Myles Murphy NFL Draft Scouting Report

EDGE, Clemson Tigers

Clemson EDGE defender Myles Murphy projects as a scheme-versatile impact defender in the NFL. Murphy has a rare blend of size, length, explosion, and fluidity that makes him a challenge to block throughout the course of a game. Capable of reducing angles with power or playing through steep angles with speed, Murphy has the ability to challenge every kind of offensive tackle if he’s successfully able to mature and put things together. 

Originally a 5-star recruit, Murphy committed to Clemson out of Hillsgrove High School in Powder Springs, GA. Murphy was listed as a top-10 recruit nationally and earned looks from every powerhouse program under the sun, including Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, Oregon, Penn State, Tennessee, and others. Murphy left Hillsgrove as a participant in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl for top recruits and quickly gained a role with the Tigers upon his arrival—earning Freshman All-American honors from ESPN. 

Murphy may have hit the ground running with two sacks during his debut game as a true freshman back in 2020, but it is really the growth and development as a player that has me the most excited. Comparing who he was as a player in the season debut versus Georgia versus the player he showcased himself to be in the regular-season finale against South Carolina illustrated overwhelming growth and this is a player who feels like he’s still only just scratching the surface. 

Murphy has some overwhelming tools and traits at his disposal. He’s got good length and very dynamic hands, enough to keep tackles working throughout the full set in order to sustain hands. I’ve seen Murphy go into the toolbox with a variety of counters, both at first contact and as secondary counters. His hand power allows him to manufacture creases to slip off blocks once hands are set. From a movement skills standpoint, Murphy offers a potent first step and effective ability to flatten the edge when running the outside arc. His acceleration on two-man games and twists inside to explode through interior gaps is tremendous. 

Murphy offers a prototypical build to play as a 4-3 end, but Clemson did charge him with some zone drops, both dropping to the flats and dropping into a shallow spy. He’s more than capable of executing these reps with more regularity but you’d be doing so at the expense of keeping him in your rush arsenal. Perhaps the most impressive athletic feat I saw him execute was aligning inside shade on the tackle, pressing through a seal block, and running to the boundary with a running back releasing outside from the backfield before flipping and carrying him some 20-plus yards downfield.

Murphy’s feel and play processing made significant leaps from start to finish in 2021, but I still lament about how much production he missed out on by not finishing plays. He was out-maneuvered in the pocket by opposing quarterbacks far too often, and early in the season teams had some notable success running zone read or optioning off of him as an unblocked defender. Continued reps here will hopefully manufacture more consistency in Murphy converting pressure and penetration opportunities into finished plays.

Some of Murphy’s missed opportunities appear to show some lateral tightness in the hips. I think he’s much more dynamic on shallow angles and in linear situations than what he can showcase when needing to corner or redirect with speed at steeper angles once he’s got his momentum moving forward—that’s a lot of mass to gear down and redirect so suddenly given how much explosion he can offer with his initial attack.

Murphy should be an impact starter on the defensive front. Murphy has the mobility to play a number of alignments and the pass rush prowess to play on third downs quickly in the NFL. He may take a few years to fully season as a full-time player and find the balance in his rush plan, but I would expect Murphy to change the look and feel of his team’s defensive front by year three.

Top Reasons to Buy In:

• Rare blend of athletic tools and traits

• Consistent production and steady development

• Can play in any front and win accordingly 
• Glowing reviews as a player and person

Top Reasons For Concern:

• Disruption has been more prevalent than finishing splash plays; needs to finish better

• Transitions in rush counters could be expedited to win quicker
• Does illustrate some steep lateral tightness on the edge

Size (NFL Combine):

Height: 6′ 5”

Weight: 268 lbs

Arm Length: 33 3/4”

Hand Size: 8 1/2”

Athletic Testing (NFL Combine):

40-yard Dash: TBD

Vertical Jump: TBD

Broad Jump: TBD

Short-Shuttle: TBD

Three-Cone: TBD

Bench Reps: 25 reps

Ideal Role: Multiple front EDGE defender

Scheme Fit: Scheme diverse

Prospect Comparison: Ziggy Ansah (2013 NFL Draft)

TDN Consensus Grade: 87.00/100 (First-Round Value)

• Crabbs Grade: 87.00/100

Written By: Kyle Crabbs

Exposures: Georgia (2021), Florida State (2021), NC State (2022), Miami (2022), Notre Dame (2022), South Carolina (2022)

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