Seahawks 2022 Combine Confidential: Linebackers

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - While coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider did everything in their power to extinguish lingering trade rumors regarding Russell Wilson at the NFL Scouting Combine this week, the same can't necessarily be said in regard to their response on the future of another Seahawks legend.

Coming off another All-Pro-caliber season with 170 tackles, Bobby Wagner remains one of the best inside linebackers in the NFL. But set to turn 32 years old this summer, he has shown signs of athletic decline, particularly in coverage, and his $20.35 million cap hit for 2022 has created speculation about whether or not Seattle will keep him at that price point.

When asked about Wagner's status on Wednesday, Carroll indicated that he expects Wagner will be back in 2022, but his response suggested his return for an 11th season wasn't necessarily guaranteed and the team likely is working on adjusting his deal behind the scenes.

“We love playing with Bobby," Carroll told reporters. "He’s been a great player, another great season. At this time of year, there’s a lot of guys that are in the position where we got to figure out where everybody fits together, and Bobby’s been such a steady part of it. We’d love to be able to play with him, so we’ll work towards that. If we can do that, we’ll do it.”

Given Wagner's contributions to the franchise, the Seahawks clearly face a difficult decision on his future if he isn't willing to sign an extension or take a pay cut to lower his cap hit. If the two sides can't reach an agreement, with Jordyn Brooks emerging as one of the best young linebackers in the game, cutting the legend to save more than $16 million against the cap remains on the table.

Whether or not Wagner returns, considering his age and tread on his tires, the Seahawks have to be looking towards the future without him and also have questions at the SAM linebacker spot. With Cody Barton and Ben Burr-Kirven entering the final year of their rookie deals, long-term starters at both spots may not even be on the roster yet, making linebacker a significant need long-term heading into the offseason.

Here's a look at eight linebackers who participated in this week's combine who could be on Seattle's radar as targets in the upcoming 2022 NFL Draft:

SAM (Strongside)

Darrian Beavers

One of the pillars of Cincinnati's fifth-ranked defense that led the program to a College Football Playoff berth last year, Beavers capped off an excellent collegiate career with a career-high 98 tackles, 4.0 sacks, and 11 tackles for loss while seeing more snaps near the line of scrimmage. In previous seasons, he excelled as an off-ball linebacker for the Bearcats, as he picked off a pair of passes along with racking up 58 tackles in just 10 games in 2020.

While Beavers could stand to add a bit more muscle to his 6-foot-4, 237-pound frame to play the role, he's a thumper who has enough length, physicality, and pass rushing upside to thrive as a strongside linebacker in the league. Built with a thick, powerful lower body, he showed he could take on/shed blocks to make plays as an edge setter against the best competition, including starring in a loss against Alabama with 10 tackles. He also registered a sack in that game, proving himself capable of inflicting damage as a blitzer. Athleticism concerns make it unlikely he will be an off-ball 'backer, but he has a chance to be an excellent SAM at the next level.

Nik Bonitto

Built with a lean, cut 6-foot-3, 240-pound frame, Bonitto thrived as an undersized edge defender at Oklahoma. Playing with an always-hot motor, he racked up 16.0 sacks and 26.5 tackles for loss during his final two collegiate seasons, terrorizing quarterbacks on his way to back-to-back Second-Team All-Big 12 selections.

A complete package athletically, Bonitto possesses excellent speed, agility, and quickness and uses those tools effectively to do damage as an upfield rusher off the edge as well as stunting inside to penetrate the B-gap. Compensating for his lack of size, he plays with sound hand technique and has developed a wide array of counters to help disengage from blocks and collapse the pocket. Adding weight will be critical to his chances of being more than a situational rusher, however, as he can get swallowed up by tackles and doesn't exhibit necessary play strength to set the edge. Comparing favorably to Haasan Reddick, he should be valued as an overhang rusher in Seattle's hybrid front.

Amare Barno

Production-wise, Barno's numbers went down across the board in his final season at Virginia Tech, as he only produced 3.5 sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss in 10 games after enjoying a strong junior season with 6.5 sacks and 16 tackles for loss in 2020. But he's a former All-ACC performer who has flashed elite athletic and physical traits in spurts at the college level primarily playing defensive end.

As illustrated by his 4.36-second 40-yard dash time, the 246-pound Barno has rare explosiveness for a player at his position and the majority of his sacks came on upfield rushes where he won with speed. Although he spent the majority of his time rushing the passer, the Hokies deployed him as a spy in several games and he has prior experience dropping back into coverage. His inconsistencies taking on and disengaging from blocks as well as finishing tackles may create concerns about his viability as an every down defensive end in the NFL, but his athletic traits and size could lead to success as a Bruce Irvin-style SAM linebacker if coached properly.

