When Byron Murphy II makes his first tackle, sack or even just play of the game, he enters a flow state, is "locked in" and knows that he can't be stopped.

"… My mindset shifts. Like, 'I know you can't mess with me.'," he said Thursday. "That's my mind going into the game. 'You can't block me; you won't be able to block me.' Once I make the first play or first contact with somebody, now I'm in that mode."

It seems that Murphy has been "in that mode" through the first nine games of the season. The third-year defensive tackle has received praise from both his teammates and coaches for the way he's playing this season.

"He's done a great job," head coach Mike Macdonald said. "He's affected the quarterback he's won his one on ones. He's played off of guys so Murph's playing at a high level still."

Murphy currently leads Seattle with 4.0 sacks and is tied with teammates Leonard Williams and Derick Hall with seven tackles for loss apiece. He also has seven quarterback hits.

"I feel like I'm heading in the right direction to have a good year," Murphy said. "I have to keep doing me, keep working week-in, week-out. Keep trying to get better, keep chasing edges instead of trying to find edges, chasing edges, find little nuggets, and mind games. Always trying to improve and get better. I'm heading in the right direction."

He's already more than halfway to his 2025 sack total when he posted 7.0 for the entire season.

"You see the fruits of his labor on Sunday, but to me the big change is how he's approaching the game," defensive coordinator Aden Durde said. "His confidence is growing and he's taking the classroom and the field practice. 'How am I attacking my situation and when do I deal?' He takes that approach, the information he gives me during the week, it shows up on Sunday and they're exciting things to see."

Heading into Year 3, Murphy had the goal of becoming an all-around more improved version of himself. He wanted to be a better run defender and a better pass rusher.

"I always knew I could pass rush; I knew coming into the league I needed to take it to another level and prove my pass rushing," Murphy said. "It's not a challenge to me at all. I love pass rushing, I love getting after the quarterback, I love third downs. I like playing the run. A lot of guys don't like playing the run, I like doing both. I'm good at both. Just have to continue to be me, continue to stay at it."

He also took notes from veterans Jarran Reed and Williams on how to study film more effectively, the best ways to care for his body, and how to have a better understanding offensive linemen.

"It's just a product of the work that he's been putting in," safety Ty Okada said. "He's still a young player and he's done a tremendous job of continuously just making stride after stride. It's a product of him getting coached up, listening to coaching and just taking that next step each and every time he's asked to do it."

And Murphy is seeing returns on his investment into himself.

"This year, this season, [my confidence is] through the roof," Murphy said. "I'm not thinking about anything, I'm just playing. The game is coming to me. I'm in a flow state to where I can be me, be who I am and just play my game."

So, whether it's rushing the passer from a two-point stance or taking down two offensive linemen with his knee-drop technique, Murphy is slowly knocking off his Year 3 goals, and now it's not only his teammates and coaches noticing, it's also opponents.

"It's cool to see that guys around the league (are) coming up to me after the games and telling me they respect me and respect my game. It's dope," Murphy said.