Tag: Byron Murphy

Dane Brugler believes that Bears will consider Byron Murphy at No. 9

If the top-three receivers are off the board at No. 9, Dane Brugler believes the Bears could have eyes for DT Byron Murphy II.

The Chicago Bears are preparing for a franchise-defining 2024 NFL draft. While there’s no question what they’ll do with the first overall pick (hello, Caleb Williams), they have a big decision to make with the ninth overall selection.

Will they take a player to add depth on defense or will they give Williams more help?

The Athletic‘s Dane Brugler shared his thoughts on what he believes could happen at No. 9. Assuming the top three wide receivers — Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers and Rome Odunze — are off the board, he thinks Chicago could target Texas defensive tackle Byron Murphy II.

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Brugler noted that Murphy would fit in well with Matt Eberflus’s scheme, giving them the disruptive three-tech they’re missing.

This could be a great move for the Bears if it happened. They already traded for Montez Sweat last year and it turned their play on defense around. If they added someone like Murphy, they would solidify their pass rush in a big way.

During his pre-draft press conference, general manager Ryan Poles said an interior pass rusher, like Murphy, is “probably a preference when you have an outside guy.” And we know the Bears already have that guy in Sweat.

This is a very big draft for Poles. If Williams and whoever they take at nine turns into studs, Chicago could prosper for a long time. Brugler’s scenario makes a lot of sense for the organization.

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12 prospects for Broncos at pick No. 12 of the 2024 NFL draft

The Broncos are set to pick 12th overall in the 2024 NFL draft. Here are 12 players who could fall to that spot.

The 2024 NFL draft is set to begin on Thursday and (barring a trade) the Denver Broncos will select 12th overall in the first round. 

We already have a pretty good idea of which players will be picked before the Broncos go on the clock. Quarterbacks Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye are all expected to go early, followed by receivers Marvin Harrison, Malik Nabers and Rome Odunze. Offensive lineman Joe Alt is also likely to go off the board before Denver picks at No. 12. 

So, who will be left for Denver? 

We’ve put together a quick list of 12 players who — hypothetically — have a chance of falling to the Broncos. Nothing is guaranteed, of course, and the draft always features multiple surprises, but at least half of the players on this list should be available when Denver is set to pick at No. 12. 

The two most “unrealistic” options included are Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy and Alabama pass rusher Dallas Turner, but there are scenarios in which one or both of them could fall to the Broncos. 

Check out our full list of 12 potential targets for Denver below. 

Broncos confident they can land a ‘really good player’ at No. 12

“We have flexibility, but we do know at 12 — if we stand pat — we are going to get a really good player,” Broncos GM George Paton said.

The 2024 NFL draft is less than a week away and the Denver Broncos are set to pick 12th overall in the first round (barring a trade).

Broncos general manager George Paton said during a pre-draft press conference on Thursday that the team will be flexible on draft night, but they are confident top talent will be on the board if they don’t make a trade.

“[W]e feel good with where we are at,” Paton said. “We have eight picks, and we have the 12th pick in the draft. One thing we know is that we are going to get a really good player at 12. We’ve had teams call to move up, and we’ve had teams call to move back. We have flexibility, but we do know at 12 — if we stand pat — we are going to get a really good player.”

It’s possible that Paton is posturing to make teams below Denver believe they are willing to stay put at No. 12, increasing the price to trade up to that spot. Then again, it’s not unreasonable to suggest a top talent will be available when the Broncos go on the clock, especially on the defensive side of the ball.

As offensive players fly off the board, star defenders like Alabama edge defender Dallas Turner, Crimson Tide cornerback Terrion Arnold, FSU pass rusher Jared Verse, Toledo cornerback Quinyon Mitchell and UCLA edge defender Laiatu Latu could fall to No. 12. Even Texas defensive lineman Byron Murphy could be an option at that spot.

Denver won’t reveal its plans ahead of the draft, but if the team opts to stand pat at No. 12, there will be plenty of talented options still on the board.

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Three Longhorns land in first round of CBS Sports’ latest NFL mock draft

It will be interesting to see if both Mitchell and Worthy sneak into the first round next week.

We’re now less than a week away from the start of the 2024 NFL draft. Continue reading “Three Longhorns land in first round of CBS Sports’ latest NFL mock draft”

Byron Murphy first Longhorn off board in Mel Kiper’s latest NFL mock draft

Mel Kiper released a two-round mock draft recently.

ESPN’s Mel Kiper released a two-round mock draft Wednesday morning, with defensive tackle Byron Murphy being the first Texas Longhorns football player taken No. 18 to the Cincinnati Bengals.

Kiper cited how Murphy led the Big 12 with 33 quarterback pressures in 2023 and found a home on the inside of the Texas defensive line. Murphy finished with 29 tackles and five sacks during the season.

