NFL

Myles Murphy, EDGE, Clemson | NFL Draft Scouting Report

Published

2 weeks ago

March 12, 2023

darragh

The 2023 NFL Draft is relatively light on blue-chip talent, but one prospect on the cusp of that tier is Clemson EDGE Myles Murphy. Even after three years as an impact starter for the Tigers, it feels like Murphy hasn’t come close to hitting his ceiling yet. How does he project to the NFL, and what kind of player can he be at his maximum potential?

Myles Murphy NFL Draft Profile

Position: EDGE
School: Clemson
Current Year: Junior
Height/Weight: 6’5″, 258 pounds
Length: 33 3/4″
Hand: 8 1/2″

At Clemson, Murphy is a construction science and management major and has long-term aspirations to become an architect. As a matter of fact, he already has pre-existing experience as an architect — just not of buildings, streets, or walkways. For his entire football career, Murphy has been an architect of defensive dominance. That’s an impact he carries to this day.

In high school, Murphy accumulated 17.5 sacks and 35 tackles for loss in his final two seasons. He was a consensus five-star recruit in the 2020 class and the seventh overall player on 247 Sports‘ board. Interestingly enough, he was just six spots behind his future teammate and the No. 1 overall prospect, Bryan Bresee.

MORE: 2023 NFL Draft Big Board

Both Bresee and Murphy joined the Clemson Tigers out of high school, and together, they generated immediate production across the 2020 campaign. As a true freshman, Murphy put up 37 total tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, and three forced fumbles. The following season, he took things a step further, producing 14.5 tackles for loss, eight sacks, two forced fumbles, and two pass deflections.

Production has never been out of reach for Murphy, who added 6.5 sacks and 11 tackles for loss to his career totals in 2022. But now, having declared for the NFL draft, this is his chance to become a dominant force on the NFL stage — not just a collegiate standout.

Myles Murphy Scouting Report

Murphy has produced everywhere he’s been, but draft evaluation doesn’t end at production. Does Murphy have the dual-sided talent and technical ability to be a first-round prospect? And how high can he rise in the early-round range?

Murphy’s Positives

If you want an edge rusher with tools, Murphy has them. At 6’5″ and almost 260 pounds, Murphy has an extremely strong, well-proportioned, compact frame with great length. And with that size, he’s an explosive athlete with a torrid first step. The Clemson EDGE can accelerate quickly into the backfield with powerful strides. At times, he shows off near-elite acceleration capacity for his size, particularly when he has a runway to quicken his feet.

Going further, Murphy can hit an intense second gear when he has an open lane to close on his target. He also has high-end lateral burst, which he can use to pressure angles off the snap. He’s a high-energy athlete at his size who can cover eye-catching amounts of ground with his lateral explosions. With his brand of athleticism, he’s extremely dangerous on stunts. He can use lateral twitch and burst to explode into gaps and exploit angles.

While Murphy’s athleticism is superb, his best trait might be his power. The Clemson EDGE has elite power capacity with his length, short-area burst, and frame density. His burst and length, in particular, allow for rare displacement potential. With his power capacity, Murphy can blast blockers back off the snap and pave open lanes.

Murphy generates consistent movement with his power, and his extensions are extremely forceful. On some reps, he instantly pinches the pocket and erases lanes to step up. Murphy’s power is extremely effective at knocking linemen off-base and opening up windows for successive moves. Additionally, Murphy can quickly reload, re-exert, and roll his hips to drive additional power forward.

Another function of Murphy’s frame is his high-level play strength. The Clemson product has superb hand and upper-body strength. He can wrench down extensions and break anchors with relentless swims and arm-over moves.

He uses his upper- and lower-body strength consistently to set the edge in run defense. Murphy can lock out his arms to gain control, then pry blockers away and open up space to make plays. He’s able to extend into his opponent’s torso and then rip down anchors with force.

Strength and power are defining parts of Murphy’s game, but the Tigers star also brings other tools to the table as a pass rusher. He flashes good ankle flexion and can corner around the edge while executing rip moves.

MORE: 2023 NFL Draft EDGE Class

He’s able to pinch tight angles and compress the apex while applying targeted hand usage. He also has enough flexibility to redirect rushes and circle back inside as QBs step up. Moreover, Murphy has flashed the ability to roll his hips through the apex and sink effectively.

