WELCOME HOME: Former Valley high school star Byron Murphy selected by Cardinals in NFL Draft

Byron Murphy is coming home.

The Scottsdale native who starred at Saguaro High School was selected by the Arizona Cardinals with the first pick in the second round (33rd overall) in the 2019 NFL Draft on Friday night.

The 21-year-old Murphy played with Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Christian Kirk at Saguaro before moving on to play for the Washington Huskies. He was a First-Team All-Pac-12 selection last season and helped guide the Huskies to the 2018 Pac-12 championship.

Murphy's selection makes him the second straight Saguaro High School alum to be taken by the Cardinals in the second round, after Kirk was taken with the 47th overall pick last year. Cardinals running back and ASU alum D.J. Foster also attended Saguaro.

Murphy was selected one pick after former Chandler High School and ASU star N'Keal Harry was taken by the New England Patriots with the 32nd pick.

Murphy could compete for a starting cornerback spot right away opposite perennial Pro Bowler Patrick Peterson. Pro Football Focus rated Murphy as the No. 1 cornerback in the 2019 draft.

NFL draft expert Lance Zierlein calls Byron Murphy a "ball-hawking man corner who makes up for a lack of physical tools with outstanding instincts, toughness, and short-area quickness. Murphy's ball production per target is as good as you will find thanks to an innate ability to process the quarterback and route development simultaneously. His long speed is below average and will panic and start grabbing when he ends up in an unexpected trail position. His short-area twitch and run support toughness could make him an early target for teams looking for help at the nickel."