Byron Murphy II, IDL Texas: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Murphy was a four-star recruit from DeSoto High School in DeSoto, Texas in the class of 2021

Texas Longhorns defensive lineman Byron Murphy II was one of the best defenders in college football this season. He projects as a top 50 selection in the 2024 NFL Draft because of his versatility and well-rounded playstyle.

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Byron Murphy II, IDL Texas: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Junior defensive tackle from DeSoto, Texas

Background: Murphy was a four-star recruit from DeSoto High School in DeSoto, Texas in the class of 2021. He was the No. 393 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 380 for On3.com. Murphy was an unranked three-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 79 grade out of 100. He was an All-State and two-time All-District selection in high school. In 2020, Murphy was a PrepStar All-Midlands Region selection and was a First Team Texas MaxPreps All-State defender. He was also a First Team All-District 11-6A player after amassing 79 tackles, including 22 for loss, 14 sacks, one fumble recovery, and one forced fumble. In 2019, Murphy earned First Team 6A All-State honors from the Associated Press and was an honorable mention for the Texas Sports Writers Association. He was a unanimous First Team All-District 7-6A selection after tallying 98 tackles, including 12 for loss, eight sacks, four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, and a defensive touchdown. Murphy totaled 37 tackles, nine tackles for loss, and one sack as a sophomore.

Injuries & Off-Field: N/A

Awards: 2021 Honorable Mention Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year, 2023 First Team All-Big 12, 2023 Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year

Pros: Rarely penalized, carries weight well with excellent frame, explodes out of his stance, long first step to gain ground quickly, burst to threaten guards vertically, quick feet, explosive lateral hop, bamboozles centers with quick movements, wins the leverage battle with knee bend and natural height, powerful leg drive, active hands, snatch-pull, powerful club move, rip move, heavy hands on swats and swipes, swim move, some instant wins with an elite club-swim, speed to power, slips off guards into the backfield, bull rush blew up the final play of Texas vs. Kansas State (2023), beat Kingsley Suamataia across his face for a pressure (2023), beat KT Leveston across his face (2023), uses leverage and sturdy base to hold point of attack, splits blocks and gets low against the run, good awareness of the football, quick to get off the ground and get back into plays

Cons: Limited snap volume across every season, arm length doesn’t appear to be beneficial, lacks high-level bend in hips, undersized for a defender who plays so much 0-tech, limited elite pass rush moves, room to get his pad level lower and maximize his leverage, needs to keep offensive linemen out of his frame more often, doesn’t separate from blocks in a timely manner consistently, lacks go-to block shedding move, body blows clear him out of gaps, knees end up on the ground against double teams, ends up on the ground a fair amount

Overview: Murphy lines up everywhere along the line for Texas but primarily deploys along the interior as a 0, 1, 2i, and 2-tech. He also takes snaps as a 3-tech and even kicks outside as a 5-tech for a few snaps. Murphy carries his weight well with a filled-out frame. His arm length isn’t a significant positive for his draft profile and might just meet thresholds. He is a little high-hipped and doesn’t have impressive bend. Murphy is an undersized interior player who likely won’t see as many snaps at 0-tech in the NFL as he did in college. Murphy explodes out of his stance and has a long first step to gain ground and threaten guards vertically quickly. He has quick feet that help him execute explosive lateral hops to exchange gaps. The junior stuns centers with his burst and quick hands. Many simply can’t match his athletic prowess. Murphy wins the leverage battle at contact because of his knee bend and natural height, but there’s still room to keep his pad level even lower. He has active, heavy, and quick hands that execute a variety of pass rush moves. Murphy employs the basic swats and two-handed swipes, but he also uses snatch-pulls, powerful clubs, rips, swims, and the occasional spin. His club-swim is an elite rush move that leads to quick wins. The Texas native’s leg drive makes his bull rush and speed to power legitimate threats. He has the burst to cross the face of quality tackles like Kingsley Suamataia (2023) and KT Leveston (2023) when lined up at 5-tech. Murphy needs to expand his pass rush arsenal and develop a more clear down-to-down pass rush plan. His rush stalls when he allows offensive linemen into his frame. His lack of elite arm length causes him to struggle when attempting to separate from blocks quickly. Murphy lacks a go-to block shedding move to disengage at will. However, he has the leverage and base to hold the point of attack. The former four-star recruit gets low to split blocks and showcases great awareness of the football. He ends up on his knees or stomach against double teams, but he is quick to get back up and re-engage with the play. Body blows move Murphy out of gaps, which is part of the reason he needs to keep his frame clean.

Overall, Murphy is a versatile defensive lineman who plays all along the line and has starter traits and tape to impact the run and pass game positively. Murphy can anchor the point of attack and influence multiple gaps with his lateral agility, but his explosiveness and heavy hands are maximized as a pass rusher. He’s likely too undersized to continue playing 0-tech in the NFL.

Role & Scheme Fit: Penetrating 3-tech with positional versatility

Round Projection: Mid Second to Early Third

Size: 6'1", 308 lbs. (Unofficial)

Submitted: 12-05-23