Seahawks Pre-Draft Position Review: Defensive End/EDGE

Since the offseason started earlier than anticipated in mid-January, the Seahawks have emphasized the need to improve their pass rush after finishing near the bottom of the NFL in sacks and pressure percentage last season.

Among several notable moves made to address that concern in recent months, Seattle first elevated long-time defensive line coach Clint Hurtt to defensive coordinator to replace Ken Norton Jr. in February. With his promotion and the subsequent hire of associate head coach Sean Desai, who coached with Hurtt under Vic Fangio in Chicago, the team will be shifting towards more 3-4 looks with two overhanging hybrid linebackers rather than traditional 4-3 defensive ends.

Seeking personnel upgrades to match the impending scheme change, the Seahawks released veterans Carlos Dunlap, Kerry Hyder, and Benson Mayowa in cost-cutting moves. Early in free agency, in a slight departure from how they've handled business in the past, they signed ascending rusher Uchenna Nwosu to a two-year, $19.05 million deal to help fill the void, pairing him with returning starter Darrell Taylor.

With only five days until the Jaguars officially go on the clock in Las Vegas, how does the Seahawks defensive end/EDGE group look at the moment? And what moves could come next to continue improving their pass rush as they shift to a 3-4 defense?

Starters: Darrell Taylor, Uchenna Nwosu

Coming off a lost rookie season in which he didn't play a single snap due to multiple setbacks recovering from leg surgery, Taylor won the starting SAM linebacker job in training camp and got off to a quick start. In the first six games, he generated 4.0 sacks, three tackles for loss, and six quarterback hits, emerging as Seattle's best edge rusher. But after suffering a scary next injury in a Week 6 loss to Pittsburgh, his production took a nose dive in the second half, as he only recorded 2.5 sacks and seven quarterback hits over his final 10 games played.

Considering he was playing in his pseudo-rookie campaign, however, the Seahawks couldn't have been happier with the production they received from Taylor and after leading the team in quarterback pressures last season, they expect him to make a major leap in 2022. Transitioning towards more 3-4 looks should benefit him, as he played a similar role at Tennessee and like Bruce Irvin before him, he's comfortable dropping back into coverage. He will need to hold up better at the point of attack defending the run after receiving a dismal 47.1 grade from Pro Football Focus, but with him only scratching the surface of his potential as a rusher, he has a chance to break out in his third season.

At the other hybrid outside linebacker/defensive end spot, the 25-year old Nwosu also looks primed to see his numbers spike after setting career-bests with 5.0 sacks and 40 quarterback pressures for the Chargers last season. Citing the Seahawks' 3-4 defense as one of the reasons why he signed with the team in free agency in March, his speed and burst off the edge should cause problems for opposing tackles and like Taylor, he has ample experience dropping into coverage, which will make it tougher for opponents to know which one is coming after the quarterback snap-to-snap.

Backups: Alton Robinson, Aaron Donkor, Alex Tchangham

While the Seahawks rightfully have confidence in the duo of Taylor and Nwosu being excellent fits in their new scheme as overhang hybrid defenders, they have serious depth and experience concerns behind them. Following the departures of Dunlap and Mayowa, they only have one player on the depth chart - Robinson - who has played a single NFL regular season snap.

Robinson, a fifth-round pick out of Syracuse in 2020, has flashed as a pass rusher in brief spells but took a step back last year with only a single sack and three quarterback hits in 16 games. As a rookie, he produced 4.0 sacks on only 336 defensive snaps and came through with several clutch plays. Unfortunately, he hasn't been able to carve out a consistent role in the rotation and while he dropped back in coverage some last season, he's not a natural in that aspect, creating questions about his fit at the position. Nonetheless, the team will be counting on him to play a far greater role spelling Taylor and Nwosu in his third season.

Away from Robinson, Donkor spent all of last season on Seattle's practice squad after being allocated to the franchise as part of the NFL's International Player Pathway Program. He possesses intriguing athletic tools, but after playing only one season of college football at Arkansas State, he remains extremely raw and asking for him to contribute outside of special teams may be a reach. The same could be said for Tchangham, who bounced on and off the practice squad last year and didn't dress for any regular season games.

What's Next?

With the offseason program underway, Taylor and Nwosu look poised to start for Seattle once September arrives and the pair of athletic, ascending rushers could be perfect fits for what Hurtt wants to do defensively this year. But with only Robinson offering game experience behind them, the front office must bolster the group by adding talent quarterback hunters through the draft and post-draft free agency.

Holding a pick inside the top-10 for the first time in 12 years, while unlikely, Schneider could potentially get lucky and have a blue chip prospect such as Oregon's Kayvon Thibodeaux or Georgia's Travon Walker fall to him at No. 9 overall. Florida State edge Jermaine Johnson could be another intriguing option worth considering with that selection or if he's still available after a trade down. All three of those players have the talent and athleticism to push Taylor and Nwosu for snaps right away and could be immediate difference makers.

The good news? If Seattle doesn't pick an EDGE defender in the first round, this year's draft class features quality depth at the position and Schneider should have no shortage of options when the team picks back-to-back at 40 and 41 overall in the second round. Among those who could still be on the board, Minnesota's Boye Mafe came to the VMAC for a top-30 visit recently and Penn State's Arnold Ebiketie met with the team at the NFL combine. Mississippi's Sam Williams and USC's Drake Jackson could also be options at that stage of the draft.

As far as free agency goes, Schneider hasn't ruled out the possibility of bringing back Dunlap after the draft. While he doesn't necessarily fit a 3-4 scheme, the Seahawks will still run a fair amount of four-man fronts, particularly on passing downs in nickel and dime packages. At this stage of his career, as evidenced by his late surge with 8.0 sacks in the final six games a year ago, he could still be dangerous utilized as a situational rusher. The team also recently met with 11-year veteran Mario Addison, who has prior experience playing in both 4-3 and 3-4 defenses and has produced at least 5.0 sacks in eight straight seasons.