Kenneth Murray Jr. might end up getting selected in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Or he might not. We’re all still waiting on Murray to declare his intentions for the 2020. At the moment, he’s just as likely to declare early entry into the draft as come back for his senior season at OU. Bear in mind Murray graduated this December.
Also bear in mind Bleacher Report draft analyst Matt Miller slots Murray as the 28th overall pick to the Green Bay Packers giving this assessment:
“The Packers will be torn between giving Aaron Rodgers more talent at wide receiver or tight end and drafting to round out a defense that was much better in 2019 but still has holes. The way the board falls in this mock draft answers that question for them as there isn’t a receiver or tight end worthy of a selection at this spot. That allows the Packers to draft a true three-down linebacker and one of college football’s most productive players over the last two seasons in Oklahoma’s Kenneth Murray. Murray was a one-man wrecking crew for the Sooners and has shown the speed and instincts to line up at middle linebacker in any defensive alignment. His ability to play against the pass as well as he plays the run will make him a highly coveted prospect in Round 1.”
Last year Murray emerged as one of the best NFL prospects in the country at the linebacker position for this 2020 NFL Draft class. After having never played inside linebacker, he became the first true freshman to start at middle linebacker for OU since 1975. He responded by earning freshman All-America honors. Then, as a sophomore, he recorded 155 tackles on a defense that finished 101st in total defense and essentially played without a coordinator for the second half of the season.
In a new scheme, with a new coordinator and a new position coach, Murray notched 102 tackles with four sacks and led OU to a top 25 total defense ranking prior to the Sooners getting smashed in the 2019 Peach Bowl 63-28 in Atlanta.
The most encouraging maturation of Murray’s game, though, was how many of his tackles came as solo rather than assisted. Last season, he reached the eighth-highest total for tackles in a season at OU by recording more assisted tackles (84) than solo (71). In 2019, that ratio dramatically flipped to 69 solo tackles and just 33 assisted tackles. In 2018, he recorded 12.5 tackles for loss. He improved on that to 17 tackles for loss this season.
At 6-foot-2 and weighing 240 pounds, he has elite size and his closing speed is his superpower. He could use more seasoning in understanding fits and scheme.
In speaking with one NFL scout about where Kenneth Murray could get drafted earlier this season, he told me:
“He probably won’t receive a first or second round grade. He needs help seeing the game. But he could still go in the first (round) because he’s an athletic freak. You’d draft him high and hope you can make him fit (into your scheme).”
If Murray returned to OU, it would as big for the Sooners as Moses returning to Alabama and put them back in position to make a run at a sixth consecutive Big 12 title.
Sign up for my newsletter:
RJ on Twitter:
RJ on Instagram:
RJ on Facebook:
RJ's radio's show live stream:
RJ'S SHIRT STORE ➡️
🔴 SUPPORT RJ ON PATREON ➡️
🎧 THE RJ YOUNG PODCAST (iTunes) ➡️
✅ SUBSCRIBE TO MY NEWSLETTER ➡️
//SEND ME STUFF//
P.O. Box 700445
Tulsa, OK 74170
//BIO//
RJ Young is the host of The RJ Young Show on The Sports Animal from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. CT weekdays. His book LET IT BANG was published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in 2018. He was featured in Natural Light's 2019 Super Bowl commercial. He graduated with a master's in professional writing from the University of Oklahoma. He doesn't like it when his socks get wet.
🔴 Uploads EVERY day at 6 p.m. CT.
#FightMe #TheRJYoungPodcast
0 Comments