A's Top Draft Pick Kyler Murray Opts In To NFL Draft
OAKLAND (CBS SF) -- Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray, who signed to a Major League Baseball contract with the Oakland Athletics last spring, announced Monday he was entering the NFL Draft.
A's team officials huddled with Murray over the weekend to attempt to convince him to remain committed to baseball, but the former Oklahoma star tweeted Monday "I have declared for the NFL Draft."
ESPN reported that several A's executives including team president Billy Beane, a marketing executive from MLB and others met Sunday afternoon with Murray in Dallas, hoping a salary increase would make him forgo a pro football career.
After being the ninth player taken in the MLB Draft, Murray signed a deal worth close to $5 million guaranteed with the A's, who also permitted him to play football this past for the Oklahoma Sooners.
Murray made the most of his senior season, leading the Sooners to a berth in the College Football Playoffs. He threw for 308 yards and two touchdowns, rushed for an additional 109 and another touchdown and led a rally that fell just short as Alabama defeated Oklahoma, 45-34, in their semifinal matchup.
The Allen, Texas, native became the first player in nearly five years to throw for at least 300 yards and rush for at least 100 in a bowl game — the most recent to do that was Tajh Boyd, also in the Orange Bowl, for Clemson in its win over Ohio State on Jan. 3, 2014.
During the regular season, Murray won the Heisman Trophy after he passed for 4,361 yards and 42 touchdowns and ran for 1,001 yards and another 12 scores. He posted the second-best passer efficiency rating in FBS history.
As an outfielder with the Sooners baseball team in 2018, Murray hit .296 with 10 home runs, 47 RBIs and 10 stolen bases with 189 at-bats.
© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