Hybrid Linebackers

Brandon Smith

After being used as a rotational linebacker and special teams player in his first two college seasons, Smith emerged as one of the most improved defenders in the Big Ten as a junior for Penn State. Earning Third-Team All-Conference accolades from coaches in the league, he set new career-bests with 81 tackles, five passes defensed, and a forced fumble.

In terms of measurables, Smith looks the part of an NFL strongside linebacker at 6-foot-3, 250 pounds with nearly 35-inch arms. But his best snaps for the Nittany Lions came in the weakside linebacker role where he could use his excellent speed to pursue ball carriers sideline-to-sideline and drop back into man coverage. Those tools were put on display in Indy with a 4.52 second 40-yard dash and 37 1/2-inch vertical jump. Instincts-wise, he remains a work in progress reading his keys and might not be ready to see the field as a full-time defender right away. But if he can fully harness his athletic tools on the field, he has the upside to be a steal at any of the three linebacker spots depending on scheme.

Damone Clark

Playing significant snaps at LSU since his sophomore season when the program captured a national title, Clark capped off a fantastic collegiate career with a ridiculous 135 tackles and 5.5 sacks in 2021. He garnered Second-Team All-SEC honors and also was named as a finalist for the Dick Butkus Award as one of colle football's premier linebackers.

Thickly-built at 6-foot-2, 239 pounds, Clark brings his hard hat to work every time he takes the field. He plays a physical brand of football taking on blocks and stopping ball carriers in their tracks, rarely missing tackles in the process. Both fast and agile for his size, he can track down runners all over the field and proved himself as a capable blitzer with 10 career sacks. If there's an area of his game where he consistently struggled for the Tigers, it was in coverage where had persistent issues matching up with running backs and tight ends. Looking like a natural in rushing drills at the combine, he may be one of the least scheme-dependent bets at linebacker in this class and could have a long career ahead of him at SAM or at the WILL/MIKE spots.

Quay Walker

Waiting in the wings behind several future NFL linebackers during his time at Georgia, Walker finally got his chance to play extensive snaps as a starter in 2021 and helped guide the program to a national title. While he didn't earn All-SEC honors like teammates Nakobe Dean and Channing Tindall did, he still produced 65 tackles and 1.5 sacks as a reliable contributor in the middle.

Despite seeing limited snaps in his first three years with the Bulldogs, Walker will enter the league boasting a high football IQ and top-flight instincts at the linebacker position. He excels at diagnosing specific run plays and reacting instantly to fill gaps and bring down ball carriers. At 6-foot-4, 241 pounds, he's a gifted athlete with preferred size and length to play as on off-ball linebacker in the league who knows how to sniff out run plays and rarely misses tackles. While he will need refinement setting the edge and taking on blocks, his size and athletic specs could also make him a candidate to play an outside linebacker role, or at least begin his career there before transitioning to MIKE or WILL.

Off Ball Linebackers

Channing Tindall

Much like Walker, Tindall spent his first three years at Georgia largely stuck in a special teams/reserve role behind numerous future NFL talents at linebacker. But he broke out in a major way during the Bulldogs march to a title, racking up 67 tackles, 5.5 sacks, and a forced fumble while earning Second-Team All-SEC honors in 2021.

A fluid athlete at 230 pounds, Tindall's 4.47 40-yard dash speed plays on the field as a run defender, blitzer, and in coverage. Though aided by a fantastic defensive front that kept him clean, he showed a penchant for making plays against the run sideline-to-sideline and was extremely efficient on his blitzing opportunities to produce nearly half a dozen sacks. At the Senior Bowl, as outlined by our own Matty F. Brown, his turn and run skills were especially visible dropping back into coverage to pick off intermediate crossers and skinny posts. His size may create issues getting off blocks at times at the next level, but one of the draft's fastest rising prospects would be a perfect replacement for Bobby Wagner in Seattle.

Troy Andersen

Starring at the FCS level for Montana State, Andersen burst onto the scene initially as a running back for the Bobcats, rushing for 515 yards as a freshman. Then he played quarterback in 2018, primarily using his legs rushing for 1,412 yards and 21 touchdowns. From there, he transitioned into becoming a full-time starting linebacker, earning unanimous All-American honors with 147 tackles and two interceptions in 2021.

As expected given his background as a running back, Andersen possesses an elite athletic toolbox that stacks up favorably against any linebacker in this year's class. At 6-foot-3, 243 pounds, he ran a 4.42-second 40-yard dash and posted a 36-inch vertical at the combine. Those explosive traits can be seen on film when he flies to the line of scrimmage to ambush running backs, pursue quarterbacks as a blitzer, and chase down opponents. Instinctually, he will need time to continue learning when it comes to run fits and coverage responsibilities, especially considering the level of competition he feasted on in the Big Sky. Oozing with athleticism, however, he's as high of a ceiling prospect as you'll find at the linebacker position in this class.