With the no. 28 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft, the Cincinnati Bengals selected edge Myles Murphy.
Murphy, a former Clemson standout, has excellent size and physical traits. The addition of Murphy gives the Bengals another top-tier edge rusher to pair with Sam Hubbard, Trey Hendrickson and Joseph Ossai.
After finishing no. 29 in the NFL in sacks last season, the Bengals went into the offseason wanting to improve their pass rush. With Murphy, Cincinnati is getting a defensive player who recorded 139 tackles, 17.5 sacks, six forced fumbles and six pass breakups over 38 games. Murphy started 27 games at Clemson and was a first-team All-ACC selection in his final season as a Tiger.
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor and defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo said they did not envision a scenario in which Murphy would be available when Cincinnati got on the clock.
“This wasn’t a scenario we thought was going to play out for us to be quite honest with you,” Taylor said. “Anything can happen but in all of our discussions we had over the previous days I didn’t think Myles Murphy was going to be there at No. 28.”
Murphy is 6-foot-5 and 268 pounds with an 81-inch wingspan. He has a rare blend of size, length and explosion for his position. These are the traits that made Anarumo and the Bengals believe he can add to their group in the trenches.
Throughout his career at Clemson, Murphy has proven to be able to play in any type of defensive front. He has the prototypical build of a 4-3 defensive end but due to his athleticism and fluidity in his movement, he can drop into coverage as well. That’s an important trait in Anarumo’s scheme.
A former five-star prospect from Hillgrove High School in Ga., Murphy showed consistency at Clemson. In every season, he played at least 12 games and recorded 11.0 tackles for loss and four sacks. Over the course of his final two seasons, Murphy totaled 13.5 sacks.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: 2023 NFL Draft: Cincinnati Bengals select Clemson DE Myles Murphy