2024 NFL Draft, Round 1 recap: Seahawks take ‘best defensive player in the draft’

Byron Murphy II is headed for Seattle.

Round 1 of the 2024 NFL Draft is in the books, and the Seattle Seahawks did stay at No. 16 (despite some efforts to do otherwise, apparently) and make a pick. In the words of Seahawks general manager John Schneider, Seattle got themselves the best defensive player in the draft.

Texas defensive tackle Byron Murphy II was a standout player in college and had a fantastic NFL combine to put him in position to be a high draft pick. Murphy was Big XII Defensive Lineman of the Year in 2023 and provides the Seahawks with some much-needed two-way interior help as a disruptive pass rusher and strong run defender.

Of course, by not trading down (or trading at all), Seahawks fans will likely have to sit tight until the team is on the clock again. Seattle’s next pick is in the third round, having given up its second-rounder to the New York Giants in the Leonard Williams trade. If you’re so minded, the Seahawks have spent their top two draft picks for 2024 on the interior d-line.

The story of the day across the NFL was the offense-heavy nature of Round 1. An astonishing 14 straight offensive players were taken before UCLA edge rusher Laiatu Latu went off the board to the Indianapolis Colts at No. 15. A whopping 23 offensive players (including six quarterbacks in the top 12) were taken on Thursday, an all-time record. That means we should see a run on the remaining top defensive names on Friday.

Round 1 Draft Results

1. Chicago Bears (via trade with Carolina) – Caleb Williams, QB, USC
2. Washington Commanders – Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU
3. New England Patriots – Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina
4. Arizona Cardinals – Marvin Harrison Jr, WR, Ohio State
5. Los Angeles Chargers – Joe Alt, LT, Notre Dame
6. New York Giants – Malik Nabers, WR, LSU
7. Tennessee Titans – JC Latham, OL, Alabama
8. Atlanta Falcons – Michael Penix Jr, QB, Washington
9. Chicago Bears – Rome Odunze, WR, Washington
10. Minnesota Vikings (from New York Jets) – J.J. McCarthy, QB, Michigan
11. New York Jets (from Minnesota Vikings) – Olu Fashanu, OT, Penn State
12. Denver Broncos – Bo Nix, QB, Oregon
13. Las Vegas Raiders – Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia
14. New Orleans Saints – Taliese Fuaga, OL, Oregon State
15. Indianapolis Colts – Laiatu Latu, EDGE, UCLA
16. Seattle Seahawks – Byron Murphy II, DT, Texas
17. Minnesota Vikings (from Jacksonville Jaguars) – Dallas Turner, EDGE, Alabama
18. Cincinnati Bengals – Amarius Mims, OT, Georgia
19. Los Angeles Rams – Jared Verse, EDGE, Florida State
20. Pittsburgh Steelers – Troy Fautanu, OT, Washington
21. Miami Dolphins – Chop Robinson, EDGE, Penn State
22. Philadelphia Eagles – Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Toledo
23. Jacksonville Jaguars (from Minnesota Vikings (from Cleveland via Houston)) – Brian Thomas, WR, LSU
24. Detroit Lions (from Dallas Cowboys)- Terrion Arnold, CB, Alabama
25. Green Bay Packers – Jordan Morgan, OT, Arizona
26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Graham Barton, OL, Duke
27. Arizona Cardinals (from Houston) – Darius Robinson, DL, Missouri
28. Kansas City Chiefs (from Buffalo Bills) – Xavier Worthy, WR, Texas
29. Dallas Cowboys (from Detroit Lions) – Tyler Guyton, OT, Oklahoma
30. Baltimore Ravens – Nate Wiggins, CB, Clemson
31. San Francisco 49ers – Ricky Pearsall, WR, Florida
32. Carolina Panthers (from Buffalo Bills (from Kansas City Chiefs)) – Xavier Legette, WR, South Carolina

Remaining Seahawks Draft Picks

Round 3, Pick 81 (from Denver via New Orleans)
Round 4, Pick 102 (from Washington)
Round 4, Pick 118
Round 6, Pick 179 (from Washington)
Round 6, Pick 192
Round 7, Pick 235