Former NFL GM Compares Potential 1st-Round Draft Pick to Legendary Aaron Donald

When Aaron Donald was selected in the 2014 NFL Draft, he was taken at the No. 13 overall spot by the St. Louis Rams.

Texas Longhorns defensive tackle Byron Murphy II is expected to go in the middle of the first round just like Donald did a decade ago.

One mock draft from ESPN has the Cincinnati Bengals taking Murphy II at the No. 18 overall spot, making him the first defensive tackle to come off the board.

A mock from Pro Football Focus has the Philadelphia Eagles, who just lost veteran defensive tackle Fletcher Cox to retirement, taking Murphy II with the No. 22 overall pick. Pro Football Focus says that former Illinois Fighting Illini defensive tackle Jer’Zhan “Johnny” Newton will go ahead of Murphy II.

An NFL.com mock has Murphy II taken as the first defender off the board by the Atlanta Falcons at the No. 8 overall spot. While his spot in the draft is not locked down into a small group of selections, it is hard to see Murphy II making it to the second round.

Byron Murphy II was an elite player for the Texas Longhorns

While Murphy II had his most statistically productive year in 2023, his impact as an interior defensive lineman goes beyond the stat sheet.

The 6-foot-1, 308-pound defensive tackle was responsible for a career-high five sacks and 29 tackles in 2023, which was the third straight year he was able to make a significant contribution as a Texas Longhorn.

Murphy II has elite athleticism for his size which allows him to make plays from the interior that most defensive tackles would not have the athleticism to make. His ability to scrape and fill like a 240-pound linebacker makes him a valuable prospect for NFL teams.

The bar set by Aaron Donald is not an easy one to achieve

While there weren’t many who knew just how dominant Aaron Donald would be when he was selected with the No. 13 overall pick of the 2014 NFL Draft, there were plenty who recognized his freakish athleticism despite his lack of size.

Donald ended up surpassing most, if not all expectations en route to becoming a likely first-ballot inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Donald played in the NFL for 10 years and earned a Pro Bowl selection in every single year that he played. H was the Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2014 and followed that up with three Defensive Player of the Year awards.

Donald was a first-team All-Pro selection eight of the ten years he played in the NFL. He was an essential key to the Rams’ 2021 Super Bowl run, causing Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow to be unable to make a downfield pass when he had wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase running wide open down the sideline.

Donald explained the type of work and respect for the game it took to accomplish what he did in the NFL in an article from NFL.com

“Throughout my career, I have given my everything to football both mentally and physically — 365 days a year was dedicated to becoming the best possible player I could be,” Donald wrote in his retirement announcement. “I respected this game like no other and I’m blessed to be able to conclude my NFL career with the same franchise that drafted me. Not many people get drafted to a team, win a World Championship with that team and retire with that team. I do not, and will not, take that for granted.”

If Murphy II can accomplish half of what Donald accomplished in his career, the team that drafts him will be more than happy.