Full NFL draft coverage: What to know about Seahawks, Huskies on Day 2

RENTON — The Seahawks drafted a Husky to fill a hole at guard.

Just not the one you thought.

After passing on former UW standout (and Seattle mock draft darling) Troy Fautanu to snag Texas defensive tackle Byron Murphy II with the No. 16 overall pick, the Seahawks waited 24 hours and 65 picks to address the position.

On Friday, they nabbed Connecticut Husky guard Christian Haynes in the third round, with the No. 81 pick.

Granted, he’s not Fautanu, a favorite of Seahawks (and former UW) offensive line coach Scott Huff. He lacks the local following.

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With their second pick in the 2024 NFL draft, the Seattle Seahawks selected University of Connecticut guard Christian Hayes at No. 81 overall Friday night.

Here are three things to know about Haynes:

• The former two-star recruit had offers from Maryland and Virginia. Haynes, who redshirted as a freshman and received an extra year due to COVID, spent six years at UConn where he was a four-year starter at right guard. The two-year captain played in 51 games and started 50, including 49 in a row. Haynes said: “I’m a big loyalty guy and not leaving UConn that was one big thing. I wanted to show that you can make it anywhere you’ve been. UConn gave me an opportunity to play and I wanted to leave my legacy there.”

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Jalen McMillan goes to Buccaneers at No. 92 in third round

Wide receiver, 6-foot-1, 197 pounds

2023 stats: 45 catches, 559 receiving yards, five receiving touchdowns, three carries, 30 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown

What to know: One of the highest-rated recruits in recent memory, Jalen McMillan lived up to his rating during his four-year tenure at Washington. He stood out early despite playing in former coach Jimmy Lake’s run-oriented offense, racking up 470 yards and three touchdowns in 11 games during 2021.

However, McMillan enjoyed a breakout season in 2022, catching 79 passes, nine touchdowns and becoming quarterback Michael Penix Jr.’s most-reliable option on third down. He and teammate Rome Odunze became the first pair of UW wide receivers to break the 1,000-yard mark in the same season. The Fresno, Calif. native battled a knee injury suffered against Michigan State on Sept. 16 for a majority of the 2023 season, but had a touchdown and 58 yards against Texas in the Sugar Bowl.

After attacking the defensive line with their first pick in the NFL draft, the Seahawks turned to the other side of the ball Friday, taking guard Christian Haynes of UConn.

They selected defensive tackle Bryon Murphy II of Texas in the first round Thursday.

That helps fill what was one of the team’s most obvious needs heading into the draft after the Seahawks did not bring back either of last year’s opening-day starting guards — left guard Damien Lewis and right guard Phil Haynes.

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Bralen Trice selected in third round at No. 74 overall by Falcons

Edge rusher, 6-foot-3.5, 245 pounds 

2023 stats: 49 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, seven sacks, two pass deflections, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery

What to know: Bralen Trice didn’t need to come back for his fifth season at Washington. A breakout 2022 season launched the Phoenix native up draft boards after showing promise a year before. He arrived at Washington for the 2019 season, but didn’t see any game action until 2021, when racked up 14 tackles, two sacks, five tackles for a loss and returned a fumble 72 yards for a touchdown 

Trice continued his upward trajectory in 2022, earning first-team All-Pac-12 honors while collecting nine sacks, 12 tackles for a loss and 38 total tackles. He was also named the 2022 Alamo Bowl Defensive MVP. Trice returned for the 2023 season, adding seven sacks, 11.5 tackles for loss, 49 tackles, two passes deflected, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery to his stats while earning first-team All-Pac-12 honors for a second-consecutive season.

Roger Rosengarten selected at No. 62 overall in second round by the Baltimore Ravens

Offensive line, 6-foot-5, 308 pounds

2023 stats: 15 games started at right tackle

What to know: Roger Rosengarten was a stalwart on the right side of Washington’s offensive line for the past two seasons. A highly touted four-star recruit from Highlands Ranch, Colo. just outside Denver, he made his Washington debut as a true freshman against Arizona in 2020, then played four games in 2021.

