Byron Murphy II "blessed" to land with Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks first-round draft pick Byron Murphy II is introduced at a press conference with general manager John Schneider (left) and head coach Mike Macdonald (right) at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center in Renton, Wash. on May 2, 2024. (Ethan McReynolds / FOX 13 Seattle)
RENTON, Wash. - With rookie mini-camp set to get underway on Friday for the Seattle Seahawks, first-round pick Byron Murphy II got his first chance to step inside team headquarters on Thursday, a week removed from being selected with the 16th overall pick in the NFL Draft.
For a Texas kid that became a Seahawks fan from afar while growing up, it was special moment for Murphy to step inside the Virginia Mason Athletic Center for the first time.
"Really just blessed to be here," Murphy said. "Growing up, Seattle has been my favorite team, so just to be a part of this team and this organization, it really means a lot. I'm going to give everything I've got each and every day, 110 percent. I just want to say thanks to both of you guys for trusting in me, believing in me and picking me to be part of this team and everything. It really means a lot. It's a dream come true. Just blessed to be here."
Murphy brought a small group with him to Seattle: his parents, Byron Sr. and Seneca, his girlfriend Maya Hurd, and agent Ron Slavin. They got to join him in meeting general manager John Schneider and head coach Mike Macdonald in the hallways ahead of Thursday's press conference.
Schneider had made a point during the draft process to avoid meeting with Murphy in an attempt to mask the team's interest in him.
"We had a lot of guys in the building that were fighting for air time with Byron like Matt Berry and Ryan (Florence) and Trent Kirchner. They were all kind of arguing about whose guy he was and that sort of thing," Schneider said.
Murphy was the top-rated defensive player in the draft on Seattle's board, but with the 16th overall pick they didn't believe he would be available to them. Without a second-round selection, the Seahawks also didn't have as many assets to try to trade to move up the order to get him either. But when the first 14 picks in the draft were all offensive players, it gave Seattle a chance to get their top-ranked defender in the middle of the first round.
"I told some folks it was kind of like a game of Plinko on Price is Right, just trying to have everything slot out to work our way, and when it became evident Byron was going to be our guy, it was just really exciting in the room," Macdonald said.
Murphy fell in love with the play of the Seahawks' defense and watching Russell Wilson through the team's two Super Bowl appearances.
"I just fell in love with the Legion of Boom," Murphy said. "The guys, just the way they played on defense, guys like Kam Chancellor, Bobby Wagner, Michael Bennett, all those guys, Richard Sherman, and just seeing how those guys play on defense, the way they just set the tone and go out there and just the way they play, that's something I wanted to be a part of, and also, too, growing up, I was a huge fan of Russell Wilson. I loved Russell Wilson as a kid, watching those guys go out there and just dominate their opponent and win a Super Bowl. It was crazy. That's one of my goals. I'm trying to win games and bring a Super Bowl here, as well."
Now he gets to walk the same halls and practice on the same fields as those teams he cheered for from Texas.
"My first time walking in the building, I was just shocked really," Murphy said. "Really shocked, just to see come to Seattle. This is my first time here. I've never been to Seattle, and it's really nice, really pretty, the water and everything. I see all the mountains, the sun is out, good little breeze. It's nothing like that Texas weather. In Texas it gets really hot. I'm just happy to be away from that. But yeah, it was a great feeling, amazing feeling."
Murphy, seven other draft picks, an undrafted free agent class, and some select veterans with minimal NFL experience will be allowed to take part in the team's rookie mini-camp over the weekend. It will be the first chance for Murphy to don his new No. 91 jersey along the shores of Lake Washington.
Murphy wore No. 90 at Texas, but that number is occupied by Jarran Reed in Seattle. Murphy wore the No. 10 at DeSoto High School and elected to go with No. 91 as the two digits add up to ten.
"Just wanted to have that feeling again like when I was in high school because high school is when I first started -- that's when I transitioned to D-tackle because I wasn't playing it at first, and when I first went down there, I was wearing 10, junior and senior year," Murphy said.
Murphy was a running back up until high school, and a linebacker during his early high school days. Murphy said his parents objected at first to his move to the defensive line, but Murphy assured them that he would be successful there as well.
"I was telling them, it's going to be okay. I'm going to do good at that position," Murphy said. "When I first started off, obviously had to learn a lot, but I started learning -- like I grasped it fast, quickly. As I was learning, I'm like, man, this stuff is really simple, and man, I got it down right away. It's been on ever since then."
Murphy was a second-team All-American selection this year for the Longhorns and was named the Big 12 defensive lineman of the year. Murphy had 29 tackles with 8.5 tackles for loss and 5.0 sacks this year at Texas.
Murphy was decked out in Seahawks' gear during the press conference, got to take photos with his new jersey, and will throw on a practice jersey for the first time on Friday. It's made the whirlwind of the last week truly sink in.
"When I put the stuff on, that's when I feel like, ‘Okay, I'm officially a Seahawk.’" Murphy said. "I knew when I got drafted I was a Seahawk, but when I got here, put the gear on, I felt like I was part of the team right away. It feels like family right now. I'm just excited. I'm just happy."