Riley claims Murray's interview reports as 'glowing'

Oklahoma football coach Lincoln Riley refuted comments that his former quarterback, potential top draft pick Kyler Murray, interviewed poorly at the recently completed NFL Scouting Combine. "I know Kyler met with a lot of different teams at the combine, and I have personally spoken with the majority of the teams he met with," Riley said Wednesday on the Dan Patrick Show. "And every one of them was glowing in their reports about Kyler, basically the complete opposite of what Charley threw out there."

That would be former NFL general manager Charley Casserly, who said Tuesday he had heard negative reviews from teams who met with Murray, the 2018 Heisman Trophy winner. "These were the worst comments I ever got on a top-rated quarterback, and I've been doing this a long time," Casserly said on NFL Network. "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."

Casserly said he spoke with "more than two teams" but would not provide an exact number. He also said he heard Murray was poorly prepared for his interviews. "I just hate that people go out and make these comments and (they) haven't talked to the two people who've actually coached this kid," Riley said. "You went on what one team said. Which is probably a smokescreen. Kyler was a tremendous leader for us."

Murray did not participate in drills at the combine but reportedly met with 10 teams in Indianapolis, including the team with the No. 1 overall pick, the Arizona Cardinals. The draft begins April 25. There are likely to be smokescreens and waves of misinformation before then, and Murray -- with concerns about his size (5-10 1/8, 207 pounds) -- is likely to be a polarizing prospect. Still, many around the league believe the Cardinals are enamoured with Murray's skills and could be shopping 2018 first-round quarterback Josh Rosen to make room.

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

(With inputs from agencies.)