Report: Seahawks had trade-down talks with 5 teams before drafting Byron Murphy II

For the fifth consecutive year, the Seattle Seahawks opted to “stick-and-pick” with their top draft choice. It’s a 180 from when general manager John Schneider regularly traded down in the first round, which is what he did in 2012, 2014, and 2016-2019. Without a second-round pick this draft due to the Leonard Williams trade, the outside expectation was that we would see the Seahawks return to their trade-down ways.

ESPN’s Brady Henderson revealed in his Seahawks draft insights article that while the Seahawks ultimately took former Texas star Byron Murphy II at No. 16 overall, Seattle was on the phone with several teams.

In the meantime, the Seahawks were discussing trade-back scenarios with the Pittsburgh Steelers (who picked 20th), Philadelphia Eagles (22nd), Minnesota Vikings (23rd), Green Bay Packers (25th) and Atlanta Falcons (43rd), according to sources. While the Seahawks did not try to trade up with Atlanta to take quarterback Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8, they did field a later trade offer from the Falcons, who were looking to get back into the first round after taking Penix. The Packers bowed out as Seattle’s pick approached, which is why Schneider only referred to having four opportunities to trade back from 16.

The Vikings did trade up to No. 17 to take Alabama’s Dallas Turner. It’d be interesting to know if the Seahawks received this exact offer or something similar from Minnesota. The Vikings didn’t have a second-round pick to offer, so their alternative was giving up picks in 2025.

Another major note from Henderson is that neither UCLA pass rusher Laiatu Latu nor Washington’s Troy Fautanu were on Seattle’s draft board due to medical red flags. Latu was briefly medical retired due to a neck injury when he was at the University of Washington. Fautanu, who was eventually drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 20, had an unspecified knee issue flagged.

For what it’s worth, Schneider said they expected the top six quarterbacks to be drafted before the Seahawks were on the clock, so short of trading up they never had a shot to take anyone. That belief ties into the Sam Howell trade and why Schneider hyped up Sam’s starting experience and the fact that he’s younger than both Bo Nix and Michael Penix Jr.

Lastly, had the Seahawks considered an offensive lineman at No. 16, Henderson reports it would’ve been Alabama’s JC Latham, who was taken by the Tennessee Titans at No. 7. Much like Fautanu, the plan would’ve been to move Latham from tackle to guard. It seems as if Seattle was committed to investing in the trenches with its top pick, and that’s what we saw on draft night.