The Seahawks used their first pick in the Mike Madonald era building up their defensive line, selecting Byron Murphy II out of Texas. Considered the top interior prospect in the 2024 NFL draft class, Murphy is undersized but comes with extremely rare athleticism for his position.
At the scouting combine, Murphy checked in at 6-foot-1, 308 pounds with 32.375″ arms and 10.25″ hands. He posted a 4.87 forty-yard dash, a 33″ vertical, a 9’3″ broad jump and 28 bench press reps.
On the field, Seattle will be getting an accomplished run defender and a brilliant pass rusher with a combination of sudden power and quickness. Here’s what the scouting report from Lance Zierlein at NFL.com had to say about Murphy’s game:
“Twitchy first-step quickness combined with flexion and power in his lower half create a recipe for disruption as a gap shooter or as a pass rusher. Murphy is powerful and well-schooled at taking on double-teams but lacks ideal mass and length for that role long-term. He’s successful at bypassing protection with sudden hands and quick feet, while his motor and passion create an activity level coaches will love.”
Murphy will boost what was already a strong defensive line on paper, having earned strong grades in run defense (80.5) and an elite grade in pass rushing (91.5) this past season. In college he lined up all over the Texas defensive line, so he should be able to earn significant playing time as a rookie.
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