DT Byron Murphy II lands on a Pro Football Focus list that will get Seattle Seahawks fans pumped

Expectations are high for Seahawks' 2024 first-round pick Byron Murphy II.

He was dominant during his final collegiate season at Texas in 2023, earning First-Team All-Big 12 honors and being named Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year. Unfortunately, a hamstring injury cost Murphy three games during his rookie year with Seattle, and even when he returned he was still hampered by it a bit.

Murphy finished his first NFL season with 36 total tackles, 0.5 sacks, and five quarterback pressures. The Seahawks will be banking on him to take a big step forward in 2025, and the folks at Pro Football Focus believe he will. While building their 2025 All-Breakout Team, PFF listed Murphy as their breakout defensive tackle.

From PFF: "Many thought that Mike Macdonald had found his white whale out west when the Seahawks drafted Murphy 16th overall in 2024. After one year, that hasn’t looked like the case, but it isn’t time to panic yet. In Year 1, the former Texas star earned just a 57.8 overall PFF grade with a 64.5 PFF pass-rushing grade. Murphy also played only 457 snaps in 14 games, ceding time to Leonard Williams and Jarran Reed — each of whom returns to the team in 2025. But, there are still a bevy of reasons to get excited about Murphy, including his 70.0 PFF pass-rushing grade on true pass sets, 10% pass-rush win rate and 76th percentile run stop rate. Macdonald helped Nnamdi Madubuike break out in earnest during the 2023 season, which was Macdonald’s second in Baltimore. Perhaps Murphy will follow a similar arc and become a true disruptor along Seattle’s interior in his second season."

Murphy flashed his potential when healthy last year, so it's reasonable to believe that he can put it all together in 2025 as long as he stays healthy. He doesn't need to rack up double-digit sacks, but if he can get to the 5-7 range and consistently get a good push up the middle to open things up for other Seattle pass rushers, it would the Seahawks' defense a huge boost.