Kenneth Murray (American football)
Kenneth Rogers Murray Jr. (born November 16, 1998) is an American football linebacker for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Oklahoma and was drafted by the Los Angeles Chargers in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
.png.webp) Murray with the Titans in 2024 | |||||||||||
| No. 56 – Tennessee Titans | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Linebacker | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born: | November 16, 1998 Missouri City, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight: | 241 lb (109 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school: | Elkins (Missouri City, Texas) | ||||||||||
| College: | Oklahoma (2017–2019) | ||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2020 / Round: 1 / Pick: 23 | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of 2023 | |||||||||||
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| Player stats at NFL.com · PFR | |||||||||||
Early years
Murray attended Elkins High School in Missouri City, Texas. He committed to the University of Oklahoma to play college football.[1]
College career
As a freshman at Oklahoma in 2017, Murray started all 14 games, recording 78 tackles and one sack and was named the co-Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year.[2][3][4] He again started all 14 games his sophomore year in 2018, recording 155 tackles and 4.5 sacks.[5][6] Following a junior year where he was named to the First-team All-Big 12. Murray announced that he would forgo his senior season to declare for the 2020 NFL Draft.[7]
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 2+1⁄2 in (1.89 m) |
241 lb (109 kg) |
32+3⁄4 in (0.83 m) |
9+1⁄2 in (0.24 m) | 4.52 s | 1.54 s | 2.66 s | 38.0 in (0.97 m) | 10 ft 9 in (3.28 m) | 21 reps | |||
| All values from NFL Combine[8][9] | ||||||||||||
Los Angeles Chargers
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Murray was selected by the Los Angeles Chargers with the 23rd pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.[10] The Chargers moved up from their second and third round selections in a trade with the New England Patriots to acquire the pick used to select Murray.
In Week 13 against the Patriots, Murray led the team with 14 tackles (12 solo) and recorded his first career sack on Cam Newton during the 45–0 loss.[11]
On October 4, 2021, Murray was placed on injured reserve after suffering an ankle injury in practice.[12] He was activated on November 13.[13]
On April 28, 2023, the Chargers opted to decline the fifth-year option of Murray's contract, making him a free agent in 2024.[14]
Tennessee Titans
On March 14, 2024, Murray signed a two-year contract with the Tennessee Titans.[15]
NFL career statistics
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Bold | Career high |
References
- "Three-star OLB Kenneth Murray commits to Oklahoma over UT, A&M". SportsDay. August 10, 2016.
- John Shinn, Diehards. "Oklahoma football: Kenneth Murray is Sooners' man in the middle". ajc. Archived from the original on 2019-08-25. Retrieved 2019-08-25.
- Kersey, Jason. "Kenneth Murray leads young Oklahoma defense eager to erase..." The Athletic.
- Writer, Bruce Campbell Staff. "Kenneth Murray expects to dominate as sophomore". Enidnews.com.
- "OU football: Kenneth Murray and new coach Brian Odom like 'Batman and Robin'". Oklahoman.com. July 31, 2019.
- "Oklahoma star Murray a tale of what could have been for West Virginia". WV MetroNews. July 28, 2019.
- Reynolds, Vic (January 2, 2020). "OU football: Kenneth Murray declares for 2020 NFL Draft". oudaily.com. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
- "Kenneth Murray Combine Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
- "2020 NFL Draft Scout Kenneth Murray College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
- Flaherty, Kevin (April 23, 2020). "Kenneth Murray goes No. 23 overall to Chargers in 2020 NFL Draft". 247 Sports. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
- "New England Patriots at Los Angeles Chargers - December 6th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2020-12-08.
- "Los Angeles Chargers Sign Forrest Merrill; Place Justin Jones and Kenneth Murray Jr. on Injured Reserve". Chargers.com. October 4, 2021. Archived from the original on October 5, 2021. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
- "Los Angeles Chargers Activate Linebacker Kenneth Murray Jr.; Place Cornerback Ryan Smith on Injured Reserve". Chargers.com. November 13, 2021.
- Kownack, Bobby (April 28, 2023). "Chargers picking up Justin Herbert's fifth-year option on rookie deal, declining LB Kenneth Murray's option". NFL.com. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
- Wyatt, Jim (March 14, 2024). "Titans Agree to Terms With ILB Kenneth Murray Jr". TennesseeTitans.com. Retrieved March 14, 2024.