The Redskins have signed their top draft pick, the team announced today, tweeting out word that second-round linebacker Trent Murphy has inked his rookie contract with the club. Locking up the 47th overall pick means that third-rounder Morgan Moses is the only Washington draftee who has yet to reach an agreement with the team.
Murphy, 23, was a consensus All-American in 2013, leading the NCAA with 15 sacks. Still, the Stanford alum was viewed as something of a surprising choice for the Redskins, whose roster already featured outside linebackers Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan, and had more glaring holes elsewhere. The team may view Murphy as a long-term replacement – or at least insurance policy – for Orakpo, who appears set to play the 2014 season under the franchise tag.
Per Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com, Murphy’s signing bonus should be worth about $1.573MM, while his overall four-year contract will have a base value in the neighborhood of $4.473MM.