Report: Kenneth Murray will have a pre-draft visit with the Cowboys

Most eyes are on the upcoming start of free agency, but the draft isn’t that far away. Teams will start hosting players on visits and we’ll be trying to keep track of all that action. We have one report that Oklahoma linebacker Kenneth Murray will have a visit with the Cowboys soon.

Oklahoma linebacker Kenneth Murray did not participate in the school’s pro day Wednesday as he rehabs a hamstring injury.

Murray tweaked a hamstring while running a 4.52 in the 40-yard dash at the Combine.

“The hamstring is doing good,” Murray told NFL Network. “I’ll be fully healthy in a couple of days.”

Murray has 15 visits planned, according to James Palmer of NFL Media. Murray will start his visits March 18 with the Texans.

“Then, it’s back-to-back-to-back,” Murray said. “It’s going to be a busy next few weeks.”

The Ravens, Raiders, Cowboys and Cardinals also are among the long list of teams Murray is visiting, per Palmer.

Murray is among the best linebackers in the draft after Isaiah Simmons and could be a Day 1 pick. The Cowboys have locked up a couple of starting linebackers for the foreseeable future with Leighton Vander Esch and Jaylon Smith. Of course, Vander Esch has his injury situation and neither player played as well last year as they did the previous season.

We would need to take into consideration new defensive coordinator Mike Nolan here. We know he wants to mix things up on this defense by using varied packages and multiple fronts. He may feel he needs more talent, or different kinds of talent, at linebacker.

At this moment, Murray seems unlikely to slip all the way to the Cowboys second-round pick, so they would probably need to look at him for their first-round pick, but may be someone they could pick up if they traded back in the first.

Lance Zierlein at NFL.com has a quick scouting report:

Sleek, playmaking linebacker with chiseled frame and long arms. Murray’s game is predicated on speed with an ability to fly around from sideline to sideline rolling up tackles. While his twitchy burst allows him to make more plays than the average linebacker, he will overflow to ball-carriers at times. Recognition of play development and ability to take on blocks are both underdeveloped currently, but a move to weak-side linebacker would put him in position to minimize those concerns and maximize his playmaking talent. Murray has hit-or-miss qualities and is more splashy than consistent, but he’s immensely talented with the ability to imprint on games on all three downs.