Welcome Kenneth Murray LB, Oklahoma

[wu-dai clan]

The player I compare Kenneth Murray to is Lavonte David, TB Bucs 3-4 WILB. Murray is slightly bigger, faster and more explosive. David is more instinctive. Murray is slightly better in coverage, using his pure closing speed and length. Both have leadership skills that are off the charts.

Mark Dominik, the former Bucs GM, and the man who drafted David, gave the Chargers a draft grade of A. He really likes the move to trade up for Murray, after drafting Justin Herbert at #6.

We have now have our ten year leaders on offense and defense. We have elite players at all three levels on defense. Bosa--Murray--James.

WAR would have to be very, very favorable with Murray. This is a highly impactful player. Character may be his best trait, beyond even the insane athleticism.

My favorite D for us is this look with Cover 3:

Ingram--Tillery--Bosa--James FF

Murray NLB--King NLB

Hayward CB--Harris CBS--MDavis CB
Adderley FS--Jenkins SS


Base D:

Ingram-Joseph-JJones-Bosa FF
Murray-Tranquill-White LB
Hayward-Jenkins-James-Harris DB

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Kenneth Murray Talks Patrick Mahomes, Ray Lewis, Shawne Merriman in B/R AMA

ROB GOLDBERGAPRIL 29, 20200



BRANDON WADE/ASSOCIATED PRESS
SIX DAYS AFTER HEARING HIS NAME CALLED IN THE FIRST ROUND OF THE 2020 NFLDRAFT, KENNETH MURRAY JOINED BLEACHER REPORT FOR AN AMA SESSION.

THE LINEBACKER WAS A STAR AT OKLAHOMA FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS, TOTALING 335 TACKLES WHILE BECOMING A THIRD-TEAM ALL-AMERICAN. HE STARTED ALL 42 OF HIS CAREER GAMES, BEGINNING AS A TRUE FRESHMAN, HELPING THE TEAM GO 36-6 IN THAT STRETCH.

MURRAY WAS THEN SELECTED BY THE LOS ANGELES CHARGERS WITH THE NO. 23 OVERALL PICK OF THE DRAFT, JOINING A DEFENSE THAT SHOULD BE LOADED WITH TALENT NEXT YEAR BETWEEN JOEY BOSA, MELVIN INGRAM, DERWIN JAMES AND CHRIS HARRIS.

CONSIDERING THE CHARGERS TRADED UP 14 SPOTS TO PICK HIM ROUND 1, GIVING UP A THIRD-ROUND PICK IN THE DEAL, IT'S CLEAR THE TEAM IS EXCITED ABOUT WHAT HE CAN BRING TO THE TABLE.

BEFORE BEGINNING HIS PROFESSIONAL CAREER, HOWEVER, MURRAY TALKED TO FANS ON THE B/R APP TO DISCUSS RAY LEWIS, SHANE MERRIMAN AND WANTING TO SACK PATRICK MAHOMES.

THE FOLLOWING IS THE FULL TRANSCRIPT FROM THE AMA SESSION.

























































































































































@Bills2021champs: What QB would you like to sack or intercept the most?

Every QB I play against, to be honest. Probably Pat Mahomes though, he's a great player. As a Charger, I'll see him twice a year.



@william_whitson: What was it like to be drafted virtually?

It was pretty cool. You wish you could go to the draft, but not being able to go was in the best interest of everybody. It was pretty cool to get drafted in general, so definitely a great experience.



@JCTheLit: What excites you most about being a Charger?

Being able to play football in the NFL, that excites me the most. I'm so happy to be in the NFL and be an L.A. Charger.



@RewindThatTape: What was your most memorable moment at Oklahoma?

This past season, a sack I had versus Texas. It was a special game, obviously a game that's big to us every year. Being able to make a big play in a critical point was a special moment.



@SportFanBeast: Who was the first Charger to reach out to you?

Derwin James. We chopped it up for a little bit.



@Chickfilaisbetta: Chick-fil-A or Popeyes?

Popeyes. Overall, the chicken is better.



@mikeyoung345: Who is your favorite nba player?

LeBron James, without a doubt. I'm a LeBron guy. Was a LeBron and Kobe guy growing up.



@DumbDingus: Who was your idol growing up?

I looked up to Ray Lewis.



@AndrewMayer777: If you were a WR who in the NFL would you want to Moss?

I don't know, that's a hard one...pass.



@JackPail: Who do you model your game after?

A little bit of pretty much everyone. I try to be myself, but I do take bits and pieces from guys like Bobby Wagner, Luke Kuechly, Ray Lewis.



@NBL21_bombasquad: Who are your top 3 linebackers of all time?

Mike Singletary, Ray Lewis and Lawrence Taylor.



@akashmahajan: What player do you want to trade jerseys with?

