Bengals personnel staff talk Myles Murphy

The Cincinnati Bengals opted to bolster its pass rush by selecting Clemson defensive end Myles Murphy with the 28th overall pick in last week’s NFL Draft.

Murphy, a former All-ACC selection, is someone the Bengals personnel staff came away extremely impressed with during its scouting process.

“The one characteristic I look for is recoverability,” senior defensive assistant Mark Duffner told Bengals.com. “He can recover and get back into a play. He’s got the great ratio of a quick get-off, quickness, length, and speed.”

“He’s not just an athlete who tests well off the field. His physical traits show up on the field,” senior personnel executive Trey Brown added. “He’s excellent when converting speed to power consistently going against offensive tackles. He’s excellent chasing on the back side of plays.”

Not only are Duffner and Brown high on the man they helped become a Bengal, but defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo is as well.

“Smart. Mature. Intelligent. Everything you want in a player,” said defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo said. “A relentless guy. Somebody who will fit right in with the group.”

“He’ll be in a rotation right away. We play a ton of D-linemen, so he’ll jump right in there and back up Sam [Hubbard] and Trey [Hendrickson].”

Murphy appears to be the perfect addition to a Bengals defense looking to create a pass rush to contain Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, and the rest of the AFC’s elite quarterbacks for several years to come.