Byron Murphy II is one of the most intriguing defensive tackle prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft and appears likely to go off the board fairly early. Let’s take a look at everything to know about the highly touted prospect.
How Tall Is Byron Murphy II?
Murphy measured at 6 feet and 1/2 inches at the NFL Combine, a tad below his listing of 6-foot-1 during college. His wingspan also came in at 77 1/8 inches, with a hand size of 10 1/4 inches and an arm length of 32 2/5 inches.
How Much Does Murphy Weigh?
Murphy weighed in at 297 pounds at the Combine, slightly below the 308 pounds he was listed at in college. For a defensive tackle, this is slightly undersized, but plenty of interior rushers in the NFL weigh less than 300 pounds.
The most notable example is future Hall of Famer and recently retired superstar Aaron Donald.
How Old Is Murphy?
Murphy was born on Sept. 8, 2002, and is thus 21 years old, having spent the minimum three years in college. By the time the 2024 NFL season starts, Murphy will be 22 years old.
What School Did Murphy Go To?
Murphy attended the University of Texas at Austin for all three years of his collegiate career. In his final season in college, Texas made the College Football Playoff, losing 37-31 to Washington.
MORE: Top DTs in the 2024 NFL Draft
Prior to college, Murphy played at DeSoto High School in DeSoto, Texas. He was just a three-star recruit but had offers from 10 other schools in addition to Texas.
Revisiting Murphy’s College Career
Murphy had plenty of success during his time with the Longhorns, particularly in a breakout junior year alongside fellow draft prospect T’Vondre Sweat.
Murphy won the Big 12’s Defensive Lineman of the Year award this past season after racking up 29 tackles (13 solo), 8.5 tackles for loss, seven quarterback hurries, and five sacks, alongside one rushing touchdown and one receiving score.
Those contributions helped Texas post a 12-2 record on the season as it won the Big 12 and reached the College Football Playoff for the first time, falling to Washington in the semifinal round.
The DeSoto (Texas) High School product played in 12+ games across all three of his seasons with the Longhorns, finishing his career with 70 tackles (32 solo), 15 tackles for loss, and 8.0 sacks.
Murphy’s Potential in the NFL
Murphy is widely regarded among the top-two defensive tackle prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft class alongside Illinois’ Johnny Newton.
Pro Football Network draft analyst Ian Cummings has Murphy graded as a top-32 player in the class and a first-round prospect. Cummings also has him ranked as the second-best DT behind Newton, though that’s not necessarily the consensus opinion among draft analysts.
Still, Cummings had plenty of praise for Murphy in his scouting report of the disruptive defensive tackle:
“In run defense, Murphy repeatedly prevents displacement against solo blocks and pullers with his sturdy base, leverage, and anchor. He also has the strength to absorb double-teams and combo blocks, and he can pry through extensions to make tackles in pursuit.
“Murphy’s floor as a run defender with his strength, mass, leverage, angle awareness, and movement freedom is already incredibly high, and he has the ceiling to be a devastating pass-rushing threat if he can channel his energy and power capacity more efficiently.
“As a prospect, Murphy bears some similarity to Atlanta Falcons Pro Bowler and second-team All-Pro defensive lineman Grady Jarrett.
“While he doesn’t have elite flexibility, Murphy is a truly ruthless competitor who matches his explosiveness with an invasive, destructive mentality, and his leverage, density, strength, and power make him a high-floor, high-ceiling 3-tech with additional alignment flexibility.”
KEEP READING: Ian Cummings’ Full Scouting Report of Byron Murphy II
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