Seattle Seahawks select Texas DT Byron Murphy II with 16th pick in NFL Draft
NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 01: Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (9) attempts to avoid the tackle of Texas defensive lineman Byron Murphy II (90) during the Allstate Sugar Bowl playoff game between the Texas Longhorns and the Washington Huskies (Nick Tre. Smith / Icon Sportswire / Getty Images)
RENTON, Wash. - Despite growing up in Texas, new Seattle defensive tackle Byron Murphy II was an avid fan of the "Legion of Boom" era Seahawks teams.
Murphy rattled off the names of Earl Thomas, Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor, Michael Bennett, Russell Wilson, Marshawn Lynch, Doug Baldwin and Jermaine Kearse on a conference call Thursday night as he expressed how excited he was to have landed with the Seahawks with the 16th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
"It means a lot," Murphy said. "It's an honor really for them guys to come pick me, believe in me and they're investing in me, so I'm going to give them everything I got. I owe them my all, everything. Growing up that was my favorite team. Now to be drafted by Seattle is crazy."
The Seahawks were plenty excited as well.
General manager John Schneider called Murphy their top defensive player in the draft and said multiple times that he didn't believe they'd have the chance to select Murphy with where they sat in the draft order.
"Everybody saw all the offensive players going. Rare to see that," Schneider said. "High motor, high effort, great individual. 21 years old. Got his degree in three years. Just up and down the line of scrimmage, pass-rusher, (tackles for loss), you name it. A lot of utility, a lot of variety. Yeah, I mean, to sit here and think when we started we'd be able to acquire him, we'd be lying to you.
Seattle can thank the rest of the league for diving so heavily into the offensive side of the ball to help enable them to land Murphy in the middle of the first round.
Murphy was just the second defensive player selected in the draft as the first 14 picks were exclusively on the offensive side of the ball.
"We've never, ever seen that," Schneider said.
Murphy was a second-team All-American selection this year for the Longhorns and was named the Big 12 defensive lineman of the year. Murphy had 29 tackles with 8.5 tackles for loss and 5.0 sacks this year at Texas.
"He just plays our style of football really," head coach Mike Macdonald said. "I mean, he's so talented. Versatility along the front. Such an aggressive player, plays violently. Heavy hands for a guy of shorter stature. Pass-rush flexibility. You name it. Yeah, just really excited to have him."
Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald (left) and general manager John Schneider (right) speak with reporters following the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft on April 25, 2024. The Seahawks took Texas DT Byron Murphy II with the 16th overall pick (Curtis Crabtree / FOX 13 Seattle)
Per Dane Brugler of The Athletic, Murphy led Texas with a team-best 45 quarterback pressures and ranked No. 1 among all FBS interior defensive linemen in pass rush win percentage (19.6 percent). He's a touch undersized at just over 6 feet and 297 pounds, but is equally adept in the running game.
"I feel like I'm a good fit because my playstyle is very aggressive," Murphy said. "Just a very, you know, just dominant player. And I can also stop the run, you know, rush the passer. I'm an all three downs type of guy, you know, so that's why I feel like I'd be perfect in that scheme."
Murphy played multiple spots along the defensive line with the Longhorns and also scored two touchdowns on offense in spot use. He had a 1-yard rushing touchdown and a 1-yard receiving touchdown last season. The rushing touchdown came against the Washington Huskies in the Sugar Bowl.
"There's only so many people in the world that can do these types of things," Macdonald said. "We're fortunate enough now we have a few guys on our team that can do it. He just adds that versatility to us, like I keep saying. For him to be able to play nose at his size, his flexibility, anchor, strength, is really impressive."
Schneider said that he didn't speak with Murphy during the draft process as they didn't want to tip their interest in him to other teams. However, the rest of the scouting staff did much of the legwork on Murphy as the team fell in love with him as a prospect. The two sides did meet at the NFL Combine in February.
Murphy said he though the Minnesota Vikings or New Orleans Saints could be landing spots for him due to his conversations with them in the pre-draft process.
But Murphy was glad it was Seattle that came calling.
When I got that call, I was happy and excited. It was like a dream come true. I’m blessed and I’m ready to be a Seattle Seahawk," Murphy said.
Murphy helps add to a Seattle defensive line that has really struggled heavily against the run in the last several seasons. Re-signing Leonard Williams this offseason, seeing Uchenna Nwosu return from a pectoral injury, and Mike Morris back from a shoulder injury will all aid in improving that area as well, but Murphy gives them another top option to add to the unit.
UCLA pass rusher Laiatu Latu was the first defensive player selected with the 15th overall pick by the Indianapolis Colts. Six quarterbacks, four offensive tackles, three wide receivers, and a tight end went in the first 14 picks before defensive pieces started to come off the board.
Schneider said the Seahawks had multiple opportunities to trade down from the 16th pick to try and add additional picks. Seattle doesn't currently have another selection until the 81st overall pick in the third round tomorrow due to the trade that acquired Williams from the New York Giants last October.
But while the chance to add picks was enticing, the chance to add Murphy far outweighed it.
"I'd be lying to you if we said we didn't think about it. But the player, he was just too good. He influences the game, like, a lot," Schneider said.
"He's not Aaron Donald, but he tested like that. He's got that compact style about him. I mean, slow down, (Donald)'s a Hall of Famer. … Getting off the ball, all these statistics we have now, analytics stuff, his explosive rate, he gets to the quarterback quicker than anybody. He has that ability to jump off the ball, get up field. He can play edges. He can play square. He can rush a passer inside. Gets up and down the line of scrimmage."
For the second straight year, the Seahawks have made the second pick of a defensive player in the class. Last year, Seattle took cornerback Devon Witherspoon with the fifth overall pick, two selections after the Houston Texans drafted defensive end Will Anderson Jr. third overall.
"He's our type of guy," Macdonald said. "He's a Seahawk through and through. Whatever position he's going to play, whoever we were going to take, that was really cool to have that opportunity to bring in a guy we're really, really sold on, really have consensus on, too. I'm really excited about it."