Khalil Elijah "Red" Murdock[1] (born September 24, 2003) is an American professional football linebacker for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Buffalo Bulls and is the NCAA's all-time leader in career forced fumbles. Murdock was selected by the Broncos with the final pick of the 2026 NFL draft, making him that year’s Mr. Irrelevant.
 Murdock with the Buffalo Bulls in 2026 | |
| No. 50 – Denver Broncos | |
|---|---|
| Position | Linebacker |
| Roster status | Active |
| Personal information | |
| Born | September 24, 2003 Petersburg, Virginia, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Listed weight | 232 lb (105 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Fork Union Military (Fork Union, Virginia) |
| College |
|
| NFL draft | 2026: 7th round, 257th overall pick |
| Career history | |
| |
| Awards and highlights | |
| |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Early life
editMurdock was a middle child, one of his single mother's six children. In the eighth grade, he achieved a perfect score on the Standards of Learning for English exam, a standardized test administered in Virginia.[2]
Murdock attended high school at Hopewell located in Hopewell, Virginia. As a junior in 2019, he missed much of the season due to a hip injury but, along with teammate TreVeyon Henderson, he led Hopewell to a Virginia High School League championship. He underwent surgery after the season to repair a torn labrum.[2] While at Hopewell, he completed an associate's degree at Brightpoint Community College via a dual enrollment program.[3] He did not attract any attention from Division I football programs at Hopewell and made the decision to complete a post-graduate year at Fork Union Military Academy in Fork Union, Virginia to pursue a Division I scholarship. He helped lead Fork Union to an undefeated season but Buffalo was the only program to offer him a college football scholarship.[2][4]
College career
editIn his freshman season at the University at Buffalo in 2022, he redshirted[5] but played in five games, recording six tackles and a pass deflection.[6]
During the 2023 season, Murdock totaled 60 tackles with nine and a half being for a loss, two sacks, and four forced fumbles.[2]
In May 2024, he earned a Bachelor of Arts in psychology.[1] In week four of the 2024 season, he tallied 12 tackles and a forced fumble in an overtime win versus Northern Illinois.[7] During the 2025 Bahamas Bowl, Murdock notched 13 tackles with three being for a loss, an interception which he returned for a touchdown in a victory over Liberty, where for his performance he was named the game's Defensive MVP.[8] He finished the 2024 season, second in the nation with 156 tackles with 16.5 being for a loss, two sacks, an interception, seven forced fumbles, and a touchdown.[9] His seven forced fumbles led the NCAA and his 156 total tackles were second behind only fellow Buffalo linebacker Shaun Dolac.[10]
Heading into the 2025 season, Murdock was named a nominee for the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team.[11] In a victory over Bowling Green, Murdock broke the NCAA record for career forced fumbles previously held by Buffalo linebacker Khalil Mack.[12]
College statistics
edit
Professional career
edit| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Wingspan | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 1+7⁄8 in (1.88 m) | 232 lb (105 kg) | 31 in (0.79 m) | 10+3⁄8 in (0.26 m) | 6 ft 5+5⁄8 in (1.97 m) | 4.79 s | 1.63 s | 2.63 s | 31.5 in (0.80 m) | 9 ft 6 in (2.90 m) | 22 reps | ||
| All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[13][14] | ||||||||||||
Murdock was selected by the Denver Broncos with the in the seventh round (257th overall) of 2026 NFL draft, making him that year's Mr. Irrelevant.[15] On May 7, 2026, Murdock signed his four-year rookie contract with Denver.[16]
Notes
edit- ↑ Tied with Jacob Rodriguez of the 2025 Texas Tech Red Raiders, Jake Hansen of the 2019 Illinois Fighting Illini, and Harold Landry of the 2016 Boston College Eagles.
References
edit- 1 2 "College of Arts and Sciences Undergraduate Commencement". buffalo.access.preservica.com. University at Buffalo. May 19, 2024. p. 36. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
- 1 2 3 4 Lenzi, Rachel (December 26, 2024). "UB's Red Murdock emerges as one of best linebackers in country". Buffalo News. Archived from the original on December 26, 2024. Retrieved August 2, 2025.
- ↑ "About us". UB Homework Helpers. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
- ↑ "Khalil Murdock, Fork Union Military Academy, Linebacker". 247Sports. Retrieved August 2, 2025.
- ↑ "Red Murdock - 2023 - Football". University at Buffalo. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
- ↑ "Khalil Murdock 2022 Game Logs". Sports Reference. Retrieved August 2, 2025.
- ↑ Lenzi, Rachel (November 20, 2024). "How UB linebacker Red Murdock evolved into one of nation's leading tacklers – and how Shaun Dolac helped". Buffalo News. Retrieved August 2, 2025.
- ↑ Lenzi, Rachel (January 4, 2025). "Al-Jay Henderson, Red Murdock lift UB football to Bahamas Bowl win against Liberty". Buffalo News. Retrieved August 2, 2025.
- ↑ White, Noah (July 25, 2025). "The UB football linebacker factory: Murdock for All-American". Buffalo News. Retrieved August 2, 2025.
- ↑ "2024 College Football Summary". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
- ↑ Londergan, Joe (July 19, 2025). "Buffalo Star LB Red Murdock Among 11 MAC Nominees For Allstate AFCA Good Works Team". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on August 19, 2025. Retrieved August 2, 2025.
- ↑ "Snow scores 2 TDs, Murdock sets record for forced fumbles in Buffalo's 28-3 win over Bowling Green". CBS Sports. AP. November 1, 2025. Retrieved February 16, 2026.
- ↑ Reuter, Chad; Zierlein, Lance. "Red Murdock Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved April 9, 2026.
- ↑ "Red Murdock College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved April 9, 2026.
- ↑ Weir, Susanna (April 25, 2026). "Broncos select LB Red Murdock with 257th-overall pick in 2026 NFL Draft". Denver Broncos. Retrieved April 26, 2026.
- ↑ Weir, Susanna (May 7, 2026). "Broncos LB Red Murdock signs rookie contract". Denver Broncos. Retrieved May 8, 2026.