Myles Murphy's size, speed 'evident' with Cincinnati Bengals

The Cincinnati Bengals used their late first-round pick to bolster their pass rush by selecting Clemson defensive end Myles Murphy, a move that should help them avoid finishing bottom five in the league in total sacks again. But even though the Bengals didn’t put the quarterback on the ground a ton, their pass rush was still effective because it created a lot of pressures and often did so with only four guys rushing.

The Murphy selection should raise the floor and ceiling of that four-man pass rush. More importantly, it gives defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo more depth and flexibility along the defensive line after he was forced to play Sam Hubbard and Trey Hendrickson too many snaps. If nothing else, Murphy should provide breathers for those stalwarts and has the athleticism to hold his own as a rookie, at the very least.

Per Bengals reporter Ben Baby, the newest Tiger-turned-Bengal is coming along so far in practice.

“The combination of size and speed that Murphy displayed at his Clemson pro day has been evident during offseason workouts. He has looked as explosive as advertised in the team’s position drills,” reports Ben Baby.

“Murphy’s reps have predominantly been with the backups, but the Bengals had a handful of 7-on-7 reps during mandatory minicamp. Cincinnati wants Murphy to be on the field for key pass-rushing situations as the Bengals try to increase their pressure rate.

Ben Baby even added that “Murphy already has an approval stamp from receiver Tee Higgins, a fellow former Clemson player.” He then gave the following quote from Higgins on the Bengals first rounder: “Lot of my friends that played with him say he’s a good guy. Hopefully he can come in and make an impact early.”

DC Lou Anarumo and head coach Zac Taylor are both of the philosophy that it’s good to have as many pass-rushing weapons as possible, especially when it comes to obvious passing situations on third down. So, the Murphy pick just adds one more stoke in the wheel of a versatile and talented defensive line.

“You can get to third-down situations and find packages where they’re all [playing],” Taylor said of the DL room. “It’s not giving guys a break, necessarily. It’s getting as many on the field as you can. So I think it’s good to have as many guys that can affect the quarterback and play up front as possible.”