Execution is also a building area of strength for Murphy. As a pass rusher, Murphy visibly expanded his hand usage and counter arsenal as the 2021 season went on. He’s flashed the ability to stack combos across reps. He can use club-rips on top of bull rushes and execute cross-chops around the apex. Furthermore, Murphy is able to long-arm blockers and then club the outside hand violently and rip outside.

Murphy’s hand moves are fast, violent, and forceful, and they can be detailed as well. On swims, Murphy has shown he can complete moves by getting his inside arm back around and violently placing the ice pick in his opponent’s back. These details, while precise and minuscule, are crucial to the proper utilization of a pass-rush move.

It helps that Murphy can fairly naturally sink his pads and attain proper leverage. The Clemson EDGE can effectively sink under blocks to make plays in pursuit, and he plays with good lean. Moreover, Murphy can generate steady leg drive with a strong base and natural leverage acquisition. He often exerts power with proper leverage and channels burst into contact with good pad level.

Elsewhere, Murphy brings a ton of juice off the snap and plays with a consistently hot motor. He brings relentless energy when chasing down runners, and his unyielding energy in pursuit can help generate turnovers. Murphy has good pursuit speed in space and is a threat to catch runners from behind. In those situations, his length makes him a constant disruptive threat.

Finally, while Murphy shouldn’t be asked to play in coverage often, he has enough athleticism to drop into coverage and cover the flats.

Murphy’s Areas for Improvement

While Murphy’s hands are trending up, he still has room to improve there. The Clemson EDGE can better employ his hands to capitalize on lateral burst and displacement. He also has room for more consistency when multitasking and using his hands in conjunction with his physical gifts.

At times, Murphy’s hands are too wide on extensions, mitigating power generation. Additionally, he can be over-reliant on bull rushes and long-arms and can more consistently build off of his power generation. While he shows flashes of proper construction within his rush arsenal, he’s largely a power-dominant player at this point who will need to keep expanding his moves at the next level.

Going further, Murphy comes off the snap late at times and can improve his reaction quickness. He also lacks elite flexibility in his hips. His rushes sometimes die out at the apex, as he can’t consistently tuck below the corner and accelerate through. Murphy has good bend capacity for his size but isn’t elite in that category. Additionally, he doesn’t always show great change of direction in space. With his size, he can be a bit clunky.

Among other things, Murphy sometimes struggles to break anchors and gets locked up on the outside. His length is exceptional and a definite strength, but it’s not quite quantifiably elite. He can improve his leverage management, as he sometimes drifts up too high with his pad level and gives up leverage. At times, he also pops up too high off the snap and negates leverage early. And lastly, Murphy can be inconsistent in reading options and play fakes.

Current Draft Projection for Clemson EDGE Myles Murphy

Once viewed as a future first-round pick in his high school days, Murphy remains a Round 1 candidate in the 2023 NFL Draft. On my board, he grades as a top-10 prospect, one of the best EDGE prospects in the class, and a potential blue-chip addition to an NFL defense, with some added development.

Murphy isn’t quite in the blue-chip tier as a prospect, but he’s in the next level down. At his size, with his length and frame density, he brings impressive power capacity, and he knows how to apply it with proper leverage and energy loading. And with that size, Murphy is an incredible athlete, who brings near-elite explosiveness, linear movement speed, and violence with his hands.

Murphy’s ceiling is incredibly high, but a lack of elite change-of-direction and hip flexibility slightly lowers his ultimate cap. Additionally, while he has an excellent arsenal of power moves, he can still more consistently stack counters on top of power exertions. Particularly without elite hip flexibility, his margin for error will be smaller as a hand fighter in the NFL.

MORE: PFN’s Mock Draft Simulator

While those notes sound negative, Murphy is far from a liability with his agility and bend. He flashes enough bend to roll his hips through the apex, and he does have the lateral agility to offset tackles. And in run defense, the natural play strength afforded to him by his frame allows him to set the edge, prevent displacement, and engage in pursuit.

As a defensive end, Murphy projects best as a 5 and 7-technique who can play out of two, three, and four-point stances. But he also has the size and power to shade inside to 4i, as well as stunt on hybrid fronts. With his expansive allotment of tools, he can pressure a variety of angles and win in many different ways.

Murphy’s all-encompassing profile grants him some projected scheme versatility. At the end of the day, he’s a phenomenal physical talent with a rare combination of burst, athletic energy, power, and play strength. At his maximum projection, he can be a game-wrecker — not just on the edge but on the entire defensive line.

