Assessing the value Cincinnati got in Myles Murphy

When the Cincinnati Bengals first went on the clock in this year’s NFL Draft, many thought they would go tight end or cornerback in Round 1.

However, they were surprised to see that Clemson Tigers defensive end Myles Murphy was still on the board, and the Bengals wasted no time in making him the 28th-overall selection.

Coming into the draft, defensive end was a position in this class that had some great top-end prospects but dropped off after the first 2-3 rounds, making this an even easier selection for a Bengals pass rush that finished with the fourth-fewest sacks last season.

“If your team is looking for an edge defender, you should hope it addresses the position within the first 75 picks because the depth will start to diminish after that point in the draft,” said NFL Draft guru Lance Zierlein of this year’s edge defender class.

In terms of value, Murphy was one of the better value picks in Round 1.

• ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. ranked Murphy 25th overall.
• The Athletic draft guru Dane Brugler had Murphy ranked 21st overall.
• ESPN’s Todd McShay ranked Murphy 24th overall.
• CBS Sports’ rankings had Murphy coming in at 20th overall.
• The Pro Football Focus big board ranked Murphy 17th overall.
• Finally, the 2023 NFL Draft Consensus Big Board also ranked Murphy 17th overall.

Looking ahead, Murphy has a good shot of being the Bengals’ first edge defender off the bench with Sam Hubbard and Trey Hendrickson starting. Hendrickson (through 2024) and Hubbard (through 2025) are both under contract for the next two seasons, so it might be a while until Murphy earns a starting job, but you can never have too many good edge guys in today’s pass-happy NFL, so he should have a significant role early and often within the Bengals defense.