Byron Murphy II Would Love to Join Texans, DeMeco Ryans

"It would mean a lot to get drafted by Houston," Murphy said. "Just staying in Texas, I'm familiar with it because I am from Texas. It would mean a lot playing for DeMeco Ryans as a young African American coach. It would mean a lot to me."

Murphy is entering the draft as one of the top-rated prospects at his position. He decided to forgo his senior season and enter the draft after a career year with the Longhorns –– recording 29 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and 5.0 sacks across 14 games.

Murphy would meet Ryans' desire to improve the defensive front. The potential selection of Murphy at pick No. 23 would help the Texans establish a defensive line that will continue creating havoc on the opposing team's offense while playing next to Anderson.

"The D-line class, it's a lot of varying degrees of capability amongst the players that we have," Ryans said. "There are big physical guys who can get after it. It's about us mixing the right guys together and deciding which formula works for us.

"How can we get the right guys to complement each other, and play well off one another because that's how I see D-Lines play. It's not about just one guy. It's a complement of eight guys who can come in and continue to put pressure on the opposing team."

Ryans believes the 2024 draft class has several "good guys" on the defensive front, explosive and twitchy players who can play on the inside and out.