Only surprising thing about Seahawks’ pick was that Byron Murphy II was available

RENTON — The only surprise here, maybe, is that Byron Murphy II was still on the board. 

The defensive tackle out of Texas was considered to be the best D-lineman in the draft, and no one will dispute that the Seahawks need to beef up their “D.” 

Add the fact that new coach Mike Macdonald’s specialty is that side of the ball, and this seemed like an easy one for the Seahawks picking at 16th overall. When what seemed to be the best player still available meets your needs, it’s a solid Day 1 for the organization.

Grading picks, of course, is generally a futile exercise, as nobody knows who will flourish or flop. But this did seem like a practical one rooted in the present. Compare what the Seahawks did Thursday to, say, the Falcons — who selected Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. eighth despite guaranteeing fellow quarterback Kirk Cousins $90 million this offseason, and you can see the difference in approach. 

The Seahawks want to improve instantly. Murphy can make that happen. 

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Last season’s Seahawks, who missed the playoffs after finishing 9-8, had myriad flaws — but the bulk of them were on “D.” The team finished third-to-last in the NFL in total defense and second-to-last in run defense, giving up 138.4 yards per game on the ground. This happened despite shelling out $30 million of guaranteed money to defensive end Dre’Mont Jones and trading midseason for fellow DE Leonard Williams, whom they signed to a $63 million contract last month. 

There appears to be plenty of individual talent upfront for Macdonald to work with when you consider players such as Jarran Reed, Darrell Taylor and Uchenna Nwosu. Unfortunately for Pete Carroll and his Seahawks coaching staff (who, granted, didn’t have Nwosu for much of the season) they couldn’t figure out how to harness it collectively last year. But now, if Murphy lives up to expectations, the D-line can be serviceable if not downright formidable. That’s an incessantly big “if” when it comes to draftees, though, no matter how early they go. 

But the 21-year-old Murphy has a track record that goes beyond the 4.87-second 40 time he ran at the combine, the third fastest among defensive linemen. Murphy had five sacks last year for the Longhonrs and led the country in pressure rate among defensive tackles. 

Seahawks president of football operations John Schneider said Murphy was the highest-rated defensive player they had in the draft. Maybe he would have said that about any defensive player he took (the first 14 players selected Thursday play offense, and edge player Laiatu Latu went 15th to the Colts), but he sounded sincere. 

“I mean to sit here and think that when we started that we’d be able to acquire him, we’d be lying to you,” said Schneider, adding that the team considered trading down for more picks at one point but that Murphy was too good to pass on. “He influences the game, like, a lot.” 

When asked for a player comparison for Murphy, Schneider answered with three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year winner Aaron Donald. He wasn’t predicting a first-ballot Hall of Fame career when he said this but was referring to how Murphy tested and his “compact style.” 

So how will the Seahawks use him? Well, we’re not quite sure yet. Macdonald said Thursday that the assortment of defensive linemen affords them to present a variety of looks. Where Murphy lines up one game vs. another might depend entirely on matchups. 

“We will have some really, really sweet ways to move guys around and have them in different spots based on the teams we’re going to play,” Macdonald said.

There wasn’t much communication between the Seahawks and Murphy in the lead up to the draft — partly because Schneider didn’t think he’d be available at 16 and partly because he didn’t want to convey interest publicly. But Murphy seems to think he’ll be a good fit here in Seattle — and not just because the dominant defense in the Legion of Boom days made the Seahawks his favorite team growing up. 

“I feel like I’m a good fit because my play style is very aggressive. Just a very, you know, just dominant player,” said Murphy, who was celebrating in Dallas with more than 300 people. “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.”

Thursday was a unique first round in the true sense of the word. Never before had the first 14 picks been offensive players. Never before had six quarterbacks gone off the board by the 12th selection.

It was a surprise Murphy was still around. Would be a lot less surprising if he had an immediate impact.