Getty The Packers could make a trade to find Kenny Clark's successor in Byron Murphy.
The Green Bay Packers have a difficult decision to make with Kenny Clark, but a draft day trade could make that decision easier by moving back and taking Byron Murphy II out of Texas.
Jeff Risdon with Draft Wire assembled writers for all 32 teams to for a two-round mock draft. In the mock, the Packers traded back two spots with the Arizona Cardinals while also moving up a handful of picks in the second round.
Here are the full trade details.
Packers receive: 27th, 35th overall picks
Cardinals receive: 25th, 41st overall picks
The trade back still allowed the Packers to draft Murphy, who could be the long-term replacement for Clark.
“Kenny Clark is in the final year of his deal, and Murphy – arguably the top interior disruptor in the class – is too good to pass up here,” Zach Kruse with Packers Wire wrote. “Jeff Hafley would need to be creative to get Murphy on the field as a rookie, but the former Longhorn could be a foundational player for the spine of the Packers defense by 2025.”
Kenny Clark May Be Too Expensive to Keep
As much as Packers fans want Clark to spend his entire career in Green Bay, it may not be that simple.
Clark has been a key contributor since being taken in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft. Along with being a three-time Pro Bowler, he’s never played fewer than 13 games in a season.
That availability and dominance has been huge for Green Bay’s defense. However, Clark is now on the final year of his four-year, $70 million contract. As of now, there has been virtually zero reported movement on a potential extension.’
The defensive lineman market is exploding right now, and a potential Clark extension could be extremely expensive for a team full of young talent. Despite making an average of $17.5 million, Clark’s current contract only makes him the 13th-highest paid defensive tackle in the NFL.
Considering the Packers also have big contract extensions coming for the likes of Jordan Love, Zach Tom, and others, Clark may be viewed as too expensive to keep beyond 2024.
Byron Murphy II Scouting Report
Losing Clark would be a huge blow to the Packers, but Murphy would be a pretty strong long-term successor.
Murphy had his breakout season for the Texas Longhorns in 2023. He was a second-team All-American and Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year after racking up 8.5 tackles for loss and 5.0 sacks.
At 6’0″ and 297 pounds, Murphy possesses a lighter frame with impressive athleticism. He tore up the pre-draft process to post a Relative Athletic Score (RAS) of 9.2 out of 10.
Byron Murphy II is a DT prospect in the 2024 draft class. He scored a 9.20 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 140 out of 1735 DT from 1987 to 2024.
Murphy is currently 18th on the consensus big board, and it’s easy to see why. He has an outstanding motor to keep fighting through the whistle on every play. He also flashes very good explosiveness off of the snap, and can anchor against double teams despite his lighter frame.
A player like Murphy could be a disruptive weapon in Green Bay’s defense. While it’s likely that he’s drafted before the Packers are on the clock, it’d be difficult to pass up on him if he’s available.