Midseason Report Card: Seahawks First-Round DT Byron Murphy

The Seahawks selected Byron Murphy in the first round to be a force along the defensive interior. How has he fared so far?

Aug 24, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Byron Murphy II (91) stands on the sideline during the first quarter at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

The Seahawks selected defensive tackle Byron Murphy II out of Texas 16th overall in April's draft. He was the second defensive player taken in the entire draft, after the Colts took edge rusher Laiatu Latu the pick before.

Seattle envisioned Murphy as a tone-setter along the interior of the defensive line. He, paired with Leonard Williams and Jarran Reed would make up a formidable trio on the defensive front. Murphy's ceiling is still sky high.

The Seahawks sit at 4-4 with major defensive issues in Mike Macdonald's first season at the helm. How does Murphy grade out roughly halfway through his rookie season?

Pass Rush

Murphy is yet to notch a full sack by himself. He got half of a sack against the Patriots in Week 2. Through five games (missed three due to injury), he has nine QB pressures with a 69.8 pass rush grade from Pro Football Focus. A fair comparison is last year's ninth overall pick Jalen Carter, out of Philadelphia. Through his first five games last year, he had 23 QB pressures and 3.5 sacks. He earned an overall pass rush grade of 84.6. He eventually finished runner-up in the Defensive Rookie of the Year race.

Murphy has a long way to go to reach the season Carter had last year as a pass rusher. Admittedly, Carter came into the NFL as a more polished pass rusher than Murphy. Still, expectations are high and Murphy is yet to fulfill them as a pass rusher.

Grade: C-

Run Stopper

Ahead of the draft, Murphy was praised for his run defense. Seattle saw him as a way to help sure up the porous run fits. Unfortunately, his run defense grade is even worse than as a pass rusher, at 58.3. He has two tackles for loss and eight "stops" as defined by Pro Football Focus.

For reference, Jalen Carter had four tackles for loss and stops in his first five games. Murphy outpaces Carter in stops but lags in tackles for loss. Carter notched 12 total tackles in that span, while Murphy has 14. Some of what Murphy does is hard to quantify in a box score. He commands double teams, which creates lanes for linebackers to make plays in the run game.

Plus, Murphy missed three games. The Seahawks lost all three and he was clearly missed in the interior when they failed at stopping the run.

Grade: C+

Sep 8, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks defensive end Leonard Williams (99) and Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Byron Murphy II (91) tackle Denver Broncos running back Javonte Williams (33) for a loss during the fourth quarter at Lumen Field. / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Overall

When looking at other rookie defensive linemen, Murphy is the second-highest graded interior rookie defensive lineman, after Tennessee's (and Murphy's Texas teammate) T'Vondre Sweat. Braden Fiske leads all interior defensive line rookies with 21 QB pressures. Murphy ranks third.

Given that Murphy was the first interior defensive lineman taken off the board this past spring, the Seahawks need better than that. However, some of it certainly is not his fault. Are the coaches putting him in the best position to succeed? How much falls on others around him not doing their job?

Fair or not, the numbers simply are not there to say Murphy is having a bumper-crop of a rookie year so far. An injury causing him to miss three games certainly didn't help his momentum.

Grade: C

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