RENTON, Wash. (AP) — The first draft under Mike Macdonald as the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks had to start on the defensive side of the ball.
And with the run of offensive players controlling the first half of the first round, the Seahawks ended up landing perhaps the best interior defensive line prospect.
Seattle filled one of its clear needs on the defensive front, selecting Texas defensive tackle Byron Murphy II with the No. 16 pick of the first round of the NFL draft on Thursday night.
“To sit here and think that when we started it that we'd be able to acquire him, we'd be lying,” Seattle general manager John Schneider said.
The first selection of Macdonald's tenure bolstered a clear area where Seattle needed improvement and more depth. The Seahawks had veteran Jarran Reed at the position, and the likes of Leonard Williams and Dre'Mont Jones able to play other spots on the defensive line.
But Murphy adds another impactful option for Macdonald to use in his scheme.
“Why I'm a good fit is my play style is very aggressive. Just a very dominant player. I can also stop the run, rush the passer — I'm an all three downs type of guy,” Murphy said. “That's why I feel like I fit perfect in their scheme.”
Athletic and powerful, Murphy was a second-team AP All-American and the Big 12 Conference defensive lineman of the year last season for the Longhorns. Murphy had 29 tackles, 8½ tackles for loss and five sacks as Texas reached the College Football Playoff before losing to Washington in the semifinals.
He also adds to the versatility Macdonald can deploy on the defensive front. The combo of Reed, Jones, Williams and now Murphy can play a variety of defensive tackle spots on the line and pair with edge rushers such as Uchenna Nwosu, Boye Mafe and Darrell Taylor.
“Leonard can play all across the line. So can Byron. We have a lot of guys and that's one of the reasons I'm so excited about it is you're not going to know where guys are going to necessarily going to be all the time. We'll have some really sweet ways to move guys around,” Macdonald said.
The concern about Murphy was his size after he measured just under 6-foot-1 and 297 pounds. But selecting him should be an immediate help in improving a defense that last season was 31st in the league at stopping the run. Seattle gave up 138.4 yards per game on the ground and an average of 4.6 yards per carry in the final season with Pete Carroll in charge.
Murphy's raw strength is one of his biggest attributes and he compares favorably with Baltimore’s Justin Madubuike, who had a breakout season last year with Macdonald as his defensive coordinator. Madubuike had 13 sacks and was a second-team All-Pro last season with the Ravens.
Murphy said he grew up a Seahawks fan, drawn to the team by the defense that led Seattle to a Super Bowl title.
Schneider could have traded down to try and acquire more picks — especially a second-round selection where the Seahawks aren't scheduled to make a pick. But the chance to nab the top-rated defensive player on Seattle's board couldn't be passed.
Selecting Murphy was the first of seven picks Seattle had entering the draft, but won't pick again until No. 81 overall in the third round, a big gap for draft rich in top-end talent and a roster still with needs, especially on the line of scrimmage.
“I'd be lying to you if I said we didn't think about it,” Schneider said about trading down to get more picks. “The player was too good. He influences the game, a lot.”
It’s the second straight season that Seattle held firm with its first selection rather than trading to acquire more picks as became the norm with Schneider for many years. Last year, Seattle stayed at No. 5 overall and took cornerback Devon Witherspoon and did the same at No. 20 to select wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
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FILE - Texas defensive lineman Byron Murphy II (90) celebrates after a sack against TCU quarterback Josh Hoover in the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023, in Fort Worth, Texas. Murphy has been mentioned as a possible NFL Draft first round pick by the Cincinnati Bengals. (Ricardo B. Brazziell/Austin American-Statesman via AP, File)
Four straight losses. The team’s worst run of results for 20 years. Two clean sheets since the end of October.
Those looking at Tottenham to provide a late twist in the Premier League title race are, given the current evidence, going to be disappointed.
Manchester City’s May 14 trip to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, for its next-to-last game of the season, appeared to many the last possible stumbling block for the champions in their bid to reel in Arsenal and secure an unprecedented fourth straight title.
After all, not only have Spurs plenty to play for — they're still just about fighting for Champions League qualification — but they haven’t lost, or even conceded a goal, against City in their four league meetings at Tottenham’s new stadium since it opened in 2019.
Arsenal, though, is surely losing hope of a favor from its north London neighbor.
Similarly, Tottenham fans might be starting to lose hope that Ange Postecoglou is the man to bring a winning culture to the club without a trophy since 2008.
It all started so well for the first-ever Australian to coach in the Premier League.
Tottenham was top of the league in early November, unbeaten and playing the kind of attacking football its supporters always crave. No manager had ever taken 26 points from his first 10 games in the Premier League before Postecoglou came along with a high defensive line and an aggressive, front-foot style.
Postecoglou, it seemed, was the perfect antidote to Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte, pragmatic and defense-first coaches whose spells in charge of Tottenham promised so much but ended so sourly.
Fast-forward six months and it feels like the season cannot end soon enough for Spurs, who are limping to the finish line, and Postecoglou, who is beginning to understand the size of the task he took on almost a year ago.
“We need change. Change has to happen,” Postecoglou said ahead of Tottenham’s 4-2 loss at Liverpool on Sunday. It was a fourth defeat in a row, something that hasn’t happened since those grim final days of Jacques Santini at Spurs in late 2004.
Over the past month there has been a 4-0 loss at Newcastle, a 3-2 home loss to Arsenal when Tottenham was three goals behind at halftime, a 2-0 loss at Chelsea and then the defeat at Anfield that saw a lethargic-looking Spurs fall 4-0 down after 59 minutes.
And this is the team Arsenal hopes can halt the City juggernaut next week?
Tottenham should still seal fifth place, and qualification for the Europa League, because either side of the visit of City are matches against Burnley and already-relegated Sheffield United — the bottom two teams in the league.
Spurs are seven points behind fourth-place Aston Villa and four ahead of sixth-place Newcastle.
It raises the question of whether the first season under Postecoglou has been a success.
Spurs fans likely would have taken a fifth-place finish after seeing England captain and record scorer Harry Kane leave for Bayern Munich last August. With Hugo Lloris and Eric Dier also departing during the season, a huge amount of experience was lost and it's in these tough final weeks of the season where that lack of senior leaders in the squad has been exposed.
It also seems that, as a whole, the fan base is still behind Postecoglou and his refreshing outlook, even if his insistence on sticking to his attacking principles can come across as naive as it is bold.
“I believe what I believe down to my core. I’ll stand on the highest ground, die a noble death, believing in what I believe,” he said.
“Maybe the Premier League is a step too far. Who knows? Maybe, maybe — but I will still be on that hill, wounded, my dying breath saying, ‘I believe, I do believe.’”
Whether Postecoglou will bring more balance to his managerial philosophy next year remains to be seen.
For the moment, Arsenal will just be praying that Tottenham — the team it wants to see lose any normal week of the season — can pull off an improbable victory over City to change the course of the title race ahead of the final round on May 19.
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Tottenham's Brennan Johnson applauds supporters at the end of the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield Stadium in Liverpool, England, Sunday, May 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Jon Super)
Tottenham's head coach Ange Postecoglou applauds to fans at the end of the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield Stadium in Liverpool, England, Sunday, May 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Jon Super)
Tottenham's Pedro Porro splashes water on his face during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield Stadium in Liverpool, England, Sunday, May 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Jon Super)
Tottenham's head coach Ange Postecoglou gestures as he leaves the pitch at the end of the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield Stadium in Liverpool, England, Sunday, May 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Jon Super)
Tottenham's Richarlison reacts in disappointment at the end of the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield Stadium in Liverpool, England, Sunday, May 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Jon Super)
