When he was helped off the field in November, with his left leg dangling late in the second quarter against Kentucky, it was hard to find anybody who spoke optimistically about Aaron Murray’s NFL future. Five months later, it’s hard to find anybody with anything bad to say.
Georgia’s record-setting quarterback is set to demonstrate Wednesday how well he has recovered from ACL surgery when representatives of NFL teams descend upon Woodruff Practice Fields for the annual UGA Pro Day. In all, 16 players will work out for NFL scouts, coaches and front-office executives. But, most assuredly, it’s Murray who is the featured act they’re coming to see.
Murray plans to show off the skills that made him the SEC’s all-time leading passer with a throwing workout late Wednesday morning. Teammates Arthur Lynch, Brandon Harton, Rhett McGowan and Rantavious Wooten will assist and hope to gain some notice at the same time. But for Murray, that’s not the focus of Wednesday’s festivities.
He said scouts can look at the 52 games of videotape he recorded primarily against SEC competition to evaluate his quarterbacking skills. His primary intent is “to shock” NFL evaluators with the extent of his recovery from knee surgery just 4 1/2 months ago.
“I want to prove to them that I’m not pretty much full speed, that I am full speed right now,” said Murray, who left Georgia owning SEC records for passing yards and touchdowns. “I’ve played more games than any quarterback in this class, so the film is there for them to see. This is just about showing them that I’m healthy and ready to go, and the person on that film is the person they’re drafting.”
Murray left Georgia as the SEC’s all-time leader in passing yards (13,166) and touchdown passes (121). His recovery may be some kind of record itself. He underwent reconstructive knee surgery Nov. 26, just three days after suffering the injury against Kentucky. So it will have been four months and 21 days when he works out Wednesday.
No one can say for sure if that’s a record. Minnesota Vikings’ running back Adrian Peterson famously recovered from a similar surgery in about the same amount of time. He suffered the injury in December and was able to play the season opener the next September. Quarterback Robert Griffin III executed a similar turnaround from January to September last year.
Murray didn’t undergo any sort of holistic treatments or radical rehabilitative methods. He did enlist the best possible care, spending about three months in Pensacola, Fla., at the EXOS training facility (formerly known as Athletes Performance) run by world-renowned orthopedist Dr. James Andrews.
“I don’t mess around with this kind of stuff,” Murray said. “I’ve just been working, working, working non-stop for 4 1/2 months. I haven’t taken a day off in that time. I’ve done something every day since my surgery. It’s been grueling. It’s been a tough process, but we’ve come a long way.”
Ridiculously quick recoveries are old hat for Murray. He broke his leg late in his senior season at Tampa (Fla.) Plant High yet managed to come back for the semifinals and finals on the way to the state championship.
Before suffering the knee injury, Murray was never sidelined by injury for any game at Georgia. He was temporarily knocked out for a few plays and left several games beat up. But he always responded well to treatment the next week and never missed a game. So there could be some genetics involved.
“His coaches and trainers say they very rarely had anybody come through there with the kind of work ethic, drive and passion that he has,” said Murray’s Atlanta-based agent, Pat Dye Jr. “He wakes up every day trying to get better. Things look good. I think teams will be pretty shocked at what they see.”
There have been some glimpses already. In mid-March, Murray left Pensacola and traveled to Phoenix to train under quarterback guru Terry Shea. The former college and NFL coach has developed a strong reputation for preparing quarterbacks for the draft, including Griffin, Sam Bradford, Josh Freeman and former Bulldog Matthew Stafford. Shea worked with Murray to coordinate his Pro Day workout, and Murray has been in Athens for the past 10 days rehearsing that script with the UGA crew that will join him Wednesday.
Murray was able to put that work on display recently when he worked out for ESPN’s Jon Gruden for his televised “Gruden’s QB Camp.” Murray blew away Gruden both in the film room and on the practice field. Not only did he say Murray can play in the NFL; he said Murray could be the “steal of the draft.”
“He’s at the top of the food chain, Murray,” Gruden said. “There’s a lot of things to like about him, his production, his mental and physical toughness, and the way he plays the position. I don’t know what round he’s gonna go in — I’ve never understood the draft — but he’s going to make somebody’s draft very, very exciting.”
Of course, that’s the million-dollar question, where Murray might be drafted, if at all. Gruden’s ESPN cohorts, Mel Kiper and Todd McShay, aren’t convinced. They both have him rated as the ninth quarterback in the draft. They have Teddy Bridgewater, Blake Bortles and Johnny Manziel as their top three.
“Who knows where I’m going to end up,” said Murray, who will hold private workouts for the Browns, Lions, Patriots, Dolphins, Rams and Titans in the next week or so. “The process is pretty crazy. You may feel really comfortable with one team or a couple of teams, then all of a sudden a team you’ve never talked to drafts you. I’ve heard a lot of stories like that.”
Former NFL coach and part-time analyst Tony Dungy drew a lot of attention in November 2012 when he said that not only would he draft Murray, but he’d draft him first. Of course, he’s biased. Dungy’s son, Eric, played with Murray for one season at Plant High before going off to play college ball himself. But Dungy still thinks Murray may be getting overlooked.
“Is he the best quarterback in this draft? I don’t know,” Dungy said. “But I’ve seen him up close, and I do believe he’s got everything you want in a quarterback, and he’ll make a great pro. He reminds me a lot of Russell Wilson. I think he’s smart and athletic and plays with poise, plays well under pressure. I just think he has a lot of those things that you can’t measure.”
For the record, Murray measured at 6-feet, one-half inch. (He was listed at 6-1 at Georgia.) That was pretty accurate, and soon we’ll see if the rest of his game translates to the NFL.
“I feel like I have a lot of positive energy heading into this final stretch between the Pro Day and the draft in three or four weeks,” Murray said. “I think I’m going to shock a lot of people.”
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