Defensive tackle Byron Murphy II and two wide receivers — Xavier Worthy and Adonai Mitchell — are now part of 48 Longhorns all-time who have been picked in the first round. There are 13 Longhorns eligible for this year's draft and many of them are expected to be picked during the 3-day, 7-round event in the Motor City.

Hundreds of pro-Palestine protesters were back on the University of Texas Campus on Thursday, but the mood was much different with much fewer law enforcement.

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports Murphy is the third defensive tackle from the Longhorns selected in the first round since 2004. In what could be an historic draft class for the Texas Longhorns, defensive tackle Byron Murphy became the first player selected when the Seattle Seahawks took the strong, athletic interior lineman with the No. 16 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Dating back to the 2004 draft, when the Seahawks took Marcus Tubbs with the No. 23 overall pick, Murphy is the third defensive tackle from Texas taken in the first round of the 2004 draft and the first Longhorns defensive tackle drafted in the opening round since Malcom Brown went to the New England Patriots at No. 32 in 2015. Also notable — Murphy is the first defensive tackle picked in this year’s draft. An impact player. With the 16th pick, we've selected DT Byron Murphy II from @TexasFootball!#GoHawks x @QNTMFiber pic.twitter.com/dR1efjIGo9— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) April 26, 2024 “Seattle got a great one and a guy that can be an anchor on their defensive line for a long time in Byron Murphy. The biggest thing about Murph is the work ethic. He wasn’t the most highly recruited player coming out of high school, but he worked extremely hard, earned everyone’s respect and developed into a big-time NFL first-round pick. He really had a pitbull mentality every day in practice and is a guy who graduated from UT in just three years and has a great football IQ. He is such an awesome person, incredible teammate and was a great team leader for us. The work ethic, drive, determination, and the coachability really stand out with Murph. He’s a disruptive, penetrating type player, so whatever front you’re looking at, he can be a great player for you. With us he played a lot over the center and was very effective at that, but he also got on the edge and was able to get up field, too. The amount of times he put pressure on a quarterback and an offense was immense, he’s a very disruptive, attacking type of player who’s at his best when you cut him loose and let him go,” said Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian in a statement released by the school. “Murph is a really explosive, powerful guy. He’s a disruptive defensive lineman who can consistently make plays on the opposite side of the line scrimmage. His effort and work ethic are unmatched, and that’s how he plays every single snap. He doesn’t take any plays off and has the ability to get to the quarterback. To think he was the second defensive player, and first defensive tackle, taken in this year’s draft speaks volumes about what the Seahawks and everyone in the NFL sees in him, and they definitely won’t be disappointed. Murph is a great one and I can’t wait to watch him in the NFL.” The interior defensive lineman from DeSoto had a stellar high school career as a four-year varsity letterman before choosing to attend Texas, compiling 79 tackles, 22 tackles for loss, 14 sacks, 14 pressures, one fumble recovery, and one forced fumble as a senior. This stat line become a routine occurrence during his third and final season in burnt orange and white. In total, he tallied 29 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, five sacks, and seven quarterback hurries. Murphy was particularly dominant against Baylor as he routinely set up camp in the backfield while recording four solo tackles, three tackles for loss, and two sacks. Byron Murphy with another sack, this dude is a grave digger. pic.twitter.com/h9dG7ciiOt— Nash (@NashTalksTexas) November 19, 2023 As an interior defensive lineman, it is often difficult to translate a strong performance into the stat sheet. For Murphy, it was not an issue — he was able to impact opposing offenses and cause havoc in a manner that was not only apparent on the stat sheet but to anyone watching the game. He routinely clogged the middle on run plays and affected the quarterback on drop backs. Murphy’s disruption garnered recognition from a variety of angles. He was named second-team All American, Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year, first-team All Big 12, and All Texas First Team by Dave Campbell’s. Beyond just his effort on the defensive side, Murphy also contributed two touchdowns, becoming the first Texas lineman with multiple touchdowns and the first since Sam Cosmi in 2019 to score at all. Murphy’s rise to stardom was abrupt and well deserved. His ability to beat guards consistently regardless of the play type was critical to the success of the Texas defense. As an NFL prospect, Murphy’s athleticism is a positive attribute and one that credits to his background as a running back before he grew into a defensive tackle. He possesses quickness, agility, and strength that should allow him to continue to disrupt in the NFL.

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports High praise from one of the greatest college coaches of all time. The standard for every slightly undersized, lean defensive tackle entering the NFL is former Los Angeles Rams standout Aaron Donald, one of the most dominant interior linemen of his generation and, arguably, in league history. That’s exactly the comparison that former Texas Longhorns defensive tackle Byron Murphy earned from new NFL Draft analyst Nick Saban when the Seattle Seahawks selected Murphy with the No. 16 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft on Thursday. "One of the most disruptive players in the draft.""He is Aaron Donald-like"-Nick Saban— Inside Texas (@InsideTexas) April 26, 2024 Former NFL GM Rick Spielman went in a similar direction, saying, “He’s not Aaron Donald, but he’s as close as you can get in this year’s draft.” Football analyst Hugh Millen, a longtime NFL quarterback, also brought up Donald when discussing the pick by Seattle. “There are attributes of Byron Murphy that reminds me of Aaron Donald,” Millen said. At slightly under 6’1, Murphy is roughly the same height as Donald and lean for a defensive tackle at 297 pounds, about 10 pounds heavier than Donald, so it’s easy to see the physical similarities to the two players, which extend to the strength and quickness that both possess. Taken with the 13th pick in the 2014 draft by the Rams, Donald was also selected in the middle of the first round, like Murphy, and was the first defensive tackle taken in that draft, too. Murphy will need some favorable injury luck and to maximize his potential to continue earning mention with Donald as he gets into his NFL career, but it’s certainly high praise for Murphy to earn any comparison to the future Hall of Famer on the biggest night of his life so far.