– Since becoming head coach of the Houston Texans, DeMeco Ryans has emphasized the significance of the defensive line. His value prompted the Texans to trade up for Will Anderson Jr. in the 2023 NFL Draft. By the end of the 2023 regular season, Houston’s defensive line had responsible for 38.5 of their franchise-record 46 sacks.
Last season, the defensive line was one of the Texans’ most effective position groups. However, in the 2024 NFL Draft, Ryans and the Texans have the opportunity to add more talent to their front four, beginning with Texas prospect Byron Murphy II.
“It would mean a lot to get drafted by Houston,” Murphy remarked. “Just remaining in Texas; I’m comfortable with it because I’m from there. It would mean a lot to play for DeMeco Ryans as a young African American coach. That would mean a lot to me.
Murphy enters the draft as one of the top prospects at his position. He opted to forego his senior year and join the draft after a great year with the Longhorns in which he recorded 29 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, and 5.0 sacks in 14 games.
Murphy would fulfill Ryan’s aim to improve the defensive front. Murphy’s likely selection at No. 23 would help the Texans construct a defensive line that will continue to wreak havoc on rival teams’ offences while playing alongside Anderson.
“The D-line class, it’s a lot of varying degrees of capability amongst the players that we have,” Ryans was quoted as saying. “There are huge, physical guys who can go after it. It’s up to us to put the appropriate guys together and figure out which formula works best for us.
“How can we find the proper guys to compliment one other and play well off one another? That’s how I see D-Lines playing. It is not just about one individual. It’s a group of eight players who can come in and continue to put pressure on the opposing squad.”
Ryan feels the 2024 draft class features several “good guys” on defence, including explosive and twitchy athletes who can play both inside and outside.
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