Probably one of my former teammates, the first Oklahoma guy I play with. Any of those guys, it's all love.



@Boomer06: What made you decide to go to OU?

Just felt like that was the place for me, felt like home. I went down there and met with Coach Stoops and thought he was phenomenal.



@chargers1185: What team are you most excited to play against?

The Chiefs since they just won the Super Bowl.



@PatriotsBoy: What's the story behind your jersey number?

There's not really a story behind it, but I couldn't wear 9 in NFL so I thought 56 was the next dopest option.



@Leroy8Whaler: How are you going to spend your first check?

Plan on getting my parents a house. Already bought myself a car, may get another car. Think that'll be about it, to be honest.



@sooner_magic: Who's someone on the OU defense that you think can really break out next season?

A few players. Caleb Kelly, Tre Norwood, Tre Brown, those guys for sure are in for breakout seasons.



@realnova15: Best football moment ever growing up?

My last year of Little League football, we played in the Super Bowl. Had two TDs, a kick return.



@aakash: Favorite video game?

Call of Duty or Fortnite.



@aakash: What are you looking forward to doing in LA?

Taking it all in. Getting to know the city. I already know it's phenomenal, so getting acclimated to it and chilling.



@dylanmcdonough5: Who was the toughest QB to go against in college?

Joe Burrow. He's a dog.



@acecharger: Which player would you like to learn from in the NFL/with the Chargers?

Would like to learn from all the guys, my new teammates. I have a pretty good relationship with a few LBs in the NFL, guys like Bobby Wagner, want to pick their brains and learn the nuances of being a better LB.



@drewmata2: Who is your favorite all-time Charger?

I didn't really watch a lot of NFL tape growing up, but had a pretty cool moment a couple of days ago with Shawne Merriman. Definitely a guy I look up to for sure.



What is your favorite game or play of your career?

Probably Army. Breaking a record, having the most tackles in a game all time. Probably my favorite moment.



Go-to pre-game song or soundtrack?

Pregame song, I'm probably listening to Meek Mill.



How far do you think the moon is from Earth?

No idea.

[like54ninjas]

[like54ninjas]

Chargers LB Kenneth Murray saved woman's life


Gavino Borquez
15 hours ago
The Chargers traded up 14 spots to draft former Oklahoma linebacker Kenneth Murray with the No. 23 overall selection. Not only were they getting an outstanding player, they were also getting a phenomenal individual with a unique life story.

The son of a pastor and a retired cop, Murray’s life changed in the fifth-grade, when his parents, Kenneth Sr. and Dianna, adopted three special-needs kids through his father’s church.

Nyia, who was 8 at the time, Leonard, who was 3, and James, a toddler, have the same disorder in which part of a chromosome is missing genetic material.

Today, Nyia is 18, Lennie is 14 and James is almost 10. Nyia knows the alphabet and can read at a second-grade level. Lennie and James can’t even talk.

“My siblings, they are my blood,” Murray said. “Even though they were adopted, they’re my blood and I’d do anything for them.

Life took a major turn in July of 2019. Murray was driving home from church only to discover a deaf woman collapsed on the sidewalk. The CPR training Murray learned as a counselor at the church community center would end up saving a life.

“Just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Coming home from church with my girlfriend, happened to just come by a situation that somebody just needed my help,” Murray said.

“Driving home from church, a car flashed, pretty much ran the red light in front of me and they stopped in the middle of the road and a lady gets out of the car and just runs immediately over to like the sidewalk area. So as I pull up a little bit more I could see on the sidewalk there was another lady, female laid out on the ground.

So I immediately parked my car in the middle of the street, get out and immediately rush over to the lady and see what was going on. And when I arrived on the scene she was bleeding from the head, completely unconscious, just laying on the ground. The other lady was her friend, she was screaming and yelling at her, trying to get her to wake back up.

So that’s when I just immediately started CPR. Started CPR, got between 70-80 pumps in and that’s when I finally got her revived, got her back to breathing. Then shortly after that the paramedics arrived.”

For anyone that was in that situation, they might’ve wanted the spotlight, but that wasn’t the case for Murray. He was going to keep it a secret and might have been able to if it wasn’t for a reporter from the Oklahoma student newspaper driving by.

“Two days later I happened to be chilling in the locker room and our media director, Mike Houck, comes up to me and he’s like, ‘hey, did you give a woman CPR a couple days ago?’

And I was like, ‘uuh, yeah.’ and so he was like, well, the kid with the school newspaper was driving by and happened to see a big human being that looked like you that was giving CPR to a woman.

I was just like, ‘yeah, that was me.’ It’s a unique situation, just a blessing to be in the right place at the right time,” Murray said.

Being in the right place at the right time describes Murray to-a-tee, whether it’s on the football field to stop a running back behind the line of scrimmage or being there to save a woman’s life.

