Byron Murphy selected 16th overall by the Seattle Seahawks in the first round of the NFL Draft
The Texas Longhorns now have 46 first-round picks and 357 NFL Draft selections. Defensive tackle Byron Murphy was picked 16th overall by the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
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A three-and-out player from DeSoto, Texas, Murphy earned second-team All-America honors from a number of outlets. He was a first-team All-Big 12 selection and earned the conference’s defensive lineman of the year honors after tallying 29 tackles, 8.5 TFL, five sacks, and seven quarterback hurries as part of the nation’s No. 3 rush defense. Entering Thursday night, Murphy was considered the top defensive tackle in the class and being the first DT off the board serves as evidence.
Murphy was Pro Football Focus’ second highest-graded interior defender just behind teammate T’Vondre Sweat. Murphy posted a season long defensive grade of 91.1, which included an 80.5 run defense grade and a 91.5 pass defense grade.
At the NFL Combine, Murphy wowed with a 4.87 40-yard dash and a 33-inch vertical jump. He posted 28 reps on the bench press all at 6-foot-1 and right around 300 pounds.
Murphy’s selection guarantees the Longhorns will have first-round draftees in back-to-back years for the first time since the 2009 and 2010 drafts. In 2009, Brian Orakpo was selected with the No. 13 overall pick by the Washington Redskins. Earl Thomas was drafted with the No. 14 overall pick by the Seattle Seahawks. Texas saw Bijan Robinson picked eighth overall in 2023 by the Atlanta Falcons.
Murphy appeared in 39 games with 16 starts, including starting all 14 games in the 2023 season. During his junior year, Murphy made impacts on both offense and defense. He hauled in a one-yard touchdown pass against Wyoming and rushed for a one-yard score against Washington in the Sugar Bowl as part of the College Football Playoff.
In 2022 as understudy to future NFL players Keondre Coburn and Moro Ojomo, Muphy accumulated 26 tackles with 3.0 for loss and one sack. In 2021, he appeared in all 12 games and started one, recording 15 tackles with 3.5 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks. Murphy evolved into a team leader over the course of his career and was often described as the player teammates would want on their side if a fight were to break loose.
A three-time member of the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll, Murphy arrived at Texas with an associates degree from Dallas College. At DeSoto, he broke Von Miller‘s single season school record for sacks with 14.0.
Murphy was ranked as the No. 380 overall prospect, the No. 36 defensive lineman, and the No. 51 player in Texas in the 2021 On3 Industry Ranking, a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four primary recruiting media services.
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On3 rated Murphy as a four-star prospect.
