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.
A four-star recruit out of DeSoto High Scholl in DeSoto, Texas, Murphy was high-school teammates with current NFL receiver Laviska Shenault, and he broke Von Miller’s DeSoto record for sacks in a season with 14. Murphy chose Texas over several other major programs, and specifically after a brief stint of commitment to Baylor.
In 2023, his third season on the field for the Longhorns, Murphy totaled six sacks, three quarterback hits, 36 quarterback hurries, 21 stops, and 15 solo tackles. Despite being double-teamed frequently (251 double-teams of some kind in his 438 overall snaps), Murphy was consistently productive, and put together his best collegiate season.
PLUSES
— Relentless effort through the pocket; had a sack against Iowa State in which the RG threw him to the ground and Murphy got up and got it done. He’s on your ass from snap to whistle.
— Can just forklift dudes when he’s got his leverage together; upper-body strength shows up there
— Has the quickness and lateral agility to hit gaps running back-style and will jump 1-2 gaps and back to do it
— VERY quick feet; he’s prone to throwing WR-level foot fakes at some confused offensive linemen
MINUSES
— Does alright against double teams with rip and swim moves, but I’d like to see him expand his technical palette.
— As all-out as he is, that lack of nasty hand stuff can have him wrestling too often when he needs to disengage
— Might stand to put on a bit of weight; looks a tad light in some power situations
Right now, Murphy is an interesting hybrid player who combines breakneck play with time in which you’re yelling at him to get out of the block. I think he’ll be a good 3T/4i in his first NFL season, with breakout potential as he reaps the benefits of NFL coaching.
Byron Murphy II, DL, Texas
PLUSES
— Relentless effort through the pocket; had a sack against Iowa State in which the RG threw him to the ground and Murphy got up and got it done. He's on your ass from snap to whistle.
— Can just forklift dudes when he's got his leverage… pic.twitter.com/Yl9zjhFx3s— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) February 27, 2024