Mike Macdonald on Byron Murphy: 'We're not gonna crown him right now'

Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald got his first chance to work with the team’s rookies during a recent rookie minicamp. That was the first chance that Mike Macdonald had to work with first round pick Byron Murphy, a defensive tackle out of Texas.

Following the minicamp, Macdonald met with media members. There, he shared his initial impression of Murphy and explained that he isn’t being crowned the greatest defensive tackle ever just yet.

“Tough to really, truly evaluate because of the tempo,” Mike Macdonald said. “But just an overall good start. We’re not going to crown him right now, ‘He’s the next best defensive tackle of all time.’ But we’re really excited about it. Shows all the bend and the strength at the point of attack and acceleration.”

Byron Murphy was the 16th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. He easily could have gone higher, except for the run on talented offensive players that happened ahead of him. Because of that, he was just the second defensive player selected.

Now, as Murphy is looking to work on his NFL career, Macdonald emphasized making sure he’s in the best shape possible moving forward.

“Need to get in a little better shape so we can get through a whole practice and fly around like we expect him to, but he understands that just like the rest of these guys,” Macdonald said. “It’s so hard stay in this elite shape the way that the calendar’s set up. So, he’ll get there but we’ll be pushing him in the meantime.”

Mike Macdonald is a defensive coach by trade. So, it’s safe to say he’s excited about having a player like Byron Murphy on the roster. Now, it’s going to be a matter of developing him in the best way possible to get the most out of him in his career.

Byron Murphy on his mentality

One thing that Byron Murphy wants to do in his career is prove his doubters wrong. Because of that, he believes he has a dog mentality.

“My dog mentality, it comes from having doubters,” Murphy said.

“I’ve been doubted all my life. I feel like that’s what started the dog mentality. My mentality when I’m out there on the field is to kill. I don’t care who’s in front of me or what they say about you. I believe you have to show yourself. Also part of my mindset is you won’t stop me. You have to show me that you can stop me. Even if you know what I’m doing on this play, you still have to show me because I’m coming. And I’m coming hard every play.”