Longhorns Defensive Lineman Byron Murphy II Earns High Grades From Renowned NFL Draft Expert

Texas defensive lineman is among the handful of players who declared for the NFL Draft after the 2023 season.

Following the stellar 2023 season for the Texas Longhorns, they have seen a large chunk of their contributors declare for the NFL Draft.

Among those to do so after they not only won the Big 12 title, but also made their first-ever College Football Playoff appearance was defensive lineman Byron Murphy II. The junior out of DeSoto, Texas had the best season of his career in Austin, recording a career-high 29 total tackles, a career-high five sacks, and he even got to run in a touchdown on offense.

He along with fellow defensive lineman T'Vondre Sweat were viewed as two of the best run-stoppers in college football, and helped Texas field an elite run defense all season. Following his declaration for the draft, NFL analyst Daniel Jeremiah revealed just how high he believes NFL teams are on Murphy. In his first NFL Mock Draft, he had Murphy slated to go in the first round with the No. 11 overall pick to the Minnesota Vikings.

Texas defensive lineman Byron Muprhy III :: Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK

Jeremiah had extremely high praise for Murphy, as he even went as far as to call him the top defensive tackle in the class.

"I believe Murphy is the top defensive tackle in the class. The Vikings need to add more firepower up front," wrote Jeremiah.

Texas Longhorns Way-Too-Early Defensive Depth Chart Projection

Murphy was the only Longhorn that he projected to end up going in the first, as receivers Xavier Worthy and Adonai Mitchell are also expected to receive some first-round looks as well. If Muprhy is in fact drafted in the first round, he'd be the first defensive player and first defensive tackle drafted in the first since Malcolm Brown who was taken in with the final pick in the opening round in 2015.