NEWSLETTER
I’m starting to wonder if maybe University of Texas star Byron Murphy II fits the bill as a Chicago Bears draft target..
In his latest at NBC Sports Chicago, Bears insider Josh Schrock wonders if Chicago’s football team could be a suitor for Murphy as his draft stock continues to rise. The Bears tend to be good for a surprise pick every so often, so I found myself reading through Schrock’s piece in an attempt to brush up on Murphy and the possibility of him being Chicago’s pick with the team’s *OTHER* first-round pick.
While weighing defensive end versus defensive tackle options, I found found myself circling back to something former Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Alan Williams said about the importance of the three-technique defensive tackle position when he arrived in 2022.
Random, I know. But relevant. Hear me out … after reading this quote:
“We want that guy to be athletic. We want that guy to be instinctive. We want that guy to be able to stay on his feet. When he gets a one-on-one, we want that guy to be able to beat his one-on-ones … That guy is one of the staples of the defense because one of the things that I do believe is a good defense is built through the middle, and that’s the middle part of our defense. That guy’s going to be a tremendous part of success of Chicago Bears football and, specifically, Chicago Bears defensive football.”
After re-visiting Williams’ words, I felt as if Byron Murphy II fits that description.
Who is Byron Murphy II and would he be a fit for the Chicago Bears defense?
Byron Murphy II, who is not to be confused with Minnesota Vikings cornerback Byron Murphy, is one of the most talented defensive line prospects in this year’s draft class. Murphy was a game-wrecker in 2023. The University of Texas standout picked up 5 sacks and 8.5 tackles-for-loss in 14 games last season. To give that some additional perspective, Murphy had just 3 sacks and 6.5 tackles-for-loss in 20 games over the previous two seasons. It was a wonderfully-timed breakout season for Murphy, who earned first-team All-Big 12 honors last year en route to winning the conference’s Defensive Lineman of the Year award.
Murphy could soon be causing havoc on the pro level. But for which team?
The Bears make sense as a fit for Murphy. And while I had previously considered Murphy as a trade-down target for Chicago, NFL Network draft guru Daniel Jeremiah believes the UT product could take a leap all the way into the top 10:
“If you asked me who the surprise top ten pick is or somebody we just didn’t see coming, to me, that’s Byron Murphy,” Jeremiah said on a conference call, via NBC Sports Chicago. “He’s a defensive tackle from Texas. It’s a league that’s placed an evermore premium on defensive tackles. I was talking to a general manager this morning, and I said, ‘When you look around the league and we ask, who are the true impact dominant defensive tackles?’ Maybe seven or eight of them. Edge rushers, it goes a lot deeper than that.”
Much of the conversation surrounding defensive prospects has been about defensive ends and edge defenders. But Jeremiah believes that there are interesting edge prospects who could be snagged in later rounds. However, it doesn’t seem as if Jeremiah can say the same about the defensive tackle position. Therefore, it might make sense for the Bears to target an interior defensive lineman with a first-round pick instead of a defensive end target. Perhaps a sensible edge option presents itself at a later point in the draft.
The 2024 NFL Draft could have so many different permutations that trying to pin down the one that will play out would be a fool’s errand. But that won’t stop me from racking up the potential options. After all, you don’t have to get ready if you stay ready. And we’re definitely in the ready position when it comes to NFL Draft talk.
You can find the answers you seek if you just listen to those who talk.
The words above were a life lesson from my mother. They also happen to be a topic that I continue to circle back to in weekly therapy sessions. And they also happen to be words I try to keep in mind when the NFL Draft rolls around. Because while no one knows what any given team will do when it is go-time, you can clue yourself into what could happen based on what coaches and general managers say.
Don’t get it twisted. I know Williams is no longer employed by the team. But what the Bears are looking for in a defensive tackle are still the same. And since I was already thinking about Illinois stud Johnny Newton as a possible Bears target, my mind is very much open to Murphy filling that role.
