2020 NFL Draft: NC State IDL Larrell Murchison scouting report

2020 NFL Draft scouting report of NC State interior defensive lineman Larrell Murchison.

In Derrick Brown and Javon Kinlaw, two interior defensive linemen could easily go in the top 10 of the 2020 NFL Draft. On top of that, guys like Neville Gallimore, Justin Madubuike and Ross Blacklock could all sneak into the back-end of the first round. Simply put, there are plenty of talented interior defensive linemen to go around early in the 2020 NFL Draft.

As we dig deeper into the class, NC State’s Larrell Murchison has stood out to me as an interesting interior defensive lineman who teams should consider taking a chance on later in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 291 pounds
Career Stats (25 games): 80 total tackles, 20 tackles for loss, 11 sacks
2019 Stats (12 games): 48 total tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 7 sacks

Murchison is certainly a bit small for an interior player at the next level, but he does have great length for the position. He is also an athletic interior rusher who shows an explosive first step, great lateral quickness and keeps his balance well.

Murchison can be a frustrating player to watch because the skills are there for him to have a lot of success, but he is an inconsistent player who was not often put in a great position to succeed in college.

It does not take long while watching him to see that Murchison would be best used as a one-gap penetrator. Unfortunately, NC State primarily used him as a two-gap defender. Murchison did have some success as a two-gap defensive lineman, but I strongly believe that he would have had a much more impressive and productive college career if he was allowed to pin his ears back and attack the passer more often.

Murchison has a quick first step and does a great job of keeping proper pad level on contact. He consistently gets strong upfield burst as a pass rusher and even shows some nice hand fighting moves at times.

While he does lack the functional strength to anchor in and stuff rushing lanes, Murchison is an extremely high motor player who is never going to give up on a play. This guy is always moving and trying to make life difficult on the offense. He shows impressive pursuit ability and seems to understand angles well.

Overall, there is a lot to like about Murchison’s game. He has plenty of untapped potential as a one-gap penetrating player at the next level. The biggest issue here is that we simply have not seen him do it enough to get a good handle of what he can accomplish.

I can confidently say that Murchison will not be a good NFL player if he is asked to consistently two-gap like he was in college. However, I highly doubt that this will be the case. Some team is going to see his upside, take a chance on him on Day 3 of the 2020 NFL Draft and turn him into a one-gap penetrator on the inside. In that role, I think Murchison has a chance to become a playmaker on passing downs at the next level.