By now, Cincinnati Bengals fans know a lot about first-round pick Myles Murphy, the Clemson defensive end who the team viewed as a top-10 player.
They know about his stunning athletic scores and his productive career of harassing opposing quarterbacks, to the tune of 20 sacks, 10 quarterback hits, 66 quarterback hurries and five batted passes over three college seasons.
But what about some other fun facts?
Before Murphy joins the rotation with the likes of Trey Hendrickson and Joseph Ossai so he can pursue the goal of being a “finishing piece” of a Bengals Super Bowl win, here’s a quick look at some lesser-known details about Cincinnati’s first-round pick this year.
That fastball
Murphy was a left-handed pitcher and at the age of 14…threw a 90MPH fastball. He wound up being a five-star football recruit, but one has to wonder if there wasn’t a baseball future there, too.
The curved dash
According to Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer, scouts told Murphy he didn’t run his 40-yard dash in a straight line. If he had, he would have been at a 4.47-second time, better than his 4.53 at his pro day. We’re going to guess teams wouldn’t have drafted him higher if he improved a simple time that much, but it’s still impressive for a guy who weighs roughly 270 pounds.
The architect
Murphy majored in construction science and management and, per Clemson, has expressed interest in becoming an architect, potentially with a sports-stadium slant.
Hillgrove High School
Murphy attended Hillgrove High School, the alma mater of a handful of current NFL players like Bradley Chubb and Evan Engram. He started varsity as a true freshman. There, he also played basketball and baseball at the same time until his junior year.
Family ties
Murphy’s father, Willard, was a running back committed to Florida State before a knee injury. He played linebacker for Tennessee-Chattanooga, then the USFL. Max, Myles’ older brother, also played ball at his high school and then at Worchester Poly Institute.
