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UCLA Football: Gabriel Murphy Lands With AFC South Squad in Fresh Mock Draft

This would be a nice spot for the talented twin...

Jason Fray

Gabriel Murphy
Gabriel Murphy / Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

While Laiatu Latu garnered many of the headlines this past year for the UCLA Bruins, the team also boasted another very talent prospect on the other side of the line: fifth-year edge rusher Gabriel Murphy.

An identical twin to teammate Grayson, Gabriel broke out with a monster season of his own in 2023. In fact, the Murphy twins were a large reason why UCLA arguably had the best defensive line in the country a year ago.

Gabriel notched 8.0 sacks and 16.0 tackles for loss this past year. He's not the biggest player in the world. However, he's country strong -- and has powerful hands, quick feet, and elite aggression.

According to Dane Brugler of The Athletic, Murphy will be selected in the fourth round by the Jacksonville Jaguars with pick No. 116.

Murphy is one of those guys that teammates love. He plays the game with tons of visible emotion. When making an influential play, the team has a way of getting hyped in the aftermath of the Texas native celebrating the sack or tackle for loss.

There was a thought that he and his brother could return for another year in college. With one more year of eligibility left, the Murphy brothers had the chance to be all-conference types in the Big Ten.

However, it was decided rather quickly after the year that the duo would enter the NFL Draft and take their chances with strong combine performances. This isn't the first time both have bet on each other. Coming from North Texas, the twins landed at UCLA with the hopes of showcasing their talents versus a bump up in competition.

Two years later, and that gamble more than paid off. Let's see if the same thing can happen twice with the leap from the collegiate ranks to the NFL.

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Jason Fray
JASON FRAY

Jason Fray is a proud native of Los Angeles. After graduating from UCLA in 2011, he's written for a number of publications -- including Bleacher Report, FOX Sports, Saturday Down South, and New Arena. In his downtime, he enjoys writing scripts, going to shows, weekly pub trivia with the boys, trying the best hole-in-the-wall food spots around town, and traveling (22 countries & counting). 

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