Seattle Seahawks DT Byron Murphy Excited to Join Forces With Leonard Williams, Veteran D-Line

RENTON, Wash. - Since teams often pursue instant contributors at major areas of need in the first round of the NFL Draft, incoming rookies selected in the first 32 picks typically come into the league expected to shoulder the load right away, creating immense pressure out of the gate.

As seen year after year, the weight of these expectations can be crippling for the development of players tasked with immediately becoming stars to justify where they were selected, making it incredibly difficult to live up to the hype. But as he prepares to begin his NFL career with the Seattle Seahawks, Byron Murphy II finds himself as one of the few fortunate first-round picks who will benefit from an experienced, talented defensive line to learn from.

Coming to the Pacific Northwest, while he plans to be a difference-making factor as a rookie, the 21-year old Murphy will have a chance to develop properly without having the burden of being a savior on day one thanks to the presence of seasoned veterans Leonard Williams and Jarran Reed.

"It's a great feeling knowing I'm playing with some dogs on the side of me," Murphy said during his introductory press conference on Thursday at the VMAC. "Being able to play with these guys at a very young age, I know they're gonna teach me a lot, show me a lot, and teach me about the game and how to move on and off the field."

Going into last week's draft, defensive tackle didn't stand out as one of Seattle's most glaring needs. Earlier in the offseason, general manager John Schneider re-signed Williams, who was acquired at the trade deadline from the New York Giants last October, to a massive three-year, $64.5 million contract. In addition, Reed has one year left on his current deal and Dre'Mont Jones will look to bounce back from a somewhat quiet first year with the team.

Between those three players, the Seahawks have 288 NFL starts and 104 combined sacks atop the depth chart, giving them one of the most veteran-laden, productive interior defensive lines in the NFC. Individually, Williams had four sacks and 11 quarterback hits in just 10 games after the midseason trade last fall, while Reed produced seven sacks in a resurgeant season, the second-highest total in a season in his career.

But despite Reed and Williams playing at a high level, Seattle still self-destructed defending the run, ranking dead last in rushing yards, yards per carry, and rushing touchdowns allowed from Week 8 on. With both of those players now being north of 30 years old and Jones entering a critical season after only producing 4.5 sacks in 2023, the opportunity to select Murphy 16th overall was "too good" for Schneider and coach Mike Macdonald to pass up even as other teams tried to trade up and made solid offers to do so.

After taking the call from Schneider on Thursday night, it's been a whirlwind for Murphy, a self-proclaimed Seahawks fan, as he prepared to leave the hot weather of Texas for the Emerald City, which he had never visited before. Soaking in the experience with his parents, girlfriend, and agent in attendance on week later, he was all smiles at podium fielding questions from reporters for the first time.

"The last few days, it's been crazy," Murphy remarked. "Even starting from Thursday, getting the phone call, it was so overwhelming. I can't really describe it, it was like a dream. But when I got the call, I was so excited and happy and really thankful to share that moment with my family."

Excited to jump to the NFL with the franchise he grew up rooting for in DeSoto, Texas, Murphy expects the game to be much faster than playing against Big 12 competition, which he dominated earning Defensive Player of the Year honors and First-Team All-Conference distinction. After being a starter only one year in his three seasons with the Longhorns, albeit a highly successful year in Austin, he knows there will undoubtedly be a learning curve he has to navigate as all rookies do.

That isn't lowering Murphy's own personal expectations, however.

Aside from stating his desire to lead the Seahawks back to the Super Bowl to win another Lombardi Trophy as his childhood idols Michael Bennett and company did 10 years ago, Murphy hopes to win Defensive Rookie of the Year, which would be a first in franchise history. Landing in an ideal place to push for those goals with ample support around him, he believes having willing mentors in Williams and Reed to lean on will help expedite the process as he acclimates to his new home.

"Jarran Reed, Leonard Williams, both of those guys hit me up. They're just ready for me to come down here and they're ready to work, they're ready to work with me," Murphy said.

With rookie minicamp starting on Friday, Murphy will have his first opportunity to don a Seahawks helmet and practice jersey, making the experience feel far more real after arriving at the team facility earlier this week. As Schneider joked, eventually he will have a pen in his hand with a first-round contract to sign, adding another milestone to the start of his NFL career in the Pacific Northwest.

While that will happen in the near future, or at least before training camp opens in late July, Murphy has his sights solely focused on getting off to a quick start with his new team. Once he starts practicing alongside Williams and Reed at OTAs later this month and absorbing as much knowledge as he can from them as an apprentice in the trenches, he plans to hit the ground running as he aims to carve out a significant role on Seattle's defensive line right away.