Indianapolis Colts: 3-Round 2019 NFL mock draft in early April

RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - NOVEMBER 08: Kelvin Harmon #3 of the North Carolina State Wolfpack makes a catch against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons during the second half of their game at Carter-Finley Stadium on November 08, 2018 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

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Round 1, Pick 26: Byron Murphy, CB, Washington

As the board was shaping up, there were a lot of offensive players going in the top half of the round, and that left a lot of defensive value for me to choose from. That left a player that I view as the best cornerback in the draft available: Byron Murphy.

Murphy isn’t the biggest cornerback on the block, but the guy knows how to make plays. He’s also very technically sound with good athleticism to match up with receivers of any size.

Murphy had 20 pass breakups despite playing just 20 games in college. For comparison, the other top cornerback in this class, Greedy Williams out of LSU, finished with 19 pass breakups while playing four more games. Murphy gives the Colts more depth at an extremely important position, and he helps give the team some competition there to bring the best out of the existing players.

The Colts have a few cornerbacks already on the roster, but none of them have shown the consistency necessary to make them long-term pieces. Murphy may not start right away in year one, but he can grow quickly under defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus and his staff to become the team’s lockdown corner on the outside that they’ve been searching for.

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