The Texas product’s athleticism and alignment versatility will force teams to pick their poison on who to prioritize with Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips pinning their ears back off the edge.
HEIGHT: 6’1″
WEIGHT: 297
HAND: 10¼”
ARM: 32⅜”
WINGSPAN: 77⅛”
Good build with a thick lower half and not very much bad weight.
Quick get-off helps him get penetration right off the snap. Also has the agility to cross the guard’s face when slanting.
Shoots his hands straight from his stance and has the upper-body strength to get extension against offensive linemen fairly easily.
Takes on blocks with a wide base and good pad level. Hard to move one-on-one and is solid against double-teams.
Has shown a nice swim move to escape/defeat blocks.
Has the strength to pull the guard’s shoulder down and win as a pass-rusher with an arm over. Also has a nice rip move.
Flashed decent push-pull and club-by moves that he can add to his arsenal in the NFL.
Murphy’s get-off and overall quickness are what pops off the tape at first, especially for his size. The 308-pounder either gets into offensive linemen shortly after the snap or uses his impressive agility and quickness to beat guards across their faces when slanting. He also has good pad level and tree trunks for legs that make him hard to move.
As a pass-rusher, the Longhorn’s best moves right now are a rip move or an arm-over. He’s shown flashes of winning with push-pull or hump-by moves, but he’s still fleshing those out and needs to be more consistent with them to be a staple in his arsenal. His bull rush is inconsistent, as his leg drive after contact could use some work.
Probably the biggest concern with Murphy is that he doesn’t have the ideal height for an NFL defensive tackle and may lack arm length. However, predraft events like the Senior Bowl and NFL combine can help confirm or deny the latter, and most of his other issues are fixable.
Should the Dolphins draft Byron Murphy II in the upcoming draft?