Dolphins Prospect Profile of Texas DL Byron Murphy II

The elephant in the Dolphins locker room is losing a massive member of their defensive line and overall unit in Christian Wilkins. After betting on himself in the offseason, Wilkins had a career year in 2023. Leading to a massive deal with the Las Vegas Raiders, the Dolphins have to be looking for a replacement for him. The Dolphins signed several defensive linemen, hoping to make up for Wilkins in the aggregate. Miami would be wise to find a potential partner to develop alongside Zach Sieler.

The famed “Salt and Pepper” pair are no longer in Sieler and Wilkins. Sieler is a talent in his own right, but at the moment, he could be a victim of several double teams with the current construct of the Miami Dolphins’ defensive line. A fantastic question to ponder is whether Sieler benefited from Wilkins or vice versa. This year could start to answer that question, but Miami needs to find another anchor-type defensive tackle.

Having the 21st pick in this month’s upcoming NFL Draft, Miami and general manager Chris Grier need to think, “best player available.” The Draft should be heavy in quarterback and wide receiver selections in the top 15. So Miami could choose from several massively talented prospects. Enter Texas defensive tackle Byron Murphy II. A word used in association with Murphy is “Freak.” In fact, he was one of 18 prospects named to Bruce Feldman’s “Freak List.” While a tad undersized at 6’0” and a shade under the 300-pound mark, Murphy makes up for it with shear strength and speed.

Relative Athleticism Score (RAS)

Utilizing Kent Lee Platte of Pro Football Network’s RAS, you will love Murphy if you like this type of analysis. Since 1987, he has ranked 140th out of 1,735 defensive tackles. Other than size, he ranks in the top tier everywhere else. From a pure strength standpoint, he benched 28 reps at the NFL combine, fifth among defensive tackles. Additionally, he ran a 4.87 40-yard dash, which ranked third in the position class. Back at the combine, his Total Score was first in his position group at 83, and his Production Score was second at 79. He ranked fourth in Athleticism, scoring 85. NFL Analyst Lance Zierlein has even compared him to Buffalo Bill star Ed Oliver.

Can he get to the quarterback?

The Dolphins will need to replace the pressures and sacks Wilkins helped produce in 2023 and help others do so as well. Murphy can be that guy and attract double-teams. He could actually be a significant benefit to Sieler from a statistical standpoint. Last year, in his junior season at Texas, Murphy recorded a gaudy 40 quarterback pressures. He generated 30 hurries while sacking the quarterback five times and netting 8.5 tackles for loss. He even scored a pair of touchdowns on offense last year. The Big-12 Defensive Lineman of the Year was named a First-Team All-Big-12 and Second-Team Associated Press All-American.

He could play the nose or 3-tech role in the pros, and his football intelligence and skill set are top-notch. His speed/power/agility combination makes him an immediate impact type of player. He has excellent hands to help elude blockers while displaying great technique in the process. You can bet he is a prospect new Miami defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver would love to work with. Murphy has been mock-drafted in the late teens to early 20s, which puts the Dolphins in a decent sweet spot to land him.