Myles Murphy, EDGE Clemson Tigers: Offseason 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Murphy was a five-star recruit from Hillgrove High School in Powder Springs, Ga. in the class of 2020

All of the prospect profiles you see in this newsletter over the next ten months will appear in a free draft guide covering over 200 draft-eligible players. I’ve already covered Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Clemson Tigers defensive tackle Bryan Bresee. Now we’re checking out another Clemson star: defensive end Myles Murphy.

Visit my Twitter account @Sam_Teets33 for more updates and previews of the 2023 NFL Draft Guide.

Myles Murphy, EDGE Clemson: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Junior defensive end from Powder Springs, Ga.

Background: Murphy was a five-star recruit from Hillgrove High School in Powder Springs, Ga. in the class of 2020. He was the No. 7 recruit according to 247Sports, No. 4 for Rivals, and No. 9 for On3.com. ESPN ranked him 13th in the nation with a 90 grade out of 100. As a high school junior in 2018, Murphy tallied 55 tackles, including 16 tackles for loss and seven sacks. The following year he added 53 tackles, including 19 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks. Murphy was a U.S. Army All-American Bowl selection. His older brother (Max Murphy) played along the defensive line at NAIA Worcester Polytechnic in Massachusetts. Their father (Willard Murphy) was a linebacker for Chattanooga in college and for the Birmingham Stallions in the 1983 inaugural season of the United States Football League (USFL).

2021 Production: 13 games, 550 snaps, 39 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, 42 pressures, 8 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 2 passes defensed

2020 Production: 12 games, 420 snaps, 37 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, 20 pressures, 4 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, 1 pass defensed

Awards: 2020 Freshman All-American, 2020 Honorable Mention All-ACC, 2020 AP ACC Co-Newcomer of the Year, 2021 Second-Team All-ACC

Injuries & Off-Field: N/A

Pros: Consistently knocks the ball loose, relentless motor, stout anchor to set the edge against the run, walks offensive linemen back into the quarterback, tremendous hand and arm strength on one-armed tackles, arm length is adequate to keep linemen out of his pads and disengage when necessary, burst to make plays as a backside run defender, utilizes a one-armed stab, bull rush, and a grip and rip to pull linemen to his left and out of his way, productive on interior stunts, surprising acceleration for a player his size, slices through the B-gap on run plays, potential to offer alignment versatility at his size, good number of wins to the tackle’s inside shoulder, quick first step, converts speed to power, unstoppable coming downhill

Cons: Uncharacteristic number of missed tackles in 2021, bend off the edge is average, struggles to flatten his arc at the top of his pass rush, very limited experience lining up in the B-gap, lacks a deep arsenal of pass rush moves, plenty of power but limited finesse, vulnerable to bite on play action, takes eye candy too often in general, looks uncomfortable and high in two-point stance, decelerating and redirecting is a prolonged process, ball carriers drag him for an extra yard or two after contact, double teams send him backward, triggering at the snap is inconsistent, pad level occasionally gets too high, hesitant to go full bore at times

Overview: Murphy is unofficially listed at 6'5", 275 lbs. He’s an explosive, powerful linear player who becomes nearly impossible to stop once he builds a head of steam. Murphy has displayed his impressive upper body and hand strength in a number of one-armed tackles and pass rush moves, including a grip and rip move he’s used against tackles and guards. The Georgia native has the power to anchor and set the edge against the run, but he’s also flashed the speed to win the B-gap and blow up plays for big losses. Murphy possesses the size to become a versatile chess piece in the future. Right now, he almost always lines up outside of the tackle, but NFL teams could consider giving him more B-gap alignments to accompany a healthy diet of inside stunts and twists.

Overall, Murphy isn’t the most dynamic athlete in the 2023 draft class, but he’s flashed as both a pass rusher and run defender. His floor as a high-end run-stopper makes him a universally valued prospect. Murphy could become a top ten pick with a little more polish to his pass rush plan and mid-play processing.

Role & Scheme Fit: Three-point stance 4-3 defensive end who can reduce inside

Round Projection: Early First to Mid First

Player Comparison: N/A

Submitted: 07-01-22