Giants Player Profile | Kyle Murphy, OL

Does this intriguing and versatile offensive lineman have enough in his toolbox to where he can be part of the offensive line talent pipeline?

2019 Rewind

When we talk about having talent in the pipeline, offensive lineman Kyle Murphy, who played his college ball at Rhode Island, is a perfect example.

Murphy excelled primarily at offensive tackle, though he saw snaps at guard and center early on in his career. The Attleboro High School graduate appeared in 10 games as a true freshman with three starts at left guard and appearing on special teams. 

The following season, he split his time, starting six games at left guard and five at right tackle, briefly filling in at center when starter Dwayne Scott was injured. 

As a junior and senior, Murphy mostly played at left tackle. During his junior season, the offensive line averaged 121.6 rushing yards per game, with Murphy earning the 2018 New England Football Writer's Association All-New England and 2018 CAA Football First Team All-Conference honors.

Voted a team captain as a senior, he settled in at left tackle and was part of an offensive line that allowed 2.17 sacks per game despite the team averaging a league-high 42 pass attempts per game. Murphy is also mentally tough in that if he gets beaten, he’ll waste little time in trying to recover and get a piece of his man.

Looking Ahead

Although he has versatility, at the NFL level Murphy projects as a guard, as he lacks the ideal length and feet to survive on an island. Still, there’s a lot to like in his skillsets, such as body control, athleticism, and balance. 

He also plays with a feistiness you want to see in an offensive lineman and can fire out to the second level to pick off blockers who are coming downhill.

You won’t find Murphy on the ground in piles, which is a testament to his balance and him taking smart angles. 

With that said, he’ll need to improve his strength, hand punch, and consistency with pad level, and if nothing else, he’ll need to break the occasional tendency of ducking his head before making contact, which puts him at risk for a head or neck injury.  

In all, Murphy has a lot for offensive line coach Marc Colombo to work with—the right attitude, the desire to dominate his opponent, and good mental processing, which enables him to recover if he’s initially beaten. 

 As with any young offensive lineman and especially those from a smaller program, he’ll need to add functional strength and work on the timing of his hand punch.