Kyler Murray's announcement earlier this week just made the 2019 NFL Draft a lot more interesting.
The Oklahoma quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner declared for the draft Monday via Twitter, which is notable considering he's also under contract with the Oakland Athletics, who selected him ninth overall in the 2018 MLB Draft as an outfield prospect.
Many see Murray as a first-round pick if he chooses football over baseball. So, which clubs could use a quarterback? How about the New England Patriots, whose signal-caller, Tom Brady, turns 42 in August?
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New England Patriots
Former NFL scout and current NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah had the Patriots taking Murray with the No. 29 overall pick in his first 2019 Mock Draft.
"Murray is the ultimate wild card in this draft," Jeremiah wrote. "The Patriots need to find the heir apparent to Tom Brady and Murray could contribute while Brady is still playing."
This is all speculation -- other mock drafts have New England taking Duke QB Daniel Jones and West Virginia QB Will Grier, to name a few -- but Jeremiah's last point is an interesting one.
Murray boasts tremendous athleticism and could be utilized in different ways on offense, much as Lamar Jackson was early in his rookie season with the Baltimore Ravens. That would allow Murray to see the field while Brady still is at the height of his powers before transitioning to quarterback full-time after Brady retires.
But we're getting ahead of ourselves: There's a good chance Murray doesn't even slide to No. 29 if a team like the New York Giants or Miami Dolphins snags him first. And don't forget who has the No. 1 overall pick: Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury, who once said he'd draft Murray first overall if given the chance.
The 2019 draft isn't until April 25, so there's still plenty of time to speculate. And at the very least, it sounds like QB could be a priority for the Patriots based on the early mock drafts we've seen.
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