Seahawks Mock Draft: Texas DT Byron Murphy In First Round

The Seattle Seahawks are working hard to improve their team for next season to take that next step under new head coach Mike Macdonald.

The Seattle Seahawks are working hard to improve their team for next season to take that next step under new head coach Mike Macdonald. New defensive coordinator Arden Durde and his staff will need to utilize the upcoming NFL Draft and free agency to find the best players available.

Seattle's first selection in No. 16 overall in the first round, and NFL.com analyst Daniel Jeremiah thinks Texas Longhorns' defensive tackle Byron Murphy is the Seahawks' pick in his latest mock draft.

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“Byron Murphy, you’ll see him at the combine, he’s probably going to run in the 4.8 (seconds in the 40-yard dash) at 305 pounds,” Jeremiah told Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk on Friday.

Murphy is a second-team All-American who many analysts think will be one of the first interior defensive linemen off the board.

“He’s a little bit shorter, but he is very dynamic,” Jeremiah said. “He’s the best defensive tackle on tape in this draft. He’s a really, really disruptive strong, strong kid. So that’s why I kind of worked on that side of the ball. They’ve got some young pieces I like on defense, but just continuing to add up front I think would be a would be a nice fit (for the Seahawks).”

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Early speculation is that the Seahawks might use the No. 16 pick to select a quarterback to replace incumbent Geno Smith, but that's not Jeremiah's thought.

“I would look at it and say am I confident this is a clear upgrade over what you’ve had in Geno over the last couple of years? And I would say at this point in time, I couldn’t answer that (and be) very confident this is an upgrade over what we already have,” Jeremiah said. “And I think Geno’s window is still open where you still have some good football you can get out of him. I think I would probably go to the line of scrimmage.”