Raiders 3-round NFL Mock Draft: Stockpiling The Defense
Byron Murphy II. Byron Murphy II. 13. player. 467. 13. Defensive Tackle. . .
Let's keep something in mind: the Raiders staying put at No. 13 is a plausible reality. Despite what fans might believe, trading up into the top three or five will be a monumental task. So, let's say Telesco can't accomplish this. You then switch plans to take the best player available—in particular, the best defensive talent. Enter: Byron Murphy II.
If you want to build on the success from Christmas against the Kansas City Chiefs, you do everything in your power to build a defensive line that'll consistently get to the quarterback every week. Plugging in Murphy alongside Wilkins and Crosby is as close as you can get to a guaranteed recipe.
Possessing a 91.5 pass rushing grade, per Pro Football Focus, Murphy disrupted Big 12 offenses, recording 8.5 sacks along with five sacks in 2023. He's also far from a pushover in stopping the run; an 80.5 run defense certainly backs that claim up.
A ferocious defender who has one of the quickest first steps in this entire class, Murphy already has a solid foundation to build on at the NFL level: powerful and heavy hands, speed, and the demeanor that Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce covets.