The Seattle Seahawks are a team that reached with their first round pick, but made solid selections as the 2020 NFL Draft went on.
The Seahawks best pick was not their first one in the draft, and they got players with a more immediate impact later on. Pete Carroll will have some projects on his hands, and his genius as a coach will have to be put to work.
The linebacker Seattle took was puzzling. Theu got a tight end that needs work. They also though got players like Tennessee’s Darrell Taylor who can start if need be, and be productive in 2020.
First Round
The Seattle Seahawks could not have been more wrong with this selection in the first round of the draft. They severely reached for Jordyn Brooks, and it could come back to bite them. There was so much more elite talent left on the borad when the Seahawks picked, and for some reason they passed on it all.
It’s a major whiff that fans should be questioning now, and questioning again next season when Brooks still is not on the field. He may be best suited as a career special teams player in the NFL.
Penn State end Yetur Gross-Matos, Iowa defensive end A.J. Epenesa, Houston offensive tackle Josh Jones and Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor were all still on the board. They had all been linked to the Seahawks, and would have been much better options here.
Second Round
Darrell Taylor addresses a need for the Seahawks as no one knows what is going to happen with Jadaveon Clowney. He may end up as the star of the Seattle draft class after a few seasons.
The Seahawks actually traded up to get Taylor here, a player that general manager John Schneider said the team had considered drafting in the first round Thursday night. They waited, made a trade, and were able to get their guy anyways.
Taylor led Tennessee with 10 tackles for loss, including 8.5 sacks, in 2019, with 46 total tackles and four pass breakups in 13 starts. He was a star in the SEC, which is hard to do. Now, he will look to chase down the likes of Kyler Murray, Jared Goff and Jimmy Garoppolo in the NFC West as the Seahawks rebuild.
NFL.com’s Lance Zeilien had a great scouting breakdown of Taylor and his career path in the league.
“He has the strength and leverage to anchor and stand his ground at the point of attack, but he needs to transform from a set-it-and-forget-it roadblock into a shed-and-tackle playmaker. His rush lacks instincts and counters, but he has shown the ability to explode and bend the edge sharply, which will get the attention of NFL evaluators. The toolbox has plenty in it, but additional development as a pass rusher might be the difference between functional backup or dangerous starter.”
Third Round
Seattle bolstered their offensive line with a great pickup here. Damien Lewis was a satrter on a National Championship team, and that experience will help him greatly. He will battle with D.J. Fluker for a starting role for the Seahawks.
“Yeah, he will,” said coach Pete Carroll. “… part of the reason we took him is we want him to come in and battle to play.”
Seattle general manager thinks that a team can never have too much competition across the offensive front.
“Just trying to get as much competition as we possibly can to protect our quarterback,” Schneider said of Russell Wilson. “We think we have the best quarterback in the National Football League, and we have to figure out the best group to protect him.”
Lewis knows how to work for what he wants, as he received no college offers out of high school. He chose to attend Junior College before transferring and starting at LSU. Now he will bring that lunch pail work ethic into the NFL.
“I’ve been overlooked my whole life, I had to take the long route in everything,” he said. “Since Day 1, I always had big dreams. I felt like high school wasn’t my final destination… I had to find way to get me where I wanted to go, so I took the JuCo route.”
Fourth Round
The Seattle Seahawks needed a new player at tight end behind Greg Olsen. They chose Colby Parkinson to be that guy for them. He is a bit of a project, but should earn a fair amount of snaps in 2020. His best asset is his height and ability to create mismatches as a wide receiver.
DeeJay, if he can find a special teams role, should be the backup behind Chris Carson and Rashaas Penny. He has size, speed and a surprising amount of pop, but is overall still a work in progress after making a position change from quarterback. Seattle will benefit from having the ability to let him develop as a runner.
Fifth Round
When day three of the NFL Draft began, Alton Robinson was viewed as one of the best available players. He has a ton of potential and could become a disruptive pass rusher in the league. Robinson needs to develop more go-to pass rush moves though to have a ling NFL career.
Sixth Round
Swain is a speedy slot receiver prospect that the Seahawks are likely hoping can contribute as a return specialist in 2020. He has crisp, precise footwork. Dwain dances and wastes steps ata time, and will need to clean that up for the NFL game if he wants to play as a receiver.
Seventh Round
The Seahawks added one final name to the tight end battle in camp with LSU’s Stephen Sullivan. A receiving threat, many though his teammate Thad Moss would go before Sullivan. He will look to become a third tight end on the depth chart through training camp and the preseason.
Best Pick: Darrell Taylor, EDGE, Tennessee
The Seattle Seahawks got a player with first-round athleticism in Taylor. Some mocks had him as a late first-rounder not too long ago, but he slipped right into Pete Carroll’s hands. He will be a huge piece for them with the uncertainty surrounding Jadeveon Clowney.
The Seattle defense is not what it once was, but Taylor may be a player to help bring that culture back. He is fast and will wreak havoc on opposing quarterbacks in the NFC West. In a division with Kyler Murray, the speed will be invaluable to the Seattle defense.
Worst Pick: Jordyn Brooks, LB, Texas Tech
This pick was so confusing. No one had Brooks ranked this highly entering the NFL Draft, and he surely would have been available later on if Seattle wanted him that badly. The better play would have been to address another need will waiting for Brooks in a later round.
The Seahawks whiffed with this pick, and it’s not even clear how much Brooks will see the field as a defender in 2020.