'Would Mean A Lot!' Longhorns Byron Murphy II Excited About Potential Chance to Play For Texans

Texas Longhorns defensive tackle Byron Murphy has been projected to the Houston Texans in NFL mock drafts on multiple occasions - a possibility that would mean the world to him.

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Texas Longhorns had arguably the best defensive tackle tandem in college football last season. And one-half of that pair - Byron Murphy II - is rocketing up NFL Draft boards. 

Recently, Murphy has been projected to multiple times to be selected by DeMeco Ryans and the Houston Texans. 

And as a Texas native and an admirer of what Ryans has done during his short time in Houston, that is a draft possibility that would mean the world to Murphy.

© Jerome Miron, USA TODAY

"It would mean a lot to get drafted by Houston," Murphy said at the NFL Combine. "Just staying in Texas, I'm familiar with it because I am from Texas. It would mean a lot playing for DeMeco Ryans as a young African American coach. It would mean a lot to me."

Murphy is entering the draft as one of the top-rated prospects at his position. He decided to forgo his senior season and enter the draft after a career year with the Longhorns –– recording 29 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and 5.0 sacks across 14 games.

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Murphy would meet Ryans' desire to improve the defensive front. The potential selection of Murphy at pick No. 23 would help the Texans establish a defensive line that will continue creating havoc on the opposing team's offense while playing next to Anderson.

"The D-line class, it's a lot of varying degrees of capability amongst the players that we have," Ryans said. "There are big physical guys who can get after it. It's about us mixing the right guys together and deciding which formula works for us.