Four total Longhorns were featured in the list, including receivers Xavier Worthy (No. 23 to the Los Angeles Chargers) and Adonai Mitchell (No. 29 to the Detroit Lions). Worthy registered 1,014 yards on 75 catches, hauling in five touchdowns. Mitchell caught 55 passes for 845 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Running back Jonathon Brooks, who has been making waves across draft coverage, was slotted at No. 56 to the Dallas Cowboys by Kiper.

This prospect is the most-drafted player by the Bengals in simulations

This is the player selected by the Bengals more than any other in mock drafts.

How’s this for a quick summary of mock drafts for the Cincinnati Bengals?

Texas defensive lineman Byron Murphy is the most-mocked selection at No. 18.

So says Pro Football Focus, who tallied up the numbers from the site’s mock draft simulator to find the results.

What’s interesting is that it isn’t just Bengals fans making the picks for Murphy, but a marriage of specific expert’s boards and in some cases, decisions made by fans who use the simulator.

Granted, 20.7 percent probably isn’t a massive advantage over other prospects such as offensive linemen. But it speaks to the general awareness that the Bengals have a serious issue up front on the defensive side of the ball after DJ Reader’s departure.

On paper, Murphy’s blend of pass-rushing and run-stopping would have him near the top of Cincinnati’s board at that range of the draft.

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Two Longhorns projected in first round of PFF’s latest NFL mock draft

Adonai Mitchell is commonly projected to the Buffalo Bills in the first round.

The 2024 NFL draft is roughly two weeks away. Continue reading “Two Longhorns projected in first round of PFF’s latest NFL mock draft”

NFL.com’s latest five-round mock draft includes eight Longhorns

Texas DT Byron Murphy is taken off the board at No. 11 overall and RB Jonathon Brooks is projected in the first round.

The 2024 NFL draft begins in 20 days. Continue reading “NFL.com’s latest five-round mock draft includes eight Longhorns”

Colts bolster already strong position in NFL.com mock draft

At an already fairly strong position group for the Colts, Lance Zierlein has them bolstering the interior defensive line in a recent mock draft.

In a recent mock draft from Lance Zierlein of NFL.com, he has the Indianapolis Colts bolstering an already strong position group, selecting Texas interior defender Byron Murphy at 15th overall.

Here is what Zierlein had to say about the selection:

“Figuring out the Colts is a challenge in terms of which position they will address here. What we do know is that this Indy regime covets traits and trench warriors. Murphy’s undersized, but the DT might be too talented for Chris Ballard to pass on.”

In terms of positional needs, wide receiver and cornerback are two positions that the Colts should be targeting in the first round, and in Zierlein’s mock draft, both Brian Thomas Jr. from LSU and Terrion Arnold from Alabama were on the board. At edge rusher, another more pressing need than interior defender, Laitu Latu was also available.

Measuring in at 6-0 – 297 pounds, Murphy is considered a top interior defender in this class, and really impressed with his athletic testing, posting a Relative Athletic Score of 9.2, which included a 4.87-second 40-yard dash.

Murphy has played 1,128 snaps in his career, averaging 415 per year over the last two, and lined up regularly in both the A and B gaps.

In 2023, he was one of the more disruptive pass rushers from the interior, totaling 45 pressures, six sacks, and leading all interior linemen in win rate. Against the run, he ranked 41st out of 200 eligible defenders in PFF’s stop rate metric.

In Zierlein’s full scouting report of Murphy, it is mentioned that he can be a three-down defender at the NFL level, either as a nose or a 3-tech, and that coaches will love his high motor and activity.

Now having said all of that, especially with how the board fell in this instance with Arnold, Thomas, and Latu all being available, I don’t know that Murphy would be the pick.

Along with those other positions being more pressing needs, the Colts are in good shape inside, with DeForest Buckner, Grover Stewart and Taven Bryan re-signed, while also adding Raekwon Davis in free agency.

As Zach Hicks of SI’s Fan Nation would point out, it’s worth noting that the earliest that GM Chris Ballard has selected a defensive tackle in the draft during his tenure was in the fourth round.

Last season, the Colts ranked fifth in ESPN’s pass rush win rate and generated the fifth-most sacks. They did, however, rank 22nd in pressure rate, which could tell us that duplicating that sack production in 2024 could be difficult unless they create pressure more consistently.

Texas DT Byron Murphy schedules two top-30 visits ahead of NFL draft

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Dallas Cowboys will reportedly host Byron Murphy for a 30 visit.

NFL teams can each bring in 30 prospects for a formal visit ahead of the NFL draft. Continue reading “Texas DT Byron Murphy schedules two top-30 visits ahead of NFL draft”