Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Byron Murphy II is one of the rare cases where a team still doesn't really know what it has in a player after his rookie season.
The No. 16 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Murphy posted 36 total tackles, two tackles for loss and half a sack. That's not entirely fair to Murphy, as his impact extends beyond the stat sheet, but it was not the rookie season he might've imagined for himself.
That begs the question: would the Seahawks still take Murphy if they had a re-do for last year's draft? According to ESPN, the answer is no.
Tennessee Titans offensive tackle JC Latham (55) heads ot the field before a game against the New England Patriots at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. / Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
ESPN put together a hypothetical do-over of the first two rounds of last year's draft, and rather than selecting Murphy at No. 16 overall, Seattle selects offensive tackle JC Latham --who originally went to the Tennessee Titans at No. 7 overall -- in this thought experiment.
"There would be consideration to sticking with Murphy, who was better than his underwhelming stat line (0.5 sacks) suggests," ESPN's Brady Henderson wrote. "But Latham was their other top draft target, and he would have had a bigger impact on a team with an offensive line that struggled while starting four different right tackles. If Abraham Lucas settled back into that spot, Latham could have moved over to guard for the Seahawks."
Tennessee Titans offensive tackle JC Latham (55) enters the field before the Titans play the Bengals at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. / Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Latham, a first-team All-SEC selection at Alabama, definitely had some struggles in his rookie season. According to Pro Football Focus, the rookie lineman allowed seven sacks, 10 quarterback hits and 47 pressures this season. Those are definitely concerning numbers, but the fact that he played on probably the worst team in the league certainly didn't help.
However, this would've been more of a long-term selection than a short-term one. The revolving door at right tackle was a major reason for the Seahawks' struggles up front throughout the season, and having a young player to develop in that spot would go a long way. Yes, Lucas is still young at just 26 years old, but him playing 13 of a possible 34 games over the past two seasons is concerning to say the least.
Dec 8, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Byron Murphy II (91) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
On the other hand, Murphy falls all the way out of the first round in this exercise, with the Los Angeles Chargers selecting him at No. 37 overall.
"The Chargers still need a wide receiver, but general manager Joe Hortiz would have a hard time passing up on Murphy," ESPN's Kris Rhim wrote. "Hortiz prioritizes taking the best player available, and Murphy would surely rank much higher than the available receivers and fill another need on the defense."
This is a two-round re-draft, but the Seahawks didn't have a second-round pick last year as they traded it to the New York Giants for Leonard Williams.
