am not an NFL bettor. I am not 6 feet 4. I do not have those big and long levers. I am more explosive and a compact guy. I am shorter and more explosive, so he's a field kicker.

As for whether Seibert could be selected, "For kickers, it does not matter if you are selected or if you are a free agent," said Seibert. "You come in, you're going to have a battle of positions. Punting in the NFL is more for a type of emergency (for me). If someone falls, it is there that I will play. Everyone wants me to score goals and start. "

At the height

Linebacker Curtis Bolton overcame injuries throughout his career, but finally had the chance to shine last season and ranked second in the team and third in the Big 12 with 9.9 tackles per match.

Bolton impressed throughout Wednesday's training session with the highest vertical jump (38 inches). He also had the second highest scoring jump (9 feet and 11 inches), 40 yards (4.53), 20-yard (4.36), 3-cone drill ( 7.18) and at 60 meters. yard shuttle (11:55).

"He looked up," said Sooners head coach Lincoln Riley in Bolton. "He certainly did it. In previous years, he did not get much attention from people because of the injuries and the fact that he was just not on the ground. With his production this year, he was on the radar and some of his test results jumped. "

More than difficult

Broad explosive receiver Marquise Brown injured her foot in the sixth game of last season against Texas, but suffered the rest of the year.

"When it comes to rehabilitation, everything is always on schedule," said a smiling Brown, who wore a shoe on his left foot and a "HOLLY5WOOD" diamond necklace. "Everything is always good. Been hard with my leg injury (since surgery). I could not do much for the first three weeks or so. I could not train and I was coming back at the moment.

Brown said the plan was to start running in April and May, "but I will not be fully released before the (min) camp."

Brown was screened as a first-round midfielder and said he would attend the first day of the NFL draft on April 25 in Nashville.

"They (scouts) love my movie, they just want me to be healthy, make sure I know football, and I'm the strongest and healthiest I can be," he said. Brown. "Everyone says to me:" Be healthy, do not rush. "

Riley said Brown's toughness was greater than the time he had missed on the field last season due to an injury. "It's their body, it's not my body. It's their life, it's not my life, "Riley said. Their health will always be at the forefront of what we do. It was a difficult time for him (Brown) just because he wanted to play so badly in the game. Trying to empty him is a plus point. It will not hurt him (in the project) a bit. "

Rough on Rodney

Striker Rodney Anderson suffered three injuries to his leg, neck and knee during his career. He is determined to be part of the NFL team although he can not return to the field four more months.

"I'll definitely be ready to go on the field in July," Anderson said optimistically. "(Scouts see) that I am in good health and that I am progressing well. I think I'm right where I need to be. It's a long and difficult recovery process. As soon as I am released to leave, I will do it at full speed. Mental hardness is a huge part of this process. "

Anderson continues to be closely scrutinized by all interested parties.

"The team has to be thorough," he said. "They check all the medical history. I tell them straight away that they are all unrelated injuries. So the "injury-prone" tag is inappropriate for me. This is not what I am. These are three strange injuries that unfortunately happened to me. My mother says that bad things happen in threes, so I feel like I'm done.