From now until the 2024 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, all the way down to Day 3 selections, and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Texas DL Byron Murphy II.
#90 BYRON MURPHY II/DL TEXAS – 6004, 297 POUNDS. (JUNIOR)
MEASUREMENTS
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| Byron Murphy | 6004/297 | 10 1/4 | 32 3/8 | 77 1/8 |
| 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Dash | Short Shuttle | 3-Cone | |
| 4.87 | 1.69 | N/A | N/A | |
| Broad Jump | Vertical | Bench Press | ||
| 9’3″ | 33 | 28 |
THE GOOD
– Squatty body with a great marriage of mass, explosiveness, strength, and leverage for his size
– Three-down, supercharged motor who can play multiple roles on the DL
– Shows significant first-step quickness off the ball to win with speed-to-power
– Powerful upper and lower body explosiveness to uproot OL
– Pad level is superb when taking on or evading blocks
– Fast lateral mover that can allow him to invade running lanes/gaps
– Plays the leverage game very well to get underneath OL and drive them
– Able to displace and withstand double-teams because of leverage, strength, and flexibility
– Balance and recovery to absorb combo blocks
– Quick swim move off first contact works very effectively for him
– Knows how to use push-pull and rip moves effectively when dealing with OL anchoring
– Has a very violent and strong club and cross-chop move
– Processes and reacts quickly to blocking angles, which puts him in a great position for gap integrity
– Can absorb a lot of power to allow others to invade run lanes
– Still room to grow technique-wise for hand fighting
– Great production for the 2023 season in both run defense and pass rushing
– No major injuries
– One penalty over penalty years of play
THE BAD
– Short stature and average arm-length at best allows for OL to greet him first
– Holding the line on double-teams is hard with his athletic limitations
– Can get out of control at times with his energetic approach, which affects his hand-striking accuracy
– Bigger OL can stall his long arm and bull rushes, which causes him to stall out quickly
– Needs to do a better job with hand usage in pass rush sets to set up OL
– Tends to dive at guys’ ankles on running plays, which can lead to missed tackles
– Size/scheme role specific
– Teams may question if he can hold up for all three downs with his size concerns and the energy he exerts
BIO
– Born on 09/08/02 (21 years old)
– Three-year defensive lineman who played in 39 games with 16 starts
– 1,128 snaps (694 as a 3-technique, 408 as a 0-1 tech) according to PFF
– 76 pressures, 70 tackles, 49 run stops, 15 TFLs, 11 missed tackles, eight sacks, 0 PBUs
– 2023 second-team AP All-American
– 2023 Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year
– 2023 first-team All-Big 12 selection in 2023 by the conference’s coaches, AP and Phil Steele
– 2023 second-team Academic All-Big 12 & 2022 first-team Academic All-Big 12
– 2023 #18 on Bruce Feldman’s Freak List via The Athletic (18 MPH on GPS, team-best 455 lb. front squat, and 375 lb. power clean before being asked to stop by his strength coach due to him being able to lift even heavier weight for both)
– 2021-22 Academic All-Big 12 Rookie Team honoree
– Three-time member of the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll (fall 2021, spring 2022, spring 2023).
– 2021 Honorable Mention Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year
– 2020 No. 20 DT and No. 44 HS player in the state of Texas by 247Sports
– 2020 first-Team Texas MaxPreps All-State
– 79 tackles, 22 TFLs, 14 sacks, 14 pressures, one fumble recovery, and one forced fumble as a HS senior
– Originally committed to play college football at Baylor before changing to Texas
TAPE BREAKDOWN
Watching Byron Murphy II playing on the defensive interior is similar to watching a bowling ball coming down a lane. The guy comes at you with such athletic explosiveness from his lower half that transfers into upper body power and suddenness from his quick feet that OLs are often caught off guard by him because he’s already half a second ahead of them. Murphy is about as fast as they come from a 0-60 standpoint in a defensive lineman his size. He possesses great explosion out of his stance off the snap and has significant power once he hits you. He has the ceiling to be a devastating pass rusher at the NFL level if he can channel his energy and power efficiently.
