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A HISTORY OF RICK SPIELMAN'S DRAFT TRADES
KENNETH MURRAY
HEIGHT/WEIGHT/AGE
6-foot-2
240 pounds
21 years old
BIG PICTURE
Only a three-star recruit out of high school but became a stalwart on the Oklahoma defense. Racked up 325 tackles, 36.5 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks in 40 career games with the Sooners. Demonstrated explosiveness at the NFL Combine that should suit him well as an outside linebacker. Needs to keep improving his coverage and sturdiness against the run but possesses the right physical makeup.
COMBINE NOTABLES
4.52 40-yard dash (6th)
21 bench reps (T-5th)
38-inch vertical (6th)
129-inch broad jump (3rd)
VIKINGS' COMPATIBILITY RANKING
1 out of 5. May not make sense for the Vikings, who are fairly deep at linebacker in 2020. Now is not the time to be drafting for the future when Minnesota has so many needs for the present.
HIGHLIGHTS
WHAT DRAFT EXPERTS SAY
Lance Zierlein, NFL.com: "Sleek, playmaking linebacker with chiseled frame and long arms. Murray's game is predicated on speed with an ability to fly around from sideline to sideline rolling up tackles. While his twitchy burst allows him to make more plays than the average linebacker, he will overflow to ball-carriers at times. Recognition of play development and ability to take on blocks are both underdeveloped currently, but a move to weak-side linebacker would put him in position to minimize those concerns and maximize his playmaking talent. Murray has hit-or-miss qualities and is more splashy than consistent, but he's immensely talented with the ability to imprint on games on all three downs."
Kyle Crabbs, Draft Network: "Kenneth Murray projects as a potential MIKE linebacker in the pros. If Murray is able to iron out some of the misreads in the middle, he can be a complete player and 3 down defender who can slash into gaps as a blitzer or scrape sideline to sideline. Murray's length, range and explosiveness pair well for a lot of impact plays and if he fails to polish up his skills keying blocks from the middle, he can default back to the WILL position and take advantage of a more pure pursuit role on defense."
WHAT PFF SAYS
22 coverage stops (T-1st)
11.4% missed tackle percentage (below average)
Improved coverage grade each college season
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EXPLORING VIKINGS DRAFT TRENDS
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