The Player
- Myles Murphy
- Clemson
- DL
- 6’5″ 276 lbs
High School
Murphy attended Hillgrove High School. He’s a native of Marietta, Georgia. Murphy recorded 17.5 sacks over his last two seasons as a high school athlete. He helped Hillgrove record their most wins ever in a season (12) as a junior. The Georgia recruit was named to the Preseason Super 11 team in 2019 and was selected to play in the U.S. Army All-American game. Myles Murphy was a five-star recruit, ranked the #1 strong-side defensive end, the #7 player nationally, and the #2 player from Georgia in the 2020 recruiting class.
College
Murphy was one of three impact defensive freshmen in the 2020 class. Trenton Simpson and Bryan Breese joined him as the Tigers looked to rebuild their defense. The Georgia native started six games as a freshman and wasted zero time making an impact with a seven-tackle and two-sack performance in his first game. Murphy became the first freshman since 1988 to record three forced fumbles in a season. He was named to the Freshman All-American team and the AP ACC Co-Newcomer of the year.
The Clemson defensive end led the team in tackles for loss in his freshman and sophomore seasons. He increased his tackles, tackles for loss, and sacks in each of his first two seasons. Murphy was named Second-team All-ACC in 2021 and First-team All-ACC in 2022 as his game improved. The Clemson defensive lineman was the only player in the nation to record at least ten tackles for loss and a forced fumble in three straight seasons from 2020 to 2022.
Myles Murphy was evaluated by 247Sports.com scouts back in 2018 with high praise for being a top 10 NFL draft pick. After an accomplished college career, he’s on his way to hearing his name called early in this year’s draft. He finished his career at Clemson unofficially with 96 pressures and was named a top 35 player in college football for the 2022 season. Despite not receiving the accolades he would have liked with personal awards or a National Championship, Murphy made a lasting impact on the Clemson football program.
Strengths
Get These Hands
Murphy is one of the best in all of college football at putting his hands on offensive linemen before they have a chance to block him. This is a rare trait that some of the NFL’s best execute flawlessly. The Clemson pass rusher reminds me of a throwback defensive lineman. He has the athletic ability and power to move blockers wherever he wants to. He is still a bit raw with how and when he uses his hands, but he packs a huge punch. Murphy’s long arms allow him to move an offensive lineman without losing track of the ball. The ability to get your hands on the man blocking you before he does is a huge reason why Murphy spends the majority of the game in the backfield.
First Step
There’s just no way to coach athleticism and bend. Murphy has those traits, and even though he’s still a bit unpolished, showed how effective he can be. In the above clip, he’s the first player across the line, and his long arms are used as a guide to get him around the corner. He does this almost effortlessly without ever engaging with the tackle.
The quarterback has no chance here, and Murphy can get him down and use his powerful hands to get the ball out and create a turnover. This is no surprise for Murphy; he created six forced fumbles in his three seasons with Clemson. When he plays on Sunday, the first step won’t be the same advantage he had in college. However, he has the skills to make that a huge part of his game. This is a great trait to have at such a young age in a pass rusher.
Weaknesses
Counter Moves
There are a couple of scenarios where the Clemson pass rusher looks uninterested when he’s double-teamed or blocked early in a play. Murphys’s spin move is lethal. From a pass-rushing move perspective, I don’t believe he’s even close to being as good as he can be. One thing I would have liked to see more is being able to counterattack what an offensive line is doing to him. He’s extremely good at imposing his will, but he looks tired and undisciplined late in games. I have zero doubt that changes at the NFL level with the upgrade in positional coaching. Murphy shows minimal explosiveness when the offense knows his moves, and his lateral movement would be a huge help in creating counters to make things difficult on the offense.
Pad Level and Gap Discipline
I hate the above play on multiple levels, not just because it’s Florida State. Murphy has this play read and does everything right to blow this play up in the backfield. He doesn’t make the play and is undisciplined in his attack. It looks like he has the running back here, knowing the attacking linebacker has the quarterback. Murphy doesn’t make a play on either of them, leaving the linebacker in a bad position. If he crashes with just a bit more of a wider base, this changes the play completely. This would likely be enough to cause a negative play. There are coaching and execution flaws that led to this touchdown.
Plays like this will not allow Murphy to be a four-down player at the next level. At times, his pad level and lack of use of his lower body are frustrating to watch. I have little doubt that NFL coaching can make this a relatively easy fix. Myles Murphy is a large man with a lot of athleticism. When he learns to use leverage to his advantage, he will be a nightmare to deal with.
Landing Spot
I’m sure if you ask anyone in the league, EDGE rusher is the one position all 32 NFL teams’ need’ because they are just so difficult to find. The teams I’m looking at in position to add a pass rusher of Murphy’s caliber are the Lions, Seahawks, and Falcons. All three can use the help up front and possess picks at the back half of the top 10. The Detroit Lions and Seahawks also hold additional picks in the top 20. He will be viewed as a Day 1 starter on his draft capital, regardless of where he lands.
Fantasy Outlook
I’m always skeptical of rookie production, primarily due to the jump from the college game to the NFL. In recent years, we have seen rookie EDGE players step in and prove worthy of starting on your fantasy teams immediately. This season alone, Aidan Hutchinson and, later in the season, Kayvon Thibodeaux rewarded dynasty managers who pulled the trigger and drafted them early. If he can find the right situation, I wouldn’t rule out Murphy being the same type of player, especially considering how thin the defensive line position is in fantasy football overall. He will likely be inconsistent like most other rookies, but with production, as he’s learning a new system. Long term, he could be a big value in this class.
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