With being more than halfway through the College Football season, FantasyPros will be taking a look at early NFL Draft scouting reports before the Combine in March. Here’s a look at Byron Murphy II.

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2024 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Byron Murphy II

Byron Murphy II (DL – Texas)

6’1″ – 308 lbs.

Background:

Texas native who played heavily over 25 games in his first two seasons with the team (298 snaps as a freshman, 392 as a sophomore), with lines of 15-3.5-2.0 and 26-3.0-1.0 as a freshman and sophomore, respectively. Has stepped into a starting role this season, now that Keondre Coburn and Moro Ojomo are in the pros.

Positives:

Three-year contributor with a favorable trajectory. Has a strong build for the position, carrying his weight well. Has the versatility to conceivably play either the under or nose position and takes some snaps on the end of three-man lines as well. Fires out with a good first step and violence in his hands; there’s a clear sense of urgency to his game. Plays with effective knee bend, and has natural leverage; knows how to get low and dig in at the line of scrimmage when two-gapping in the inside run game. Functional strength and leg drive are both very good, allowing him to generate push with his bull-rush. Has been able to consistently generate pressure this year. Surprisingly fast when rushing off the edge of a three-man line, with enough juice to threaten the edge a bit. Nice hand use to work past opponents, showing the ability to bend a pretty tight arc back to the passer off the edge. Can shuffle and work the rip move to penetrate as an interior rusher.

Negatives:

Doesn’t have an ideal height/length for the position. Could play with more patience; the first step sometimes takes him away from the play. Longer interior linemen are sometimes able to lock onto him, making it difficult to disengage in time when playing the run; could also improve his hand technique when shedding. Lack of length also results in a relatively limited radius and leads to some missed tackles. More explosive out of his stance than he is rangy.

Summary:

A very versatile defensive lineman who plays a bit of everything for the Longhorns, and who has the functional strength, physicality, and motor teams look for in defensive line prospects. May be a bit small for some odd-front teams, but has the look of a potential one- or three-technique on an even line, with early value as a pass-rusher. Has the power to two-gap, but would probably be best if allowed to pin his ears back and use his first step and aggression to create disruption in a one-gap scheme.

Projection: Round 3-4