Latavius Murray - NFL Draft Profile

Senior Bowl Invite:		Hasn't accepted an invite to the Senior Bowl.
East/West Shrine Invite:		Hasn't accepted an invite to the East/West Shrine Game.
NFL Combine Invite:		Hasn't accepted an invite to the NFL combine.

Written By: Jerry Edwards

Latavius Murray of the University of Central Florida has a very unique body for a halfback. Murray stands at close to 6'3" and over 220 pounds. He looks more like an undersized tight end than a halfback. Still, he has been one of if not the C-USA's best HB over the last three years. Murray was named the Liberty Bowl MVP in 2010 in a major upset over Georgia after being moved back to HB from TE early in that season. As a runner, he possesses great vision, anticipation and recognition of the cutback lane. He is a north-south no nonsense runner who shows great burst to the hole and rarely loses yardage. However, he also shows the patience and willingness to let his blocks develop. While he is not the fastest HB in the draft, he has shown the ability to get to the edge and turn the corner as well as break off big runs when they are there. Despite his size, he is not a bruising power runner, instead, he uses his quick feet and great vision to pick up yardage on the second level. He does have the ability to run through arm tackles, push the pile and break tackles with his stiff arm but he is not a true power HB. Like any tall HB, his height is a detriment to an extent because his center of gravity is higher which allows for him to be chopped down by low tackles easier. Murray also is a very effective red-zone and short yardage runner with a nose for the end-zone. Has had no ball security issues in college as he has not lost a fumble since 2008.

Murray is a great weapon in the passing game and a true 3 down HB. As a receiver, he shows a great understanding of when to leak out of the back-field, how to find the soft spot underneath the defense and where to settle down in coverage. He has very soft hands and has shown the ability to hold onto the football while taking a big hit. Murray also sells the screen well and has shown the ability to pick up big yardage on screen plays by letting his blocks set up in front of him. As a pass protector, he understands how to use his big body and anchor in. He is adept at cut blocking and chipping while going out on his pass patterns. He will have no issues transitioning to a NFL offense in the passing game.

Murray is one of the most overlooked backs in the 2013 NFL Draft. He has the size, speed, vision and versatility to be a workhorse HB for a NFL team. He definitely would fit best on a team that runs the ZBS because his vision, patience and recognition of cutback lanes are the strongest parts of his game but he can be a successful back in any system. His injury history might scare some teams away, though. It appears that he will likely be a late round pick but do not be surprised if you hear his name in the near future starting for a NFL team.

2012. Played in and started 11 games.
2011. Played in all 12 games and made 2 starts.
2010. Played in all 14 games and made 4 starts.
2009. Medical Redshirt.
2008. Played in 8 games.

2012. First-Team All-C-USA selection.
2010. Conference USA Championship Game MVP. AutoZone Liberty Bowl MVP.

2012. Missed three games after suffering a bruised shoulder against Akron.
2009. Was medically redshirted after tearing his ACL and LCL while playing pick-up basketball before the season.