While some talented linemen have come through, the Seattle Seahawks haven't had a truly dominant defensive lineman on their roster since they traded Michael Bennett to the Philadelphia Eagles six years ago. That dry spell may finally be coming to an end next month, though. That's when rookie Byron Murphy II out of Texas will make his true NFL debut and based on what we've seen so far in the preseason there's at least a genuine chance that he could be something special right out of the gate.
Murphy has frequently drawn double and triple teams during his brief time on the field and he's been described as "unblockable" at times in 1-on-1 drills at practice. That's a similar vibe that Bennett brought to the table as he wreaked havoc from a multitude of different alignments over the years for Pete Carroll's defenses.
Bennett himself sees a rare quality in young players in Murphy, too. Here's what he shared about the rookie in an appearance on Seattle's ESPN radio affiliate today:
"I asked him what he loved about Mike Macdonald. The first thing he said was 'He pushes me, he coaches me. I love to be coached'. I think that's something you don't see out of a young player."
It's worth repeating that there are no guarantees in the NFL, even for first-round draft picks and blue-chip prospects like Murphy. That said, if you aren't excited about what he's going to do out there, we can't help you. Murphy's disruption combined with new head coach Mike Macdonald's schematic genius might just make this an elite defense again sooner rather than later.
In related news, Macdonald told the media yesterday that most starters will play in Saturday night's preseason finale against the Cleveland Browns. Murphy isn't technically a starter yet, but we should get another glimpse of what is to come.