He began the 2022 season as Washington’s starting right tackle, protecting quarterback Michael Penix Jr.’s blind side and earning freshman All-American honors from the Football Writers Association of America. Rosengarten started all 15 games for UW in 2023, earning All-Pac-12 honorable mention accolades and helping the Huskies win the Joe Moore Award as the nation’s top offensive line unit for the first time in program history. Penix was sacked just 12 times during the 2023 season.

On Day 2 of the NFL draft, Washington Huskies receiver Ja’Lynn Polk didn’t have to wait long to hear his name called.

The New England Patriots selected Polk with the fifth pick in the second round (37th overall) on Friday night, which pairs the former UW wideout with quarterback Drake Maye who was taken a day earlier at No. 3 overall.

“Man, they’re getting a beast,” Polk said during a news conference. “A dude that loves football, loves his teammates. Ready to build. A very eclectic person.”

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Polk is selected in the 2nd round, 37th overall by New England Patriots

Wide receiver, 6-foot-1, 203 pounds

2023 stats: 69 catches, 1,159 receiving yards, nine receiving touchdowns, four carries, one rushing touchdown

What to know: Ja’Lynn Polk spent three seasons at Washington after initially beginning his career at Texas Tech. The Lufkin, Texas native joined the Huskies ahead of the 2021 season, committing to former coach Jimmy Lake, but suffered a dislocated clavicle the first play of his UW career and missed a majority of the campaign. 

The wide receiver chose to stay at Washington under Lake’s successor, Kalen DeBoer, and enjoyed two successful seasons. He caught 41 passes for 694 yards and six touchdowns as a redshirt freshman in 2022, then became the ninth UW receiver to break the 1,000-yard mark in a single season by racking up 1,159 yards — fifth in program history — in 2023. Polk also had 69 receptions and nine touchdowns.

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 a 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.

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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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It was a historic night for the Washington football program, and a historic night for the NFL.

In the most stunning development of the NFL draft, UW quarterback Michael Penix Jr. was selected by the Atlanta Falcons with the No. 8 pick of the first round Thursday night, the fourth of a record five QBs taken in the first 10 selections.

“I’m not gonna say I knew it was coming, but I knew once the phone call came through,” Penix said.

One pick later, UW wide receiver Rome Odunze was selected with the No. 9 pick by the Chicago Bears, marking the first time since 1941 that two Huskies were taken in the top 10 of the same NFL draft.

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With their first pick in the 2024 NFL draft, the Seattle Seahawks selected University of Texas defensive tackle Byron Murphy II at No. 16 overall Thursday night.

Here are three things to know about Murphy:

He’s the highest-graded DT in this class

With an early run on quarterbacks, wide receivers and offensive tackles, the first defensive player wasn’t selected until UCLA’s Laiatu Latu, the former Husky defensive end, was taken with the 15th overall pick by the Indianapolis Colts.

With the next pick, the Seahawks turned to Murphy, who was widely regarded as the No. 1 defensive tackle in this draft class. Some mock drafts had him pegged as a top-10 pick.

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RENTON — There was no trade for the Seahawks on Thursday night.

Instead, by the Seahawks’ own admission, they saw Texas defensive tackle Byron Murphy II fall into their lap during the middle of a first round of an NFL draft dominated early by offense.

And when a player that president of football operations John Schneider said the Seahawks had graded “as the best defensive player in the draft” was still available, they leapt.

Or, rather, they decided to stick and pick, getting a player who was the Big 12’s Defensive Lineman of the Year last season, and judged by many as the best pass-rushing interior defensive lineman — something the Seahawks can use as they try to revive their defense under new head coach Mike Macdonald.

Because the Seahawks do not have a second-round pick, they are not scheduled to pick again until the 81st overall pick in the third round. That gap had many expecting that they would try to trade down to acquire some more picks in between those two spots.

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Our instant assessment of the first round of the NFL draft …

Winner: Pac-12. The first round of the last draft for the conference (as we know it) more than met the moment. The Pac-12 produced the No. 1 overall pick, USC quarterback Caleb Williams, and six of the first 15 selections. When the round ended four hours later, the conference had claimed eight of the 32 selections, one shy of its record (set in 2015).

Loser: Big 12. In its final draft with Texas and Oklahoma as members, the Big 12 managed to produce just three Day One picks — all of them courtesy of Texas and Oklahoma. That said, the Big Ten didn’t perform much better, generating just four first rounders.

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