Kevin O’Connell Name Drops UDFA Defender in Press Conference, Offers Quick Praise
The unprompted name drop in a press conference is a good sign, especially for an undrafted free agent who is scraping and clawing to get onto the final roster.
Kevin O’Connell was his usual chatty self on Tuesday, venturing into all kinds of topics while speaking with the Minnesota media for close to twenty minutes. Within a broader discussion about the defense and the pass rush, O’Connell mentioned UDFA edge rusher Gabriel Murphy. Apparently, the rookie has been playing at such a high level that he’s caught the eye of Minnesota’s head coach.
Kevin O’Connell and the Praise for Gabriel Murphy
The moment was short and sweet, but that doesn’t mean it was insignificant.
Minnesota’s head coach had just spent some time discussing Dallas Turner and his potential, especially within the context of lining up against Christian Darrisaw; being able to pickup tips and tricks from the stud LT is going to help Mr. Turner. As O’Connell continued to move through his answer about the defensive pressure, Jonathan Greenard came up, but that’s to be expected given that he’s the EDGE1, someone who just signed a major deal.
But then the thought on Greenard gave way to an unexpected name: “Those 3rd down rushes are really what defines those edge guys. You saw JG make a really nice rush on BO yesterday. Gabe Murphy is showing up time and time again early on here as a guy that’s versatile in the rush game.”
“And then as Van Ginkel works his way back in,” O’Connell continued, “you’re talking names and numbers of guys that can truly line up in any particular spot.”
Folks, that’s quite the statement from Minnesota’s head coach. The bit about JG and BO — Jonathan Greenard and Brian O’Neill — is an instance of two titans squaring off. Immediately moving into praise for Murphy, someone who didn’t even get drafted, is both jarring and exciting, especially since Andrew Van Ginkel is the name that gets looped in at the end.
Essentially, O’Connell builds off of his answer about No. 17 pick Dallas Turner by creating an EDGE1 and EDGE2 sandwich. In between those two names — Greenard and Van Ginkel — is Gabriel Murphy, the UDFA who “time and time again” made positive plays.
Per Sean Borman of Vikings Territory, Murphy even got a bit of work with the 1s.
Recently, Murphy took some time to speak with KSTP’s Darren Wolfson. Consider the exchange:
As Wolfson notes, it’s surprising that Murphy didn’t get scooped up in the draft. While at UCLA in 2023, the pass rusher was productive. He had 8 sacks and 16 tackles for a loss last season, some tremendous stats that speak to an ability to play behind the line of scrimmage. Rounding out the stats were 38 tackles and 2 passes defended.
Minnesota evidently felt that it was a priority to get him to the Twin Cities. As part of the three-year deal he signed, Gabriel Murphy picked up $245,000 in guarantees. The hefty total suggests that other teams were in the mix for him (something that the video above gets into).
For whatever it’s worth, PFF placed Murphy at 149th in their board — a Day 3 selection — while offering this thought: “Murphy is lacking in physical gifts, but he mitigates that with fantastic hand usage and a wisdom of what works as a pass-rusher. He can find a rotational contributing role as an on-ball outside linebacker in the NFL.”
Right now, the praise from PFF is looking prescient. Gabriel Murphy is wearing the #59 jersey, so keep an eye on the 23-year-old on August 10th when the opening preseason game gets played. The head coach has been impressed, so fans likely will be, as well.
Editor’s Note: Information from Sports Reference CFB and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
Vikings Cut Candidate “Flashed” in First Padded Practice
K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter and as a co-host for Notes from the North, a humble Vikings podcast.