Athleticism: 7.88

Q.A.B./C.O.D.: 7.75

He is very light on his feet which allows him to cut on a dime to use his quickness to close space.

Flexibility: 7.75

He can break out of his coverage to make a diving effort to deflect the ball on another player's man.

Deep Speed: 8.00

He can keep his feet moving while looking back at the quarterback to help trail his man to close space.

Explosion: 8.25

He explodes in the direction he wants to go and closes up space quick. He gets his deflections from this.

Coordination: 7.65

He keeps his feet under him and hardly ever gets knocked off balance. Understands where he is on the field.

Coverage Ability: 7.84

Man Press: 7.25

He makes an effort to get a jam but can be ineffective which allows receivers to get a release of LOS.

Man Off: 7.85

He does a great job at keeping his man in front of him and can close on intermediate routes quickly.

Zone: 8.15

Excels in zone coverage because of his quickness in space and how well he can read the quarterback.

Hand Fighting: 8.00

He keeps fighting until the play is over and he has a knack for finding a way to get his hands on the ball.

Hips/Turn Ability: 7.95

He flips his hips with ease and is very fluid whenever he needs to change the direction he needs to go.

Play Making: 8.30

Closing Quickness: 8.15

He closes space very fast and finds himself getting pass deflections or interceptions because of it.

Ball skills: 8.50

Ballhawk. A knack for being around the ball to make a play on it. Fights to knock ball out of hands.

Route/play Diagnosis: 8.25

His play recognition is amazing. He has a good feel for how plays and routes are developing.

Run Support: 6.75

Quickness Upfield: 7.50

Just like in coverage, his speed allows him to get upfield fast to make the tackle. One of his advantages.

Fight Through Blocks: 6.25

He doesn't try to force his ways through blocks. Looks to lock on or use his athleticism to get around.

Tackling: 6.50

He isn't afraid to hit and will lay the boom. Poor technique. Goes low, doesn't breakdown or wrap up.

Competitiveness: 8.00

Toughness: 8.00

Plays tougher than what most expect for his size. Not afraid to hit and keeps fighting to get a turnover.

Production: 8.00

19 games, 72 tackles (50 solo), 7 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 6 int, 20 pass deflections, 2 forced fumbles.

Consistency/Motor: 8.00

Constantly keeping his feet moving, looking to make a play, and always seems to be around the ball.

Intelligence: 7.70

Instincts: 7.85

He always seems to react to the quarterback or receiver very well and can read their bodies on the go.

Learn/Retain: 7.75

Never seems fazed and appears to understand how plays are developing so he is where he is needed.

Teamwork: 7.50

He does whatever it takes to help his team win. He worked his way up and played special teams a little.

STRENGTHS:

He is always looking to make a play on the ball. His initial quickness allows him to make up space, so he can look to break up the pass or grab it for the interception. Even if the receiver has their body boxing him out, he can still manage to fight his way through to get his hands on the ball to knock it out of their hands. He always seems to be making a play. He is very fluid in his coverage as he can turn his hips with ease and uses the field to his advantage while keeping his eyes on the quarterback. He is brilliant when breaking down plays as they happen, and his reaction speed allows him to adjust. Overall, a very effective corner in all coverages

WEAKNESSES:

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His size may turn off some teams. He can be blocked easily by stronger receivers and taller ones can use their bodies to their advantage to box him out for the ball. He needs to work on jamming receivers at the line of scrimmage because he can allow easy releases. He finds himself having to turn and run too often when he is pressing his man. His tackling form will need some work because he has a habit of just going low or coming in with his shoulder. He doesn't break down and look to explode through the runner while wrapping them up. He could possibly be a liability against the run.

BIG PICTURE:

He has a chance to be a playmaker at the next level. He is a ballhawk that is always looking to get his hands on the ball for the interception, deflection or even forcing the drop. He will keep fighting until the end of the play to jar the ball loose. He does play out of his size, he looks to lay the wood when he hits the runner and will fight with taller receivers to break up the pass. He can play man or zone coverage as his athleticism allows him to stick on receivers and change his direction on the go to keep on his man. He does an amazing job at sitting back and reading the quarterback's eyes, so he can react to the throw. His speed allows him to explode up the field to close space, so he can get all those interceptions and deflections. He does have his flaws he will need some work in small areas in his coverage. He just needs to get tougher at the line of scrimmage and understand if he has a legit chance to make a play because he has given up some catches due to some late reactions. While he isn't afraid to lay his shoulder into the runner, his poor tackling technique could end up being a liability at the next level. Big and strong backs will run through his arms, so teams could possibly look to run his way. Since he does a great job in all facets of coverage, I believe that he can be a good fit in any defensive scheme. But teams that require their corners to have more size may shy away from him. Even if his size limits where he is a fit, he can at least be an elite slot corner because of his athletic ability and smartness. He can improve a corner-needy team immediately. By his third season, if he can improve on his weaknesses then he has a chance to be one of the better corners in the league.

Byron Murphy

Position: Cornerback

College: Washington

Height: 5'11"

Weight: 185 lbs

SCOUTING GRADE

7.62

Injury History: 2017: Broken Foot (Missed 7 weeks)

Games Evaluated: 2018: Penn St., Washington St., Rutgers, Utah, Arizona St.

Scout: Cody Manning

Scouting Report