BIG RAPIDS, Mich. — The 2023 NFL Draft is certainly creating buzz in West Michigan.
The Lions certainly have many options to consider in the first round with the No. 6 and No. 18 overall picks.
However, one player they are considering later in the draft is Ferris State's Caleb Murphy.
According to a report from Draft Network, one of the teams Murphy has met with ahead of the draft are the Lions.
There is a lot to like about Murphy's game. The Ferris State Bulldog broke the NCAA sack record at every level in the fall with 25.5 sacks on the year.
The Lions certainly know how to find a diamond in the rough. However, Murphy is right in their backyard.
Detroit was able to take a high impact player from a smaller school late in the draft just last year.
In the sixth round with the 217th overall pick, the Lions nabbed James Houston IV out of Jackson State. In just seven games last season, Houston recorded eight sacks.
Murphy, a projected seventh round pick from Dowagiac, Michigan said back at the NFL Combine in March that being drafted by the Lions, or any team, would be a dream come true.
However, there is one dream Murphy will never get to accomplish at the next level.
"I really wasn't a fan of any team [growing up]," Murphy said. "I just loved football. I loved Tom Brady. I guess you could say I was a Patriots fan growing up. That's the reason I wear 12. Tom Brady. When he went to the Buccaneers, I watched him with the Buccaneers. More so a Tom Brady fan rather than a team from my hometown. I love my hometown teams I was more so a Tom Brady fan. To sack Tom Brady is a dream that probably won't ever come true now, but that was probably the biggest thing for me with that."
Murphy will look to become the second Ferris State Bulldog to ever hear his name called in the NFL Draft. He would join Zach Sieler, who was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the seventh round in 2018. Sieler now plays for the Miami Dolphins.
The 2023 NFL Draft begins on April 27.
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