With the final pick of the 2026 NFL Draft, the Broncos have made Buffalo linebacker Red Murdock this year’s Mr. Irrelevant. He sneaks his way into the seventh round of the draft at No. 257 overall.
This is actually far under where Murdock was projected to go. A starter for the Bulls over the last two years, Murdock’s propensity for making plays had him projected by some to go much closer to the start of Day 3.
The 22-year-old arrived in Buffalo after attending Fork Union Military Academy, and after a minor role in his first year with the Bulls, he started earning more playing time in 2023. Elevating into a starting role over the back half of that season, Murdock ended his time in college with 31 straight starts.
Murdock had a strong nose for the ball on the Bulls’ defense. In his two full years of starting duty, he tallied 298 total tackles, seven sacks, and 30 tackles for loss. One of Murdock’s most striking attributes was his ability to separate ballcarriers from the rock. Just over the last three years of his career, Murdock forced 17 fumbles — an FBS record for a college career. His seven forced fumbles in 2024 set another NCAA record for most in a single season. The only caveats that come with his crowded stat sheet is that much of that production came against opponents who likely will not be playing on Sundays.
Murdock joins a linebacking corps in Denver led by returning starters Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad. Dre Greenlaw, who served as LB3 for the Broncos last year, returned to San Francisco after a Denver release. Joining one of the NFL’s best defenses from last year with linebackers that Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked the 24th- and 25th-best at their position seems like an ideal situation for Murdock. He should have every opportunity to earn a role somewhere in the Broncos’ system, and if he can make the transition from MAC to NFL without a drop-off in production, he may stand a chance at sticking.
Heard good things about him as a player. A+ linebacker name.
Great pick. Been watching him awhile. I’m from Buffalo and really wanted the Bills to take him.
The sports writers and media really need to stop using that dumb Mr. Irrelevant label. The guy who created it (Paul Salata) was a 10 round pick of the Steelers in 1951. He only lasted in the league 2 seasons with 8 game starts…lol.
Why stop now? They have a yearly party in Newport Beach, I believe, and a parade at Disneyland for a player that was good in college but not likely to be a star in the pros. Every once in a while the player takes advantage of opportunity to hit it big. Purdy was the exception. This guy could’ve gone a lot higher. Actually, it was funny to hear the ESPN crew that they’d probably be upset if they were the TE drafted immediately before him by Broncos knowing that the Broncos had that pick too.