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NFL

Dates, Start Times, Results, and Records

Published

5 hours ago

March 26, 2023

darragh

We have passed the midpoint of the 2023 XFL schedule, and we are now hitting the home stretch when the four playoff teams will be decided. Below you will find the results of the action we have seen so far in the XFL season, as well as the remaining schedule, including the TV channel and location of each game.

2023 XFL Schedule

Week 1

(0-1) Vipers 20-22 Renegades (1-0)
(0-1) Guardians 12-33 Roughnecks (1-0)
(1-0) Battlehawks 18-15 Brahmas (0-1)
(0-1) Sea Dragons 18-22 Defenders (1-0)

Week 2

(2-0) Battlehawks 20-18 Sea Dragons (0-2)
(2-0) Defenders 18-6 Vipers (0-2)
(1-1) Brahmas 30-12 Guardians (0-2)
(1-1) Renegades 14-23 Roughnecks (2-0)

Week 3

(1-2) Sea Dragons 30-26 Vipers (0-3)
(2-1) Battlehawks 28-34 Defenders (3-0)
(0-3) Guardians 9-10 Renegades (2-1)
(1-2) Brahmas 13-22 Roughnecks (3-0)

Week 4

(4-0) Roughnecks 44-16 Guardians (0-4)
(1-3) Brahmas 6-15 Sea Dragons (2-2)
(2-2) Renegades 11-24 Battlehawks (3-1)
(0-4) Vipers 18-32 Defenders (4-0)

Week 5

(4-1) Roughnecks 14-21 Sea Dragons (3-2)
(5-0) Defenders 28-20 Battlehawks (3-2)
(0-5) Guardians 32-35 Vipers (1-4)
(3-2) Renegades 12-10 Brahmas (1-4)

MORE: How Much Do XFL Players Make?

Week 6

(4-2) Sea Dragons 26-19 Guardians (0-6)
(4-2) Battlehawks 29-6 Vipers (1-5)

San Antonio Brahmas @ Arlington Renegades

Date: Sunday, March 26, 2023
Start Time: 3 p.m. ET
TV Channel & Live Stream: ABC, ESPN+, fuboTV

Houston Roughnecks @ DC Defenders

Date: Monday, March 27, 2023
Start Time: 7 p.m. ET
TV Channel & Live Stream: FX, ESPN+, fuboTV

Week 7

Seattle Sea Dragons @ Arlington Renegades

Date: Friday, March 31, 2023
Start Time: 7 p.m. ET
TV Channel & Live Stream: FX, ESPN+, fuboTV

St. Louis Battlehawks @ Houston Roughnecks

Date: Saturday, April 1, 2023
Start Time: 3 p.m. ET
TV Channel & Live Stream: ESPN2, ESPN+, fuboTV

San Antonio Brahmas @ Vegas Vipers

Date: Saturday, April 1, 2023
Start Time: 6 p.m. ET
TV Channel & Live Stream: ESPN, ESPN+, fuboTV

DC Defenders @ Orlando Guardians

Date: Sunday, April 2, 2023
Start Time: 7 p.m. ET
TV Channel & Live Stream: FX, ESPN+, fuboTV

Week 8

Vegas Vipers @ St. Louis Battlehawks

Date: Saturday, April 8, 2023
Start Time: 1 p.m. ET
TV Channel & Live Stream: ESPN, ESPN+, fuboTV

Arlington Renegades @ Orlando Guardians

Date: Saturday, April 8, 2023
Start Time: 4 p.m. ET
TV Channel & Live Stream: ESPN, ESPN+, fuboTV

Houston Roughnecks @ San Antonio Brahmas

Date: Sunday, April 9, 2023
Start Time: 3 p.m. ET
TV Channel & Live Stream: ABC, ESPN+, fuboTV

DC Defenders @ Seattle Sea Dragons

Date: Sunday, April 9, 2023
Start Time: 7 p.m. ET
TV Channel & Live Stream: ESPN2, ESPN+, fuboTV

Week 9

Vegas Vipers @ Houston Roughnecks

Date: Saturday, April 15, 2023
Start Time: 12:30 p.m. ET
TV Channel & Live Stream: ABC, ESPN+, fuboTV

Orlando Guardians @ San Antonio Brahmas

Date: Saturday, April 15, 2023
Start Time: 7 p.m. ET
TV Channel & Live Stream: ESPN2, ESPN+, fuboTV

