Scout's takes: Assessing Arizona's Kyler Murray, four other first-round rookies

Former NFL scout Matt Williamson writes about the league from an X's and O's perspective. In his weekly column, he focuses this week on five first-round rookies.

Kyler Murray, QB, Arizona Cardinals, 1st overall

Murray is playing very fast, and frankly, that isn’t necessarily a good thing for a quarterback. It appears as though he thinks everything is coming at him at 1 million miles per hour. He rushes things when he shouldn’t and holds the ball when he should be quick. Legendary UCLA coach John Wooden’s used to say, "Be quick, but don’t hurry.” That definitely applies to Murray. All of this isn’t overly alarming for Murray's long-term development, nor is it rare for rookie signal-callers.

What else does the tape show on Murray? He sure looks tiny -- he's 5-foot-10, and that obviously will not change. But his ability to pass really stands out. He is a fantastic athlete who's hampered playing behind an overmatched offensive line. Murray, who weighs 210 pounds, already has been sacked an NFL-high 20 times, a pace that would shatter David Carr's NFL record of 76. Oh, and he's super-fast. Murray didn't run the 40 at the combine or his pro day, but he was timed at 4.38 in college.

Although he's an excellent runner -- sheesh, he rushed for 1,001 yards at Oklahoma last season -- Murray hasn’t relied on his running (113 yards). That's a good thing if Arizona wants him to play a full season.  

In Week 4 against Seattle, Murray cut down on the poor plays, a positive sign, but Arizona isn’t pushing the ball down the field. Bottom line: Murray and the Cardinals' offense have a lot of growing up to do, but the potential here is undeniable.

Devin Bush, LB, Pittsburgh Steelers, 10th overall

As was the case with his entire team, the first three weeks of the season didn’t go well for Bush, whom the Steelers traded up to grab -- a rare draft move for Pittsburgh. The 5-foot-11, 234-pounder out of Michigan has made his share of plays.

Bush's great athleticism stands out, and he certainly has a nose for the football. But quarterbacks Tom Brady and Russell Wilson influenced him too much with play action, and Bush has sometimes struggled to get off bigger blocks. In the first three weeks, he often was a step away in coverage.

Bush improved slightly in each game and then exploded on Monday night in Week 4 against the awful Bengals. His lack of height probably will always be an issue, but Bush’s coverage against Cincinnati was impressive. It looks as though the game is slowing for Pittsburgh’s new linebacker, who hasn’t missed a snap in the past two games. 

Bush isn’t overreacting to misdirection and seems to be diagnosing things much crisper a month into the season. I think he might have turned the corner.

Dwayne Haskins, QB, Washington Redskins, 15th overall

Thrown into action in Week 4 against the Giants, Haskins looked much like his preseason self. His arm talent is obvious. He's accurate, well built and tough. But Haskins is swimming mentally, holding onto the ball way too long and staring down receivers. One such case resulted in Michigan-on-Ohio State crime as strong safety Jabrill Peppers picked off Haskins and took it to the house. That was one of three interceptions he tossed in a game he went 9-for-17 for 117 yards.

It is worrisome how Haskins performs when pressured. Even at Ohio State, he didn’t excel with rushers bearing down on him. If he starts in Week 5 at home over Colt McCoy, it could get super-ugly against the Patriots, who have the NFL's best defense and are especially rough on rookie QBs. Clearly, Haskins has a lot of work to do, and who knows how much longer his head coach will be employed. 

The Redskins played without several key players in Week 4 -- left tackle Trent Williams, where are you? -- including Haskins’ college teammate Terry McLaurin, an excellent rookie receiver. He'll help Haskins for sure when he returns. Bottom line: Washington is a terrible environment to develop a first-round quarterback.

Darnell Savage, safety, Green Bay Packers, 21st overall

If the voting were to take place today, Savage would get my vote for Defensive Rookie of the Year. He, along with free-agent acquisition Adrian Amos, have transformed Green Bay’s safety situation into one of the best in the league. The Packers are tied for 10th in yards allowed (330.2); they were 18th last season.

Savage stands out even to the casual viewer because of how much ground he covers. He flies to football. At times, Savage can play a little out of control, resulting in a missed or overrun tackle here and there, but his playmaking traits more than make up for that minor shortcoming.

Savage has many tools in his toolbox, allowing him to excel almost anywhere in the secondary. He has yet to miss a snap and has a very high football IQ. He'll only get better.

Marquise Brown, WR, Baltimore Ravens, 25th overall

Brown, cousin of former Steelers star Antonio Brown, burst onto the scene in Week 1 against the terrible Dolphins, grabbing four passes for 147 yards and two TDs. His numbers are down recently, but he has been on the field for 80% of Baltimore’s snaps over the past three weeks after playing only 16% of the snaps in Week 1. Clearly, the Ravens have confidence in the 5-foot-9, 170-pound speedster, who didn't run the 40 at the combine but has been timed at 4.32.

Brown’s ridiculous deep speed is of course his calling card, but he is already a pretty developed route runner and can also nickel and dime cornerbacks who play him with a big cushion. If Brown (16 catches, 304 yards) gets a little space, it is a house call. I'd like to see a little more bulk on him to withstand the rigors of the NFL, but that will come.

Against quality opponents Kansas City and Cleveland in Week 3 and 4, Baltimore wasn't the same team that pummeled cream-puffs Miami and Arizona in the first two weeks. But with QB Lamar Jackson, tight Mark Andrews and Brown in the fold, I'm not worried about the long-term future of the Ravens' passing game.