Welcome to Purple & Gold Prospects!

This will be an ongoing series to get Vikings fans familiar with upcoming draft prospects. The focus of this series will be to cover prominent prospects entering the upcoming NFL Draft. The series will center on the position groups of highest need on the current Vikings roster, but will also cover stand out players across the spectrum. I hope you will join me on this continuing journey to learn more about upcoming draft classes.

With that let’s discover the possible future of your Minnesota Vikings!

Background

Height: 6010

Weight: 295 lbs.

Byron Murphy II was a 4-star recruit out of DeSoto High School in DeSoto, Texas. He earned numerous offers out of high school and initially chose the Baylor Bears in June of 2020 before finally committing to the Texas Longhorns for the 2021 season. In three years as a starter, Murphy accumulated 70 tackles (including 15 for loss), and 8 sacks. Including an impressive 2023 campaign that accounted for 8.5 TFLs and 5 sacks. After an explosive 2023 season he has positioned himself as one of the top interior defensive line prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Games watched: Alabama 2023, Iowa State 2023, Kansas 2023

Strengths

Byron Murphy II is very athletic for his size. He has great burst and explosiveness out of his stance. He consistently generates pressure on and penetration into the pocket. Can easily convert his speed to power and bullrush his opponents. He shows great flexibility and bend in traffic to squeeze through space and minimize the surface area he presents for his opponents to engage. Murphy also has a wide variety of pass-rush moves and counters in his arsenal. Displays very good hand-fighting that keeps his opponents from effectively engaging him. His feet keep churning through the play continually gaining ground as he fights through opposing offensive linemen. He is a pass-rushing specialist and continually wreaks havoc on interior OL and QBs. Although his sack numbers aren’t elite the pressures he has generated are outstanding. In the run game, he doesn’t generate a lot of push but also does a great job anchoring and not giving ground. He displays consistent pad level and great leverage with his strength and technique, especially against double teams. When flowing across the line he does an excellent job diagnosing plays and effortlessly sheds blocks in pursuit. His awareness is fairly good and has a number of highlight moments splitting defenders or generating pressure to make tackles behind the LOS. Murphy has a relentless motor and a great blend of athleticism and technique.

Weaknesses

While Byron Murphy II attacks every play as a pass rusher, this can get him into trouble at times against the run. He will too often take the wrong approach or blow by RBs through the LOS giving up large chunks of yardage in the middle of the field. His size can be a hindrance at times. He is a slightly smaller DT at 295 lbs. If he does get engaged he can lose the play at times and be late to shedding blocks to make a play on the ball carrier. He also has several misses when finishing plays. He will barely miss wrap-ups and tackles on either QBs or RBs. Needs to be slightly more consistent with his timing and ability to wrap up. Lastly, while he has immense burst and explosiveness out of his stance, he can be a hair too late at times off the snap.

Conclusion

Byron Murphy II is a super exciting player. His blend of technique and athleticism makes him an elite pass-rushing specialist with room to develop into an excellent starter for years to come. In today’s league teams will highly covet his pass rush ability and willing to spend high draft capital while working with Murphy on his run defense. For the Vikings he would be a great addition to their defensive line, immediately providing a secondary pass-rushing element to pair with Danielle Hunter who was sorely missing from that defensive unit. I expect Byron Murphy II to go somewhere in the back half of the first round and vie for the first DT taken in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Grade

Anchor/Run Defense: 8 / 10

Awareness: 8.5 / 10

Burst/Quickness: 8.5 / 10

Counters: 8.2 / 10

Pad Level/Leverage: 8.8 / 10

Pass Rush/Penetration: 9.7 / 10

Play Speed/Agility: 9.1 / 10

Power: 8.3 / 10

Size/Length: 8 / 10

Tackling: 7.5 / 10

OVERALL: 84.6 – Early Second Round