Lincoln Riley: Despite reports, Murray had great interviews at combine

Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley disputes NFL Network analyst Charley Casserly's claim that Kyler Murray interviewed poorly with teams at the combine.

"I've personally spoken with the majority of teams that he met with (at the combine) and everyone was glowing about their conversations with Kyler," Riley said on the "Dan Patrick Show" on Wednesday. "Basically the complete opposite of what Charley said."

Despite not participating in drills, Murray still dominated headlines throughout the combine, which concluded Monday. He measured in at 5-foot-10 and 207 pounds - taller than many believed.

Casserly, however, maintains there was more to Murray's combine visit than just his measurements as the former Washington Redskins general manager received poor feedback on the Oklahoma product.

"These were the worst comments I ever got on a high-rated quarterback, and I've been doing this a long time," Casserly said Tuesday.

Casserly added: "Leadership - not good. Study habits - not good. The board work - below not good. Not good at all in any of those areas, raising major concerns about what this guy is going to do."

Riley denied the assessment that the quarterback lacks leadership skills.

"Kyler was a tremendous leader for us," Riley said. "... All he cares about is winning. I think our team took on his personality."

Murray's agent, Erik Burkhardt, also countered Casserly's report Wednesday.

"My initial reaction was to laugh because I knew the 'old guard' would inevitably try to come up with the usual pre-draft nonsense," Burkhardt told Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio. "But when I later watched this man say what he did, it was over the top and definitely felt personal, and that's when I got pissed off."

Burkhardt added, "First and foremost, Kyler is an exemplary person. He is everything you hope your own son grows up to become. We're talking about a young man who has done everything right and worked relentlessly his entire life to achieve and push for greatness. We're talking about the first human ever drafted in the top 10 in two major sports leagues, and who just completed the greatest single season in football history. You will not find even one former teammate or coach at any level in any sport who's played with Kyler Murray who has anything remotely negative to say about him, his leadership, or his work ethic."

The Arizona Cardinals are reportedly targeting Murray with the No. 1 pick. He's also apparently drawing interest from the Oakland Raiders, who hold the fourth overall pick.

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