Murphy’s ability to play with torque and leverage often gives him an advantage against multiple types of OL because it’s rare that he loses a battle if he makes first contact. His lack of arm length can produce issues with longer and more powerful OL than him, where he can stall out with his drive. Murphy doesn’t stop, though, and can redirect his strengths in other ways, as you’ll see in the upcoming clips against Alabama and Washington, who have some pretty beefy OL with length and future NFL players. He has that drag race speed right out of the chute, and his snap timing is very good, as evidenced below.
Murphy is No. 90, the defensive tackle for Texas in all of these clips:
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) February 25, 2024
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) February 25, 2024
He typically wins his pass-rushing reps with elite-level athleticism and effort, but he also has so much strength for being primarily a 3-technique defensive lineman. He benefits greatly if a massive defensive tackle is next to him to eat up double-teams. Murphy can get overshadowed figuratively and literally by his fellow teammate, who will also be a top pick in the upcoming draft, T’Vondre Sweat, but he can hold his own in the A gap as a 0-1 technique if he needs to as well. When he takes on double teams, he can even help to close the running lane gaps for the rest of the defense to collapse.
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) February 25, 2024
This rep against upcoming OT prospect Kingsley Suamataia shows that he can win against guys with superior length advantages even though he crosses his face. You can really see the relentlessness Murphy plays with on this play that makes him so enticing for NFL teams.
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) February 25, 2024
Murphy gets into running lane gaps quickly and is quickly in the backfield to pursue running backs. His level of acceleration and quickness can often redirect running backs to have to counter or change their direction because he gets into the backfield so fast, which also makes for backside penetration frequently. Murphy’s floor as a run defender is very high. The lateral explosiveness to flow to the ball carrier and to shed blocks makes him such a unique force in the middle to deal with.
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) February 25, 2024
This next clip is one of the most impressive solo pass rushes I’ve seen in this draft cycle from anyone. The amount of force he generates in driving the OL back into the quarterback is eye-popping. He has this kind of potential if a guy can’t beat him with length or power. He also has a super violent club move, great swim and arm-over moves.
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) February 25, 2024
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As you will see, though, his limitations and concerns rely primarily on when he is double-teamed, doesn’t have the length, or an OL has enough significant power to deal with him 1-on-1. This is when you see him tend to stop his feet from moving, get overpowered despite his torque, and can’t just dismiss guys with his bevy of moves. Murphy also could benefit from continued work on hand fighting, counters when the outside shoulder isn’t available, and when he gets stalled on double teams.
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) February 25, 2024
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) February 25, 2024
CONCLUSION
Murphy is a high-level defensive tackle with positional versatility to be considered a 3-down player at the next level. His best position would mostly be at the 3i position in a 4-3 defense at the NFL level, but he could also play as a 4-5i or seldom 0-1i defensive tackle in a 3-4 defense. He is an ascending run defender and already displays an extremely high level of pass-rush ability.
Byron Murphy looks like the clone of current Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle Grady Jarrett. Both are significant disruptors in pass-rush situations and know how to use their power and leverage strengths to hide their athletic limitations. Murphy’s upside as a run defender is very intriguing, and he still can improve technique-wise for hand fighting and in his bull rush. The guy is also still young. I won’t be surprised at all if he really puts up wild testing numbers at the NFL combine.
For the Steelers, they have a need on the defensive line, but it will depend on what kind of lineman they are looking for. Murphy has the versatility to play in multiple positions, but asking him to be the base NT is probably not the best use of him unless they view him more as the B gap penetrating disruptor he is. Regardless, he will likely be a high draft pick with the potential to be a Pro Bowl player within his first contract.
Projection: Mid Day 1
Depot Draft Grade: 8.9 – Year One Quality Starter (First Round)
Games Watched: vs. Washington (2023), at Alabama (2023), vs. Washington (2022), at Oklahoma (2022)
