CINCINNATI — According to The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman, the Bengals will solve a major need in the first round by picking Texas defensive lineman Byron Murphy II at pick 18.
Murphy is the consensus 18th-best player overall and the finest defensive tackle.
“Signing Trent Brown diminishes the need for an offensive lineman here, although the likes of JC Latham and Olu Fashanu are intriguing,” Feldman stated in an email. “So is Illinois defensive tackle Jer’Zhan ‘Johnny’ Newton, but I believe Cincinnati goes with Murphy after losing D.J. Reader. The 6-0 1/2, 297-pound Murphy didn’t get as much attention as his much larger Texas linemate T’Vondre Sweat, the Big 12 defensive player of the year, but opposition coaches think Murphy caused more problems. Murphy recorded 8.5 TFLs and five sacks in 2023 and demonstrated his freakish athleticism at the combine, blazing a 4.87 40 with a 33-inch vertical jump.
Feldman asked a couple college coaches to comment on Murphy:
“His movement capabilities are excellent. He just has ‘it.’ He’s a vicious player with a lot of leverage.”
“He was practically unblockable because he’s quick, twitchy, and has the balance of a big-ass running back. He’s been highly coached. The man is just very disruptive. He was a far bigger concern (than T’Vondre Sweat).
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