The Seattle Seahawks have large holes to fill on their 2020 roster, and 19 unrestricted free agents make it even harder to tell just how sizeable some of this team’s needs will be heading into the NFL draft.
However, regardless of what happens with pending free agents Jadeveon Clowney and Jarran Reed, the Seahawks will need to find more pass rushing off the edge this offseason, as it was a glaring weakness all season long.
The 2020 draft is not nearly as ripe with edge rushers as last year’s talent pool, but the Seahawks could still find a nice piece in the late first round.
Vinnie Iyer of the Sporting News has them doing exactly that, projecting them to select Boise State edge defender Curtis Weaver in his latest first round mock draft.
“The Seahawks will have a hard time keeping pending free agent Jadeveon Clowney, who seems intent on breaking the bank with any contender,” Iyer wrote. “Weaver (6-3, 265 pounds) was an absolute beast on the blue turf with 13.5 sacks in 14 games in his final college season.”
I don’t necessarily believe that Clowney will be as hard to keep as Iyer does, considering the massive amount of cap space Seattle has, but regardless Weaver does seem to check a lot of the boxes Pete Carroll looks for.
He’s a big, powerful, explosive rusher who has shown proficiency in the run game and passing game, and probably projects as an oversized five-tech at the next level.
Rasheem Green and Quinton Jefferson have both taken to that role well in the NFL, and Weaver could be the next big piece at that spot for a Seattle team that is desperate for someone to come in and record big sack numbers in 2020.
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