School: Clemson
Position: EDGE
Year: Junior
The Good: Even before getting into his tape, Myles Murphy is an impressive prospect on paper. A former five-star recruit, Murphy checks in at 6’5”, 268lbs with nearly 34” arms. And then the tape is pretty sweet too! Murphy has a rare combination of top-flight burst and power, and with good bend too he’s proven that he can either go through or around just about any OT. Murphy has the most developed arsenal of pass rush moves of the EDGE prospects that I’ve evaluated to date, and some of them are truly legit. Murphy has the makings of an elite run defender too. He plays physical and sets an extremely firm edge. Murphy also is a hyper aware and instinctual player with a great motor.
The Bad: Murphy is pretty exclusively a DE in the traditional mold, as he’s not as natural from a stand-up position nor lined up inside in a gap. When Clemson did try to add some versatility to Murphy’s profile by experimenting with him in looks closer to a 3-4 DE, Murphy could give up too much ground at the point of attack. He’s also not particularly slippery, so he’s not the type to sidestep a guard in the half-second following the snap; just about every pass rush from Murphy involves heavy contact before he threatens pressure. Murphy’s pad level isn’t necessarily a concern, but he can stand to get more consistent with it and weed out reps of attacking too high from his game.
The Bottom Line: Myles Murphy is a really good prospect, and I’m disappointed to see his stock apparently fall as many top insiders around the NFL continue to drop him down in mock drafts; Mel Kiper didn’t even include Murphy in Round 1 in his most recent version. I guess I somewhat get it…Murphy isn’t as flashy as a TJ Watt or as versatile as a JJ Watt. But this is a dude with proven production, no-doubt NFL size and traits, and a birthdate in 2002! Murphy’s Draft process has some similarities to that of George Karlaftis’ from one year ago, who fell to Pick 30 then proceeded to become a regular player on the Chiefs’ Super Bowl winning team. If Murphy isn’t spicy enough and has truly fallen out of favor with many teams around the league, then there’s going to be one lucky team in the back half of Round 1 that lands a Day 1 starter at DE with serious upside.
Grade: Mid First Round
Pro Comp: Bradley Chubb
Games Watched:
- Georgia 2021
- Boston College 2021
- Wake Forest 2021
- NC State 2022
- Florida State 2022
- Syracuse 2022
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