Tag: myles murphy

Four UNC football players invited to NFL draft Combine

Who were the four stars from UNC’s 2023 football team that are getting an additional chance to prove themselves at the NFL Draft Combine?

Despite the UNC football team’s troubling end to its 2023 campaign, there was no shortage of star power on the field.

Quarterback Drake Maye played himself into an early, first-round pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, throwing for 3,608 yards and a 24-to-9 touchdown-to-interception ratio. His best games came against Syracuse and Minnesota, a pair of 400-yard outings.

Devontez Walker, who transferred from Kent State in the offseason, gave North Carolina a true Number One wideout. After dealing with NCAA ineligibility for a good portion of the year, Walker led UNC with 699 receiving yards and seven touchdowns.

Cedric Gray was a leader on an otherwise subpar defense, registering a team-high 121 tackles. Myles Murphy, the massive 6’5″, 310-pound in-state defensive tackle, recorded 24 tackles. 4.5 of those were tackles for loss, tied for sixth on the Tar Heels.

If you haven’t guessed already, the above four UNC stars were selected for the NFL Draft Combine.

The NFL Combine will be held in Indianapolis from Monday, Feb. 26-Monday, March 4. This event gives top collegiate players a chance to further improve their draft stock.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

Bengals expected to see more of 1st-rounder Myles Murphy next season

It sounds like Myles Murphy will have a bigger role for the Bengals next season.

The Cincinnati Bengals are ready to get more from first-round pick Myles Murphy in 2024.

That much seems obvious, considering Murphy was a late bloomer as a rookie who played just north of 300 snaps.

Still, it’s interesting to hear from those within the organization that a plan is in place, with Bengals director of college scouting Mike Potts talking about it this week.

“He really started to come on and flash,” Potts said, according to Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic. “They have a plan to get him out there more.”

Murphy indeed had some flashes that produced some notable pressure rates. Sprinkle in some likely versatility that lets him play multiple spots and the plan might include a little bit of everything.

The exact nature of Murphy’s role will also hinge on offseason additions, as the Bengals don’t project to count on him alone to fix serious pressure issues that had a negative ripple effect on the entire unit.

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Bengals avoid Myles Murphy in 2023 NFL re-draft

The Bengals go a different direction in a new re-draft.

The Cincinnati Bengals used a first-round pick on defensive end Myles Murphy last year, an attempt to boost the pass-rush right away and especially over the long-term.

So how does that decision hold up now? With it being the offseason for all but two teams, re-drafts have started to become a thing.

And in a 2023 re-draft from Bleacher Report’s David Kenyon, the Bengals go away from Murphy and instead draft offensive lineman Steve Avila:

Yet again, the Bengals dealt with a disappointing blocking unit. Cincinnati has devoted many resources to the O-line, but it is still trying to find a reliable group in front of Joe Burrow, who toiled through an injury-plagued year anyway. Steve Avila wouldn’t have completely solved the issues, but he quickly impressed as the Rams’ left guard.

That pick would have created serious competition for Cordell Volson at left guard, which in hindsight, probably would have been a good idea.

Still, Murphy was never projected as a guy who would command a ton of snaps as a rookie. He steadily improved, though, flashing some hints he’s got a chance to be a very good every-down player, potentially starting next season.

In the 2024 draft, though, it wouldn’t be a shock to see the team attack the offensive line as early as the first round.

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Defensive standouts for Chargers from East-West Shrine Bowl: Day 1

Here’s who stood out on the defensive side of the ball on the first day.

Practices for the East-West Shrine Bowl kicked off on Saturday in Frisco, TX, marking the start of NFL draft season for many.

Four Chargers representatives were spotted in attendance, as well as our team at Chargers Wire.

Here’s who stood out on the defensive side of the ball on the first day of practices.

This Myles Murphy stat should have Bengals fans hyped

Bengals first-round pick Myles Murphy appears to be on a major upswing.

Cincinnati Bengals rookie defensive end Myles Murphy had a slow start to his debut year.

Steadily, though, he worked his way into more action and wound up playing 305 snaps over 17 games.

As the Bengals pointed out on social media, NFL Next Gen Stats charted Murphy with the second-highest rookie pressure rate of any player this year.

It’s a really encouraging sign for the first-round pick as his list of responsibilities grew as the season progressed. The pass-rush was still a sour point overall for the defense, but there are plenty of small tidbits like this that suggest Murphy will fully morph into the every-down player across multiple spots the team envisioned him as when they made him an early pick.

