It's a tricky business predicting which rookies will thrive and which will flounder. Even some of the most-dominant college football players around the country have an awfully hard time adjusting to the speed and the athleticism of the pro level. That said, sometimes certain competitors stick out and appear to be ready to compete in the NFL right away.
Last year the Seahawks got two such players in Round 1 of the 2023 NFL draft, taking Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon and Ohio State wide receiver Jaxon-Smith Njigba, both of whom have All-Pro potential. This year they may have landed another young star in Texas defensive tackle Byron Murphy II, who is considered by many analysts to be the top defensive player in the 2024 draft class.
Over at NFL.com they are expecting big things from Murphy right away. Chad Reuter has named Murphy to his 2024 All-Rookie Team.
"Murphy is a great fit in Seattle as an interior presence who can boost the run defense and use his quickness off the snap to push the pocket. I expect to see a lot of four-man fronts under new head coach Mike Macdonald and defensive coordinator Aden Durde, and Murphy can be effective from multiple spots in that alignment."
Murphy's traditional numbers in college didn't exactly scream future superstar. In 32 games with the Longhorns he only totaled eight sacks and 15 tackles for a loss all together.
The draft is all about projecting future success, though. Murphy's athletic testing (he has a 9.04 RAS score) and his PFF grades (Murphy's 91.5 pass rush grade was the highest among interior linemen in 2023) suggest that he's going to figure it out and blossom into a disruptive threat for the Seahawks.
On film, one doesn't have to squint too hard to see shades of Aaron Donald, an impossibly high standard but also a common comp for Murphy in the pre-draft process.
With Dre'Mont Jones sliding out to the edge full-time this year, Murphy should see significant playing time as a rookie.