They had to wait a long time to hear their names called, but they finally did mid-afternoon Saturday, and Aaron Murray and Arthur Lynch realized their lifelong dreams of becoming NFL players.
It was fitting that the two Georgia players would be selected within eight picks of each other in the fifth round — Lynch the 155th overall pick by the Miami Dolphins and Murray the 163rd by the Kansas City Chiefs. They’ve been practically attached at the hip over the past five years.
They came to Georgia in 2009 from out of state, redshirted their first season in college, roomed together and played together most of the past four seasons. Lynch, a 6-foot-5, 258-pound tight end from Dartmouth, Mass., was named first-team All-SEC this past season. Murray received several national and all-conference awards as he finished as the SEC’s all-time leader in passing yards and touchdowns.
In article on the Chiefs’ website Murray said, “I’m very excited. We were watching the draft as a family, and I said, starting with (the stretch of) Kansas City to New Orleans, somewhere in those five to seven picks, I felt like I had a good shot and obviously, as soon as Kansas City got on the board, I got the call.
“It’s definitely very exciting. I’m extremely excited about the whole thing and I’m looking forward to getting up there and getting to work.”
Dom Green, the Chiefs’ assistant director of college scouting, said in a statement on the website, “Aaron is a phenomenal leader, there at Georgia, a four-year starter and he’s the type of guy who his teammates rally around and gravitate towards, just an overall very competitive player.”
As a senior, Lynch appeared in 12 games, making 11 starts, and had 30 receptions for 459 yards and five touchdowns. He was voted to Associated Press All-SEC first team and the All-SEC coaches’ first team and to the SEC first teams of Sporting News and Phil Steele.
“Congrats to my brother @alynch1788. Proud of ya brother,” Murray tweeted minutes after Lynch was selected.
Lynch, who was chosen as the Bulldogs’ permanent offensive captain for 2013, set a career-high with six catches for 69 yards in his final game in the Gator Bowl. He was invited to and participated in the Senior Bowl.
After his selection by the Dolphins, Lynch told the Dolphins’ website that he thinks his versatility will help him in the NFL.
“That’s one thing that a tight end is asked to do is not just catch, not just block, but really understand the game of football and be able to do things well all across the table. That’s something I was asked to do at Georgia, and I think that I’ll be able to translate to the next level.”
Murray left Georgia with SEC career records for completions (921), passing yards (13,166), touchdown passes (121) and total offense (13,562), and ranks second in the SEC in career pass attempts (1,478) . He became the first quarterback in SEC history to throw for more than 3,000 yards in four consecutive seasons.
Last season, Murray appeared in 11 games, all of them 11 starts. But his season and career was cut short when he suffered a season-ending torn ACL in the second quarter of the Kentucky game. The injury happened late in the second quarter, and he already was 18-for-23 for 183 yards and four touchdowns. He was voted to Associated Press All-SEC second team.
Murray created all kinds of chatter among draft analysts as he continually was passed over for other quarterbacks. Three quarterbacks were taken in Thursday’s first round: Central Florida’s Blake Bortles (Jacksonville), Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel (Cleveland), Louisville’s Teddy Bridgewater (Minnesota).
In the second round Friday, Fresno State’s Derek Carr went to Oakland, and Eastern Illinois’s Jimmy Garoppolo was picked by New England. Even Virginia Tech’s Logan Thomas was chosen before Murray on Saturday.
But it says something about a quarterback when Dan Marino talks about him. As the second and third rounds of the NFL draft ticked by Friday, the NFL’s all-time leading passer tweeted that there may be a steal to be had in the later rounds.
“Look out for Aaron Murray, still recovering from a major injury but could be a gem in the late rounds. #QBDraft,” Marino tweeted.
But Murray had a lot of obstacles to overcome. There were concerns about his height (6 feet, 1/2-inch) and the size of his hands. And then, of course, the knee injury. But the Tampa, Fla., native put on a great show for NFL scouts at UGA’s Pro Day, just 4 1/2 months after having reconstructive surgery.
“I’ve played games than anybody quarterback in this class, 52 starts in the SEC,” Murray said before the draft. “So the film is there for them to see. It’s just about showing them that I’m healthy and ready to go and the person on that film is the person they’re drafting.”
No other Georgia players were taken in this year’s draft. It was the first time since 2008 and the second since Mark Richt has been head coach that no Bulldog went in the first three rounds.
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