Evaluators say OU LB Kenneth Murray could land in top 10 of NFL draft

NFL Draft News
Kenneth Murray

Kenneth Murray

Mel Kiper of ESPN has him as the No. 2 player at his position.

Dane Brugler of The Athletic ranks him as the 48th-best player.

Walter Football ranks him as the 8th-best player overall.

Drafttek puts him at No. 54.

And Matt Miller of Bleacher Report ranks him as the No. 19 overall prospect.

If you’re customizing a Fanspeak big board, then where the heck do you place Oklahoma linebacker Kenneth Murray?

The discrepancy may stem from these issues:

  • Murray came into the season with some kinks to work out in his game, including his reaction time and his ability to shed blockers.
  • There’s just not a strong market anymore for traditional linebackers. Last season, two inside linebackers (LSU’s Devin White and Michigan’s Devin Bush) went in the first round, while only one (Hawaii’s Jahlani Tavai) was drafted in the second round. (TCU’s Ben Banogu was also drafted in the second round, but he’s a pass rushing 3-4 linebacker). After that, 29 linebackers were selected between rounds 3-7, including a whopping 12 drafted in the fifth round.
  • You have to think Oklahoma’s sometimes-porous defense could play a part in how evaluators view Murray. Oklahoma is giving up 354.1 yards per game, 41st in the NCAA, and 144.7 rushing yards, good for 51st in the league.

The 6-foot-2, 234-pound junior has 62 tackles this season, way off last season’s pace when he finished with 155 tackles, which was the most by a Sooner since 2007. He also has 2 sacks and 7 for his career.

Despite the lower production this season, evaluators love what they see out of him.

“(Murray) … is a very physical tackler with sideline-to-sideline speed and has some ability to take on blocks at the point of attack,” Walter Football reports in a recent NFL Hot Press report. “They say Murray can really run and is a versatile linebacker who can play Mike – middle – or outside linebacker.”

The report says scouts have also been impressed with Murray’s instincts, versatility and ability to rush the passer, noting that a slide into the lower part of the first round “… could be because of the medical evaluation,” although no further details were provided about a potential injury.

Still, Walter Football says enough teams are impressed with Murray that he could wind up being drafted in the top 10.

“Multiple team sources call Murray a better prospect than other recent first-round linebackers, including Leighton Vander Esch, Haason Reddick, Tremaine Edmunds and Alec Ogletree,” the report says. “Evaluators feel that Murray is more on a par with Roquan Smith and Devin White.”


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