Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson is one of the best escape artists in the history of the position, but there’s one thing he can’t evade: comparisons to other height-challenged QBs.

Wilson couldn’t dodge them entering the 2012 draft, when the fact there were few quarterbacks in the league who looked like him — both in skin color and in stature — caused a franchise-caliber signal-caller to slip to the third round of the draft. Even as Wilson has proved that an undersized QB can be the face of a championship offense, the comparisons continue whenever there’s another Wilson-esque prospect in the draft.

This year it’s Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray, who draws Wilson parallels for several reasons. For starters, they’re both black, and when it comes to pro comps for draft prospects, that’s typically the starting point. (It’s also worth noting since we’re arguably in a Golden Era for African American QBs: the league’s reigning MVP, highest-paid player and top pick in the most recent draft are all black.) Murray and Wilson were talented dual-sport athletes: Murray spurned the Oakland A’s, who made him the No. 9 overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft, in order to pursue pro football; Wilson hung up his baseball cleats in college after a few minor-league stints. Because of their athleticism, Wilson and Murray share the “dual-threat” label, though Wilson has proved his chops as a pocket passer over the past few seasons.

The more pertinent similarity, though, is height — or in this instance, lack thereof. Wilson is 5 feet 11. Murray is 5-10 and change. They’ll share a field for the first time Sunday afternoon in Glendale, Ariz., illustrating the ongoing change in perception of the shorter-than-average NFL passer.

Wilson’s credentials as a Super Bowl champ, five-time Pro Bowler and owner of the second-best passer rating in NFL history has undoubtedly paved the way for teams to feel more comfortable investing in players such as Murray, the reigning Heisman winner who dominated the college game last year.

“When Russ came into the league it was a unique situation for a guy to come in, and a lot of people didn’t think he was big enough to play the game. Even his college coaches questioned that,” Seattle coach Pete Carroll said this week. “But he has proven in the years that he’s been here that he is legit and he’s the real deal — a great football player — and in that, I think he opened up the minds of other people. There wasn’t a lot of people who thought he was going to do very well, and so now there are people.

“That opens up the door for Kyler to get a shot. Maybe had Russell Wilson not come along it would have been much harder for Kyler to be the first pick in the draft.”

At the very least, Wilson has given NFL decision-makers reason to look past QB height and focus on qualities including accuracy, vision and arm strength, which is what Cardinals GM Steve Keim was able to do when scouting Murray. During a film study on Murray with The Athletic’s Scott Bordow in May, Keim specifically referenced Seattle’s mindset when evaluating Wilson.

“It goes back to what John Schneider said about Russell,” Keim said. “‘What’s wrong with the guy other than the fact he’s not 6-3?’”

Weeks before Murray’s preseason debut in August, Wilson was asked about the notion that he opened the door for Murray at the game’s highest level. He wouldn’t take all of the credit, acknowledging the handful of sub-6-foot field generals who came before him.

“Fran Tarkenton way back in the day was the first real kind of short quarterback that was able to scramble and make plays like that,” Wilson said after a training camp practice, “and I think guys like Doug Flutie, guys like Michael Vick, guys like Donovan McNabb, you know, who was able to make a lot of plays. Steve Young, you know.”

Most discussions of dynamic modern-day quarterbacks under 6-feet should begin with the 5-10 Flutie, whose perceived shortcomings — no pun intended — entering the league in the 1980s forced him to spend a portion of his career in the Canadian Football League. Ironically, Flutie’s CFL offenses, which relied heavily on shotgun formations and read-options, were a preview of what NFL teams use today. Had Flutie been born in 1985 instead of being drafted that year, he may not have had to spend his prime tearing it up north of the border.

After Flutie came Brees, the 6-foot future Hall of Famer who began his career as a teammate of Flutie’s in San Diego before embarking on a legendary stint in New Orleans. During his 19-year career, the 40-year-old Brees has taken the title as the all-time leader in passing yards and solidified himself as one the best ever. That set the stage for Wilson, whose rise to stardom was based in part on mirroring Brees.

While training for the draft at IMG Academy in 2012, Wilson watched film of Brees and even listened to his old exit interviews in preparation for what he’d endure in the pre-draft process. Since then, Wilson has frequently referred to Brees as one of his favorite players in the league and has attempted to emulate him on and off the field. Brees stresses visualizing every aspect of the game in his weekly preparation; Wilson does the same, even going to far as to Google images of opposing stadiums ahead of away games. Brees acquired offseason property in the San Diego area; Wilson recently did the same and says their children attend the same school. After Brees suffered a broken thumb against the Rams on Sept. 15, Wilson tweeted a get-well-soon clip from his podcast.

Brees began his career backing up Flutie and at times marveling at the plays he was able to make for a player that size, playing that position. Wilson began his career with a similar example in Brees, who — unlike some of the other shorter QBs — has a ring. In addition to prolific passing stats and championship resumes, Wilson and Brees share a belief that their height shouldn’t be a crutch.

“You and I don’t know what it’s like to be 6-4, or 6-5, so when people talk about that, I don’t even know what that’s like,” Brees said during an offseason chat with Wilson in 2017. “What I do know is that if you take away a sense from you, like, close your eyes: All of the sudden you have this heightened awareness of smell, of sound, of different things. Hey, we are 6-foot, we don’t see things the way a 6-4, 6-5 guy does, but it forces our other senses to be heightened and that’s how we survive, that’s how we play at a high level.”

“Yeah, that sounds really good,” Wilson replied.

Because Wilson has played at a high level, teams can feel better about dismissing height as a “negative” on the pre-draft scouting report. That was the case for the 2018 No. 1 overall pick, Cleveland’s Baker Mayfield (6 feet and 5/8 at the scouting combine), who used Wilson’s style of play as a blueprint when lighting up the field in college at Oklahoma. While Murray’s height was still at the forefront of pre-draft discussions one year later, it’s apparent the eight-year run Wilson is on has had a direct impact on the league-wide confidence level in short quarterbacks, something Wilson has long set out to accomplish.

The door is going to stay open, too. Elements of college offenses have been borrowed for years and now RPOs are becoming more trendy, and pass-happy offenses are growing in popularity. We may reach a point when quarterback height may be rendered irrelevant. And if Murray and Arizona head coach Kliff Kingsbury take the league by storm over the next few years, they’ll be opening doors for another wave of undersized franchise QBs and rookie coaches to pair them with.

“He’s a guy who’s quick as can be,” Wilson said earlier this season of Murray, with whom he connected ahead this year’s draft. “He can throw it all over the field. He has his baseball instincts and everything. I think he’s going to be a great player in the National Football League, and I think he’s going to be able to do a lot of great things.”

It’ll take more than blackness, a baseball background and a body type for Murray to truly emulate Wilson.

“When you look at Russell Wilson’s teams they’re always in the game in the fourth quarter,” Kingsbury said. “That’s a key in this league.”

No characteristic is more essential to copy than Wilson’s ability to lead his team to victory. Murray has yet to do that this season despite posting decent passing numbers while leading the league in attempts through three weeks. How fitting it would be for Murray to claim his place in the under-6-foot club with a win over one of its most prominent members.

(Top photo: Stephen Brashear / Getty Images)