Somehow, the Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year and First-team All-Big 12 in 2023 fell to the Seattle Seahawks. Byron Murphy, who could’ve been an option for the Bears or Falcons in the top ten, goes to the in the middle of the first round.
The Seahawks needed this position for the longest time and while they had needs on the interior of the offensive line, they addressed their run defense and pass rush first with this pick.
Murphy could have All-Pro potential for a defense that had major issues and had to be better in 2024. The ceiling is there, as he could be the next defensive tackle to win the Defensive Rookie of the Year accolade after this season.
Seattle Seahawks: Byron Murphy Potential Steal at 16
A similarly rated prospect in the 2023 NFL Draft to Murphy, Jalen Carter is a prime example of someone with a close enough profile. Drafted by the Eagles with the 9th overall pick, he was on a stacked pass rush unit in Philadelphia and ended the year with six sacks in 2023.
Although the former Georgia defensive tackle didn’t win, he was the runner-up to Alabama’s Will Anderson, who finished the year with seven sacks with the Houston Texans this past season.
Right now, Byron Murphy is behind two or tied with a third edge rusher and two cornerbacks are ahead of him on the list. They have Alabama’s Dallas Turner at the top, with UCLA’s Laitu Latu, Florida State’s Jared Verse, Alabama’s Terrion Arnold, and Toledo’s Quinyon Mitchell next to Murphy.
Many considered the 6’1″ and 308-pound defensive tackle as a top defensive player in this draft, potentially sneaking into the top ten but fell to the teens due to teams needing quarterbacks and the offensive as the strength of this draft.
This was a picture-perfect fit, as the Seattle Seahawks needed a trench player desperately and someone who could hold his own on the interior of the defensive line under new head coach Mike Macdonald.
Former Ravens defensive coordinator Macdonald gets his own younger, more athletic but rawer version of what he had with Justin Madubuike in Baltimore.
Seattle Seahawks: Byron Murphy DROY Odds?
All the major sports books including DraftKings and Fanduel have Byron Murphy just outside of the top five or ranked fifth for defensive rookie of the year odds, according to SportsBettingDime.
Although he was the second defensive player taken right after Latu, who was drafted by Indianapolis at 15th overall, the Colts edge rusher has the 2nd best odds at +500 and +550. This is right behind Vikings’ Turner, who Minnesota traded up for at 17th overall at +400 and +430.
Los Angeles Rams edge rusher Verse round out the top three as the 19th overall pick, as he has +1100 and +1200 odds with two corners behind him. Detroit Lions corner Arnold (24th overall) and Eagles corner Mitchell (22nd overall) are neck and neck with Murphy, but both have +1100 and +1200 odds while the Texas defensive tackle is currently +11300 and +1400 to be defensive rookie of the year.
All it would take is a bit of luck in terms of production, as Murphy had five sacks as a 21-year-old junior starter this past season for the Longhorns.
The Los Angeles Rams legend Aaron Donald, who retired this offseason, has been the outlier, being the last one to win as a defensive tackle in 2014. The former All-Pro and Pro-Bowler his rookie season had nine sacks as a rookie and that hasn’t been done since.
However, with the veterans around like Leonard Williams, Dre’Mont Jones, Jarran Reed, and Johnathan Hankins, maybe Murphy can be the focal point on that Seahawks defensive line and get better one-on-one opportunities than normal.
His specialty is as a versatile pass-rush specialist, an anchor in the run game, and an interior penetrator and disruptor on the line of scrimmage.
Seattle Seahawks: Byron Murphy Team Odds 2024
According to Fanduel, the Seahawks have a 0.5% chance of winning the Super Bowl and a 23.8% making the playoffs, based on their moneyline odds.
They are ranking 17th in the NFL, around the league-average odds of winning the Super Bowl for the Seattle Seahawks in 2024.
This is lower than their other NFC opponents, like the Chicago Bears at 56.5% chance at a playoff berth and the Atlanta Falcons at 73.3%, two teams that also didn’t sniff the postseason last year.
This is according to multiple sports books like BetOnline with the trending Bears making the playoffs at -130 and the favorite Falcon’s odds of doing so ranging from -265 and -275 (BetRivers and BetMGM) to Draftkings at -300.
The Seahawks drafted a tone-setter for the middle of the defense in round one, while the Bears jump-started their offense with a franchise quarterback and receiver in the top ten. The Falcons made the most shocking pick, drafting their quarterback of the future despite signing a big-name free-agent veteran at the position.
Despite turnover with all three teams, Atlanta has the fourth-best odds to snap their playoff drought (2017) compared to Chicago (2020) and Seattle (2022).
While sacks, pass breakups, or interceptions are often commonly used to determine this award, I think Murphy has the potential to have good statistics and be just as productive on the field to back that up.
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