Myles Murphy
Cincinnati BengalsModel Score
How good he is at what he is supposed to be doing, out of 100. Not a projection of what he will do next, and not a read on his contract. Median is about 70, and a 95 is rare. How it is built →
Season Stats · 17 games
Draft & College
He went about where consensus had him.
Comps
STM Take
Three straight tier 8 finishes (#113, #125, #78) for a 28th overall pick plus the Clemson 2018 CFP National Championship pedigree puts Murphy in the negative draft-slot-vs-outcome class at the position. The 1st-round pedigree established expectations that the Bengals chapter has not yet matched. The 2026 question is whether Murphy crosses into tier 6-7 territory in his year-four jump or whether the structural tier 8 ceiling caps below the 28th overall expectation.
Murphy came out of Clemson as the Cincinnati Bengals' 1st-round pick (28th overall) in 2023 after starting at edge rusher for the Tigers' 2018 CFP National Championship roster. He has spent three years as developmental depth behind Trey Hendrickson and Sam Hubbard. His STTM career runs tier 8 (#113) rookie, tier 8 (#125) in 2024, and tier 8 (#78) in 2025.
Strengths
- Clemson 2018 CFP National Championship pedigree plus the 28th overall draft slot gives him real college foundation.
- 47-spot year-over-year improvement from tier 8 (#125) in 2024 to tier 8 (#78) in 2025 shows developmental trajectory.
Concerns
- Three straight tier 8 finishes for a 28th overall pick is well below the year-three median for late-1st EDGE picks on Pro Bowl trajectories.
- Cincinnati's broader defensive identity around the Hendrickson contract uncertainty plus the structural tier 8 baseline raises real concerns about whether the 5th-year option is exercised.
What to watch: Whether Murphy crosses into tier 6 (top 50) in 2026, the standard year-four threshold for late-1st EDGE picks on Pro Bowl trajectories.