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Texas DT The Seattle Seahawks selected Byron Murphy with the sixteenth overall choice.
Since 2004, Murphy is the third Longhorns defensive tackle chosen in the first round.
The Seattle Seahawks picked defensive tackle Byron Murphy with the 16th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, making him the first player selected in what may be a historic class for the Texas Longhorns. Murphy is a strong and agile interior lineman.
Murphy is the third defensive tackle from Texas selected in the first round of the 2004 NFL Draft and the first Longhorn defensive tackle selected in the first round since Malcom Brown, who was selected by the New England Patriots at No. 32 in 2015. The Seahawks selected Marcus Tubbs with the No. 23 overall pick in the 2004 draft. Murphy’s selection as the first defensive tackle selected in this year’s draft is also noteworthy.
“Byron Murphy is a terrific addition to Seattle’s defensive line and a long-term pillar of the group. The work ethic of Murph is his greatest asset. Although he wasn’t the most highly sought-after player out of high school, he worked incredibly hard, gained the respect of everyone, and became a significant first-round pick in the NFL. In practice, he truly exhibited a pitbull mindset every day. He graduated from UT in three years and has an excellent football IQ. He was an excellent team leader for us and an all-around amazing guy. Murph has a really impressive work ethic, drive, tenacity, and coachability. He may be a wonderful player for you on any front because he is a disruptive and penetrating type of player. He was quite productive when playing over the center with us, but he could also get on the edge and get up field. He’s a highly disruptive, attacking type of player who performs best when you cut him loose and let him go. The amount of times he placed pressure on a quarterback and an offense was huge, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said in a statement made public by the university.
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“Murph is a really strong, explosive man. On the other side of the line of scrimmage, he is a reliable playmaker and disruptive defensive lineman. He plays every snap with an unparalleled level of effort and work ethic. He can go to the quarterback and doesn’t take any plays off. The Seahawks and everyone else in the NFL see a lot in him, and they won’t be let down, given that he was selected as the second defensive player and first defensive lineman selected in this year’s selection. I am excited to watch the amazing Murph play in the NFL.
Before deciding to attend Texas, the DeSoto native excelled as a four-year varsity letterman in high school, tallying 79 tackles, 22 tackles for loss, 14 sacks, 14 pressures, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and one fumble recovery.
During his third and final season in burnt orange and white, this stat line became the norm. He finished with 29 tackles, five sacks, 8.5 tackles for loss, and seven quarterback hurries. Murphy was especially effective against Baylor, as he consistently set up shop in the backfield and finished with two sacks, three tackles for loss, and four solo tackles.
It might be challenging to transfer a solid performance into the stat sheet as an inside defensive lineman. Murphy did not let that bother him; he was able to disrupt rival offenses and cause chaos in a way that was evident to everyone watching the game as well as on the stat sheet. He frequently hindered the quarterback on dropbacks and clogged the middle on run attempts.
Murphy’s interruption was acknowledged from several perspectives. Dave Campbell’s team named him first team All Big 12, defensive lineman of the year for the Big 12, second team All American, and first team All Texas first team.
In addition to his defensive work, Murphy scored two touchdowns, making history as the first Texas lineman to score two touchdowns in a game and the first to score a touchdown since Sam Cosmi in 2019.
Murphy gained notoriety quickly and rightfully. The Texas defense relied heavily on his ability to regularly defeat guards in all types of plays. Murphy’s athleticism is a plus as an NFL prospect and can be attributed to his running back history prior to developing into a defensive tackle. His strength, agility, and quickness should enable him to keep making waves in the NFL.
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