Clemson has a multitude of former players entering their rookie campaign in the NFL. The one selected the highest was defensive end Myles Murphy. As a junior, Murphy terrorized opposing offenses with 11 tackles for loss and a team-leading 6.5 sacks.

His first-team All-ACC season earned him a first-round selection, taken by the Cincinnati Bengals. Murphy has now had the whole offseason experience, going through rookie minicamp, OTAs and now he’s into the thick of training camp.

Part of that experience is the preseason games, which become a live extension of camp at times and a chance to earn good will for the season. In his preseason debut, Murphy had two tackles and a quarterback hit over 34 snaps. This performance was not what he hoped for according to Laurel Pfahler of the Dayton Daily News, and Murphy talked about his outing.

“It was a lot of good stuff, a lot of things to work on, but all-in-all just a big learning experience,” Murphy said. “Walking away from it, there’s a lot of things I need to … build on. One of the biggest things probably is going into the game with more confidence and coming in with a plan when it comes to pass rushing.”

Murphy was a handful for offensive linemen at Clemson, but NFL players are a different beast and that may be something he’s dealing with early on. Growing pains are expected for any rookie, but it’s clear he wants to build a plan when he takes the field again against the Atlanta Falcons Friday.

Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo talked about Murphy’s debut and how he can improve heading into the season.

“Again, I think a lot of those guys, first NFL game, we’ll chalk it up to that,” Anarumo said when asked about Murphy’s debut. “Hopefully, we’ll see an improved group when they’re out there as one, but he’s (Murphy) gotten better every day out here. He’s getting better. He’s just gotta shift it into a different gear when he gets out there in the game.”

Expectations are high for Murphy as a first-round pick, and the Bengals want him to be a key piece in the pass rush rotation behind Trey Hendrickson and Sam Hubbard. That momentum can continue against Atlanta, and a big performance for Murphy would set him up well for the regular season.