I don't really understand how this guy is better than Johnny Newton as a prospect. He had better production in a tougher conference and did it for at least two seasons at a high level, and they are the same age. What's the thought process here, I don't know much about Murphy?
here's DJ's take on both. Perhaps the bolded helps distinguish them from a scouts eye.
19. Murphy
Murphy is a very explosive, nimble and instinctive defensive tackle. He is a dynamic disruptor against the pass game. He explodes out of his stance and can roll his hips on contact, creating instant push. He consistently gets underneath blockers and prevails in the leverage battle. He has quick hands to win with swipe moves, a push/pull maneuver or a violent club. Once he feels a blocker leaning left or right, he has elite change-of-direction quickness. Against the run, he can utilize his quickness to penetrate and create negative plays. He also has incredible balance to take on blocks while going to one knee before uncoiling and making plays. (I haven't seen anyone else use this technique before, but it's very effective.) He has plenty of range to make plays laterally. Overall, Murphy might lack ideal size, but he's a leverage machine who makes an impact on all three downs.
32. Newton
Newton is a slightly undersized defensive tackle with quick and powerful hands. As a pass rusher, he has shock in his mitts to jolt blockers. He mixes up his moves to generate sacks/pressures, routinely employing a violent club/swim and a quick-swipe maneuver. He also incorporates a Houdini-like move where he sticks his hand out and gets OTs to lunge at it before pulling it away and clearing the block.
He isn't a loose, nimble rusher due to some hip tightness. Against the run, he generates knock-back at the point of attack and gives effort to chase plays down the line. Overall,
Newton lacks ideal lower-body flexibility, but he's a very skilled rusher and holds up versus the run.
