Kenneth Murray is a Los Angeles Charger

Sooners LB Kenneth Murray is OU's first defender to go in the first round since Gerald McCoy in 2010

3 years from now I will be a 1st round draft pick as a OLB....JUST WAIT💯🏈

— K9 (@KennethMurray) January 10, 2017

Three years ago, Kenneth Murray predicted he would be a first-round pick in the NFL Draft.

He was right.

Murray was the 23rd pick in the first round of Thursday’s NFL Draft and will begin his pro career with the Los Angeles Chargers.

On Jan. 10, 2017, Murray posted a prophetic tweet.

“3 years from now I will be a 1st round draft pick as a OLB….JUST WAIT”

Murray might have been just a little off — he was so good in his final two seasons as an inside linebacker, he likely projects there in the NFL.

“I’m emotional," Murray said in an OU press release. “Obviously this is a huge goal that I've wanted to accomplish since I was a kid. Coming to Oklahoma, I wanted to leave a mark on the defensive side of the ball and was able to do that. It's just a lot of emotions right now. I'm just happy that I was able to do it, but honestly this is just the beginning.”

The 5-11 Chargers ranked sixth in the NFL last season in total defense, allowing just 313.1 yards per game. The Chargers also ranked 14th in scoring defense, allowing 21.6 points per game.

LA added free agent linebacker weakside linebacker Nick Vigil, a fifth-year veteran, in free agency this offseason. Sixth-year veteran Denzel Perryman had 68 tackles in 12 games last season as the Chargers’ middle linebacker, while Kyzir White played in 14 games and contributed 40 tackles as the strongside linebacker.

If Murray stays in the middle, he’d likely be behind Vigil at first — Vigil had 111 tackles last year for Cincinnati and signed a one-year, $1.187 million contract — but as a first-round pick, Murray would project as the long-term starter.

“I had a meeting with them at the (NFL) Combine and I thought it went well,” Murray said. “Obviously it went pretty good because they decided to come get me. I feel like it's the perfect situation for me and I'm excited.”

The 6-foot-2 1/2, 241-pound Murray set the school record for tackles in a game against Army in 2018, shattering the old mark with 28 stops.

He finished that season with a career-high 155 tackles, a total that ranks tied for eighth in school history.

Murray finished his three-years career with 335 total tackles, ninth-best in the OU record book.

He didn’t have nearly as many tackles in 2019 (102) as he did the year before, but in his first year in defensive coordinator Alex Grinch’s system, he was much more consistent and aggressive and contributed fewer missed tackles and busted assignments.

To get the latest OU posts as they happen, join the SI Sooners Community by clicking “Follow” at the top right corner of the page (mobile users can click the notifications bell icon), and follow SI Sooners on Twitter @All_Sooners.