Where does Kyler Murray rank among starting QBs entering 2019?

Kyler Murray and his fellow 2019 NFL draft classmates didn’t receive much respect in a recent ranking of the league’s top 40 quarterbacks.

Arizona Cardinals rookie quarterback Kyler Murray wasn’t selected with the first overall pick to sit on the bench. He won’t have the luxury of learning behind an established veteran; not even for a week or two.

Instead, Murray will begin his first season in the NFL as the starter from Day 1. Fortunately, he has the kind of insane dual skill-set necessary to help his learning curve. Even with the game moving at lightspeed, Murray’s escapability and survival instincts will serve him and the Cardinals offense well. He’ll make plays with his legs for as long as it takes his arm to catch up.

But where does that place him in the pecking order of the league’s current 32 starting quarterbacks?

According to NBC Sports NFL analyst Chris Simms, Murray is in the bottom tier of starters entering 2019. He has the Heisman Trophy winner ranked 24th.

It could be worse. Simms ranks Giants quarterback and former Super Bowl champion Eli Manning 34th. Colts backup Jacoby Brissett is ranked higher at No. 31.

Murray’s 2019 NFL draft classmates, none of whom are expected to start early in their careers, appear much lower on the list. Drew Lock (Broncos) is No. 37 while Dwayne Haskins (Redskins) is No. 38.

Surprisingly, Daniel Jones, the sixth overall pick by the Giants, isn’t even ranked despite the popular narrative suggesting he’ll see time with the first team at some point before the end of the 2019 season.

The NFL (and all the rankings that come along with it) is a volatile beast. Next year this time, Murray may be riding high after a miraculous rookie season and be universally viewed as an elite top-five quarterback.

Ultimately, it’ll be entirely up to him.