UCLA Football: Bruins Announce Three Players Will Attend NFL Combine
Former UCLA defensive end Laiatu Latu headlines the list of Bruins who garnered precious invitations to the 2024 NFL Combine in Indianapolis, slated for February 29th-March 3rd.
Seeing Latu garner an invitation is not a surprise. He had a monster 2023 season in which he earned numerous national honors. Latu notched 13.0 sacks and 21.5 TFL for the Bruins. He's widely expected to be a first-round pick.
Two other Bruins were also invited to the combine. They include MLB Darius Muasau and DE Gabriel Murphy. Muasau was a tackling machine for the Bruins over the last two years. During his two-year stint in Westwood, Muasau combined to register 13.5 TFL, three interceptions, and 166 total tackles.
Murphy had a standout year as well in 2023. He set career highs in sacks (8.0) and tackles for loss (16.0). Murphy's energy off the edge is evident, as is his effort level and positional versatility. You can envision him functioning in both 3-4 and 4-3 schemes.
While those three are aiming to raise their respective draft positions, there were a couple of notable omissions from the UCLA roster. Most notably, defensive end Grayson Murphy, defensive back Kenny Churchwell, and running back Carson Steele.
Murphy and Steele had been recent participants in the Shrine Bowl. Reports indicated that both players performed decently well. Without an invite, it makes their respective Pro Days even more important.
As for Latu, his medicals will be something to watch. The University of Washington had previously forced him to medically retire before being cleared to play at UCLA. Assuming the examinations go smoothly, it would be shocking to see Latu not be a top-15 pick.
The combine setting will be key for Muasau and Murphy, too. Muasau can presumably increase his draft standing by running a solid 40-yard dash time. As for Murphy, demonstrating change-of-direction skills along with short-area quickness could result in him becoming a Day 2 pick.
