Seattle Seahawks Select Texas DT Byron Murphy II With 16th Overall Pick

Selecting a player who they showed great interest in during the pre-draft process, the Seahawks passed up trading down to stick and pick by selecting Texas defensive tackle Byron Murphy in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

Texas Longhorns defensive lineman Byron Murphy II (90) celebrates sacking Iowa State quarterback / Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman /

With the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft falling perfectly in place with 14 consecutive offensive players picked, the Seattle Seahawks landed one of their top prospects to help shore up the trenches on defense by selecting Texas defensive tackle Byron Murphy II with the 16th overall pick.

After helping the Longhorns advance to the college football playoff last season, Murphy met with the Seahawks at the NFL combine in February and has been on the team's radar throughout the pre-draft process.

Previously playing running back in high school before growing into a defensive line body, Murphy transformed into one of the nation's most dynamic 3-tech defensive tackles for the Longhorns. Capping of his collegiate career in dominant fashion as a one-gap penetrator, per Pro Football Focus, he finished in the top-five in the nation in quarterback pressures among defensive linemen (45) with five sacks, spearheading a Texas front line that served as the anchor for a stingy top-15 scoring defense last season.

An All-Big Ten and All-American performer for Texas, Byron Murphy will now take his talents to an already solid Seahawks defensive line. / Ricardo B. Brazziell/American-Statesman

Statistically, Murphy didn't have the gaudiest pass rushing numbers and will need more refinement to his game with NFL coaching, but the Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year has off the charts athleticism to mold into a dynamic presence up front for the Seahawks. He clocked a 4.87 40-yard dash at 297 pounds at the combine while also posting a 33-inch vertical jump and 111-inch broad jump in Indianapolis.

Murphy will join a Seattle defensive line featuring plenty of proven veterans, including Leonard Williams, who signed a three-year, $64.5 million extension in March. Away from Williams, Jarran Reed and Dre'Mont Jones will also be back in 2024 along with massive nose tackle Johnathan Hankins, while second-year defenders Mike Morris and Cameron Young could be in the mix for snaps in a rotational role.

Capable of playing multiple alignments, including as a big defensive end in four-man fronts, Murphy should have an opportunity to vie for immediate playing time even with Williams, Reed, and Jones entrenched atop the depth chart. If he's able to take to NFL coaching quickly under Mike Macdonald's staff, it's possible he could start sooner rather than later and develop into a Justin Madubuike-style player in a new scheme.