The Seattle Seahawks have yet to re-sign defensive end Jadeveon Clowney and may need to look to April’s NFL draft to bolster their pass rush heading into the 2020 season.
Touchdown Wire’s Mark Schofield has them doing just that, selecting Penn State edge rusher Yetur Gross-Matos in the first round at No. 27 overall.
“While the market for free agent edge-rusher Jadeveon Clowney remains a question, the Seahawks still will need to add to their pass rush even if he returns to the Pacific Northwest,” Schofield writes. “Last year, even with Clowney in the fold, the Seahawks generated more pressure than just one NFL team: the Miami Dolphins. Whether Clowney is back or not, they need another pass-rusher.”
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“Yetur Gross-Matos gets them that player,” Schofield continues. “He might be raw, but his length, size and pass-rushing moves make him a very interesting option for Seattle. Watching him on film, you do see that some of his best work comes when he is kicked inside, but with Bruce Irvin returning to Seattle and potentially Clowney as well, Pete Carroll could conceivably use him inside and get him favorable matchups to start his career. Even with some of these questions about his game, Gross-Matos tallied nine sacks, five quarterback hits and 22 QB hurries. Seattle would like that kind of production out of someone not named Clowney next season.”
The NFL draft is set to go on as scheduled despite the coronavirus pandemic and if Clowney and the Seahawks aren’t able to reach an agreement soon, Seattle may have to take an even closer look Gross-Matos.
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