Arlington Renegades @ DC Defenders

Date: Sunday, April 16, 2023
Start Time: Noon ET
TV Channel & Live Stream: ESPN, ESPN+, fuboTV

Seattle Sea Dragons @ St. Louis Battlehawks

Date: Sunday, April 16, 2023
Start Time: 3 p.m. ET
TV Channel & Live Stream: ESPN, ESPN+, fuboTV

Week 10

Orlando Guardians @ St. Louis Battlehawks

Date: Saturday, April 22, 2023
Start Time: Noon ET
TV Channel & Live Stream: ESPN, ESPN+, fuboTV

DC Defenders @ San Antonio Brahmas

Date: Saturday, April 22, 2023
Start Time: 3 p.m. ET
TV Channel & Live Stream: ABC, ESPN+, fuboTV

Houston Roughnecks @ Arlington Renegades

Date: Sunday, April 23, 2023
Start Time: 3 p.m. ET
TV Channel & Live Stream: ESPN, ESPN+, fuboTV

Vegas Vipers @ Seattle Sea Dragons

Date: Sunday, April 23, 2023
Start Time: 9 p.m. ET
TV Channel & Live Stream: ESPN2, ESPN+, fuboTV

How Many Games Are in the XFL Season?

The XFL season will consist of 40 regular-season games, two playoff games, and then the championship.

When Are the XFL Playoffs?

The XFL playoffs begin Saturday, April 29, 2023. Four teams will make the playoffs, with two playing on Saturday and the other two on Sunday.

When Is the XFL Championship Game?

The XFL Championship Game is scheduled for Saturday, May 13, at 3 p.m. ET.

Where Can You Watch the XFL in 2023?

All 43 XFL games (40 regular-season games, two playoffs, one championship) will be featured on a combination of ABC (seven games), ESPN and ESPN2 (22 games), and FX (15 games).

Additionally, all XFL games will be streamed on ESPN+ and simulcasted in 142 countries around the world.

Need a way to watch all XFL action? Start a free trial of fuboTV today to catch all the XFL games of the season.

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NFL

Fantasy Outlook, Value, Projections, and Rankings

Published

6 hours ago

March 26, 2023

darragh

As we close in toward the new NFL season, the ever-changing league landscape has player fantasy values constantly on the move, with key events like free agency continuing to roll on and the 2023 NFL Draft still to come.

Whether you’re used to the dynasty platform or are still learning the dynasty rules, let’s dive into the latest fantasy football value of Washington Commanders WR Jahan Dotson.

Jahan Dotson’s Dynasty Outlook and Value

If there is a short list of players I am looking to acquire in dynasty this offseason, Jahan Dotson might be at the very top of them all. At a minimum, he is in tier one of that list.

Dotson was one of my favorite receivers in last year’s class, as he jumps off the screen. He wins both outside and in the slot, and, despite being on the smaller side, he has a substantial catch radius due to elite body control and sticky hands.

Dotson lost a significant portion of his rookie season due to a hamstring injury, which made for a prime buying window for those who acted swiftly. After posting 12 receptions, 152 yards, and four touchdowns on 22 targets in Weeks 1-4 (WR28), Dotson returned to action in Week 10 and averaged 2.9 on 4.9 targets for 46.4 yards and 0.4 touchdowns.

MORE: 2023 Dynasty Rookie WR Rankings

However, it’s worth noting that Washington was cautious with his return. In Weeks 10-12, he played on less than 60% of the snaps and saw only four targets.

From Week 13 on, which included starts by three different QBs, Dotson was the WR17 in points per game (14.7 PPR/g) and 21st overall on 21 of 35 receiving for 344 yards and three touchdowns while setting team highs in target share (23.81%) and air-yard share (34.81%, 15th in NFL).

Jahan Dotson Dynasty Fantasy Ranking

To me, Dotson is the perfect and much-needed complement for McLaurin and someone I expect to take a noticeable jump in value in 2023. The Commanders’ offense is now being run by Eric Bieniemy, who came over after a successful tenure in Kansas City to become Washington’s new assistant head coach and offensive coordinator.

Dotson is currently a mid-WR3 (WR27) in my rankings, and I think this is the cheapest he will be for quite some time. If you are like me and bullish on his future, now is the time to act. He is one spot behind his teammate Terry McLaurin, and honestly, I already want to flip them. That should tell you how high I am on Dotson, considering my love of McLaurin and how highly I’ve historically rated the latter.

