The Dallas Cowboys have holes to fill on their roster.
Names like Tony Pollard and Tyron Smith left the team in free agency. Leighton Vander Esch's career ended abruptly due to injury. And with the No. 24 overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, the Cowboys will have plenty of options at which position to add.
In ESPN's latest mock draft, former NFL general manager Mike Tannenbaum has Dallas looking at defense in the first round and selecting Texas standout defensive tackle Byron Murphy II.
The 21-year-old from DeSoto is coming off a stellar junior campaign, earning first-team All-Big 12 honors in Austin. Murphy was also named Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year after leading the Longhorns to a top-12 national ranking in scoring defense along with first-team all-conference members T'Vondre Sweat and Jaylan Ford.
“Dallas drafted Madge Smith last year with a stronger defensive tackle, but Murphy brings more of an interior pass rush element,” Tannenbaum said.
“Despite being 6-foot-1 and weighing 297 pounds, he can anchor with a strong lower body. He had 59 pressures in 39 games at the University of Texas (59 in 2023). He was able to quickly get to the QB (sacks) and had an incredible 4.87 points out of 40 at the combine.
With the recent departure of Jonathan Hankins to the Seattle Seahawks, the Cowboys' need for an interior defensive lineman is even greater. Is Murphy II the right move to add firepower to Mike Zimmer's new defense?
The Longhorns haven't drafted a defensive player in the first round since the Patriots took defensive tackle Malcolm Brown in 2015, but former first-team AP All-American running back Bijan Robinson was drafted last year. He was drafted eighth overall by Atlanta in April. .
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