5 breakout stars to watch for Seattle Seahawks in 2020

1. DE Darrell Taylor

Seattle’s pass-rush department needs a boost, as mentioned earlier. Landing Darrell Taylor in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft could undoubtedly provide that needed boost.

The Seahawks brought back a familiar face in edge rusher Bruce Irvin this offseason. But at this point in the veteran’s career, he’s best used on a rotational basis, which opens up more opportunities for Taylor to take advantage.

After producing 19.5 sacks during his tenure at Tennessee, Taylor arrives in Seattle after the team traded up 11 spots to secure the pass rusher’s services. Even with predicting Collier will be a breakout star earlier in the article, the Seahawks will need another defensive end to step up and give the team formidable pressure.

Taylor finished his senior season with 8.5 sacks while playing with a stress fracture in his leg. The defensive end had surgery on Jan. 30, but still attended the NFL scouting combine. Although Taylor did not participate in any of the on-field drills or workouts during the event, he still left Seattle with a good enough impression to use a second-round selection on him.

The Seahawks even considered drafting Taylor in the first round, which speaks volumes about how the team envisions the impact the defensive end will bring to the organization. Given Taylor’s versatility to play stand-up linebacker, while also being able to be a productive edge rusher with his hand in the dirt, there are plenty of reasons to expect the second-round pick contributes to Seattle’s defense sooner rather than later if healthy.