Battling a fellow 2016 draft pick at tackle, Kyle Murphy showed he belongs on a 53 man roster in 2017.

2017 Stats

• Appeared in three games with three starts (228 snaps on offense, 11 on special teams)

Expectations going into the season: Moderate
Expectations were: Exceeded

What we said last season:

Despite losing practice time due to the NFL’s unusual rules on schools with trimesters and battling a concussion, Murphy managed to ride out the ups and downs of training camp and secured himself a roster spot.

Murphy was active for three games this season, but that barely matters for a sixth round pick considered a long shot to make the roster. He has the physical attributes and pedigree to be a successful offensive lineman, and a year of seasoning can only be considered a success.

Analysis: Murphy makes a good impression in limited playing time

Kyle Murphy is an excellent case study for why we do the entire “expectations” series in the first place.

“Is he a tackle or a guard?” we wrote of Murphy in our expectation-setting season preview. “The former sixth round pick may have a big role in the future, but expectations are moderate at best this year.”

Heading into his second season, the 2016 sixth round pick was anything but a lock to make the roster in his second season. He had an inside track on other backup offensive linemen like Justin McCray and Lucas Patrick, but nothing was guaranteed. He seemed like a decent enough backup, so we set his expectations accordingly.

Instead, Murphy made the roster and found himself in the starting lineup thanks to a slew of injuries at tackle. Murphy held down the fort admirably, first at right tackle in Week 1 and then at left tackle in Weeks 2 and 3 before a foot injury ended his 2017 season.

It’s far from a spectacular result, but Murphy showed he belonged on a 53-man roster this season.