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Byron Murphy

Byron Murphy
No. 7 – Minnesota Vikings
Position:Cornerback
Personal information
Born: (1998-01-18) January 18, 1998 (age 26)
Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S.
Height:5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High school:Saguaro (Scottsdale, Arizona)
College:Washington (2016–2018)
NFL draft:2019 / round: 2 / pick: 33
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 14, 2024
Total tackles:347
Sacks:3.0
Forced fumbles:3
Fumble recoveries:6
Pass deflections:59
Interceptions:14
Defensive touchdowns:2
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Byron Murphy Jr. (born January 18, 1998) is an American professional football cornerback for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Washington.

Early life

Murphy attended Saguaro High School in Scottsdale, Arizona. He played cornerback and wide receiver. As a senior, he had 88 receptions for 1,733 yards and 21 touchdowns on offense and 52 tackles and seven interceptions on defense.[1] Murphy committed to the University of Washington to play college football.[2]

College career

After redshirting his first year at Washington in 2016, Murphy played in six games with six starts in 2017, missing seven due to injury. He finished the season with 16 tackles and three interceptions.[3][4][5] He returned to Washington as a starter in 2018.[6] He was awarded the MVP at the 2018 Pac-12 Football Championship Game after making two interceptions, one of which he returned for a 66-yard touchdown.[7] On January 7, 2019, Murphy announced that he would forgo his remaining two years of eligibility and declare for the 2019 NFL draft.[8]

College statistics
Season GP Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
Solo Ast Cmb TfL Sck Int Yds Avg TD PD FF FR Yds TD
2016 0 Redshirt Redshirted
2017 6 13 3 16 3.0 1.0 2 17 8.5 0 7 1 0 0 0
2018 14 37 21 58 4.0 0.0 4 78 19.5 1 13 1 0 0 0
Career 20 50 24 74 7.0 1.0 6 95 28.0 1 20 2 0 0 0

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
5 ft 10+34 in
(1.80 m)
190 lb
(86 kg)
30+18 in
(0.77 m)
8+78 in
(0.23 m)
4.55 s 1.59 s 2.67 s 4.13 s 6.83 s 36.5 in
(0.93 m)
10 ft 0 in
(3.05 m)
14 reps
All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[9][10][11]

Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals selected Murphy in the second round (33rd overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft.[12] Murphy was the second cornerback drafted in 2019 and the fourth defensive back overall.

On May 9, 2019, the Arizona Cardinals signed Murphy to a four-year, $7.98 million contract that includes $5.63 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $3.83 million.[13] Throughout training camp, Murphy competed against Tramaine Brock and Chris Payton-Jones for the job as the second starting cornerback or Nickelback after Patrick Peterson was given a six-game suspension to begin the season. Head coach Kliff Kingsbury named Murphy a starting cornerback, alongside Tramaine Brock, to begin the 2019 regular season.[14]

On September 8, 2019, Murphy made his professional regular season debut and first career start,asking 5 combined tackles (4 solo) during a 27-27 tie with the Detroit Lions. In week 10 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Murphy recorded his first career interception off Jameis Winston in the 30–27 loss.[15]

In Week 7 of the 2020 season against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday Night Football, Murphy recorded his first career sack on Russell Wilson during the 37–34 overtime win.[16] He was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the team on November 2, 2020,[17] and activated on November 11.[18]

Murphy entered the 2021 season as a starting cornerback for the Cardinals. In Week 3 of the 2021 season, he had two interceptions, including a 29-yard pick-six in a 31–19 win over the Jaguars, earning National Football Conference Defensive Player of the Week.[19] He finished the season with 64 tackles and a team-leading 12 passes defensed and four interceptions.

Murphy returned as a starting cornerback for the Cardinals in 2022. In Week 2, he returned a fumble forced by Isaiah Simmons 59 yards for the game-winning touchdown in a 29–23 overtime win against the Las Vegas Raiders. On December 24, 2022, the Cardinals placed Murphy on season–ending injured reserve with a back injury that had kept him out since Week 10.[20] He finished the season with 36 tackles, four passes defensed, and two fumble recoveries through nine starts.

Minnesota Vikings

On March 15, 2023, the Minnesota Vikings signed Murphy to a two-year, $17.50 million contract that includes $12.60 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $7.00 million.[21][13]

References

  1. ^ "Saguaro's Byron Murphy continued title tradition". Archived from the original on March 15, 2023. Retrieved October 26, 2018.
  2. ^ "Saguaro's Byron Murphy commits to Washington". Archived from the original on March 15, 2023. Retrieved October 26, 2018.
  3. ^ "Freshman Byron Murphy 'the full package' for the Huskies' rebuilding secondary". Archived from the original on October 26, 2018. Retrieved October 26, 2018.
  4. ^ "Byron Murphy's cousins have inspired him his whole life. At the Fiesta Bowl, he'll have them — and almost 100 others — cheering him on". Archived from the original on October 26, 2018. Retrieved October 26, 2018.
  5. ^ "UW cornerbacks Jordan Miller and Byron Murphy are a formidable duo on the field and close friends off it". Archived from the original on October 26, 2018. Retrieved October 26, 2018.
  6. ^ "Few college cornerbacks on same level as Washington's Byron Murphy". Archived from the original on October 26, 2018. Retrieved October 26, 2018.
  7. ^ "2018 Pac-12 Football Championship Game: Byron Murphy's pair of interceptions lift Washington over Utah". Associated Press. Archived from the original on December 2, 2018. Retrieved December 2, 2018.
  8. ^ Bonagura, Kyle (January 7, 2019). "Washington CB Byron Murphy entering NFL draft". ESPN. Archived from the original on January 11, 2019. Retrieved January 12, 2019.
  9. ^ "Byron Murphy Combine Profile". NFL.com. Archived from the original on August 23, 2019. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
  10. ^ "2019 Draft Scout Byron Murphy, Washington NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Archived from the original on October 19, 2020. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
  11. ^ "Byron Murphy 2019 NFL Draft Profile". ESPN. Archived from the original on May 13, 2021. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
  12. ^ Patra, Kevin (April 26, 2019). "Cardinals select CB Byron Murphy to open Day 2". NFL.com. Archived from the original on May 13, 2019. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
  13. ^ a b Free Agent,average annual salary of %248%2C750%2C000. "Spotrac.com: Byron Murphy contract". spotrac.com. Retrieved December 13, 2024. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  14. ^ Jess Root (September 4, 2019). "6 observations from the Cardinals' first depth chart". cardswire.usatoday.com. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
  15. ^ "Winston throws for 358 yards, Bucs beat Cardinals 30-27". ESPN. November 10, 2019. Archived from the original on November 11, 2019. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
  16. ^ "Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals - October 25th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  17. ^ Urban, Darren (November 2, 2020). "Devon Kennard, Byron Murphy Test Positive For The Coronavirus". AZCardinals.com. Archived from the original on November 29, 2020. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
  18. ^ Odegard, Kyle (November 11, 2020). "Devon Kennard, Byron Murphy Activated From COVID-19 Reserve List". AZCardinals.com. Archived from the original on November 16, 2020. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
  19. ^ Gordon, Grant (September 29, 2021). "Record-setting Ravens kicker Justin Tucker leads Players of the Week". NFL.com. Archived from the original on October 18, 2021. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  20. ^ "Byron Murphy's Season Ends As Cardinals Put Him On Injured Reserve". azcardinals.com. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  21. ^ Peters, Craig (March 15, 2023). "Vikings Agree to Terms with Oliver, Davenport & Murphy". Vikings.com. Retrieved May 18, 2023.