The Minnesota Vikings initially agreed to terms with a sizable 17 undrafted free agents after the 2024 NFL Draft. The standout among the group? Former UCLA defensive end Gabriel Murphy. Murphy possesses the skill set and pathway required to make the Vikings’ 53-man roster.
Murphy began his career at North Texas before transferring to UCLA (alongside his twin brother Grayson Murphy, who signed with the Dolphins as a UDFA) for his final two seasons of college football. Murphy took advantage of an opportunity to prove himself as a dominant pass rusher on bigger stages. The Dallas, Texas native recorded a career-high 8.0 sacks this past season in the super-competitive Pac-12 conference. Murphy placed second in the country in quarterback pressures with 165, according to Pro Football Focus’ charting.
Murphy utilized a plethora of pass-rushing moves to keep opposing offensive tackles guessing. The double-hand swipe and cross-chop became starring moves in his arsenal. Murphy's ability to convert speed to power helped him shed would-be blockers.
Murphy received an invite to the NFL Combine, where he displayed terrific athleticism. The Bruins standout ran a 4.68 40 with an excellent 1.59 19-yard split. Murphy also had a 39.5-inch vertical and a 10-foot-3 broad jump. It’s tough to make sense of how an uber-athletic pass rusher who had 8.0 sacks and 165 pressures last season went undrafted.
Gabriel Murphy is a DE prospect in the 2024 draft class. He scored a 9.24 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 133 out of 1738 DE from 1987 to 2024.https://t.co/xUjBGOBIEe pic.twitter.com/2v7jBcfKhC
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 1, 2024
The Vikings showed consistent interest in him throughout the entire pre-draft process. After meeting with Murphy at the combine, Minnesota scheduled both follow-up virtual and in-person meetings, Murphy told TDN. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah tracked him the entire way, eventually signing him to a deal that contained $245,000 in salary guarantees, according to Spotrac. That made the productive quarterback hunter one of the highest-paid UDFAs in the NFL.
How Gabriel Murphy went undrafted was wild to me. Dude's tape is NFL-conversant all the way, and he wasn't just getting sacks because opponents were focused on Laiatu Latu. https://t.co/VERHXfAoPD pic.twitter.com/lPfpUq4K7f
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) April 30, 2024
The Vikings also underwent a massive positional overhaul this offseason. Danielle Hunter, who posted a team-high 16.5 sacks in 2023, signed with the Texans in free agency. Hunter had previously been the face of the defense. D.J. Wonnum placed second on the team in sacks with 8.0 quarterback takedowns—he signed with the Panthers. Rotational players like Marcus Davenport and Dean Lowry are also no longer with the Vikings.
Adofo-Mensah responded by signing Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel to be the new starting pass rushers. Those two players combined for 18.5 sacks last season. Minnesota also drafted former Alabama EDGE Dallas Turner with the No. 17 overall selection. Former 2021 third-rounder Patrick Jones II is also entering a contract year. Murphy has an excellent chance to compete for No. 4 or 5 duties behind Greenard, Van Ginkel, and Turner. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores has some new talent to work with.
The Vikings have gone through sweeping changes at EDGE this offseason. Adofo-Mensah offered Murphy a significant amount of guaranteed money to lure him to Minnesota. Murphy should make the 53-man roster in a supporting role.
Other Vikings undrafted free agents worth monitoring throughout the summer include tight end Trey Knox, offensive linemen Doug Nester and Jeremy Flax, and cornerback Dwight McGlothern.