From now until the 2024 NFL Draft takes place, we hope to scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top 10 picks, all the way down to Day 3 selections and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on UCLA Edge, Gabriel Murphy.
#11 GABRIEL MURPHY, EDGE, UCLA (rJR) — 6023, 247 lbs.
NFL Combine
Measurements
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| Gabriel Murphy | 6023/247 | 9 1/4″ | 30 1/2″ | 75″ |
| 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Dash | Short Shuttle | 3-Cone | |
| 4.68 | 1.59 | N/A | N/A | |
| Broad Jump | Vertical | Bench Press | ||
| 10’3″ | 39.5″ | 25 |
The Good
— Good size and athleticism
— Good burst off the line of scrimmage
— Very good quickness and lateral agility to avoid blockers
— Nice hand usage – chops, swipes, club/swim
— Good bend to flatten to the quarterback
— Plays with eyes up; high effort to disengage from blocks
— Good motor overall and burst to the quarterback
— Some experience in coverage
The Bad
— Poor arm length to play on the edge
— When he misses with his hands, linemen can easily drive him out of the play
— Pass rush had too much hesitation and not enough burst
— Lacked moves to the inside when rushing from the edge
— Avoided blocker rather than setting the edge
— Rarely made plays outside the tackle box
— Adequate burst from the backside of plays
— Bounced of ball carriers unable to wrap up
— Chase downfield was marginal
Bio
— Career: 149 tackles, 74 solo, 37 TFL, 21.5 sacks, 6 PBU, 2 FR, 4 FF
— 2023: 38 tackles, 22 solo, 16 TFL, eight sacks, 2 PBU
— 50 games, 41 starts at UCLA (26) and North Texas (15)
— Earned honorable mention All-Pac-12 honors
— Ranked sixth in the Pac-12 in sacks per game average (0.62)
— 2022 – second-team all-conference selection by Pro Football Focus
— 2021 – named to the second team All-Conference USA (PFF)
— Twin brother Grayson also plays for UCLA
— East/West Shrine Bowl attendee
Tape Breakdown
Gabriel Murphy is listed as a defensive lineman for UCLA, but the Combine listed him as a linebacker. The way he was used, he was actually a little bit of both. On defense, he lined up everywhere from a two-point stance over the center out to face up over the slot.
Against the pass, when lined up on the edge, he was more of a freelance rusher than a true pass rusher. The majority of his rushes started with a hesitation to hopefully get the tackle off balance. He has good burst at the snap, and I would have liked to see him use that more often. His hand usage is highly active with aggressive chops and swipes to keep his body clean. The cross chop was a common choice, and he displays good bend to flatten to the quarterback. Occasionally, he would use a bull or long arm rush with occasional success. As a looper, he showed good vision and burst to get through open lanes.
The hand usage, the effort, and the quickness all help him get into the backfield.
When lined up inside, he would either be in a two- or four-point stance, and he used particularly good short-area quickness combined with cross chops or club/swim moves to cross the face of the interior offensive lineman to get into the backfield. His motor is good, showing effort to get through multiple blockers to get to the quarterback. He was also used to spy on the quarterback and displayed good athleticism to mirror and attack when the opportunity arose.
Occasionally, he was asked to drop in coverage. He has solid mobility and awareness and has enough athleticism to handle tight ends or running backs in the short area.
Against the run, on the edge, he relies on his quickness to slip around blockers to make his way to the ball. When lined up inside, his approach was similar to his pass rush. He played with his eyes up and used quickness and agility to swim over would-be blockers. At the point of attack, he showed solid play strength to hold his ground in one-on-one situations.
Avoiding blocks was where he excelled at making tackles in the run game.
His arm length is marginal, and this may keep him from being an edge rusher at the next level. If his hands didn’t connect offensive linemen were able to subdue him, getting hands to his body and closing him off from the play. He didn’t display inside moves from the edge.
Power rushes were not a strong point, and when he missed with his hands, the lineman could handle him rather easily.
Against the run, he chose to avoid blockers rather than set the edge, which would leave the outside open and take him out of plays. From the backside, he showed adequate burst to get down the line to the ball. I saw several tackle attempts where he bounced off the runner, unable to wrap up.
His choice to avoid blocks rather than set the edge led to plays like this.
Lack of arm length limits the ability to wrap up, leading to missed tackles.
Conclusion
Overall, Murphy has good athleticism and agility and was used all over the defense. He has good burst and active hands when rushing the passer with a good bend to flatten to the quarterback. When lined up inside, he uses quickness, lateral agility, and hand usage to swim over interior blockers to get in the backfield when rushing or playing against the run. He has a good motor and displays very good effort to get off of blocks. Against the run, he relies on quickness and agility to avoid blockers to make plays near the line of scrimmage.
Areas to improve include using his burst more as a pass rusher and adding counters/rush moves to the inside while on the edge. Effort to set the edge rather than avoid blockers, showing better effort from the backside, and wrapping up more consistently will make him a better run defender.
It’s not every day you see a player at 247 lbs. go from standing up over the center to a four-point stance as the three-tech to the wide nine position in the same series. UCLA’s defense was creative in their alignments and usage of their players. Murphy’s length is an issue. Even Nick Herbig came in with longer arms. Also, he didn’t make a lot of plays outside the tackles.
Where he plays is yet to be determined, but his quickness and athleticism are assets. I see him as an off-ball linebacker, a Mack or Will, where he can attack gaps and use his athleticism to chase the ball. He will be an effective rusher, moving around the formation and finding gaps to blitz through in sub packages. If he can handle coverage duties and improve his tackling, he has a chance to be an eventual starter.
A comp for Murphy seemed difficult to land on, but I will go with Akeem Davis-Gaither. Both have athleticism, are adept at slipping blocks, and play a hybrid role on defense.
Projection:Â Mid-Day Three
Depot Draft Grade: 7.1 – Rotational Player (Fifth Round)
Games Watched: 2023 – At Utah, Vs Washington State, At Oregon State, At Arizona, At USC
