1.Kenneth Murray, Oklahoma, 6’2”, 241 LBS, 4.52s 40 Yard Dash
Strengths:
Explosive athlete. He plays like a safety while maintaining the size of a traditional linebacker. Long arms allow him to get his arms on the legs of the ball carriers. Versatile. Can do anything from pass rushing to dropping as a deep cover 2 MIKE. Aggressive player who is not afraid to go get his man behind the line of scrimmage. A good cover linebacker who shows skills in both zone coverage and covering the back out of the backfield. His frame allows him to run with tight ends and his speed can put him with nearly any running back on the field. Does a good job of reading and reacting quickly. Very comfortable in space and going one on one and making the tackle
Weaknesses:
Can overrun the play at times. Might be too aggressive, although it could be more schemed aggressiveness than personal play style. His aggressiveness sometimes gets him in trouble with angles that Murray takes to the ball carrier. Can get stuck on a block and moved out of the way rather than fighting through a block. Not a guy to make a play in the passing game as far as turnovers go. No interceptions and only forced one fumble his entire college career.
Fit for the Browns:
Kenneth Murray provides excellent size, speed and ability to be a 3 down player for nearly any team in the NFL. For the Browns specifically, he fits exactly what they have lost in Joe Schobert. What I find most fascinating is that Kenneth Murray looks a lot like the linebackers the San Francisco 49ers used last year, which Joe Woods would obviously be comfortable with using. Murray is still young and growing into his role as a player, which is exciting with his athletic traits. A good teacher can make Kenneth Murray a real force in the NFL as a prototype modern NFL middle linebacker. Murray is likely to go later in the 1st round and would likely require a trade up from 41 or down from 10.
