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The Seahawks had Riq Woolen and Devon Witherspoon competing for Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2022 and 2023, respectively. When the Seahawks drafted Byron Murphy II and, given what Mike Macdonald did with the Ravens’ DL, the former Longhorn was expected to be a top contender for the award.
If you think about it with that high expectation, his rookie season it might sound like a disappointment. However, Murphy missed games due to injury and that impacted his rookie season. But when he returns to the team, he’s been a key part of improving the run game. Plus, he’s left hope for a much better second year in the pass rush, in terms of numbers.
Stats
He was sixth in Defense Grade (58.2) and Rush Defense (54) among DTs. He was fourth in Pass Rush Grade (64.5), with 23 pressures, the third-most among rookies. He trailed only his former teammate, T’Vondre Sweat, with 23, and Braden Fiske, who had an incredible 51 (plus 9 sacks). He was fifth in Run Stops with 17, trailing Johnny Newton, Jonah Laulu, and, again, T’Vondre Sweat and Braden Fiske. He missed just 2 tackles, being the rookie DT with the fewest misses behind Evan Anderson and Elijah Chatman, who didn’t miss any. Murphy finished the season with 36 tackles, two tackles for loss, and half a sack. He also managed just one hit on the quarterback, according to Pro Football Reference.
Murphy missed three games with a groin injury early in the season. In addition to those three full games, Murphy left early against the Miami Dolphins in Week 3 after playing 12 snaps, and in Week 18 he entered the game as questionable with a back injury, playing only three defensive snaps. He still played 49% of Seattle’s total defensive snaps — the third-most among the team’s interior defensive linemen.
He had one snap on offense and received a 60 block grade from PFF for that play. For those unaware, Murphy lined up as a FB on a few snaps in college and has one receiving TD and one rushing TD.
Tape is worth more than numbers
Amazing athlete
He’s very fast and has a good ability to chase the QB or RB. He blows past the EDGE and forces the QB to throw the ball away.
He’s very explosive and escapes the initial block. James Conner runs out of his gap and Murphy goes after him. The Seahawks defense gives Murphy time to get there and make the tackle.
He is very quick coming off the snap and using the swim move to get out of the center’s block. With that, he is able to find his former teammate in Texas, Bijan Robinson, to make the tackle.
It is a challenge to block him with a reach block. He anticipates and escapes the block. Then he moves very quickly to find Antonio Gibson.
Excellent run defender
This is basically his trademark. He puts his knee down to gain leverage and prevent himself from being moved. What make he special is that he can get up very quickly, not only closing the gap, but also helping with the tackle.
The Rams try to double-team him and the OT quickly advances to the LB, leaving a 1v1. Murphy dominates the OL, throwing several yards back and makes the tackle.
Amazing play. He escapes the block with lateral mobility and keeps his eyes on the backfield, preventing Christian McCaffrey from cutting back and making the tackle.
He is moved quickly by the double-team, but manages to recover with good leverage.
Remember that amazing pick six by Coby Bryant, which had a great effort/contribution from Devon Whiterspoon?
It only existed because of this play.
First, notice the alignment. Murphy is in the A gap and Seattle has no one on the first and second levels guarding the B and C gaps and only Derick Hall on D. Seattle was inviting the Cardinals to run through there.
I don’t know why Kyler Murray didn’t adjust the pre-snap play. James Conner runs towards Murphy who manages to defend both gaps and prevent the advance, giving time for his teammates to get to the tackle and force the fourth down.
Potential as a pass rusher
He threatens to attack the inside gap to get the guard out of position and make his bull rush easier. He basically throws the OL into the QB’s lap, who manages to escape the pressure.
Stutter step to threaten the inside gap and make the club+swim easier. Again, he comes out without a sack or hit, but he took the QB out of his comfort zone.
This is his only sack (actually half a sack). He controls the OL and manages to quickly disengage himself to get the sack.
This play is much more incredible than his sack. He wins quickly with a swim move and was blocked by three Patriots during the play, forcing Jacoby Brissett to leave the pocket and creating space for his teammates.
A Torch stunt is a stunt in which interior defensive linemen (iDLs) work together to exploit the center depending on which side he slides to. It is a type of twist stunt, but designed specifically to be used against zone blocks, where the center is expected to slide to one side or the other.
Once the snap is made and they take a step toward the center, here are the rules for reading:
If the center slides to my side, cross the center;
If the center slides to the other side, slant the gap A.
Leo Williams attacks the center and creates space for Murphy. Macdonald is a big fan of twists, stunts, and games. Murphy has what it takes to help with that.
Where can Byron Murphy II improve?
The first thing to do is start turning his good tape plays into pressures and his pressures into sacks.
He still needs to improve his pad level against double-teams. Murphy has difficulty maintaining position when he doesn’t use his drop knee technique.
Final Thoughts
The rookie season is tough for everyone. When there’s an injury, things get even tougher. But it’s undeniable that Murphy’s first season fell short of the high expectations that were placed on him. That doesn’t mean he was a bad choice or anything like that. A leap in quality is expected in Year 2 of his career, and although the numbers aren’t impressive, his tape gives us hope for this evolution.
