Adding Myles Murphy to their roster seemed like a pipe dream for the Cincinnati Bengals entering this year’s NFL Draft.

Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said that was particularly true after the former Clemson edge defender posted some eye-popping numbers during his private workout for NFL teams earlier this month. Most noteworthy among them was the 4.52-second 40-yard dash that Murphy ran at 6-foot-5 and nearly 270 pounds.

As the start of the draft drew closer, intel the Bengals got led the team to believe Murphy would be long gone by the time the team’s selection rolled around with the fourth-to-last pick in Thursday’s first round.

“This wasn’t a scenario we thought was going to play out for us, to be quite honest with you,” Taylor told local reporters in Cincinnati. “Anything can happen, but in all of our discussions we had in the previous days, I didn’t think Myles Murphy was going to be there at 28.”

Instead, the Bengals were pleasantly surprised.

After the first 27 picks of the draft came and went without Murphy’s name being called, the Bengals made sure he didn’t slide any further, scooping up Murphy with their only pick of the night. While not all the stats matched Murphy’s talent level during his time at Clemson, Taylor said the Bengals felt good about the game tape they’d watched on the former five-star recruit.

Taylor added that the team got even more comfortable with Murphy after meeting with him multiple times during the pre-draft process, including during a visit Murphy made to the Bengals’ facilities.

“Just excited he was there at 28 for us,” Taylor reiterated.

Now that the Bengals have him, they don’t plan on wasting any time getting Murphy involved. Murphy will join a defensive line in Cincinnati that includes not only another former Clemson player in defensive tackle D.J. Reader but also a pair of experienced ends in Sam Hubbard and Trey Hendrickson, who’s made consecutive Pro Bowls.

“He’ll be in the rotation right way,” defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo said. “You know we play a ton of d-linemen, so he’ll jump right in there and back up Sam and Trey and get right in there in the mix with those guys. And being in the third-down rush package and whatever we come up with there. Look forward to getting him going right away.”

Anarumo said Murphy’s versatility was attractive to the Bengals, who envision using him to get after opposing quarterbacks in the AFC North both on the edge and on the interior.

“He can rush from different spots,” Anarumo said. “The teams we have to play and when we have to play them, the more rushers we have on the field at one time, the better we’ll be. And he’s a guy that will fit right in with that mode.”

Dear Old Clemson has added the Tiger Sack Pack to our online store.  Save by getting the Two Pack of signed cards from two of the nation’s top defensive ends, Myles Murphy and Xavier Thomas.

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