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Experts believe Byron Murphy II will be the first defensive player drafted and the Bears could make it happen

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Kole Noble | Last updated 4/23/24

The first round of the 2024 NFL Draft on Thursday is expected to be loaded with offensive talent, and could even set a new record in the common draft era for the number of offensive players taken on opening night.

With four quarterbacks and three wide receivers expected to steal the show and ultimately decide the entire board on Thursday, many are wondering when the first defensive player could come off the board, much less who that player will even be.

As we get closer and closer to the day of the draft, one name continues to stand out from the rest on that side of the ball to become the first defensive player drafted.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, "there are some front office executives who believe [Texas] defensive tackle Byron Murphy II has a realistic chance" of being the first defensive player selected on Thursday. The consensus seems to be that the first defensive player won't be selected until the backend of the Top-10.

Schefter mentioned the Atlanta Falcons at #8 and the Chicago Bears at #9 as the ideal spots for the first defensive player to be taken with Murphy being in consideration for both teams. Both teams are led by defensive-minded head coaches and could recognize the value of Murphy and the lack of top-end depth at the position this year.

According to NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah, it "falls off pretty quick at defensive tackle" after Murphy and the "league that has placed an ever-more premium on defensive tackles." Compared to the edge rushing class, which is viewed as a deeper position, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Murphy be the first defensive player drafted.

“With my style of play, I feel like nobody can play like me,” Murphy said to the Dallas Morning News. “Nobody can do the things I do. I feel like I’m one of a kind. My tape speaks for itself.”

Murphy also noted that from what he's heard and what he expects after his pre-draft process, he won't be drafted later than #16. It's entirely possible he goes higher than that and ends up somewhere within the Top-10 selections. The Bears are the main team I'm keeping my eye on to go after Murphy in the first round.

Murphy’s Fit with the Bears

With the ninth overall pick in the draft, many possibilities await the Bears with their second pick on opening night. Few have floated the idea of moving up using 2025 draft capital to do so and many have predicted the Bears will move down to acquire more picks this weekend (the Bears only have four total selections).

If the Bears were to stay at nine, Murphy continues to look more and more like an appealing prospect for general manager Ryan Poles. Albert Breer noted Murphy by name as a player the Bears could target and I'm starting to come around to the idea.

To me, I could see the Bears pull off a similar move to what they did on opening night of the 2024 NFL Draft. With defensive tackle Jalen Carter on the board, Poles elected to move back with the Philadelphia Eagles (albeit one spot) to instead take his guy in Darnell Wright. I believe the Bears could do something similar by sliding back two-three spots to take Murphy.

As for his fit on head coach Matt Eberflus' defense, Murphy would be the absolute perfect three-technique on the Bears' defensive line to pressure the quarterback inside, which is more important than adding an additional edge rusher.

Here's what my colleague Rob Gregson had to say about Murphy on his scouting report:

"Byron Murphy II is a unique interior defensive lineman because of his size. At 6-0, sub 300 pounds and with 32’ arms, he doesn’t have the length or girth typical of the position. But what he also has that isn’t typical is a set of skills both technical via pass rush moves, and traits based via quickness and agility that most defensive tackles just don’t have. That projects him to be well liked around the league and serve a team immediately as a pass rusher from the interior." - AtoZ Sports' Rob Gregson

Murphy's pass rushing specialty would be incredibly valuable for the Bears' defense and he'll be able to offer more in that department than Gervon Dexter, Zacch Pickens, and Andrew Billings, who are all run stuffers in the interior of the front.

This is also should be a three-way agreement between Poles, Eberflus, and new defensive coordinator Eric Washington to make this decision in the first round. All signs keep turning that way as we get closer and closer to draft day.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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