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Ryan Murphy: How he fits with the Seattle Seahawks

By Alexis Bravo

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The draft has ended and Seattle has made their final selection. They picked yet another Oregon State  player. This time it was safety Ryan Murphy. Murphy has all the measurable that the Seahawks look for in their defensive backs—long and tall. Murphy stands at 6’3 and weighs a solid 214lbs.

So what should we expect out of him?

Not much immediately, but read on and you’ll see why that doesn’t really matter.

September 27, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Oregon State Beavers safety Ryan Murphy (25) returns the ball for a touchdown ahead of Southern California Trojans place kicker Andre Heidari (48) Trojans during the first half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

He has upside:

It should be noted that in no way shape or form does anyone expect Murphy to make an immediate impact his rookie season, or even the following season. However, what makes Murphy worth using your final draft selection and simply not waiting until the draft has ended to pick him up as a free agent, is that the Seahawks see huge potential in him. He’s considered one of the most athletically gifted defensive backs and one of the highest rated safeties in SPARQ charts.

Seattle has an enormous obsession with elite athletes and considering that Murphy already has all the physical traits coveted by the Hawks and all the skills needed to play at the next level (if he gets the proper coaching to fine tune his skills), Seattle had to pick this guy up before anyone else could. With a few years of coaching, he could be the next late-round gem that Seattle is well-known for producing.

He brings needed depth at particularly weak place:

Seattle needs depth all over the secondary, but no other area needs it more than the safety position. Seattle has had two safeties over the last two years leave in free agency; they’ve lost Chris Margos the last offseason when he signed with the Eagles, and most recently, lost Jeron Johnson to the Redskins this offseason. Meaning there isn’t much left backing up Earl and Kam.

Murphy helps reduce that issue by coming in and being a solid depth player (at least for now). He also serves as an emergency corner, if such a situation ever arose.

Who knows though, maybe he ends up being a corner in the long run. I think he’s more than capable of becoming one. He has everything PCJS look for in corners: height, weight, speed, and decent arm length

Weakness:

When I first saw the pick announced on TV, the people at the NFL Network brought up his highlight reel. I noticed an immediate problem – he has suspect hands. He would drop, as one of the announcers stated, “sure fire interceptions.”

They’re right; he doesn’t have very great hands (I guess that’s why he’s playing defense). He’s had a total 7 ints over his career at OSU and he could’ve had plenty more, if he held on to them.

Final thoughts

While this isn’t a pick for the now, this is a value pick for the future. This could ultimately pay huge dividends after a few years of coaching Murphy up. Remember: Richard Sherman, Byron Maxwell and even Brandon Browner were not amazing defensive backs when each of them came on to the scene. Over time though, those late round (or undrafted in Browner’s case) selections became great corners due to Pete and his coaching staff’s amazing way of developing players.

The worst case scenario here is this – he’s a solid depth move and that’s it. However, his upside tells me that he all the tools needed to become a great defender if someone molds him properly, and Seattle’s coaching staff can and will do just that. I expect big things out of Murphy in a few years.

Overall, this has been a pretty good draft from top to bottom.

Next: Profiles of all 13 of Seattle's UDFAs

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