The Road to 53: Does UDFA Gabriel Murphy Have a Chance to Become the Next Ivan Pace?
The majority of the “roster building” portion of the NFL offseason is behind us.
Now, the focus turns towards getting the players on the 90-man roster onto the field to begin evaluating play. Then, at the end of the summer, Minnesota will go through the process of trimming their roster down to its final 53 players for the regular season.
One player that is sure to gain some extra attention this summer is an undrafted free agent, a phenomena that has become common during Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s tenure as general manager of the Vikings. That player is Gabriel Murphy, who could become this year’s version of Ivan Pace.
Background
Murphy, a Dallas, Texas, native, committed to North Texas as a three-star recruit in the Class of 2019 after spending his high school days at Bishop Lynch. During his freshman season, Murphy appeared in only two games, recording a pair of tackles.
Of course, Murphy’s sophomore season also was limited because of the Covid pandemic, so he played just six games over the course of the season. As a rotational pass rusher, he got his first career sack in Week 5 against Middle Tennessee State. He recorded 4.5 over the course of the season.
Murphy got his first real starting chance during the 2021 season, and he made the most of it by putting together 12.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks in 13 games. Then, he entered the transfer portal and headed to UCLA prior to the 2022 campaign.
During his first season at UCLA, Murphy struggled to put together as much production as he had during his previous season at North Texas. He played 13 games, totaling just 4.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. 2023 went much better, though, as he put together 16 tackles for loss and eight sacks in 13 games.
How Gabriel Murphy Can Impact the Vikings in 2024
Murphy may have gone undrafted this spring, but that doesn’t mean he can’t bring plenty of talent to the table at the NFL level. He put together the seventh-most QB pressures in all of the FBS last season, with 61. He came in just behind his UCLA teammate, Laiatu Latu, who was selected 15th overall by the Indianapolis Colts.
Similarly, Murphy’s pass rush win rate of 18.4% ranked 13th among edge rushers in the FBS. Vikings first-round pick Dallas Turner ranked ninth at 19.6%, per PFF. There certainly is talent there to become a rotational pass rusher for Minnesota this season.
Quietly, Murphy was a decently productive run defender as well at UCLA. During the 2023 season, his stop percentage of 8.4% ranked 31st among edge rushers with at least 200 run defense snaps, again per PFF.
Obstacles in Murphy’s Way
As of now, the Vikings employ a great deal of veteran talent at the outside linebacker position. Despite losing a number of contributors in free agency, Minnesota filled the room with names like Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, and Jihad Ward, who are proven contributors at the NFL level.
Additionally, Turner was a first-round pick by Minnesota to bring in more youth while 2023 UDFA Andre Carter and 2021 third-round pick Patrick Jones cannot be ignored for roster spots, either.
If the transition to the NFL proves to be difficult for Murphy, much like the transition from North Texas to a larger program like UCLA did, perhaps Minnesota’s outside linebacker group could be a formidable one to overcome when training camp rolls around.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Pro Football Focus and Sports Reference CFB.
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Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.