Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray. Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

Kyler Murray has a lot to do in order to win over one former NFL Pro Bowler.

Former running back LeSean McCoy said on his “I Am Athlete” podcast that Murray is “trash” and plays “like a high school player,” and that the Arizona Cardinals quarterback is “overhyped” and “embarrassing.”

“He’s trash. Overhyped, overrated,” McCoy said. “He plays like a high school player. Runs around, runs backwards, does a ballerina circle, goes left, goes right, turns all the way around again, then looks for a wide receiver. He’s trash. That’s not how you play quarterback.”

One of McCoy’s co-hosts asked how Murray’s style of play is any different than McCoy’s former teammate Patrick Mahomes. McCoy strongly objected to the comparison.

“He ain’t Mahomes,” McCoy said. “Let me tell you about Mahomes real quick. The majority of Mahomes’ passes are timing. Third step hit, boom, ball’s out. Fifth step, boom, ball’s out. Sometimes he goes off-script because we all can do that. … Not every pass. Every pass, (Murray) is holding the ball, let’s make a miracle. Every game he’s played — watch him play. It’s really embarrassing, to be honest.

“Who’s coaching this kid? Now when they say we want to sign you to a big contract, but you have to watch certain film, now that makes sense. I see why, because he ain’t reading no coverages. When the quarterback is running around like that all day, all night, all game, that’s because he’s not reading any coverages.”

A lot of McCoy’s points here have certainly been echoed by others. While the “high school player” claim is over the top, Murray detractors do argue that as good an athlete as he is, he does not excel at the mental side of quarterbacking and struggles to break down coverages and fronts. The infamous film study clause that was added and removed from his new contract certainly did not dispel that notion, no matter what its intent was.

McCoy is not afraid to be critical of figures who don’t seem to attract a lot of criticism, so this is not a huge shock. Still, it’s about as blistering a take on an oft-heralded young quarterback as you’re likely to hear.

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