The average NFL quarterback stands around 6’2”. Kyler Murray stands 5’10,” and that makes him the shortest quarterback in the league. Has it made a difference?
Kyler Murray has already silenced doubters once, at Oklahoma, when he won the Heisman. But the NFL raised the stakes. Critics claimed he would not see over the linemen, his release point would be too low, and he wouldn’t survive hits.
While John Elway once said height “always [was] the question,” even he admitted that modern shotgun offenses change things, giving smaller quarterbacks a chance to see the field. Murray’s job was to prove he could fit into it.
He did, becoming 2019’s Rookie of the Year, throwing for 4,000 yards, running for 500 yards, and being named a Pro Bowler. By 2024, he even posted a perfect passer rating with 250 passing yards and 50 rushing yards in the same game. Only Ken Anderson, the 1981 MVP, had ever accomplished that feat.
Teammates noticed, too. Safety Budda Baker called him “the most underrated quarterback in the NFL.” Still, the questions never went away. Murray tore his ACL in 2022 and missed almost a full season. Critics pointed to his size and wondered if he could hold up over time. Former running back LeSean McCoy even mocked him online, calling Murray’s resume “a mid-NFL Career???”
Kyler! (photo courtesy Bleacher Report)
Injuries gave skeptics fuel. To them, every setback looked like proof that their concerns had been right all along. But the numbers told another story.
So did his height stop him from succeeding? No. He proved he could play at a high level. But, still, his stature shaped how he was judged before the Draft, how coaches used him, and how fans talked about him. His size forced him to lean more on his legs and creativity, but that just made him more electric, albeit more vulnerable.
Kyler Murray showed the league that you did not need to be tall to thrive, but it also revealed that size will always be a part of the conversation.
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