Coming in at No. 70 overall in Superflex formats, Dotson is a draft-day steal, given the increased value of quarterbacks due to positional scarcity in leagues that allow two QBs in starting lineups.

If you are looking to bolster your wide receiver room or just add someone who has phenomenal upside and is still young, take the discount on Dotson while you can, as Bieniemy could unlock something special. As noted, I don’t see Dotson’s value going down anytime soon, and his ceiling is in the mid-teens as a WR2.

He’s got some of the best hands you’ll find, is lightning quick with his footwork, and if he keeps up his 90%+ reception rate on catchable balls while being schemed open in a more creative offense, he could be the biggest riser of last year’s wide receiver draft class.

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NFL

Fantasy Outlook, Value, Projections, and Rankings

Published

7 hours ago

March 26, 2023

darragh

Whether you’re used to the dynasty platform or are still learning the dynasty rules, let’s dive into the latest fantasy football value of Washington Commanders WR Terry McLaurin.

Terry McLaurin’s Dynasty Outlook and Value

Terry McLaurin is one of the best receivers in the NFL, and all he needs is a competent QB under center to become an absolute monster. Even his 2022 season was a tale of two halves due to the QB play. With Carson Wentz under center, McLaurin had a 16.3% target share, a 26.4% air yard share, and 1.52 yards per route run as the WR33 (11.1 PPR/game). Then, in stepped Taylor Heinicke, who saved McLaurin’s season.

With Wentz on the sideline due to a finger injury, McLaurin had a 29.8% target share, a 44% air yard share, and 2.73 yards per route run. Throw in a 28% target per route run rate, and McLaurin averaged 5.4 receptions, 80.2 yards, and 0.3 touchdowns on 8.11 yards for 15.46 PPR points per game (WR15).

Finishing 19th overall, McLaurin posted his third-straight 1,000-yard season with 1,191 yards on 77 of 120 receiving and five touchdowns. He only has five drops over the last two seasons, for crying out loud.

Despite the Commanders’ reloving door at QB, including a whos who list of Taylor Heinicke, Dwayne Haskins, Alex Smith, Carson Wentz, Case Keenum, Kyle Allen, Colt McCoy, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Sam Howell, and Garrett Gilbert (in order of targets per QB), and a lackluster offense with no supporting cast, McLaurin has yet to finish outside the top-25 in a single season.

MORE: 2023 Dynasty Rookie WR Rankings

He remains of the highest-upside players, and we have yet to see the best from him.

Yet, despite playing with 10 QBs under three different head coaches, two OCs, and three team names, McLaurin is one of six WRs to have four straight 900-yard seasons since 2019 and is behind only A.J. Brown (4,369) in receiving yards from the 2019 class with 4,241. That’s ahead of D.K. Metcalf (4,192), Deebo Samuel (3,988), and Diontae Johnson (3,707).

Perhaps 2023 can be different, as Sam Howell is expected to be under center come the start of the season. How much that boosts McLaurin’s value remains to be seen, as Howell is a relative unknown. However, I’m bullish on the veteran wideout’s outlook.

I’ll be especially excited if new assistant head coach and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy can bring a spark to the Commanders’ offense. Unfortunately, this wasn’t a package deal with Patrick Mahomes coming too, but beggars can’t be choosers.

Terry McLaurin Fantasy Ranking

There is a scenario where McLaurin, despite being a favorite player of many, remains underrated. He’s being viewed as a WR3 in some circles. For context, he is my WR26 in PPR rankings as he enters his age-27 season with no signs of slowing down. When you look at Superflex leagues, where quarterbacks see an increase in value due to positional scarcity, McLaurin is the No. 69 overall-ranked player.

There are few players I trust more in single coverage than McLaurin, and even when doubled, his vertical explosiveness has him playing well above the rim. If the ball is in his general vicinity, odds are, it’s McLaurin who is coming down with it. He is under contract through 2026, but there’s a contractual out after 2024.

That could be a good thing, as it might free him, depending on how Washington’s salary cap looks in two years. However, McLaurin is one of those players I’d be more than willing to add at what appears to be a discount based on perception, production, and my rankings. All Howell has to be is on par with Wentz or Heinicke, and we know what can happen. Anything better, and it’s smooth sailing for McLaurin.

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