Byron Murphy II, DT, Texas
Height: 6’0 ½”
Weight: 297
Arm Length: 32 ⅜
40-Yard Dash: 4.87 seconds
10-Yard Split: 1.69 seconds
3-Cone: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A
Vertical: 33”
Broad Jump: 9’3”
Bench Press: 28
Pros
- Stays gap-sound throughout his rush and against the run.
- Very good use of his hands against the pass and run.
- Good change of direction, twitchiness, and flexibility to track down QBs and RBs in the backfield.
- Has a variety of pass-rushing moves in his arsenal.
- Strong enough to hold his own against double teams.
Cons
- Limited to the 0 to 3 techniques despite his athleticism.
- Questions as to how he’ll hold up against double teams in the NFL.
Notes
- 2023 Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year.
- First-team All-Big 12 in 2023.
- Second-team All-American by the Associated Press in 2023.
Overview
Currently having a phenomenal pre-draft process, Texas DT Byron Murphy II is pretty much a first-round lock. While he might be undersized height-wise, there’s still a lot to like about the former Longhorn.
Despite his height and lack of arm length, Byron Murphy II is a flexible and twitchy athlete who easily translates acceleration into strength and power. While he may not be the biggest, he’s still able to consistently hold his own against double-teaming offensive linemen in the run game. Against both the run and the pass, Murphy is very disciplined in maintaining his assigned gap and maintains extremely active hands throughout each repetition. Combine his explosiveness with his hand activity and strength, and you get a dangerous pass-rushing threat from up the middle. Besides this, Murphy is also very good at changing direction which helps him navigate the dirtiness of the pocket when tracking down RBs and QBs behind the line of scrimmage.
Still, his lack of height and arm length leave questions lingering about how he’ll hold up against NFL offensive linemen. He was fine taking on double teams in the Big 12, but the NFL is an entirely different animal. Additionally, at Texas, Murphy was treated more as a true DT when his athleticism indicates he should be used in different alignments. Nevertheless, his experience in this department is lacking as Texas primarily lined him up between the 0 and 3 techniques. There were moments when he did line up in the 5, but the number of times can be counted on your hand.
Ever since the 2023 college football season concluded, it’s been a tight race for DT1 between Byron Murphy II and Illinois’ Jer’Zhan Newton. With the draft almost here, it seems like it’s more up to each team’s personal preference.
My Two Cents
In my opinion, Byron Murphy II is hands down the best DT in this year’s draft, especially with how underwhelmed I was by Jer’Zhan Newton. Murphy is the type of player who can come in and make a difference right away. If I needed D-line help, I wouldn’t let this man fall out of the teens.
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