Seahawks sign first-round DT Byron Murphy

Murphy was the first defensive tackle taken off the board in the 2024 NFL Draft and the only one of his position taken in the first round. There was an early run at defensive tackle in the second round with four taken in the first seven picks of Day 2 and seven taken overall in the second round. Thanks to an historic run of offensive players to open the draft, though, only Murphy will be provided the fifth-year option granted to players drafted on Day 1.

The position’s top prospect left Austin after only his first year as a full-time starter his junior year. Over his three-year career with the Longhorns, Murphy compiled eight sacks and 15.0 tackles for loss, with five sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss coming in 2023. His efforts last year earned him first-team All-Big 12 honors and second-team All-American honors. He brings to Seattle an explosive first step and a competitive drive worthy of his first-round draft status.

The Seahawks will likely see him compete for snaps early on a defensive line that returns starters Jarran Reed, Dre’Mont Jones and Leonard Williams, who re-signed with the team after being acquired at the trade deadline last year. Williams is a permanent fixture in the starting lineup, while Reed and Jones both had strong 2023 seasons.

Murphy is talented enough to push for starting time in place of Reed or Jones immediately. Even if he doesn’t immediately supplant one of the two as a full-time starter, defensive linemen rotate more than most other positions based on snap counts and situational matchups. Murphy should factor into the Seahawks defensive front early and often as a rookie, pushing the starters for playing time if he doesn’t become a starter himself by Week 1.