Missouri Tigers: Mizzou at the NFL Combine
Oct 18, 2014; Gainesville, FL, USA; Missouri Tigers running back Marcus Murphy (6) returns a kickoff for a touchdown during the first quarter against the Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
It’s a shame that running backs as talented as Marcus Murphy will barely get noticed in today’s NFL.
Murphy has been a great player for Missouri. Besides averaging 5.2 yards per carry on the ground last year, Murphy really made his impression on special teams. In his career for the Tigers, Murphy had seven total return touchdowns, including two against Florida last season.
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Murphy’s weaknesses include his size. As a small running back, Murphy would need to be faster than he currently is to make an immediate impact as a premier back. Also with his size comes limited reps at the position without the risk of injury, especially after a shoulder injury forced him to miss the entire 2011 season for the Tigers.
However, Marcus Murphy did not truly take on a large role on offense until his senior year. Yet, he has been an all-purpose threat every season at Mizzou (which extends back to 2010 when the Tigers still played in the Big 12).
| Rushing | Receiving | Scrimmage | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Class | Pos | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Plays | Yds | Avg | TD |
| *2010 | FR | RB | 22 | 181 | 8.2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 2.5 | 0 | 24 | 186 | 7.8 | 2 |
| 2012 | SO | RB | 46 | 251 | 5.5 | 1 | 9 | 22 | 2.4 | 0 | 55 | 273 | 5.0 | 1 |
| 2013 | JR | RB | 92 | 601 | 6.5 | 9 | 11 | 79 | 7.2 | 1 | 103 | 680 | 6.6 | 10 |
| 2014 | SR | RB | 177 | 924 | 5.2 | 4 | 28 | 212 | 7.6 | 1 | 205 | 1136 | 5.5 | 5 |
| Career | 337 | 1957 | 5.8 | 16 | 50 | 318 | 6.4 | 2 | 387 | 2275 | 5.9 | 18 |
Provided by Sports-Reference.com/CFB: View Original Table
Generated 2/20/2015.
In a passing league, there’s very little room for players like Murphy if he can only help the team by returning kicks. However, if he can impress teams with his ability to play running back or possibly even slot receiver, at least one team will be willing to take a risk on him in Day 3 of the draft.
Here’s what Lance Zierlein of NFL.com had to say about Murphy.
"Has the foot quickness and acceleration to make something out of nothing when called upon as a runner… Needs to improve his reads and feel on stretch plays flowing outside."
Projected Draft Round: 7th Round
Next: MU Offensive Linemen Drafted for 2nd Straight Year?