Washington Huskies standout cornerback Byron Murphy has heard his name called being selected with the No. 33 overall pick by the Arizona Cardinals. Murphy is a ball-hawking cornerback that should be able to come in right away and make an impact.
During his senior year of high school, Murphy was an All-American receiver and also a finalist for the nations top defensive back. After being a top 100 recruit in the country he decided to focus on playing defense in college and it paid off in a big way.
He redshirted his first year at Washington and missed much of his second season because of injury, but made up for lost time last year. In 13 starts, he had 58 tackles and four interceptions. One of those interceptions was returned all the way to the house. The big season was enough to earn first-team All-Pac-12 and second-team Associated Press All-American.
NFL Analyst Lance Zierlein points out that Murphy is a bit undersized, but he makes up for it with his physicality.
Ball-hawking man corner who makes up for a lack of physical tools with outstanding instincts, toughness, and short-area quickness. Murphy's ball production per target is as good as you will find thanks to an innate ability to process the quarterback and route development simultaneously. His long speed is below average and will panic and start grabbing when he ends up in an unexpected trail position. His short-area twitch and run support toughness could make him an early target for teams looking for help at the nickel.
Murphy is an excellent pick and will make the Cardinals very happy that they chose to go with him.
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