NFL Mock Draft: Predicting Round 1 surprises for Pittsburgh Steelers

3. Myles Murphy, EDGE, Clemson

Sticking with the edge defender theme, Myles Murphy is another player the Pittsburgh Steelers could target if he happens to slip to pick 17 in the 2023 NFL Draft. early in the process, Murphy was considered nearly a lock top-10 pick. However, he has backslid on the consensus board as of late, according to NFL Mock Draft Database.

At his peak during the pre-draft process, he was once the 4th overall player on the draft consensus board. It's not too difficult to understand why. The Clemson star just turned 21 years old, and he has 4.53 speed at 6'4 5/8'', and 268 pounds. This helped him test as a 97th-percentile athlete.

In addition, Murphy had three straight years of respectable production in the ACC, but his best season came as a sophomore in 2021. Murphy doesn't have elite bend, but he plays with tremendous strength and good speed. Picture it like getting a healthy Bud Dupree who is nearly a decade younger (and a notably better prospect coming out).

Like Will McDonald, Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan had a dinner meeting with Murphy at his Clemson Pro Day. He's a player who could potentially sway them to ignore position of need for a quality prospect at a money position.