As soon as Oklahoma QB Kyler Murray started getting buzz as the potential No. 1 overall pick, negative reports started surfacing about him.

What should we parse from this? While it’s certainly possible that Murray is bad in interviews, it’s also important to consider where this information is coming from. Perhaps teams that originally thought Murray might fall to them in the 2019 NFL Draft are seeing these reports about him going No. 1 and are secretly trying to hurt his reputation so he slides.

On Wednesday’s episode of the “Dan Patrick Show,” Patrick said he knows scouts have an agenda this time of year, but added that one of his sources thinks Murray may have inflated his height at the NFL Combine:

“Everyone has an agenda this time of year,” Patrick admits. “I did talk to a scout last night, and this guy’s been great. He’s been up front with me and he’ll tell me sometimes when he doesn’t have a grade on somebody or he hasn’t looked at their tape. I talked to this source last night and asked him if he heard these Charley Casserly comments on Kyler Murray. He said ‘I haven’t read them, but we have talked about this. Not surprised, especially after your interview and watching his dad during your interview. There’s no question about his arm and athletic abilities, and his speed will be hard to defend. …

“Two things that were unusual. No. 1, his drops were too deep — 10 yards, which isn’t common for protection purposes in the NFL. No. 2, he really goes down easily. … Also, I think that his height was inflated. Maybe it’s the tinfoil hat theory, but I just don’t see it. If he refuses to measure at the pro day, that will be telling.”

If the scout thinks Murray faked his height somehow at the Combine, it’s strange that he doesn’t think Murray would do the same thing at his pro day. Whatever the case, this time of year is very strange and getting stranger.