Kyler Murray finally made an appearance on a professional baseball field on Tuesday night. But instead of taking the outfield for an affiliate of the Oakland Athletics, Murray was throwing out the first pitch for the Arizona Diamondbacks as the headliner of the Cardinals rookie draft class.
Murray and the Cardinals rookies will report for training camp in just over three weeks as the No. 1 overall pick in this spring’s NFL Draft looks to turn around the trajectory of Arizona’s football team. In an interview with Fox Sports Arizona, Murray said he’s excited to get started and continue to build on the chemistry formed in offseason workouts.
“Everybody is not on the same page like I was with my guys in college right now,” Murray said. “I’ve only been here for a couple of months so it will take time, it’s going to take reps. But I’m prepared for the ups and the downs but so far for me it’s been great. The guys have been very accepting of me and I can’t wait to get the season started.”
Expectations are high for Murray and his teammates have been complimentary of what he’s shown so far in non-padded offseason practices. Nevertheless, Murray expects a lot from Arizona’s rookie class once they adjust to the pro game.
“I think it will all be an adjustment,” Murray said. “Just for all of us rookies, it’s going to be an adjustment. I’ve always been confident in myself, trust my abilities. I trust what I can do on the football field along with coach (Kliff) Kingsbury’s coaching teaching me. I think us together along with the players that we have can be very dangerous.”