Summary: Murphy was one of the leaders of Stanford's tough defense over the past three seasons. He was a dangerous pass-rusher off the edge and a physical defender who set the tone for the Cardinal's front seven. In those three years, Murphy steadily improved his game to the point where he was the best pass-rusher in the nation as a senior.
Murphy made an impact in 2011 with 40 tackles, 10 tackles for a loss and 6.5 sacks as a sophomore. 2012 was a breakout season for Murphy as he totaled 56 tackles with 10 sacks, 18 tackles for a loss, four passes broken up, one interception and a forced fumble.
As a senior, Murphy was one of the best players in college football. He started out his season with a multi-sack game against San Jose State and stayed consistent through the end of the year. Murphy had an interception returned for a 30-yard touchdown against Washington State. Versus Washington, he had two sacks and deflected a pass that was intercepted near the end zone late in the fourth quarter to protect Stanford's narrow win over the Huskies.
Murphy had other multi-sack games against UCLA and USC. Against Oregon State, he was an animal, totaling eight tackles, 2.5 sacks, two batted passes and 4.5 tackles for a loss. In 2013, Murphy put together 15 sacks, 24.5 tackles for a loss, 62 tackles, six passes batted, one forced fumble and an interception returned 30 yards for a touchdown. He led the nation in sacks. His only ugly game came at the hands of Notre Dame left tackle Zack Martin, as the likely first-round pick was able to shut down Murphy.
At the Senior Bowl, Murphy continued to struggle with Martin but was able to win some pass rushing one-on-ones against other tackles. Murphy checked in a little smaller than advertised and looks like he fits as a 3-4 outside linebacker. He would need to add weight to be a base end in a 4-3 defense. Coming from Stanford's 3-4, Murphy has experience lining up in a variety of spots and has used his pass-rushing ability to beat guards and right tackles as well. He also can execute in pass coverage.
Murphy is a physical defender who beats linemen with power and technique. He is fast enough to get by as an pass-rusher in the NFL, but he won't be a speed demon off the edge. Murphy has a nice repertoire of moves with good hands to fight off blocks. He is instinctive and consistently puts himself in position to make splash plays. Murphy also does a nice job at defending the run. He can hold his ground and shed blockers to make tackles in the ground game. Murphy is skilled in pursuit of ball-carriers, which is one reason why he is such a good pass-rusher. Murphy also showed some ability in college to function dropping into pass coverage.
The only thing keeping Murphy from being a first-round pick is a lack of speed and elite athleticism. However, plenty of good NFL players had the same criticism coming out of college. Murphy has the intangibles and enough of a skill set to overcome that. He could easily end up being a steal as a second-round pick. Murphy may not be a first-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, but years from now teams could be regretting not taking him on Thursday night.
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