“But this man’s intangibles, his presence when he walks into a room – he’s just a natural-born leader and I love that he’s passionate about this game. It just comes through in the interview process that I had with him,” coach Anthony Lynn said about Murray

[like54ninjas]

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[DesertRover]

Murray was ranked #60 on PFF’s big board. Maybe a reach for our #2 and #3 picks?
It’s not like there weren’t many talented players left on the board. We could have gotten Taylor or Mims with our #2 and Josh Jones with our #3.
The left side of our Oline looks very weak.

[Classic]

Murray was ranked #60 on PFF’s big board. Maybe a reach for our #2 and #3 picks?
It’s not like there weren’t many talented players left on the board. We could have gotten Taylor or Mims with our #2 and Josh Jones with our #3.
The left side of our Oline looks very weak.

How impactful do see a 3rd round rookie LT starting for this team. We already have one in Pipkins who has a year of experience. The only tackle worth taking [for us] in 1st round was Andrew Thomas. Once the Giants took him I think made Herbert the lock

[BoltBacker]

Call me crazy but Kenneth Murray reminds me of Seau. Flies around the field and blows plays up. His negatives also similar, makes questionable decisions and can be a liability in coverage.

I'll take that any day, his exuberance will be contagious and he looks to be an outstanding blitzer. Between him and DJ opposing team O-lines will not know where it is coming from. In the NFL his coverage skills will improve with coaching and technique, he has the speed and physical attributes that can't be taught.

We gave up a third round pick to improve our 2nd to a first. The price was not to steep and about right on according to the point chart.

[like54ninjas]

Murray was ranked #60 on PFF’s big board. Maybe a reach for our #2 and #3 picks?
It’s not like there weren’t many talented players left on the board. We could have gotten Taylor or Mims with our #2 and Josh Jones with our #3.
The left side of our Oline looks very weak.

Welcome aboard TPB. Keep giving us the hot takes.

Draft boards vary greatly by team or draftniks. He was obviously a top 15-20 talent on the Bolt’s board or no trade would’ve been made. K9 was #9 on my big board of the 300+ prospects I profiled. I think we got an INCREDIBLE value getting an ELITE IMPACT Prospect, of which I had 13 in this class, for a measly 2nd & 3rd round picks.

[Steve]

PFF draft writeup has a real problem with his coverage skills. I don't think it is that big a deal, I think OU used him that way specifically, I don't think, just because he excelled in how he was used, that it is the only way he could be used. I think if you work on it, he coverage will be fine. He has the speed and athletic ability that suggest he will, but only time will tell.

PFF has done a lot of work recently that suggest coverage LB are the guys who give teams the best value and best production that will lead to winning games. No ILB in the NFL is going to rush enough to really be an impact pass rusher, so coverage it is.

PFF REALLY hates that we traded up to get a guy who doesn't cover well.

So, it all comes down to how much do you think Murray
a) wasn't ask to cover but can learn
b) was asked to cover was bad at it but can still learn
c) was simply terrible at it in the past, so is therefore incapable of learning -> the PFF method of extrapolating statistics automatically puts you in this category (with the caveat that .players who show improvement might show up in as a trend).

Personally, I think a and b are fairly likely. Mostly, because after charting LB in the draft for too many years, I see it happen every year.

PFF is really upset that not only would we draft a LB who cannot cover, but that we traded up to do so.

[like54ninjas]

PFF draft writeup has a real problem with his coverage skills. I don't think it is that big a deal, I think OU used him that way specifically, I don't think, just because he excelled in how he was used, that it is the only way he could be used. I think if you work on it, he coverage will be fine. He has the speed and athletic ability that suggest he will, but only time will tell.

PFF has done a lot of work recently that suggest coverage LB are the guys who give teams the best value and best production that will lead to winning games. No ILB in the NFL is going to rush enough to really be an impact pass rusher, so coverage it is.

PFF REALLY hates that we traded up to get a guy who doesn't cover well.

So, it all comes down to how much do you think Murray
a) wasn't ask to cover but can learn
b) was asked to cover was bad at it but can still learn
c) was simply terrible at it in the past, so is therefore incapable of learning -> the PFF method of extrapolating statistics automatically puts you in this category (with the caveat that .players who show improvement might show up in as a trend).

Personally, I think a and b are fairly likely. Mostly, because after charting LB in the draft for too many years, I see it happen every year.

PFF is really upset that not only would we draft a LB who cannot cover, but that we traded up to do so.

You somewhat mention it but I doubt PFF takes into account defensive scheme, position responsibilities in said scheme, or WR target distance from defender at either throw point or catch window.
K9 has outstanding football IQ, ideal physical attributes with size/speed/length, high end work ethic/determination, and the humility to be taught/learn/adapt.