Skip to Search Skip to Live Player Skip to Content Skip to Footer

5 Things to Know About DE Myles Murphy- Eagles Prospect Profile

Placeholder Shilloutte User Image By Dylan MacKinnon
SOUTH BEND, INDIANA - NOVEMBER 05: Myles Murphy #98 of the Clemson Tigers looks on against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the second half at Notre Dame Stadium on November 05, 2022 in South Bend, Indiana.

Is Clemson’s Myles Murphy the right fit for the Eagles on draft night? 

After an eventful start to free agency, the Eagles’ needs look far different. At the start of free agency, Cornerback was by far their most pressing need. It looked like James Bradberry was leaving, and Darius Slay was in the last year of his deal. Now? They have both under contract for the next 3 years. With their ages, I would not define Cornerback as a non-need. They should still try and bringing in a young corner to develop behind them. But they are not looking for a player who can step in and start right away. Giving them far more options on draft night. 

And one of the options Howie Roseman will likely be most intrigued by is another defensive lineman. Howie loves to add depth to the line, on both sides of the ball. We have seen year after year he does not mind using high picks on defensive or offensive line depth. Last year he took Jordan Davis who they didn’t expect to start, and then Cam Jurgens in the second round. The year before they selected Landon Dickerson in the 2nd round, and Milton Williams in the 3rd. A few years back now, they selected Andre Dillard despite OT not being an immediate need. The chances they select an Offensive or defensive lineman seem pretty high. 

And one that could very well be on Howie’s radar is Myles Murphy out of Clemson. With the Eagles bringing back their corners, he is a name you suddenly see appearing on Eagles mock drafts. Many rate him as one of the top-edge rushers in this draft behind Will Anderson. His athletic ability is off the charts. But should he be the Eagles pick at 10?

Let’s get to know the Clemson defensive end a little better. Here are 5 things you should know about Myles Murphy.  

 

  • Athleticism Is Off The Charts

    There is a reason Murphy comes in so high on many draft boards. He is not just big at 6 ft 4 275 lbs, but he is fast too. He ran a 4.51 40 back in high school and benched 450 lbs. And that speed shows up on tape. His combination of size and speed is what has many falling in love with him as an NFL Prospect. In fact, he came in at No. 3 on Bruce Feldman’s annual Freak List before the College Football season. 

    And he garnered high praise from his High School D-Line Coach, Joe Gerda.  

    “In terms of raw talent, he is the best kid I ever coached. I’m not talking about the mental, I’m not talking about the playability, but just the raw physical speed, strength, size, reaction time — nobody comes close.”- Hillgrove High Coach Joe Gerda 

    [Source: The Athletic]

    It is worth mentioning that one of the kids he coached is Bradley Chubb. Pretty good company to keep. Athleticism does not always equal success. But when you see someone as athletic as Murphy is, it is easy to get excited. 

     

  • production Matches The Traits

    And unlike many other guys we have talked about so far, the production matches the athletic traits. His teammate Bryan Brese gets similar praise but lacks the counting stats. Murphy has both. In his last 3 seasons with Clemson, he racked up 20.5 sacks and 83 pressures across 38 games. Which in an NFL season translates to 9.2 sacks per season, and 37.1 pressure. Not bad. Could certainly be better. But it’s more production than Jalen Carter, Bryan Bresee, and Nolan Smith have given their teams. 

    But he is not just a pass-rusher. Because he makes a big impact in the run game too. He had 24.5 tackles for a loss over the last two seasons and 69 total tackles. 

  • Can Play All Over the Line

    Something the Eagles love in a Lineman is versatility. And that is certainly something they would get in Murphy. While he mostly slots in as an edge rusher. His size and strength give him the flexibility to slide inside too. You won’t see him lining up at NT. But other than that you can put him pretty much anywhere you want in any formation.  

    It is something he made sure to point out himself when he spoke to scouts at the NFL Combine.  

    “The biggest thing is versatility. I have film of playing from the three-technique all the way out to a wide nine, two-point, three-point. Dominating in every gap, honestly. Great off the ball, great speed off the ball. Great point of attack. Being 275 pounds, I have the strength to go with it.” 

    [Source: SI.com]

     

  • Still a Bit Raw as a Pass Rusher

    One knock on Myle Murphy is that he still is a bit lacking in pass-rushing technique. Scouts say sometimes he lacks a rush plan and relies too much on his natural athleticism. But in the NFL it will take more than just being big and fast to win as a pass rusher because there are a lot of Offensive Linemen who are also very quick along with being big. Think about someone trying to beat Lane Johnson just by overpowering him or beating him to the edge. It is not going to happen. If he is going to be a star at the next level, he will have to learn some techniques to add to his already impressive athletic profile.  

    The good thing about that is it shows he has room to grow. If he is this productive, despite scouts saying he has these issues, how good could he be if he gets coached up? You can’t teach someone to be big, or fast. You can teach someone how to use their hands to win in the pass rush though. And the Eagles have a pretty highly respected D-Line coach in Tracy Rocker to coach someone like him up. Along with veterans like Haason Reddick and Brandon Graham who can teach him a thing or two. You’d obviously prefer he came in with a larger set of pass-rush tools. But if you can give him those tools, that makes his ceiling that much higher. 

  • Drawing Comparisons to Last Year's First Overall Pick

    Reading up on Myles Murphy, one name comes up over and over again. Travon Walker. And there does seem to be a similarity. Both players have insane athletic ability but lack the refinement you would like to see from an NFL player. Travon Walker showed off big time at the Combine and went off the board first despite those issues. Myles Murphy has yet to work out for NFL teams. But a great performance could surely do similar things for him.  

    Early on in the draft process last year, Travon Walker was projected to go anywhere from the middle of the first round, to the back end of it. By the time April rolled around he was pretty much the consensus first-round pick. Walker is set to work out for teams on April 4th. Could a similar rise be in store for him? If Eagles fans want a shot at him, hopefully not. He is already projected to go in the top 15 picks for the most part without working out. If he posts similar numbers to Walker, who knows where he lands. It won’t be first like Walker. There are too many QB-needy teams. But he could easily get up there as one of the first non-QBs drafted.

    What he has that Walker lacked is College production. Making him less of a risk. Walker did not have the flashiest of rookie seasons, but his ceiling is still high. And Murphy’s ceiling could be just as high. Just know that like Walker, he has a lot of work to do to reach that ceiling. 

  • 5 Things to Know About DT Jalen Carter- Eagles Prospect Profile

    5 Things to Know About DT Jalen Carter- Eagles Prospect Profile

  • 5 Things to Know About DE- Nolan Smith- Eagles Prospect Profile

    5 Things to Know About DE- Nolan Smith- Eagles Prospect Profile

  • 5 Things to Know About DT Bryan Bresee- Eagles Prospect Profile

    5 Things to Know About DT Bryan Bresee- Eagles Prospect Profile

Sign me up for the 97.5 The Fanatic email newsletter!

Become a Fanatic MVP to get the latest info on the Philly Sports landscape, plus access to exclusive content and member-only contests.

*
*
By clicking "Subscribe" I agree to the website's terms of Service and Privacy Policy. I understand I can unsubscribe at any time.
Tags
,,,