My take: This had to be a meat-and-potatoes draft for the Seahawks in which they found upgrades up front on both sides of the ball. In that sense, Murphy wasn’t a surprise at 16, but the more predictable scenario would have been either a trade back and/or a guard with their first pick, given Seattle’s draft history and need for difference makers along their O-line.
The Seahawks’ rationale must have been that Murphy, widely considered the best defensive tackle in this draft, was too good and too rare — with his excellent burst and power at 300 pounds — to pass up. And another likely piece of that thinking was that a defensive tackle is going to impact games more than an interior O-linemen.
Key stat: Murphy led the country last season in pressure rate among defensive tackles at 12.7%. That was to go along with 5.0 sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss in 14 games. He should also be an impact player against the run, which has been an Achilles’ heel for Seattle the past two seasons while allowing the most rushing yards in the NFL over that span. A new scheme plus a full season of Leonard Williams and a disruptive force like Murphy teaming with him inside should equip coach Mike Macdonald’s defense to be much better against the run.
Will he start as a rookie? The Seahawks wouldn’t have taken Murphy as high as they did unless they were planning to play him extensively right away, whether he’s technically a starter or not. He said the Seahawks view him as a three-technique who can also play on the nose — which he did in college — so he’ll primarily play inside. The Seahawks also have Jarran Reed and Johnathan Hankins there, though Hankins is an early-down run-stuffer. Williams and Dre’Mont Jones both have the versatility to play defensive tackle and defensive end. So Macdonald will have plenty of talent and options up front.
What’s next: Passing on Troy Fautanu — the best and perhaps only realistic guard option who was still available at 16 — means the Seahawks will enter Day 2 with a big hole remaining there. But one reason why trading down from 16 seemed like a strong possibility was because they don’t have a second-round pick (which they gave up in the trade for Williams), meaning their only selection on Friday as of now is No. 81 overall. Will they be able to find a quality, plug-and-play starting guard in the third round? Or could they find a way to trade into Round 2?
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