Inside The Star
I’ll be honest, when I first saw the name Red Murdock pop up on draft boards, I had to look him up.
He is not a Power Five name, not showing up in highlight reels every weekend, and he is not the kind of prospect that blows up social media.
But I like to know the unknowns or undervalued players in the upcoming NFL Draft.
The more I looked into this young man’s body of work, the more sense he made for where the Dallas Cowboys defense is headed under Christian Parker.
He is built like you’d expect a traditional linebacker to be, around 6 foot 2 and 240 pounds, and he plays the game exactly the way his build suggests.
This is not a finesse player.
I found that Murdock wins with instincts, angles, and physicality. He reads plays quickly, stays square, and finishes tackles.
One thing I noticed is he doesn’t overrun the ball or guess his way into trouble, he plays within the structure of the defense and does his job snap after snap.
What really stood out to me is how he creates turnovers. Murdock finished his college career as the all-time FBS leader in forced fumbles, and that’s not just luck.
Those plays come from arriving on time, tackling with balance, and punching the ball when the opportunity arrives.
I think it’s important to be clear about the type of linebacker Murdock is.
He is not a guy you’re lining up in man coverage against slot receivers, he will not be a blitz-every-down linebacker, and he will not wow you with straight line speed.
This kind of player matters depending on scheme—and that’s where Christian Parker comes into the picture.
Everything about Christian Parker’s expected defensive philosophy points toward discipline. Two-high safety looks, zone-match coverages, fewer explosive plays allowed, and less freelancing.
In that type of defense, linebackers aren’t asked to chase stats. They are asked to:
This is the type of defense Red Murdock could thrive in.
This system protects linebackers like him. It keeps them inside, lets safeties handle the deep work, and asks linebackers to control the middle of the field with awareness and physicality. Speed helps, but being right matters more.
If the Cowboys draft Red Murdock, I expect his role to be pretty clear early on.
A core special teams player, an early-down linebacker, and a short-yardage option against physical teams like...
