It seems like the Seattle Seahawks may have gotten something special in first-round pick Byron Murphy II. Sean McVay and the division rival Los Angeles Rams certainly seemed to think so, based on their reaction when Murphy came off the board after they tried unsuccessfully to trade up to get him.
Murphy's traditional stats from his time at Texas were nothing special, totaling eight sacks and 15 tackles for a loss in 39 career games with the Longhorns. However, you don't need to be a draft guy to see Murphy's enormous potential. One need only look at him to see the remarkable power and leverage that he'll be able to generate from his lower half.
That's what stood out right way to observers at Murphy's first practice with the Seahawks, including star defensive lineman Leonard Williams. Here's what he told Seattle Sports radio about the first time he saw Murphy.
"Like you said about his legs, this man has like tree-trunk legs. When I first met him, I was like, ‘Dude, I’ve never seen legs like that before.’ His advantage is he has natural leverage, so on the line, it seems like it’s very hard for them to move him because he has that natural leverage, and his move selections in the pass rush and stuff like that are all like trying to get underneath guys.”
All that lower-body power is transferring into one of the quickest get-offs of any young pass rusher around the league. Just watch Murphy lining up in drills for a few seconds and you'll see how much faster his initial move is than the rest of the group.
There's no such thing as guarantees in the NFL. However, it would come as a surprise if Murphy doesn't land on his feet at this level and make a name for himself.
Together with Williams, Jarran Reed, Johnathan Hankins and Dre'Mont Jones Seattle has one of the best interior defensive line units in the league this year. ESPN analyst Mike Clay has this group ranked second-best going into 2024.
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