Seahawks perfect pick in the 2024 NFL draft just visited with the team
By Lee Vowell
The Seattle Seahawks have less than two weeks to finalize their draft board for the 2024 NFL draft, though even within the draft things might change. Maybe a player unexpectedly falls to the pick number 16 and Seattle chooses them. More likely, general manager John Schneider works a trade or two and Seattle moves back into the 20s of the draft or potentially even out of the first round altogether.
Seattle also has one glaring need in the draft and that is along the interior of the offensive line. Seattle could still find an inexpensive free agent or two to try to upgrade the line, but there is a greater chance that Seattle could take a guard or center. But where those players are chosen is still a mystery.
Many mock drafts have Seattle taking Washington's Troy Fautanu in the first round. The issue is that Schneider has poor-mouthed the guard position of late saying most of the higher-paid guards are overpaid and many times guards are overdrafted. That does not exactly scream that the Seahawks are going to take an interior offensive lineman in round one.
Byron Murphy II could be the perfect pick for the Seattle Seahawks in the 2024 NFL draft
Plus, Schneider might be thinking of taking a player to add to new head coach Mike Macdonald's defense. One player that Seattle has had in for a recent visit might also be the perfect long-term choice for the team. While Seattle's defensive line is capable of being good in 2024, Leonard Williams and Jarran Reed are both past 30 years old and Seattle needs to add youth as well as talent.
This is where Texas defensive tackle Byron Murphy II comes in. He is not the heaviest interior defensive lineman ever, though he is big enough, but he is extremely quick as well as strong at nearly 6'1" and 300 pounds. Murphy ran a 4.87 40 at the NFL Combine and also did 28 reps on the bench press. Both numbers are extremely impressive.
Murphy was the Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year last year and had 5 sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss in 14 games. He is the closest player to Aaron Donald in the 2024 draft. If Seattle wants to go with a player who could play at a high level in his rookie season but not necessarily have to play anywhere near 100 percent of the snaps, Murphy might be the ideal fit. He also would likely grow into an impact player quickly under Mike Macdonald.
Many mocks have Murphy going in the late teens to early 20s in the 2024 NFL draft, however, so if John Schneider wants Murphy, the Seahawks probably could not trade back. The choice of Murphy might come down to whether Schneider values adding more picks over the value Murphy might bring. At least we will know in less than two weeks what happens.