With the 16th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks selected Byron Murphy II out of the University of Texas.
Going into the draft, Murphy was viewed by many as a 3-technique defensive tackle rather than a nose tackle, meaning Murphy would line up outside the offensive guard with the focus on disrupting the backfield mostly as a pass rusher instead of lining up in front of the center to eat up double teams and stop the run.
Murphy proved his junior year at Texas that he could be an outstanding 3-tech at the next level, posting an impressive five sacks and nine tackles for loss.
Although many believed Murphy would play 3-tech with the Seahawks, during his rookie year, he primarily lined up at nose tackle.
While being at a position many believed Murphy would not be most successful at, he still managed to record a respectable 21 pressures and a 64.5 pass rush grade, according to Pro Football Focus.
For a highly-drafted player, some felt Murphy had an underwhelming rookie year, but in a recent interview with the pro posted by Brian Nemhauser of Hawk Blogger, Murphy stated that he will be playing more 3-tech in 2025.
“We talked about it a little bit, supposed to be getting more reps at 3-tech, playing at 3-tech a lot this year more than I did last year,” he said. “So, not rarely playing a little nose, but mostly 3-tech this year. So you expect to see a lot of rushes from me.”
When asked what he worked on this offseason to take the next step, Murphy said he’s been focusing heavily on improving his pass rush.
“The biggest thing I worked on this offseason was pass rushing. That was my main focus. I wasn’t worried about the run at all. I know I can do that, day in, day out, play in, play out. But the biggest thing was really just pass rushing.”
With Murphy returning to the position where many believe he can thrive, and with improvements to his pass rush, he could be in for a breakout season.
