Round 7: Seahawks take S Ryan Murphy at No. 248
May 2, 2015, 3:57 PM | Updated: Apr 8, 2016, 10:50 am
The Seahawks used their final draft pick on safety Ryan Murphy, a cousin of running back Marshawn Lynch. (AP)
(AP)
BY
Seattle Sports
RENTON – The Seahawks used their eighth and final draft pick on Ryan Murphy, a safety from Oregon State who adds depth to an area that has been hit with injuries and attrition.
Murphy was a three-year starter and had a number of different roles in the Beavers’ secondary, playing just about everywhere but cornerback.
“At Oregon State I played up top, in the box, I played nickel a lot this year as a senior. I played everywhere. I played a little bit of dime linebacker,” he said. “So that’s one thing I feel like I am is very versatile and I can play in multiple spots on the defense if asked to.”
Drafting a safety made sense for Seattle with Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas both coming off injuries. Jeron Johnson, their backup the past few seasons, left in free agency, which made safety a position Seattle figured to add to in the draft.
Also of note: Murphy is a cousin of Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch. They’re both from Oakland and attended the same high school, Oakland Tech.
“I’m very close with Marshawn,” he said. “That’s a big cousin to me, family. During high school and college he helped take care of me as far as finding places for me to work out. I even stayed at his house a little bit when I was 16 years old, in high school still.”
