"Angry, slightly undersized corner with WR ball skills and top end quickness and mobility."
Strengths:
Quick twitch athlete with awareness, speed and toughness. Clicks and closes impressively. Great ball skills with quick hands. Aggressive, reliable tackler that can light guys up when he gets a read. Equally strong playing off and man up. Reliable hands punt returner.
Weaknesses:
Slightly undersized and underpowered. Small framed and can get big boy'd and boxed out. Has had nagging injuries and almost plays too physical for his size, seeking collisions. Much more experience playing off than man press.
Overall:
Murphy's impressively advanced for a red shirt sophomore. His size and strength is lesser than ideal, and he can have issues with size. He ain't getting any taller but he'll no doubt get stronger as a pro. He plays with a chip and can mirror and hang with anyone.
He's been projected as more a zone corner, as that's what Washington ran predominantly, but his feet and athleticism suggest he could play man at a high level too. Excels at the catch point and gets his hands on the pass or hauls it in. Plays angry, comes off blocks and seeks collisions in run support.
I think he's the #1 CB in this class, in part because he's coming out as only a RS soph and still growing and developing his game. As he matures in the next several seasons he may be one of the NFL's best.
NFL Comp: Dunta Robinson