With the 18th pick in the 2024 SB Nation writers’ mock draft, the Cincinnati Bengals select defensive tackle Byron Murphy II from Texas.
He is originally from Texas and was a three-star recruit who immediately played at Texas his freshman and sophomore seasons. It wasn’t until his junior season that he became a full-time starter though, and it was then that he showed out with five sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss. He built up this stats while playing the most nose tackle snaps on the team, consistently taking on double teams despite being only 6’0 and 300 pounds.