Tag: Grayson Murphy

3 UCLA players make Draft Wire top 200 prospects list

Three UCLA players make the cut.

The 2024 NFL Draft begins on Thursday, April 25, in Detroit. Laiatu Latu is the big name for the UCLA Bruins and is easily expected to be a first-round choice on Thursday night. 

Latu will also be in attendance at the draft, so it would be surprising to see him fall to Day 2.

Jeff Risdon of The Draft Wire ranked his top 200 players of the 2024 NFL Draft and three UCLA players made the list.

Latu is the first one (of course) ranked at No. 13, and Risdon wrote the following: “Master technician who has overcome serious health hurdles.”

The other two are the Murphy twins, Gabriel and Grayson. Gabriel comes in at No. 72 and Grayson is No. 146 on this list, and both Murphy twins have been opening the eyes of scouts over the past few months and locking in some visits.

These three are essentially locks to be selected during the 2024 NFL Draft, and Darius Muasau is another UCLA player who could get selected. Carson Steele has an outside shot but might end up as an undrafted free agent.

Four-star linebacker Zaydrius Rainey-Sale to meet with UCLA

UCLA is a hosting a 4-star LB.

The UCLA Bruins remain in the mix for a top-rated outside linebacker. After offering a scholarship to Bethel linebacker Zaydrius Rainey-Sale back in March, the Bruins are one of his four official spring visit destinations. 

In an article from national recruiting editor Brandon Huffman for 247 Sports (subscription required), Rainey-Sale lists UCLA, Arizona State, Washington, and Florida State as his official visits this spring. 

On May 17th, the Bruins get the first crack at trying to seal the deal for Rainey-Sale. If their pitch can blow him away, the remaining teams on his list will have to chase UCLA in their offer. 

With the Bruins graduating the Murphy twins, Laiatu Latu and Darius Muasau, this season, they are looking for their future pass-rusher. Locking in Rainey-Sale could be the start of another wave of great UCLA defenders.

Though Rainey-Sale still has his senior season to play at Bethel, the Bruins are planning for the future, a welcome sign under new head coach DeShaun Foster.

UCLA’s Murphy twins lead NFL Draft class in career QB pressures

The Murphy twins are stellar prospects to watch ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft.

The Murphy twins, Grayson and Gabriel, have been an underrated storyline entering the NFL Draft. The two UCLA defenders turned heads with impressive play at the East-West Shrine Bowl earlier this year.

Now, according to Pro Football Focus College, the two twins lead all draft-eligible players in career quarterback pressures. Though both Grayson and Gabriel project as Day 3 players in the draft come April, their ability to show consistency and longevity in their time at UCLA should inspire confidence. 

Grayson leads the pack with 172 career pressures, while Gabriel is just behind him at 165. Both starting their career with North Texas, the two made it to UCLA in 2022 and were staples of the Bruins’ tough defense. 

Though numbers are not everything, they typically do not lie. The Murphy twins have a proven track record of getting after the quarterback and turning plays into broken ones. With 32 teams in the NFL always looking for disrupters in the backfield, having one or two of the Murphy twins could be a slam dunk for teams picking on Day 3.

2024 NFL draft: Seahawks hosting UCLA DL prospect for top-30 visit

The Seahawks will host UCLA defensive lineman Grayson Murphy.

UCLA edge Laiatu Latu is one of the top defensive line prospects in this draft class and is projected to be a first or second-round pick. He’s not the only Bruin up front who’s generating interest ahead of the draft, though.

According to Justin Melo at the Draft Network, the Seahawks will host UCLA defensive lineman Grayson Murphy for a top-30 visit.

Murphy (6-foot-3, 260 pounds) played his first two college seasons at North Texas, where he posted 11.5 sacks and 18.5 tackles for a loss in 19 games. Ahead of the 2022 season he transferred to UCLA. In 26 games with the Bruins he totaled another 10 sacks and 18 tackles for a loss.

According to PFF, for the 2023 season Murphy posted 21 quarterback hits, earning an 85.2 pass rush grade to go with a solid 74.7 grade in run defense. In addition to his pass rushing prowess, Murphy offers positional versatility, as he lined up practically everywhere but the A gap last year.

Here are the highlights.

Murphy is projected to be taken in the sixth round of the draft.

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UCLA DE Grayson Murphy not invited to NFL Scouting Combine

Grayson Murphy was not invited to the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine in a surprising move.

A total of 321 college football players were invited to the NFL Combine this year. For UCLA, one notable name made the list, while another did not.

Gabrial Murphy, one of the two Murphy twins, was offered an invite to the Combine, while his brother Grayson was not. The surprising move comes on the heels of both brothers participating and showing in the East-West Shrine Bowl.

In 2023, the identical twins put up nearly identical numbers playing along the Bruins’ defensive line. Grayson logged 23 total tackles and five sacks, while Gabriel put up 22 tackles and eight sacks. Given Gabriel has the edge in the numbers game, the fact Grayson was invited is a bit of a head-scratcher.

Dane Brugler of The Athletic also mentioned Grayson as one of his surprising ommissions:

Despite the decision to not invite both Murphy twins, the two will likely have an opportunity to showcase their skills at the UCLA Pro Day. Looking to improve the draft stock and potentially compete against one another in the NFL, the twins will do everything they can to prove they are worth taking a chance on in the draft in the next two months.

Biggest snub from the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine at each position

Biggest snub from the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine at each position

Even though there are more prospects invited to the yearly scouting combine than there are draft slots, there are always players not invited who feel like they should be in Indianapolis. That’s true for the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, which begins the final week in February.

The league invited 321 prospects to the annual event, the biggest week on the NFL’s offseason calendar. The full list of 321 prospects who were invited to Indianapolis is available via NFL.com.

It’s tough to find some snubs at a few positions without bit nitpicky, but there are some worthy candidates to be drafted in April who won’t be at the combine in Indianapolis. Here’s the biggest snub at each position group.