Byron Murphy II Possesses Similar 'Ability, Skill Set' of Seattle Seahawks Ex-NFC West Nemesis

Nobody should realistically expect Byron Murphy II to be the second coming of Aaron Donald, but there are plenty of similarities that suggest he could have a comparable impact for the Seattle Seahawks.

Nov 18, 2023; Ames, Iowa, USA; Texas Longhorns defensive lineman Byron Murphy II (90) breaks through / Aaron E. Martinez-USA TODAY Sports

AUSTIN, Tex. - After nearly a decade of success as a defensive coordinator at Washington, Pete Kwiatkowski received an offer he couldn't pass up from coach Steve Sarkisian, joining the Texas Longhorns in the same role in January 2021.

Since Kwiatkwoski accepted the offer after the conclusion of bowl season, he wasn't involved in the recruiting of prized prospect Byron Murphy II, who flipped his commitment from Baylor to Texas before the coach's arrival and already had signed his letter of intent. But while the long-time college assistant didn't have a hand in Murphy's decision to rebuff the Bears for the Longhorns, he was more than familiar with the player's unique skill set and playmaking ability from the recruiting trail, as the Huskies recruited heavily in the state of Texas.

More than three years before the Seattle Seahawks would invest a first-round pick on the DeSoto, Texas product, it didn't take long for Kwiatkowski to realize he had a special player with the relentless drive to be great ready to be unleashed in his defense.

"I knew about him and knew he was a really good player in high school," Kwiatkowski said in an interview on the Locked On Seahawks podcast. "Very explosive, strong, mature guy for a guy coming out of high school. He was already jacked up physically. When we got here, like any freshman, you don't know what it's going to be like, but we went through the spring and then that next season, he played quite a bit and his explosiveness, his change of direction, and quickness, all of that showed up from the first day he got there. His work ethic on and off the field was incredible. Very focused, mature, motivated guy from the get go."

Murphy wasn't a full-time starter in his first two years with the Longhorns, a testament to the talent and depth on their defensive line more than anything, but he demonstrated his NFL-caliber traits in a rotational role to put him on the radar for scouts. In his freshman and sophomore seasons, he produced modest numbers with 41 tackles, three sacks, and 6.5 tackles for loss, but he also had 30 quarterback pressures in that span, illustrating his disruptiveness.

Putting everything together as Texas advanced to the College Football Playoff for the first time, Murphy spearheaded a nasty defensive line that also featured future NFL draft pick T'Vondre Swift, earning All-American honors and Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year distinction. Though he only had five sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss, per Pro Football Focus, he finished first among defensive tackles in pass rush productivity rating, second in pass rush win rate, and in the top five with 45 quarterback pressures.

Playing extensive snaps as a 3-tech defensive tackle as well as at nose tackle, Murphy also excelled against the run, playing far bigger than his 6-1, 297-pound frame holding up against double teams and shedding blocks to make plays around the line of scrimmage. Per PFF charting, he graded out as a top-20 defensive linemen in run stop percentage and average depth of tackle versus the run in 2023, demonstrating his well-developed all-around game.

"He plays with tremendous leverage and he's really strong. He can hold up at the point of attack," Kwiatkowski said of Murphy's versatility. "He can split the doubles. Obviously, physically he can do it, but he's got the mentality to do that. It takes a different guy to be wired a certain way to be able to get pounded on like that by the guards and centers when you're an interior lineman, but I think he can play anywhere along the line [in the NFL]."

Moments after turning in his name as the selection at 16th overall, Seahawks general manager John Schneider opened some eyes when asked about who he views an NFL comp for Murphy, name-dropping now-retired perennial All-Pro Aaron Donald, who tortured the franchise for more than a decade with the Rams and will be a first ballot Hall of Famer.

Quickly realizing it wasn't fair to compare an incoming rookie to one of the best defensive players in NFL history, Schneider back-tracked a bit from there, making it clear he was referencing body type and athletic traits and wasn't applying the pressure of expecting the 21-year old who has yet to play an NFL game to be the second-coming of Donald in the Pacific Northwest.

"You're asking for the body type, you know what I mean?" Schneider said with reporters laughing in the draft media room. "Getting off the ball, all these statistics we have now, analytics stuff, his explosive rate, he gets to the quarterback quicker than anybody. He has that ability to jump off the ball, get up field. He can play edges. He can play square. He can rush a passer inside. Gets up and down the line of scrimmage. But the body type, I mean, the body type comparison, obviously Aaron Donald is a phenomenal Hall of Famer, first ballot."

When asked to come up with an NFL comp himself, without having any other names come to mind, Kwiatkowski mentioned Donald from a pure "stature" standpoint much as Schneider did, referencing their similar size, weight, and athletic measurables.

Just 21 years of age, Byron Murphy II has plenty of untapped upside yet to fulfill and if the Seahawks properly develop him, the sky could be the limit for him in the NFL. / Ricardo B. Brazziell/American-Statesman

But as he explored their similarities, Kwiatkowski seemed to come around to the idea that while expecting Murphy to have the type of franchise-changing influence Donald did for the Rams would be beyond unfair, his tools make such a comparison worth consideration. Granted time to grow quickly learning on the job from veterans such as Leonard Williams and Jarran Reed, he foresees him having an excellent career in the league on his own accord.

"They're both compact, muscular guys. I don't want to put the cart ahead of the horse there," Kwiatkowski commented. "He's got the ability, he's got the skill set to be similar, for sure, because he's very explosive and quick and can run. He's got violent hands. I think once he gets in there and he starts learning from the guys that are in the league, that have been in the league, I think he's only going to be become more productive as he gets experience at the NFL level."

Compared to most first-round picks, Murphy will be entering an ideal situation in Seattle. The presence of Williams, Reed, and Dre'Mont Jones in the trenches will allow the team time to make sure he isn't thrown into the fire before he's truly ready and just as he did for Kwiatkowski at Texas, starting off in a rotational role may be the best setup for maximizing his success down the road.

At the same time, however, Murphy's off-the-charts athleticism and disruptive tendencies could make it difficult for the Seahawks to keep him off the field out of the gate, and jumping into the starting lineup early would be a great sign that Schneider hit a home run. Few players of his size run under 4.9 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the NFL combine and his explosiveness will instantly create problems for opposing guards and centers as a penetrator, undoubtedly drawing further comparisons to a certain ex-NFC West adversary.

What will be the key for Murphy to come anywhere close to such lofty praise? From Kwiatkowski's perspective, he simply has to improve as a finisher and turn more of his pressures into sacks and quarterback hits than he did at the college level. If he can do that, he should be able to become a household name in his own right, and maybe, just maybe, having a Donald-type impact isn't as crazy as it may have sounded coming from Schneider's mouth on April 25.

"I'm sure he would have liked to have more sacks and more tackles and that kind of stuff, but there was so much production that he got in the way we grade and track production with taking doubles, taking two gaps, keeping guys clean at the linebacker position. It was just incredible how he did it day in and day out. I know the one thing you're gonna get from this guy, he's gonna show up every day with a growth mindset and he's gonna give everything he's got and I think he's gonna be a really good pro."