Dabo Swinney dishes lofty praise on Cincinnati Bengals first-round pick Myles Murphy

Clemson didn’t make an appearance at the 2023 NFL Draft until late in the first round. That’s when the Cincinnati Bengals drafted Myles Murphy with the No. 28 overall pick. Still, although he fell in the end, Dabo Swinney wants Cincy to know that they actually got a bargain with him.

In the Tiger’s Draft Central, Swinney commented on Murphy and says that he could have potentially been the No. 1 pick had he stayed another year in college. However, considering his talent and that Cincinnati is getting him a year earlier in his development, he thinks they may have gotten the steal of the draft at No. 28.

“He is really, really, really special,” Swinney said. “With another year, he may have been the first pick in the draft. I think he has that type of talent. There’s not many people walking the planet that have first overall pick type of talent. But Myles Murphy does.”

“The Bengals are getting him at a value because he’s still a developing player. He was at Clemson for three seasons — two-and-a-half years. He’s an incredibly smart kid, loves football. His dad played pro football. He’s been around it his whole life. But his best football is still in front of him,” said Swinney. “I’m just really excited about seeing him take that next step. He’s just a rare talent. A great kid, very smart and a very cerebral player. Incredibly strong and can fly, you know? You just don’t see guys that can move like him and bend. He’s going to be a great one.”

“They are getting a guy who is relentless, powerful, and loves the game. (Murphy) is a physical player, smart. He’s great off the field,” defensive ends coach Lemanski Hall added. “He’s a professional. And he’s going to come in every day with the mindset of getting better.”

Murphy saw action in 35 games as a Tiger over his three seasons in their program. During that time, he accumulated 116 tackles, including a career-high of 40 last season, and 18.5 sacks. He also added six forced fumbles and five pass deflections.

Now, after wreaking havoc for Clemson, Murphy is headed to an AFC contender to start his professional career. He’ll arrive highly regarded too based on these glowing remarks from Swinney and Hall.