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Cardinals pick Kyler Murray in NFL Draft first round

Cardinals pick Kyler Murray in NFL Draft first round
© Reuters
Arizona had been widely expected to take a quarterback.

Kyler Murray has become the first man to be selected in the first round of both the National Football League and Major League Baseball drafts.

He was chosen as the number one overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals.

Last year, the Oakland Athletics made Murray the ninth overall pick in the MLB draft, hoping to persuade the two-sport star his future was as a shortstop, but Murray declared for the NFL draft in January.

Murray excelled at both sports, and though he has relatively little experience in football, playing only one season as the starting quarterback at Oklahoma, he won the Heisman Trophy as the best player in college football.

His combination of speed and arm strength make him a potential franchise quarterback, though his undersized frame and particular style will require a team to build an offence around him rather than expect him to slot into an existing set-up.

Most had expected the Cardinals to take a quarterback for the second successive year in the first round and Murray tweeted to say it had been an "amazing night".

"Can't wait to join my @AZCardinals teammates and get started," he added.

The San Francisco 49ers selected defensive end Nick Bosa with the second overall pick.

Bosa, the younger brother of Los Angeles Chargers defensive end Joey, boasts the ideal combination of power and length, and is versatile enough to play in any defensive set.

Though he missed the bulk of the 2018 season through injury, he was widely considered the top defensive prospect in this year's class.

The New York Jets picked at number three and chose defensive tackle Quinnen Williams.

A national champion in 2017, Williams has the skill set to be an immediate starter in the NFL, having recorded eight sacks and 19.5 tackles for a loss last season.

The Oakland Raiders, with three first-round picks, chose defensive lineman Clelin Ferrell, of Clemson, with the number four overall pick, while the Denver Broncos executed the first trade of the night with the Pittsburgh Steelers when they jumped up to 10th to land Michigan linebacker Devin Bush.

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