Getty Images Kyler Murray is in the NFL draft. Murray, the Heisman Trophy-winning Oklahoma quarterback, may now become a first-round draft pick in the NFL after already becoming a first-round draft pick of the Oakland A’s in Major League Baseball. He’d be the first athlete ever selected in the first round of both sports’ drafts. The A’s are attempting to persuade Murray to play baseball instead of football, and he’s reportedly telling them he wants $15 million to play baseball. It’s still possible that the A’s could sweeten Murray’s offer enough that he’ll decide not to participate in the pre-draft process, skip the Scouting Combine and NFL team interviews, and focus only on baseball. That wouldn’t preclude an NFL team from drafting him and attempting to get him to change his mind again, but it would be risky to spend a high draft pick on Murray if he’s not committed to football. By announcing today that he’s going to the NFL, Murray is foregoing another year of eligibility in the NCAA. By NCAA rules, he can’t go back on that, so he’s officially done at Oklahoma. But between the NFL and MLB, Murray still has options, which puts him in a good position.<doc-sep>Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray announced Monday that he would enter April's NFL Draft, picking football over spring training with Major League Baseball's Oakland Athletics. Murray announced his decision in a simple statement on Twitter ahead of the deadline for eligible college underclassmen to declare for the draft. On Sunday, Murray met with representatives from MLB and the A's, who drafted him last June with the ninth overall pick. Murray signed with the club for $4.66 million. There was an agreement between the team and Murray that he would play football for the University of Oklahoma this year, then skip his senior season to begin his pro baseball career — and A's manager Bob Melvin, as well as executive Billy Beane and general manager David Forst, closely followed Oklahoma football in 2018. Murray completed 260 of 377 passes for 4,361 yards and 42 touchdowns with seven interceptions and a passer rating of 199.2. He also rushed for 1,001 yards and 12 TDs in leading the Sooners to a Big 12 championship and a berth in the college football playoff. Oklahoma lost 45-34 in the Orange Bowl semifinal to eventual runner-up Alabama on Dec. 29. 'JUST DESPICABLE STUFF': SHAPIRO BLASTS WRITER WHO REPORTED ON HEISMAN WINNER'S TEENAGE TWEETS "I can't put it into words. Just thankful," Murray said after the draft. "That's a huge deal, the organization letting me do that." Murray showed off his skills taking batting practice at the Coliseum in an A's uniform back in June, greeted by "WELCOME TO OAKLAND" on the big scoreboard with his photo. Beane joked with super agent Scott Boras — who represents Murray — about the prized prospect committing to 15 years with the A's, who reached the playoffs for the first time since 2014 before losing the AL wild-card game to the Yankees and the franchise is preparing to build a new ballpark near the popular Jack London Square neighborhood of the city. "We're big Oklahoma fans right now for sure," Melvin said at the winter meetings. "It's kind of tough to watch them scramble around a little bit sometimes, but it's exciting." Jim Callis, a senior writer on MLB.com, told The Associated Press the A's couldn't have foreseen that Murray would be a potential first-round NFL draft pick because of his size. Listed at 5-10 and 195 pounds, Murray would be a small quarterback in the NFL by any standard. "The primary risk was, what if he gets hurt on the football field?" Callis said, recalling his conversations with scouts before the season. "I don't think anybody was saying he could be an NFL first-round pick." Callis and other observers say it is very unlikely Murray will be able to play both sports because he's a quarterback. Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders pulled it off, but Jackson was an outfielder and a running back and Sanders was an outfielder and cornerback. "This isn't Bo Jackson showing up and here, we'll pitch you the ball and you outrun everybody, or Deion Sanders helicoptering in and his great speed, coverage skills," Callis said. "When you're a quarterback, you have to put in hours and hours of study running an offense. ... You can't play both sports when you're a quarterback. I think if he wants to play quarterback, which appears to be his greatest love, there can't be any question that he's 100 percent football." The NFL scouting combine is in late February and early March and could intersect with his spring training — major league camp starts in mid-February and minor league camp begins in early March. If Murray wanted to participate in the combine, the A's would need to allow it and it would need to be reflected on his contract. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley said in November that if anyone could play both sports, it's Murray. "I don't want to put it past him," Riley said. " A lot of people would say he can't do what he's done right now — how well he performed for our baseball group here this spring, and how well he's played here for us. So there's certainly some different dynamics with it. Obviously the fact that he would want to play quarterback, if he chooses the football route, is a little different than Deion or Bo or some of those guys. But he athletically is so gifted and can transition between the two." The Associated Press contributed to this report.<doc-sep>Oklahoma quarterback, Heisman Trophy winner and Oakland A’s draft pick Kyler Murray officially declared for the 2019 NFL draft on Monday. The decision could end up helping the Green Bay Packers in a small but meaningful way. