Seahawks Surprise, Select LB Jordyn Brooks with Pick No. 27
Throughout his tenure as general manager of the Seahawks, John Schneider hasn't been afraid to make surprise selections in the first round, as evidenced by his selections of running back Rashaad Penny and defensive end L.J. Collier in the past two years.
Making his latest unexpected selection on Thursday night, Seattle stayed put at its native first-round selection for the first time since 2011, using the No. 27 overall pick on Texas Tech linebacker Jordyn Brooks.
An All-Big 12 selection in all four of his seasons on campus, Brooks racked up 360 tackles for the Red Raiders. Despite missing time with a shoulder injury, he finished with 108 tackles and 20 tackles for loss in just 11 games as a senior, earning Second-Team All-American honors in 2019.
The Seahawks looked to be set at linebacker heading into this year's draft with Bobby Wagner heading into the first year of an extension he signed last summer along with veteran K.J. Wright and second-year linebacker Cody Barton. This selection may put Wright's future in question, as Brooks is best suited to play inside as a downhill run defender and would likely play weakside linebacker in Seattle.
There's also the possibility Brooks could be used at strongside linebacker, as he finished with 3.0 sacks last year and has the ability to rush off the edge. However, he only had two interceptions and six passes defensed in coverage at Texas Tech, so that may not be the most ideal fit.
Seattle apparently had its sights set on Brooks the whole time, bypassing on the opportunity to select a defensive end such as Yetur Gross-Matos out of Penn State or AJ Epenesa out of Iowa, who both remained available. The inability to find a trade down partner forced them to sit put and pick the best player available.
Just one pick earlier, Green Bay leapfrogged them in a trade with Miami and stunningly picked quarterback Jordan Love, which put Schneider in a bind trying to move back. Without a viable offer, he opted to take the athletic linebacker instead, setting up an interesting day two with two second round selections on Friday.
