As ESPN talked with more than 50 execs, coaches, scouts and players about the top players in the game, one question came up a few times unprompted from well-respected offensive minds and personnel guys:
What about Kyler?
That question was more an interjection as I rattled off some of the top names: Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes, Russell Wilson, Aaron Rodgers, Deshaun Watson and more.
Murray might not be a consensus top-10 quarterback in 2020, but he's coming. And fast.
"He's got something to him, man," one veteran NFL quarterback said. "He's got some magic to him."
Murray highlights a 2019 quarterback draft class that has a chance to flourish in 2020.
Last season was a mixed bag that saw Murray win offensive rookie of the year, but first-round picks Dwayne Haskins Jr. and Daniel Jones struggle on bad teams.
Gardner Minshew II showed enough to earn a starting job with a rebuilding Jacksonville Jaguars, while Drew Lock is well-stocked in Denver, and Jarrett Stidham has no promises in New England.
Here's where NFL execs rank the Year 2 quarterbacks entering 2020. We are keeping Stidham out of the top five, with an asterisk, because he didn't play significant snaps last year and the arrival of Cam Newton muddles his outlook.
1. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals
Pick: No. 1 | 2019 QBR: 55.7 (15th)
Stat to know from ESPN Stats & Information: Murray had a 63.3 QBR inside the pocket, which ranked 10th in the NFL. Outside the pocket, Murray's QBR dropped to 25.2, a mark that ranked 21st. His 38.1-point drop from inside to outside the pocket, was the sixth largest in the NFL last season.
How Murray offsets his 5-foot-9 frame with the ability to throw from the pocket is part Neo from "The Matrix" and part shortstop turning two.
"Kyler can still take a normal drop, then can makes instinctual lateral slides in the pocket to get himself into an open throwing lane," an NFC personnel exec said. "That's rare. That's the baseball in him."
Murray's ability to throw unscripted or from the pocket has people inside the league projecting big things for him.
Make no mistake: Murray is not a run-first quarterback. Many expected Murray to take off more behind a suspect offensive line, but he averaged 4.9 rushing attempts per game over the final nine games, strengthening those future Russell Wilson comps as a run-to-throw QB. He ran for more than 70 yards one time, in Week 5 against Cincinnati (10 rushes, 93 yards).
This is partly why an NFL coordinator said Murray will eventually be harder to stop than Lamar Jackson.
"[Kyler] neutralizes a good defensive line," the coordinator said. "Lamar, you know what you have to do to stop him. Not that it's easy. He's a runner. Kyler has that release."
Kliff Kingsbury's offense provides Murray with a full route tree to utilize, along with heavy doses of play-action and multiple weapons. And several evaluators peg DeAndre Hopkins as the perfect player for Murray because he can work out of the slot or outside and is good on second reaction plays, ideal for a quarterback throwing on the move.
Murray already proved accurate, completing 64.39% of his passes -- tops among rookies, 15th in the NFL -- for 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
Baker Mayfield is the latest quarterback to thrive as a rookie and dive in his sophomore season.
"But Murray is different [from Baker] because the offense he plays in suits his skill set, the spread, predominantly in the gun, and he's played in it -- and he's got Nuk," the exec said, referring to Hopkins by his nickname.
2. Daniel Jones, New York Giants
Pick: No. 6 | 2019 QBR: 53.6 (18th)
Stat to know from ESPN Stats & Information: Jones did most of his damage against man coverage last season, throwing 20 of his 24 touchdowns in that situation. While he was inaccurate at times, he ranked ninth in QBR (71.5) against man coverage among the 37 quarterbacks with at least 200 action plays.
Jones' 23 turnovers in 13 games -- including 11 lost fumbles -- overshadowed what many consider a polished skill set for such a young player.
"Watch the way he handles the ball, his fakes, his play-action -- there's a lot of skill there," one NFC offensive coach said. "And he's a tough dude. He had that rep coming out of college. If he takes care of the ball, he'll make a big jump."
The truth is that the Giants' offense didn't help Jones much. The line was subpar and his two elite players -- Saquon Barkley and Evan Engram -- battled injuries.
But Jones still finished 18th in QBR at 53.6, and threw for 24 touchdown passes in 12 starts. That last stat is significant. Mayfield's rookie-record 27 touchdowns came in 13 starts and most of a 14th game in 2018. Peyton Manning and Wilson once shared the record at 26, and each started all 16 games in their first year.
General manager Dave Gettleman addressed the line in the draft, and a healthy nucleus of Barkley, Engram, Sterling Shepard, Golden Tate and Darius Slayton should give Jones a chance. One veteran NFL quarterback tried to call Jones "sneaky athletic," which was meant as a compliment, but his 4.81 40 time and a 33.5-inch vertical leap say he's simply athletic.
"Throws the ball well, really smart, big and tall," the quarterback said. "Giants can work with that."
3. Drew Lock, Denver Broncos
Pick: No. 42 | 2019 QBR: 57.7 in five games
Stat to know from ESPN Stats & Information: Lock posted a 94.3 QBR when facing a blitz last year, a number that ranked second in the NFL in 2019, behind only Derek Carr. That number was also second among all rookies since tracking began in 2006, behind only Robert Griffin (2012).
