May Evaluation Period: QB Maalik Murphy

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Name: Maalik Murphy

Position: Quarterback

School: Texas

Size: 6’4.5″, 225-pounds

Birthday: 2-13-2004

Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8RJO2R-40w https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHCy2Sbi104

Maalik Murphy is a rare quarterback prospect. He received college scholarship offers before he ever played a game for his prestigious high school program, Junipero Serra, Tom Brady’s alma mater. Listed at 6’4″ and 225 pounds, he’s got something that you can’t teach — size. He’s got the arm talent that we often expect to see from a quarterback with his measurables. I recently read an interview where Murphy’s father claimed that Maalik could throw the ball 30-40 yards when he was a seven-year-old. The fact that he had a stronger arm than current-day Kedon Slovis as a seven-year-old shows why many FBS programs coveted him despite not having much high school experience. Like many other prospects that hail from California, Murphy didn’t have the opportunity to play high school ball last fall. The 247Sports Composite listed Murphy as a five-star-prospect before he ever was a full-time varsity starter. In fact, he had a five-star rating despite never throwing a varsity passing touchdown! I’m pretty sure that has never happened before, and I doubt it ever will again. Much of Murphy’s evaluation by scouts came through his work at camps and 7v7 situations. He showed off his howitzer of a right arm in those settings, launching the tater 70+ air yards (as a 15-year-old!). Those sterile environments are tailor-made for a player that may lack experience but are long-on arm-talent. I’ve observed the biggest difference when watching him in 7v7 situations versus seeing him play in actual games this spring comes in the mental processing department. It’s much easier to rely on arm strength in camp settings when there isn’t a pass rush to deal with, and the defenses are vanilla. This spring, Murphy has looked like a player with an abundance of God-given tools that simply hasn’t played much football through several games this spring. He needs experience, and he’s currently getting it.

In terms of fit with the Texas Longhorns, I like it. He’s got a bona fide QB developer in Steve Sarkisian, which is a great starting point. Additionally, he’s not going to be asked to come in and start right away. He should have at least a year, probably two, before he’s legitimately in the running for the QB1 job in Austin. Listed as a pocket passer, Murphy isn’t going to have an offense designed around his rushing ability. However, that label can be misleading. Murphy moves well for a big man and throws the ball well on the run. Due to his size, he’s a load to bring down once he gets a head-of-steam. Murph still needs to improve his fundamentals and develop a greater feel for playing quarterback. He lacks minimal skills; he lacks the requisite reps to be an early contributor in the Big 12. The word “raw” gets thrown around a lot to describe prospects, but I can’t think of a better descriptor for Murphy. I believe that his ranges of outcomes at both the collegiate and professional levels are vast. To further complicate things for his projection, according to an article on The Athletic, several years ago, a doctor told him that he may get as tall at 6’7″-6’9″ and carry 300-pounds!

I see Murphy as a “project.” All high school prospects are to a certain degree, but Murphy’s picture could be listed under the word in the dictionary. To reiterate how little experience he possesses, his sophomore year was truncated due to a broken ankle. His junior season was lost due to COVID. He’s currently playing spring football as a first-time varsity starter and he hasn’t been particularly sharp. Murphy turned 17-years-old in February and is already the size of an above-average NFL QB. He’s got an NFL arm and will be developed by a coach who has helped cultivate NFL signal-callers. There is a lot to like about Murphy, but he’s got a lot of work to do to live up to his five-star billing.