Huard grades rookie season for Seahawks’ Bryon Murphy II
Dec 25, 2024, 4:11 PM | Updated: Dec 26, 2024, 8:50 am
Byron Murphy II of the Seattle Seahawks lines up against the LA Rams on Nov. 3, 2024. (Rio Giancarlo/Getty Images)
(Rio Giancarlo/Getty Images)
The Seattle Seahawks looked to have a steal in the 2024 NFL Draft with their first-round pick, Byron Murphy II.
Check-In: Where Seahawks stand with postseason path narrowed
Even though the Hawks didn’t pick until No. 16 overall, the picks ahead of them fell in such a way that Seattle ended up taking the just the second defensive player off the board.
Now that the Seahawks have just two games to go, how has the rookie season gone for the defensive tackle out of Texas? Seattle Sports’ Brock Huard shared his view this week during the daily Blue 88 segment on Brock and Salk.
First, here are some facts on Murphy’s campaign. He’s played 12 games with eight starts, having missed three weeks early in the season with a hamstring injury. His totals on the stat sheet don’t jump out much with two tackles for loss, a QB hit, 34 combined tackles and just 0.5 sacks (a number that would be higher had he not been flagged for a facemask that negated a sack against Minnesota last Sunday). But at 6-feet and 306 pounds, Murphy’s impact can be felt simply because of how often he commands double-teams from opposing offensive lines.
According to Huard, that translates to a season that’s been “good, not great.”
Here’s the rest of what Huard had to say:
“He commands as many double-teams as anybody in the league, much more than any other rookie is getting. He’s in that position to take on those double teams, to free up Leonard Williams and free up those linebackers, and I’m not going to minimize that. It’s one of the hardest things to judge and evaluate because it shows a zero on a stat sheet. And most of us, even those who’ve been around football, don’t always know exactly what his assignment is. The fact that he’s getting as much run as he is, playing as much as he is, tells me that he’s developed and gained trust of that staff. So I’m not going to say he’s been a non-factor, because I don’t think that’s fair with the job that’s asked of him.
“But splash plays, difference-making plays, it feels like he’s just a step or a half-step (late). He’s certainly hitting guys and getting to the quarterback and affecting (the play), but everything has just been about a half-step away, which is why he’s got half a sack on the entire season this year. So you I think wanted a little more impact out of the No. 16 pick in the draft – seemingly the one that everybody wanted in war rooms all across the league. I would say good, but I’d have a hard time saying he’s been great this season.”
Hear Brock Huard answer three football questions during the daily Blue 88 segment at 7:45 a.m. on Brock and Salk. Catch a new episode of Brock and Salk live from 6-10 a.m. weekdays on Seattle Sports 710 AM, the Seattle Sports app and SeattleSports.com, and find podcasts of every full show at this link or by subscribing on your favorite podcast app.
More on the Seattle Seahawks
• Injury Report: Seattle Seahawks’ status before playing Bears
• Brock Huard: Seahawks have a position on D they need to address
• What’s the weather for Seahawks’ first game vs. Bears since snow bowl?
• Bump dives into nuances of Seahawks’ play-calling debate
• Brock: Why it’s so hard to evaluate Seattle Seahawks’ Geno Smith
