The Los Angeles Chargers were so anxious to draft OU linebacker Kenneth Murray that they made a trade with New England to move up to the 23rd pick in the first round of the NFL Draft.

In exchange for the 23rd pick, the Chargers sent their second- and third-round picks to the Patriots (37th and 71st overall).

Murray earned third-team All American and first-team All-Big 12 Honors in 2019. Murray helped lead the Sooners to a 36-6 record, three Big 12 Championship game wins and three College Football Playoff appearances in their three seasons. Murray, a 6-2, 242-pounder from Missouri City, Texas, was a starter in all 42 of OU’s games the last three seasons and is tied for 11th in school history (ranks ninth among linebackers) with 335 tackles. He also logged 37.0 career tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks.

Murray’s collegiate career culminated with a 2019 first-team All-Big 12 honor and second-team AFCA All-America acclaim after leading OU with 102 tackles and 17.0 tackles for loss (tied for 19th nationally). The Bednarik and Butkus Award semifinalist made a season-high 13 tackles (2.5 for loss) in a season-opening win vs. Houston and logged 10 stops (3.0 for loss) in the Big 12 Championship.

“Obviously this is a huge goal that I’ve wanted to accomplish since I was a kid,” Murray said. “Coming to Oklahoma, I wanted to leave a mark on the defensive side of the ball and was able to do that. It’s just a lot of emotions right now. I’m just happy that I was able to do it, but honestly this is just the beginning.”

Murray wasn’t too surprised at being drafted by the Chargers.

“I had a meeting with them at the (NFL) Combine and I thought it went well,” he said. “Obviously it went pretty good because they decided to come get me. I feel like it’s the perfect situation for me and I’m excited.”

In 2018, Murray’s 155 tackles were the most by a Sooner since 2007. He ranked second in the Big 12 and 13th in the nation with 11.1 tackles per game, and had double-digit stops in nine of 14 contests.

“Kenneth has been a great leader for us, a starter from day one,” said OU coach Lincoln Riley. “He was one of the most influential and active players we’ve ever had in terms of off-the-field activities and has just been a great all-around Sooner. He’s also a tremendous example of the progress of ‘Speed D’ and we look forward to him having a great career and becoming an instant-impact player with the Chargers.”