HEIGHT: 5-11

WEIGHT: 190

COLLEGE: Washington

CLASS: Redshirt Sophomore

2018 STATS: 58 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 4 interceptions, 1 defensive touchdown, 13 passes defended, 1 forced fumble (14 games)

CAREER STATS: 74 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 6 interceptions, 1 defensive touchdown, 20 passes defended, 2 forced fumbles (20 games)

GAMES WATCHED (9): Utah, Arizona State, Auburn, Oregon, Utah/Pac-12 CG, Ohio State (2018); Rutgers, Washington State, Penn State (2017)

40	BENCH	VERT	BROAD	3 CONE	20S	60S
4.55	14	36.5″	120″

COVER SKILLS (27/30)

• Excellent overall coverage ability — great in zone, off-man, bail
• Great at staying in-phase with receivers at all levels of the field — very sticky in man coverage
• Excellent in zone coverage due to superior instincts, route recognition and explosiveness
• Play strength limits him as a press CB — doesn’t have the strength to consistently reroute larger receivers
• Allowed just 25 receptions on 48 targets during the 2018 regular season (PFF), despite playing in a zone-heavy Cover 1/Cover 3 scheme

AGILITY/TECHNIQUE (18/20)

• Quick and fluid hips to turn and run with receivers
• Elite foot quickness; smooth and efficient backpedal; no wasted steps/unnecessary movement
• Very good with mirror-and-match footwork off the line; stays patient and doesn’t open hips too early
• Patient in press — good jam timing and accuracy with strikes
• Does a good job of crowding receivers down the field and limiting their route running/route adjustment space; utilizes sideline as an extra defender

SPEED/BURST (10.5/15)

• Average deep speed
• Good recovery burst to make up ground if he allows separation off the line
• Very good click-and-close ability out of backpedal

MENTAL PROCESSING (15/15)

• Zone instincts are outstanding — quick breaks on the ball; keeps eyes on quarterback and keys on intentions while maintaining awareness of receiver’s position
• Good feel for when to pass off receivers and when to pick up receivers that cross into his zone
• Pattern recognition is phenomenal — does a great job of feeling/anticipating route breaks, allows very little separation as a result
• Good ball-tracking downfield; gets head around early to locate the football

BALL SKILLS/PLAYMAKING (10/10)

• Excellent ball skills — 4 ints and 13 PBUs on the year
• Very good at playing the ball through receivers’ hands
• Wide receiver background shows through natural hands and route recognition
• Times jumps well and high points the football consistently
• High vertical allows him to contest jump balls

RUN SUPPORT/TACKLING (3/5)

• Aggressive in run support — not afraid to fly downhill and make a tackle
• Shiftiness to avoid blockers in run support
• Has forced fumbles and incompletions with surprising hit power
• Not a wrap-up tackler — dives at ankles frequently

SIZE/PHYSICAL TRAITS (4/5)

• Adequate height/weight for the position
• Arms are a little shorter than ideal at 30 1/8″
• Can handle nickel and outside cornerback duties because of size/athleticism/physicality

RED FLAGS

• Missed seven games with a broken foot in 2017

OVERALL GRADE: 87.50/100.00 — 1ST ROUND — Rookie starter; top-15 player at position/Pro Bowl Potential

NFL COMPARISON: Kyle Fuller

SCHEME FIT: Cover 3 is ideal, but he has the traits to fit any scheme

DRAFT PROJECTION: MID-LATE 1ST ROUND

“Byron Murphy is one of the best cornerback prospects I’ve scouted over the past six years. His coverage ability from a snap-to-snap consistency standpoint is among the best I’ve seen since I started evaluating draft prospects back in 2014. His ball skills, route recognition and coverage instincts are exceptional. He is a good overall athlete with solid speed, great change-of-direction and elite short-area quickness. His ability to excel in press, zone and off-man coverage should make him a plug-and-play starter for any NFL team, regardless of scheme. In the long-term, Murphy has the upside of a top-10 NFL cornerback.” — Dan Wussow