Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Byron Murphy II (91) celebrates a sack of Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward (1) during the second quarter at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Seahawks get positive 2024 draft grade in retrospect

Originally posted on Seattle Seahawks on SI
By Dan Viens | Last updated Nov 25, 2025 12:42 PM ET

Every year leading up to the NFL draft we debate, discuss, analyze and argue about the value of certain prospects - and then we grade. Always the grading.

And while immediate post-draft grades are mostly an exercise in futility (I mean how can we really know how well a player is going to develop over time, let alone fit in his new professional environment) there's a huge demand for that sort of content and frankly, it's fun.

For obvious reasons, retrospective grades are much more based in reality. And while they aren't always a clear indicator of what a player's ultimate future will be - more data means more clarity. Sometimes it reveals a trend toward bust status, while other times begging the question of why so many teams passed over a budding superstar.

In the case of the Seattle Seahawks and defensive tackle Byron Murphy II, it appears their 2024 first round draft pick is turning out to be exactly as good as most had projected.

Ryan Wilson of CBS Sports went back and re-graded each first round pick in the 2024 draft, and gave the Seahawks a solid B+ for their choice of Murphy with the 16th selection.

Even though Murphy had just a half-sack in 2024, he finished third among rookie defensive linemen in pressures and led rookies at his position in pass-rush win-rate.

He's been much more disruptive this season, as evidenced by his 6.0 sacks so far, which is No. 1 among all defensive linemen. He's also the Seahawks' best run defender and certainly feels like a perfect piece in Mike MacDonald's dominant defense.Ryan Wilson, CBS Sports

Murphy has already eclipsed all of his rookie statistical production in fewer games than he played in 2024. In just 11 games in 2025, the former Texas Longhorn has compiled 43 total tackles, including 14 solo stops, and six tackles for loss. Compare this to his 36/8/2 line from his rookie season (in 14 games) and you can see his growth translating to production.

Heading into the 2024 draft, defensive tackle was a need for the Seahawks. It wasn't a lock that Murphy would fall as far at No. 16, but a record-setting run on QB's (six taken in the first 12 selections) pushed Murphy down the board.

No one is more thankful than Seattle head coach Mike Macdonald, as Murphy has been a key cog in his at-times dominant defense in 2025. And at the still-ripe-age of 23, there's still a ton of upside yet to be unlocked for Murphy and the Seahawks.

Perhaps when we look back and re-grade the 2024 draft again in a few years, this pick will be a resounding A+.

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This article first appeared on Seattle Seahawks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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