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Former UCLA EDGE Gabriel Murphy has agreed to an undrafted free agent deal with the Minnesota Vikings, per Alec Lewis. Lewis did not provide further contract details.

After three seasons at North Texas, Murphy spent the last two years with the Bruins. He had his best season in 2023 with 38 total tackles, 22 solo tackles, 16 tackles for loss, eight sacks and two pass deflections.

Over the course of his career, Murphy had 149 total tackles, 74 solo tackles, 37 tackles for loss, 21.5 sacks, six pass deflections, two fumble recoveries and four forced fumbles.

As a member of the Class of 2019, Murphy was a three-star recruit out of Dallas (Texas) Bishop Lynch, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was the No. 175 overall prospect in the state, the No. 162 linebacker in the class and the No. 1,330 overall prospect in the class.

What draft analysts are saying about Gabriel Murphy

NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein provided his analysis on Murphy’s tape and college production. He was a projected fifth round pick coming into the draft.

“What Murphy lacks in size and length he makes up for with skill and production,” Zierlein wrote. “He’s short-armed, which will worry teams on the pro level, but his hands are so sudden and polished that it tends to ease concerns. He works his hands and feet in perfect harmony to elude blockers like a shifty runner eluding tacklers.

“Murphy could struggle to survive against run blockers who square him up, but he typically finds a way to slither out of sustain attempts on the collegiate level. He failed to dominate one-on-one opportunities at East-West Shrine Bowl practices, but his ability to maneuver into the backfield as a run defender and pass rusher has merit and should give him a shot to become a solid 3-4 edge rusher.”

This article first appeared on 5 GOATs and was syndicated with permission.

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