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, many in the NFL see Murray as a first-round pick, and talented quarterbacks are always in demand within the draft’s top 10 picks. The Packers currently hold the No. 12 pick. They’ll also hold the New Orleans Saints’ first pick, which will end up in the final four picks of the first round. Murray declaring for the draft likely improved one, if not both, of the Packers’ first-round picks. The idea here is simple: If a team picking before the Packers in the first round takes Murray, a different player the Packers like but might not otherwise get would fall one spot in the draft. GM Brian Gutekunst isn’t likely to take a quarterback with his first pick in April, so any quarterback picked before No. 12 is a good thing for the Packers. Murray entering the draft and going in the first 11 picks is like improving the Packers’ draft position by one slot. Luke Easterling of Draft Wire has a long list of teams that could take Murray in the first round. Various mock drafts from national publications have Murray as a first-round pick, with one from CBS Sports projecting Murray to come off the board at No. 6 to the New York Giants. In that same mock draft, the Packers were able to use the No. 12 pick on Florida’s Jachai Polite, a potentially game-changing pass rusher. Even if Murray falls late into the first round, it’s possible the Packers’ second first-round pick could become a tempting trade-up possibility for a team looking to get back into the first round and take him on Thursday night of the draft. Last season, the Baltimore Ravens traded back into the first round to take Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson at No. 32 overall. And the same rule applies as above: If a team in the early 20s takes Murray, it only brings the Packers one pick closer to a player they want. Obviously, at this point in the process, Murray’s impact on the first round of the draft is hypothetical. But the Heisman Trophy winner is now officially in the draft and is certainly on the NFL’s first-round radar. The Packers will be hoping for as many quarterbacks to come off the board before No. 12 as possible.<doc-sep>
With Kyler Murray declaring for the NFL draft, Tim Hasselbeck explains how size expectations for quarterbacks have changed in recent years. (1:22) Kyler Murray has elected to enter his name into the NFL draft, announcing the decision on Twitter on Monday. Editor's Picks Is Kyler Murray now locked into football? Answering every question Ranking best NFL fits for Kyler Murray: Where the QB could thrive The plays that helped turn Kyler Murray into an NFL prospect 2 Related The Oklahoma Sooners quarterback and reigning Heisman Trophy winner has given himself the option to choose the NFL over Major League Baseball, for which he has a contract with the Oakland Athletics that includes a $4.66 million signing bonus. A source told ESPN's Adam Schefter that Murray actually submitted the paperwork Friday. The A's, who selected Murray with the ninth pick in the 2018 MLB draft, understood and supported his decision to enter the NFL draft, sources told ESPN's Jeff Passan. The choice to enter the NFL draft does not preclude Murray from choosing baseball, sources said, but it does put additional pressure on Oakland to offer Murray a major league contract with additional money in hopes of dissuading the outfield prospect from pursuing a football career. Top A's executives, a marketing executive from MLB and others met Sunday afternoon with Murray in Dallas, sources told Passan, to better understand what it would take for Murray to forgo a football career and to sell him on playing baseball full time. play 1:57 Schefter: Murray will go in first round Adam Schefter joins SportsCenter to analyze Kyler Murray's decision to declare for the NFL draft. Both sports have key dates next month. Players must report to the A's for spring training on Feb. 15. The NFL Scouting Combine begins in Indianapolis on Feb. 26, with the NFL draft taking place on April 25. ESPN's draft experts, Mel Kiper and Todd McShay, both project Murray as a first-round pick. Kiper says, "He's unbelievably athletic and one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks I've ever seen. He can make every throw, and he does it with timing, touch and poise. He could be a really good NFL quarterback." If Murray were 3 inches taller, Kiper predicts he would be the No. 1 overall pick. But at 5-foot-10, he would be the shortest quarterback in the NFL since Doug Flutie. In just his first season as a starter at Oklahoma, replacing Heisman winner and No. 1 draft pick Baker Mayfield, Murray threw for 4,361 yards and 42 touchdowns and ran for another 1,001 yards and 12 touchdowns in leading the Sooners to the College Football Playoff semifinals this year. Although Murray has entered his name into the NFL draft, he still has 72 hours during which he can chose to pull out. Next stop, NFL? Sooners QB Kyler Murray has announced he's entering the draft, but a future with the Oakland A's remains a possibility. Kevin Jairaj/USA TODAY Sports NFL teams get the rights to players for only one year. There is no draft-and-stash process like there is in the NBA. So if a team drafts him and Murray doesn't sign, that team loses his right after a year. Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, who played in both the NFL and MLB during his career, knows what he would do if he were Murray. "If I was in his shoes, I'm picking up the baseball bat and I'm not looking back," Sanders told ESPN.