NFL Draft Prospects 2019: Cornerback - Byron Murphy, Washington
This former All-American wide receiver and finalist for the top defensive back in college football redshirted his first year at Washington and earned Defensive Scout Player of the Year. In his first actual season, he missed seven games due to a broken foot, but Murphy looked like a stud in limited action with two picks in the Huskies’ season debut and had an excellent Fiesta Bowl versus Penn State. As a sophomore, he emerged as a first-team All-Pac 12 and second-team All-American, with four interceptions and 13 pass deflections.
Murphy is a smooth athlete with a lot of sudden traits. I don’t know if the average fan noticed it, but I thought he had one of the best combine field workouts I have seen from a defensive back. It’s not about the 4.55 in the 40. Murphy put together a clinic in the change-of-direction drills, showed oily hips and caught the ball exceptionally well, all despite having put on 14 pounds since the end of the season.
The Washington corner is a highly instinctive player and smooth strider, who makes a lot of plays on the ball. There might be nobody in this draft class who identifies route patterns and has that ability to just stick his foot in the ground and go like this kid. Murphy used a lot of side-shuffle and bail technique with the Huskies. He has the athletic talent to go from a five-yard cushion with opened-up hips to break up hitch routes by going through the receiver in a heartbeat.
In off-coverage Murphy drives on curl routes and other stuff with a hand on the ball trying to rip it loose and when Washington ran cover-two he was actually a threat to pick those off himself. Murphy has the length to wrap around receivers and make up for not being in perfect position and he can deliver some blows to separate receivers from the ball when he gets a running start. Not only does he have the vertical leap and long limbs to put hands on balls that seem out of reach, he can also track it over his head like a wide receiver and possesses outstanding make-up speed.
Murphy is quick to race upfield and shut down sweeps or other outside runs his way, where he usually shows good wrap-up form. He beats a lot of blocker to the spot and pulls them off himself, at least if they are in his size category. Murphy is also an excellent blitzer off the corner, who doesn’t give quarterbacks any signals that he’s coming and is dangerous especially on the boundary side, which leads to some run stops in the backfield as well. He took over the Pac-12 Championship game versus Utah by scoring the only touchdown on a pick-six, then coming up with another INT with less than five minutes and knocking down the final pass for the Utes. (even though it should have been called pass interference).
On 62 targets in 2018, Murphy allowed just 78 yards after the catch, while allowing a passer rating of just 54.5. He had the highest coverage and overall grade for all cornerbacks in the nation by PFF. Murphy also surrendered just 18 first downs on the year. He made so many extraordinary plays that are very unique. A broken up two-point conversion versus Auburn in the season-opener comes to mind, where his body is turned completely towards the end-line but his head is still looking the Wildcat QB’s way and at the last moment he turns his body to knocks down a throw underneath him into the flats.
Murphy doesn’t always show a ton of effort fighting through blocks. He leaves his feet a lot as a tackler and misses some in the process. The former Husky corner has some trouble turning around against back-shoulder passes, which won’t get any better in the pros. He doesn’t a lot of experience with press-coverage and couldn’t really match big-bodied wideouts on in-breaking routes. Size may be a concern for teams longer looking for disruption off the line or if they feel like he won’t be able to compete for balls neck or higher.
In a class of cornerbacks that lacks a true blue-chip guy and has a lot of prospects with question marks, Byron Murphy is the best zone and off-man corner available. I think he can travel into the slot, give you an excellent run-supporter and make plays on the ball for you. He might not have elite speed and his lack of physicality in press-alignment might limit his fits in some schemes, but I really like him because of his competitive edge.
Grade: Early first