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Bengals rookie Myles Murphy excited to hit Trevor Lawrence

Myles Murphy finally gets a chance to get after a former teammate.

Cincinnati Bengals rookie defensive end Myles Murphy is excited to get after Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawerence on Monday night.

Let Murphy tell it, he wasn’t permitted to do so during their time together at Clemson, so the primetime game will make for a nice change of pace.

“I never got near Trevor at Clemson,” Murphy said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “If you touched him, they threw you out of practice.”

Murphy is an interesting player to spotlight ahead of the big game for reasons beyond the Clemson connection with the opposing quarterback because of his budding breakout status.

Just a week ago, Murphy saw more action than usual and had the best game of his young career, with coaches later in the week hinting that the first-rounder’s playing time could climb quickly.

Maybe that happens Monday night, where Murphy will finally get a legit shot at Lawrence.

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Bengals hint at an increasing role for rookie DE Myles Murphy

Myles Murphy could see even more snaps with the Bengals soon.

Cincinnati Bengals rookie pass-rusher Myles Murphy has been flirting with a breakout over the last two weeks or so after putting together some very impressive film.

Bengals coaches sound more than happy to encourage said breakout, too.

Defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, for example, admitted that “Monday Night Football” against the Jacksonville Jaguars could be where the first-rounder could get a “few more snaps,” per WLWT’s Charlie Clifford.

Murphy played 22 snaps against the Steelers last week in a showcase that was easily the best game of his young pro career. He’s started to surpass the likes of Cam Sample and Joseph Ossai in the rotation already, something that could only increase as veterans like Sam Hubbard and Trey Hendrickson need more breaks as the season wears on and the games likely become more about long-term development than instant contention.

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Bengals fans will love this highlight reel of first-rounder Myles Murphy

Don’t look now, but Myles Murphy is starting to break out for the Bengals.

Quietly, Cincinnati Bengals first-round pick Myles Murphy has been undergoing a mini-burst of development as he gets more playing time and makes a bigger impact by the week.

Murphy, who started the season as a question mark to even be active during game days due to the supposed strong strength of the line, has seen his chances increase in each of the last few games.

The Clemson product had just his second career sack during last week’s 16-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. That’s one of the handful of impressive highlights for Murphy from that game, as expertly put together by All Bengals’ Mike Santagata:

Murphy played 22 snaps against the Steelers, getting more than Cam Sample (18) and Joseph Ossai. His continued breakout is a must in terms of a first-round pick panning out for the team and because non-Trey Hendrickson pass-rushing depth has been a major problem all year.

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Myles Murphy might get biggest chance yet with Sam Hubbard out

Can Bengals first-rounder Myles Murphy break out?

Cincinnati Bengals rookie pass-rusher Myles Murphy emerged recently with some notable playing time.

With Sam Hubbard officially out against the Houston Texans, the first-round pick is set to see even more opportunities.

Murphy, who played career-high snaps in the loss to Tennessee at the start of October (19 snaps), says he continues to adapt to the pro game well.

“The biggest change (from college to the NFL) is the in-game adjustments,” Murphy said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “It can happen during the play and that didn’t happen in college, but I’m getting used to it. The more I’m here, the comfortable I’m getting with play.”

Murphy was one of the big snap count takeaways from last week because he supplanted even Joseph Ossai in snaps during the win over the Bills.

Against the Texans, Murphy could see an even bigger role as he and backups like Cam Sample look to fill the void with Hubbard out.

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Bengals’ Myles Murphy could see role increase soon

The Bengals first-rounder might be getting a bump in playing time soon.

Cincinnati Bengals fans could be seeing more of first-round pick Myles Murphy soon as the team comes out of the bye.

Thursday, defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo hinted that Murphy has turned in a really nice week of practice and then hinted he could have a bigger role during the season’s second half, according to CLNS Media’s Mike Petraglia.

Murphy had rarely seen the field over the first six games of the season, which was expected because of the solid depth in front of him on the charts.

Still, like the conversation about running backs stepping up to seize roles in order to keep Joe Mixon fresh for the entire season, the goal with getting Murphy more playing time is likely keeping names like Trey Hendrickson fresh.

Adding a pass-rusher is one of those conversations around the team from fans and media before the NFL trade deadline too, but the highlighting of Murphy from coaches could signal he’ll get the big chance instead.

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