The Lock-Minshew voting was incredibly close, with Lock pulling away due to what many considered a more dynamic skill set.
"He does a lot of cool s--- with his arm," an NFC exec said. "Physically talented. But needs to slow it down and play the game more from the neck up."
Denver is willing Lock's success into existence, doubling down on receivers Jerry Jeudy and K.J. Hamler in the draft to fuel an already solid playmaking unit.
Several personnel evaluators believe tight end Noah Fant and wide receiver Courtland Sutton are top-10 players at their position right now. Free-agent addition Melvin Gordon and Phillip Lindsay form a potent tailback tandem.
Couple all of that with a stout defense, and Lock will have no excuses not to build off his 1,020-yard, seven-touchdown performance on 100-of-156 passing last year.
Evaluators say they love Lock's arm and moxie, but he must prove he can read defenses consistently.
"He has come a long way," one NFL defensive coach said. "My whole thing was I didn't think he was an instant starter. I'm still not sure and he's gotta prove it, but we're gonna see what he does with those weapons -- big-time weapons."
One of Lock's biggest issues could be edge protection. Ja'Wuan James' opt-out forces Elijah Wilkinson into action, and the Broncos declined the fifth-year option of left tackle Garett Bolles, which isn't a great sign for a player at a premium position.
Denver has two cautionary tales of how poor tackle play rattles a second-year quarterback: Mayfield and Sam Darnold. The Cleveland Browns and New York Jets had to rebuild the position in the offseason to help their quarterbacks.
4. Gardner Minshew II, Jacksonville Jaguars
Pick: No. 178 | 2019 QBR: 42.6 (26th)
Stat to know from ESPN Stats & Information: Minshew became the only player in NFL history drafted after the third round to post 3,000 passing yards and 300 rushing yards as a rookie, and one of just three non-first-rounders (along with Russell Wilson in 2012 and Geno Smith in 2013) to achieve that feat.
Minshew has an edge that nearly earned him a top-three spot.
"He's instinctual," one NFL offensive coordinator said. "He found a way to make plays late in games for Jacksonville."
Added an NFC exec: "He's smart as hell. Isn't the sexy pick to win starting jobs, but keeps winning them."
That's exactly what happened in 2020, when Minshew heard all offseason that he would be replaced by Cam Newton or Andy Dalton.
But the Jaguars really do like Minshew, whose 3.5 touchdown-to-interception ratio topped all rookies.
Jacksonville traded away many of its good players but still has enough to compete. Running back Leonard Fournette and receiver DJ Chark can be top-tier players for stretches of a season. Evaluators weren't completely sold on Minshew's arm strength and athleticism, but they believe he can win games with his savvy.
He'll need it to master Jay Gruden's West Coast terminology in short order.
"If you asked me whether I preferred to play Cam, Andy Dalton or Gardner, I'd say Gardner," an NFL assistant coach said. "He's younger, he can make plays when things aren't perfect and he's accurate."
5. Dwayne Haskins Jr., Washington
Pick: No. 15 | 2019 QBR: 26.8
Stat to know from ESPN Stats & Information: Haskins pushed the ball down the field in 2019. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, the average true air distance of his completions was 19.4 yards, the seventh highest in the NFL, and higher than Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen and Matt Ryan.
Haskins fared worse than his peers through nine games, completing 58.6% of his passes for 1,365 yards, seven touchdowns, seven interceptions and a 26.8 QBR, which didn't crack the league's top 30.
But not many draft picks would have thrived in Washington's unsteady setup last year, with internal discord about who actually wanted to draft Haskins 15th overall. Washington gave a young player minimal chance to succeed.
"Early things coming out of that building probably messed with him a little bit, and he couldn't zero in on football," an AFC exec said. "Seems like he's doing better now."
New head coach Ron Rivera offers stability, and a team source said Haskins spent significant time in the facility this offseason working out and communicating with coaches and players while rehabbing an ankle injury.
Veteran Kyle Allen believes he's got a legitimate chance to start, but if Haskins improves his play like he improved his physique, he should have the inside track.
The lack of proven pass-catching depth behind Terry McLaurin is a problem for some evaluators.
"He's got a lot of tools that can really translate, I'm just not sure he's got enough around him there," an NFC exec said.
Jarrett Stidham, New England Patriots
Pick: No. 133 | 2019 QBR: 0.1
Stat to know from ESPN Stats & Information: While no defense is showing its schematic hand in the preseason, Stidham showed at least a glimmer of arm talent in his work last August. NFL Next Gen Stats had Stidham with a 7.9% completion percentage above expectation in the 2019 preseason, seventh among the 78 quarterbacks with at least 25 passes.
The Stidham train screeched abruptly to a halt with the signing of Cam Newton to a one-year, incentive-laden deal in New England. Now, evaluators don't know what to think. They figured the team would sign a veteran to compete with Stidham, but not one to wholly (or at least expectedly) replace him.
"I'm still a bit surprised they signed [Newton]," one NFL personnel man said. "I get the move from a football standpoint, but I think they might have something in Stidham and Cam hasn't looked the same for a while. Don't be surprised if he plays well in camp and makes things interesting."
Stidham created considerable buzz for his work up the Patriots' backup depth chart a year ago. New England has two years of a cheap rookie contract to find out what that buzz means.