NFL Mock Draft: Seahawks Select 'Disruptive' Texas DT Byron Murphy

NFL Mock Draft: Seattle Seahawks Select 'Disruptive' Texas Longhorns DT Byron Murphy

The Seattle Seahawks have had some memorable and franchise-altering draft picks over the last 14 years, but the first one they make this April in the 2024 NFL Draft will hold its own special kind of meaning,

The pick will mark the first Seattle will make in the post-Pete Carroll era. The new head coach and general manager John Schneider will want to get it right.

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In a recent mock draft from The Athletic, hitting on this pick is predicted to come in the form of Texas Longhorns defensive lineman Byron Murphy II at the No. 16 overall selection in the first round. 

Seahawks fans that double as Washington Huskies fans in the Seattle area are likely familiar with Murphy. He and the Longhorns played Washington in back-to-back seasons, including in the College Football Playoff at the Sugar Bowl on New Year's Day. The Huskies beat Murphy's Longhorns, 37-31.

The game marked the end of Murphy's collegiate career, but he still finished with a bang. He scored a one-yard rushing touchdown against Washington, adding to a career that featured 68 total tackles, 15 tackles for loss, eight sacks, one touchdown catch and one touchdown run.

Murphy helped spearhead an elite Texas rushing defense that allowed the fourth-fewest rushing yards per game (80.8) this past season.

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Here's what The Athletic's mock draft had to say about Seattle's selection of Murphy:

"Disruptive against both run and pass, Murphy had the best pass-rush win percentage (19.6) among all interior linemen in 2023 (no other DT was above 17.0 percent). He will get dinged by some for a lack of ideal length, but then he’ll run in the mid-4.7s at 300 pounds and provide a reminder that he is different."

The 2024 NFL Draft begins in Detroit on Thursday, April 25.