Texas defensive tackle Byron Murphy II regarded the Seahawks’ selection of him at No. 16 overall Thursday night in the NFL draft as just about perfect.
He grew up in DeSoto, Texas, as a Seahawks fan after watching the Legion of Boom defense lead Seattle to a Super Bowl title during the 2013 season.
“It’s an honor, really,” he said. “For those guys to come and believe in me and trust in me. I’m going to give them everything I’ve got. Growing up, that was my team. Now to be drafted by Seattle, it’s crazy. I give the glory to God. I feel like this was God’s plan.”
Draft analysts were almost as enthused as Murphy about the pick. Pretty much every analyst gave Seattle an A or B grade for getting Murphy as just the second defensive player taken. They noted that the Seahawks got great value in addressing a defense that has been shaky the past few years.
Here’s a sampling of the grades:
Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz, USA Today
Grade: B-plus
Comment: “The Mike Macdonald era is officially underway in the Pacific Northwest. The former Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator lands his version of Justin Madubuike, the defensive tackle who broke out in 2023 with 13 sacks. The Seahawks have tied up a lot of resources in their defensive front after re-signing Leonard Williams and bringing aboard Dre’Mont Jones last offseason, but Murphy is massively disruptive and is poised to be a foundational piece for Macdonald moving forward.”
Grade: A
Comment: “They patiently wait and get the player who might be the best defensive player in this draft. Murphy has been compared to Justin Madubuike, who new Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald coached in Baltimore.”
Doug Farrar, Touchdown Wire/USA Today
Grade: B-minus
Comment: “New Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald is one of the NFL’s finest defensive minds, so you have to back off a bit if you don’t like this pick. But in a draft where Seattle had the pick of every defensive player except Laiatu Latu, I’m of two minds about the Murphy choice. I had Illinois’ Johnny Newton as my top interior defensive lineman, and with all the edge talent here matching the Seahawks’ needs there, I’m not a fan. Murphy is a very good player, but given the way this fell, he’d have been seventh or eighth on my list.”
Grade: B
Comment: “Voted the Big 12’s Defensive Lineman of the Year in his first season as a starter, Murphy’s game screams untapped potential. His explosive quickness, agility and natural leverage advantage make him impossible to block one-on-one. The issue I have with this selection for Seattle is the scheme fit, as the Seahawks are expected to feature more of a three-man front boasting defensive tackles with longer arms and whose game is all physicality. Murphy’s addition does make the Seahawks’ defense more dangerous and versatile, though.”
Grade: Good
Comment: “The Seahawks opt to improve a position where they already have some pieces in place with one of the best defensive players in the draft. Since 2021, Murphy’s 12.5% pressure rate ranks third among defensive tackles with at least 500 pass-rushing snaps, trailing only 2023 first-round picks Jalen Carter and Calijah Kancey. A Murphy and Leonard Williams tandem on the interior creates a clear strength for Seattle heading into 2024.’’
Nick Baumgardner and Scott Dochterman, The Athletic
Grade: A
Comment: “Good things come to those who wait? Sure, we’ll go with that. The Seahawks have had a need right in the middle of their defense for what seems like several years now. And after early runs on quarterbacks and tackles pushed the top defenders down, Seattle hit a whopper by landing the top interior defensive lineman in this draft.
“Murphy, who can play nose or three-tech, is extremely powerful and explosive with a lethal punch at the point of attack. A smaller body in the Aaron Donald mold, Murphy is all gas off the line of scrimmage, and his natural leverage makes him a bear to deal with inside. Some teams valued him as a top-10 prospect in this draft. This is terrific value for new Seattle head coach Mike Macdonald.”
Brent Sobleski, Bleacher Report
Grade: B
Comment: “The Seattle Seahawks defense will experience a philosophical shift under new head coach Mike Macdonald. They’ll need more talented bodies to play along the defensive front. With Leonard Williams and Dre’Mont Jones already in place, Murphy completes the trio.
“Interestingly, none of the three are ideal fits as a shade over the center. But all three can be disruptive. Each of them can demand a double-team, which will make this unit extremely difficult to handle.
“The Seahawks’ new identity can be found along their defensive line.”
Grade: Using a draft model to identify the five best value picks of the first round, NFL Next Gen Stats rated Seattle’s pick of Murphy as the third-best value behind UW receiver Rome Odunze being picked ninth by Chicago and Georgia tight end Brock Bowers going 13th to the Raiders.
Comment: “When a record-setting six quarterbacks go within the first 12 selections, teams are bound to find value in the middle of the first round. The Seahawks pounced on the opportunity to take the second defensive player — and the NGS draft model’s No. 1 defensive tackle — off the board at No. 16 overall. After trading away their second-round pick for Leonard Williams at last season’s trade deadline, the Seahawks will have essentially spent their two top picks on shoring up the interior of their defensive line.
“Murphy has a similar draft profile to Justin Madubuike, who reached his first Pro Bowl under Mike Macdonald — now the Seahawks head coach — last season, when Macdonald was defensive coordinator in Baltimore. The big man out of Texas was a disruptive force along the interior in his final collegiate season, generating 42 pressures aligned across from guards and centers in 2023, per Pro Football Focus — no other player had more than 25.”
Grade: A
Comment: “New coach Mike Macdonald loves having a deep rotation of athletic bodies. Byron Murphy II was closer to a top-10 talent in this class and is the finishing piece of a revamped defensive front. This unit will be feared for the next few years.”
The opinions expressed in reader comments are those of the author only and do not reflect the opinions of The Seattle Times.