Trent Murphy, DE, Stanford (HT: 6’5” WT: 250 lbs)

Washington Redskins (Redskins trade 34th pick to Cowboys for 47th and 78th picks)

Second Round: 47th Pick

NFL Comparison: Connor Barwin, DE, Philadelphia Eagles

Positives

• One of the most productive edge-rusher prospects in terms of sacking the quarterback. 
• Does a fine job diagnosing plays and staying disciplined. 
• Highly developed user of his hands with technician-like qualities. 
• On the higher end of the length spectrum for edge-rushers. 
• Has sufficient burst off the snap and can get tackles to overextend. 
• Plays with tremendous balance on contact that enables him to stay on his feet and continue to press blockers. 
• A slippery pass-rusher who is difficult to lock up and control, combats the hands of pass-blockers well. 
• Sets up pass-rush moves and has an instinctive feel for what blockers are doing to him. 
• Rushes with a variety of pass-rush moves that come to him instinctively as he reads the blocker. 
• Flashes an effective punch to knock pass-blockers off balance and set up finesse moves. 
• Both skilled and productive getting his hands to passes at the line of scrimmage. 
• Has experience rushing from up position or with his hand in the dirt. 
• Plays with a sufficient motor, especially as a pass-rusher. 
• Anticipates cut blocks and plays off of them very well with his hands. 
• Plays the run from the backside with discipline for cutbacks. 
• Holds up at the line of scrimmage against drive blocks, rarely gives ground. 
• Keeps from getting locked up by run-blockers by maintaining space with his hands.

Negatives

• Hips are on the stiff side and isn’t the quick twitch athlete by any means. 
• Won’t be a consistently effective speed-rusher in the NFL despite success around the corner in college. 
• Doesn’t bend around blocks with sufficient flexibility. 
• Doesn’t show great effectiveness stunting to the inside to take on interior lineman. 
• Isn’t overly comfortable dropping into coverage. 
• Feet are on the heavy side in space, struggles to change directions. 
• Inconsistent keeping his outside shoulder free and setting a hard edge, rarely moves run-blockers off the ball. 
• Gets out-leveraged and taken out of plays by run-blocking tight ends at times. 
• Doesn’t accelerate from blocks to recover and make plays when he doesn’t diagnose quickly. 
• Not overly productive chasing down plays in pursuit, lacks long speed to make tackles downfield.

Personal Notes

• A 3-star prospect as a recruit, ranked 41st among strong-side defensive ends according to Rivals. 
• Threw discus on the Stanford track and field team in the spring of 2011. 
• Won the Jack Huston Award for exceptional performance and unheralded effort on the vote of the teammates in 2012 and 2013. 
• Became Stanford’s first consensus All-American on the defensive side of the ball since 1974 after his final season.

Ratings Chart

Overall

The production Trent Murphy brought to the table at Stanford is hard to ignore. 

Though he played with a talented cast of defensive linemen, he was the most consistent performer.  Murphy likely brings the most to the table as a 4-3 end, but could be viewed as a 3-4 strong-side rush linebacker.  His ability to keep pass blockers guessing with a variety of moves that he strings together as he works tackles will make him an immediately effective contributor. 

Teams are unlikely to get a sack artist in Trent Murphy, but should get an impactful rusher who’s ready to go on Day 1.

Draft Projection: 2nd-3rd Round