RENTON, Wash. — The Seahawks were among the beneficiaries of a historic run on offensive players to start the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, allowing Seattle to select a player the organization believed was the top defensive prospect available.
Byron Murphy II was the Seahawks' pick at No. 16 overall, although he was just the second defensive player taken in what was a unique first round on Thursday night. The draft's first 14 picks all were offensive players, including six quarterbacks.
The availability of Murphy at No. 16 was such a surprise to the Seahawks, general manager John Schneider never had had a prior conversation with the former University of Texas star.
Here are some things Seahawks fans should know about the team's newest defensive player.
Murphy can make an impact on both sides of the ball
At Texas, Murphy was known for wreaking havoc in the backfields of opponents and giving quarterbacks nightmares ahead of facing him. However, he also got the chance on several occasions to play offense for the Longhorns, even scoring a pair of touchdowns during his final season in Austin.
He caught a goal-line touchdown pass in a win over the University of Wyoming and ran in a short touchdown during the Sugar Bowl on New Year's Day against the University of Washington. Murphy also played running back all the way into his early high school career, so perhaps the Seahawks will put together a package for him on offense this fall.
Grew up a Seahawks fan
Despite spending most of his life in the state of Texas, Murphy II told reporters that he grew up rooting for the Seahawks after being selected by the team on Thursday night. However, that wasn't just something he said to ingratiate himself to his new fan base, as he told Dallas News on Monday that Seattle indeed was his preferred NFL team.
“I used to like the Seattle Seahawks,” Murphy said. “The Legion of Boom era, with Russell Wilson, Kam Chancellor, Marshawn Lynch, Michael Bennett.”
Outstanding athleticism
At about 6 feet tall and just under 300 pounds, Murphy is an exceptional athlete. When he was in college and listed at over 10 pounds heavier than now, he was clocked in as having run up to 18 miles per hour while on the field at Texas. For that along with leading his college team by posting a 455-pound front squat, Murphy was named to The Athletic's Bruce Feldman's annual "Freaks" list of the best athletes in college football.
Longhorn success in Seattle
Since 2010, the Seahawks have drafted two players who also played college football at Texas. Schneider and the Seahawks' front office certainly hope that Murphy will make as big of an impact as the last two Longhorns to be selected: Earl Thomas in 2010 and Michael Dickson in 2018.
Thomas was one of the stars of the "Legion of Boom" Seahawks and played nine seasons in Seattle. Dickson has been the Seahawks' punter since he was drafted in the fifth round in 2018. The Australian-born punter was a first-team All-Pro as a rookie and still has the second-highest average yards per punt of any player in NFL history.