Byron Murphy II: My killer mentality on field comes from doubters
There's never been a shortage of NFL players who pick up on perceived slights and use them as motivation when they hit the field.
Add Seahawks first-round pick Byron Murphy II to the list. The defensive tackle drew plenty of praise for his play at Texas, but every scouting report features a few cons and Murphy is holding onto those comments as he makes his way into the NFL.
Murphy's height is one of the things that has been pointed out as a potential obstacle for him in the NFL and he found another sign that people "still want to disrespect me" when the NFL's X account left him off a list of potential defensive rookie of the year winners.
“My dog mentality, it comes from having doubters,” Murphy said, via Michael Shawn-Dugar of TheAthletic.com. “I’ve been doubted all my life. I feel like that’s what started the dog mentality. My mentality when I’m out there on the field is to kill. I don’t care who’s in front of me or what they say about you. I believe you have to show yourself. Also part of my mindset is you won’t stop me. You have to show me that you can stop me. Even if you know what I’m doing on this play, you still have to show me because I’m coming. And I’m coming hard every play.”
Players who hone a chip on their shoulders tend to keep finding ways to add to it even as they find success in the NFL. The Seahawks will be hoping that Murphy never stops finding the fuel that makes him an overwhelming force at the point of attack.
