Packers select Clemson edge rusher in PFF mock draft

In a recent mock draft from Trevor Sikkema of Pro Football Focus, the Green Bay Packers land one of the top edge rushers in this draft class with their 15th overall pick, selecting Myles Murphy from Clemson.

Murphy is considered by many at this point in the draft process to be a top 10 pick. So landing him at 15 could be considered a very good value pick by the Packers.

Measuring in at 6’5″ – 275 pounds, Murphy has that bigger body size that the Packers have typically coveted at the edge rusher position. Over three seasons, Murphy has totaled nearly 1,400 career snaps, and over the last two, he’s recorded 65 pressures and 15 sacks.

On Daniel Jeremiah’s big board, Murphy came in as the fourth-ranked edge rusher and the 18th-best player overall. He also notes that Murphy has held up well against the run, an area where the Green Bay edge rushers have to improve, and this included Murphy totaling at least 10 tackles for loss in all three seasons at Clemson

"“Murphy is a tall, high-cut edge rusher with long arms,” wrote Jeremiah. “At Clemson, he split his time between standing up on the edge and aligning in a four-point stance. He offers an explosive first step and likes to use his inside arm to initially jolt offensive tackles before separating and closing on the quarterback. He does stall out too often with his pure bull rush. He is stout at the point of attack in the run game, but needs to become a more consistent tackler. I love his motor and nonstop effort to chase plays from the back side. Overall, Murphy is ready to start right away and can provide value on all three downs.”"

Edge rusher is a heavily rotated position, with oftentimes four players seeing consistent playing time each week. So depth is crucial, but it again is a question mark for the Packers both in the short-term and long-term.

We don’t know when Rashan Gary will be back on the field in 2023, and Green Bay very much missed his presence in the latter portion of the season, with the rest of the Green Bay edge rushers struggling to get consistent pressure on the quarterback. So for that reason alone, that makes this a position worth trying to upgrade.

Some good news is that Kingsley Enagbare did impress at times, but at least at this point in his career, he is likely better suited as a rotational defender rather than someone who should be playing 75% of the defensive snaps. From Week 10 on, despite some flashes, Enagbare still ranked 73rd out of 110 edge rushers in PFF’s pass rush productivity metric.

Preston Smith, meanwhile, should return for the 2023 season — the depth of the position coupled with the few million dollars in cap savings don’t justify cutting him — but this very well could be his last in Green Bay. Beyond Smith, Gary, and Enagbare is Jonathan Garvin, who was inactive on several occasions in 2022, and La’Darius Hamilton, who has minimal NFL experience.

With Gary’s injury, as we look ahead to Week 1, the only players that can really be counted on at this time are Smith and Enagbare, which as already mentioned, was a pass rush duo that didn’t pressure the quarterback regularly. In 2024, the outlook doesn’t improve, with Gary and Enagbare the only two players we can assume will be on the roster.

Of the positional needs that the Packers have to address this offseason, edge rusher hasn’t drawn as much attention as a few others. However, if I were to guess at this time which position Green Bay selects in Round 1, I would choose edge rusher. It’s very much a need, a premier position, and this is a talented position group at the top of the draft.