Top defensive tackle selected by the Bengals in the coaching Intel mock draft.
The Bengals are addressing a significant need in the first round by picking Texas defensive lineman Byron Murphy II at pick 18 according to The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman.
Murphy is rated as the best defensive tackle and, by consensus, the 18th best player overall.
“Signing Trent Brown diminishes the need for an offensive lineman here, although the likes of JC Latham and Olu Fashanu are intriguing,” Feldman wrote. “So is Illinois defensive tackle Jer’Zhan ‘Johnny’ Newton, but I think Cincinnati goes for Murphy after losing D.J. Reader. The 6-0 1/2, 297-pound Murphy didn’t receive as much hype as his much larger Texas linemate T’Vondre Sweat, the Big 12 defensive player of the year, but opposing coaches say Murphy gave them more headaches. Murphy had 8.5 TFLs and five sacks in 2023, then showed off his freaky athleticism at the combine, running a 4.87 40 with a 33-inch vertical jump.
Feldman discussed Murphy with a couple college coaches, getting their opinions.
“He moves with such grace and elegance. He just seems to have “it.” He plays cunningly and with a lot of power.
His quickness, twitchiness, and big-ass running back balance made him nearly unblockable. He’s had good coaching. Simply said, the person is quite disruptive. Compared to T’Vondre Sweat, he posed a far greater threat.
Excellent speed at first. Gets so low and has power at all times. Nearly impossible to block. is excellent against the pass and somewhat strong against the run. high IQ for football.
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