The Vikings Have an Under-The-Radar Rookie
With training camp getting closer, the rookies are about to enter the practice facility in Eagan, Minnesota. The Vikings acquired a bunch of rookies, and of course, the attention will primarily go to first-rounders J.J. McCarthy and Dallas Turner. Teammates have praised both, but it remains to be seen if they can keep that momentum into training camp and perhaps show enough potential to earn a role early in their careers.
The Vikings Have an Under-The-Radar Rookie
After Khyree Jackson’s tragic accident, the Vikings don’t have anyone on the team drafted in rounds two through five. Sixth-rounder Walter Rouse should be a backup offensive tackle, while Will Reichard is expected to be the kicker this season. Seventh-rounders Michael Jurgens and Levi Drake Rodriguez will compete for a roster spot.
Still, none of those guys jump off the board as big-time contributors on offense or defense in the upcoming season.
The good news is that the Vikings invested in UDFAs once again after finding a gem in Ivan Pace a year ago. This year’s Pace could be Gabriel Murphy, an undrafted rookie out of UCLA. The pass rusher is one of only seven under-the-radar rookies for Derrik Klassen (Bleacher Report). He wants to identify this year’s top contributors among day three picks and undrafted rookies.
In the offseason, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah reworked the pass-rushing group. Danielle Hunter is coming off a wonderful season, but he signed with the Houston Texans in free agency. D.J. Wonnum and Marcus Davenport also departed, leaving a room with only Patrick Jones and Andre Carter.
Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel were signed to lucrative deals, and Turner joined in the draft. The trio should be more balanced than last year’s, and the top guy will carry less of a burden, especially if Turner is as good as advertised. But Klassen still views Murphy as a useful acquisition:
Murphy was overshadowed by his teammate Laitu Latu at UCLA but many expected him to be a draft pick himself. Murphy earned a high fifth-round grade from Bleacher Report front-seven scout Matt Holder and ranked 111th on Arif Hasan’s consensus big board. The industry at large saw Murphy as a player with NFL potential.
That’s for good reason, too. Murphy certainly lacks the bulk and physicality of an immediate starting defensive end but his athletic tools are undeniable. Murphy brings an explosive first step and the quickness to work two-way goes effectively. Moreover, Murphy has solid flexibility around the arc and finds ways to keep his legs churning through contact so as to not get run around the back of the pocket.
Derrik Klassen
The rookie is a fascinating prospect because he somehow is comparable to last year’s phenomenon Pace. Just like Pace, he started at a lower level before transferring to an established program. Murphy’s journey began at North Texas, where he produced 4.5 sacks in only seven games during the shortened 2020 season and seven sacks in 2021.
The following transfer to UCLA put him on a defensive line with 2024 first-rounder Laiatu Latu, and he performed well in the Pac-12, especially in his second year. In 13 contests, Murphy tabulated 16 tackles for loss and eight sacks, putting him on NFL teams’ radars, which is why his tumble in the draft was quite strange. In addition to that, his athleticism and explosiveness are fantastic.
However, there are some concerns, perhaps even red flags. The listed 30.5-inch arm length and his 75-inch wingspan both place him in the zero percentile of 3-4 outside linebackers, according to mockdraftable.
The size issue is another aspect that should remind Vikings fans of the reasons they heard for Pace’s disappointing draft experience.
Long story short, Murphy was productive in college and possesses intriguing athletic tools, but the lack of length is why teams shied away from him.
Klassen envisions him as a contender for the fourth outside linebacker job: “Is Murphy going to come in and start for the Vikings right away? No, definitely not. There’s a clear opening for the fourth edge spot, though, and that’s a role that will get serious playing time in a defense like this. Murphy has the tools to assert himself in that role and be an effective role player before long.”
The main competitor is veteran Jihad Ward, who is coming off a season with a career-high five sacks, but he has never been more than a rotational player and is 30 years old. Patrick Jones enters a contract year, but the former third-rounder hasn’t made much of an impact through three seasons.
There surely is a world in which Murphy emerges like Pace a year ago, at least to some extent, although a similar impact is highly unlikely.
Murphy will turn 24 in October and hopes to be on the 53-man roster by then.
Editor’s Note: Information from Sports Reference helped with this article.
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Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt