Positional ranking: #3

Big Board ranking: #24

 

Overview

Position: CB

College: Washington

Class: Sophomore (RS)

Age: 21

 

Measurables

Height: 5’10 3/4″

Weight: 190 lbs.

Arm length: 30 1/8”

Hand size: 8 7/8”

 

Athletic testing

40-yard dash: 4.55 sec.

Vertical jump: 36.5”

Broad jump: 120.0”

Bench press: 14 reps

3-cone drill: DNP

Short shuttle: DNP

 

Strengths

Very smooth cover corner. Equally effective in man and zone coverage. Agile with fluid hips and good change-of-direction skills. Excellent body control. Uses physicality in man-to-man coverage. Pokes the ball away at the catch point. Quick to diagnose and jump routes in zone coverage. Gets his head around. Plays the ball in the air. Catches like a wide receiver. Comes away with the ball in traffic. Has experience in a variety of coverages. Can go inside to defend the slot. Accelerates to the action. Aggressive tackler. Strikes in the chest on big hits. Fearless and confident.

 

Weaknesses

Lacks top-end size, speed, and overall athleticism. Average burst. Could struggle against big-bodied perimeter receivers at the next level. Sometimes caught with his eyes in the backfield. Will likely need to wrap up more consistently against NFL talent.

 

NFL comparison

Casey Hayward – Brent Grimes has been thrown out as a comparison for Byron Murphy, but the veteran is much more explosive/bouncy; I think Casey Hayward fits better as a well-rounded cover man with good ball skills and the skillset to play in multiple schemes.

 

Conclusion

Overall, Byron Murphy is a very smooth in coverage, but he will also come up and hit people if given the opportunity. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him go anywhere from the top ten to the late first round based on the variety of this year’s cornerback class.