If the Seahawks want an elite defensive tackle, they’ll have to use early draft capital

The Carolina Panthers extending defensive deal with Derrick Brown has continued an offseason dominated by massive paydays for giant males who clog and disrupt the inside. From a Seattle Seahawks perspective, they acquired in on the act by giving Leonard Williams a three-year, $64.5 million deal that makes him one of many highest paid gamers at his place.

As PFF’s Arjun Menon and ESPN’s Invoice Barnwell have famous, inside defensive linemen/defensive tackles have seen their worth skyrocket relative to different positions.

Because the Seahawks mull their choice over the right way to reshape their protection, it’s value noting that each one of those extremely paid defensive linemen share a commonality: they have been drafted early.

I ought to notice that Menon made (and acknowledged) an error in classifying the Baltimore Ravens’ Justin Madubuike as a first-round decide when he was really a third-rounder. Solely Madubuike and Javon Hargrave have been taken outdoors of the top-50. Everybody else who’s at or close to the highest of this checklist was taken within the first or early portion of the second. I’d anticipate the New England Patriots’ Christian Barmore to get an enormous contract, and he was additionally a second-round decide.

The Seahawks have usually not used early-round draft picks on defensive tackles underneath John Schneider. Seattle’s solely DT picks taken in Rounds 1-3 over a 14-year span are Jordan Hill (third, 2013), Jarran Reed (2nd, 2016), Malik McDowell (2nd, 2017), and Naz Jones (2017). If you wish to get actual technical, L.J. Collier was a first-round decide in 2019 however the Seahawks didn’t make him a full-time DT till 2021. Collier was a 5-tech (lined up on the outside shoulder of the tackle) in the ‘Michael Bennett’ role, which in Seattle’s case meant transferring him round like a chess piece alongside the road. Reed apart, you don’t want me to inform you how the mixture outcomes search for the opposite DTs.

Seattle had the posh of Mebane on a $5 million/12 months contract from 2011 up till his departure in 2016. It’s maybe not coincidental that the staff’s transient curiosity in early-round DTs occurred proper after he left. They’ve additionally spent a number of years investing in cheaper veterans like Clinton McDonald (mixed cap hit of $1.5 million over three seasons), Kevin Williams ($2.1 million in 2014), Tony McDaniel (by no means had a base wage increased than $1 million in three seasons), Ahtyba Rubin ($5.6 million complete cap hit over two seasons), and Al Woods ($8 million mixed cap hit from 2019 and 2021-2022). Undrafted free brokers Bryan Mone and Poona Ford have been additionally vital rotation gamers.

This isn’t to say the Seahawks haven’t made splash strikes. Sheldon Richardson value the Seahawks Jermaine Kearse and a second-round decide, though Richardson seemingly by no means will get dealt if McDowell doesn’t have his ATV crash. Leonard Williams value Seattle one other second-round decide and he acquired a brand new contract. Dre’Mont Jones’ snap alignments shifted heavily from the B-gap (between guard and deal with) to the skin after the commerce.

It’s not a coincidence that guards and defensive tackles are getting paid at exorbitant charges on the identical time. There’s a transparent emphasis in right now’s NFL so far as valuing the trenches, and I’m unsure that will get reversed any time quickly. A dominant pass-rushing inside lineman is as worthwhile if no more worthwhile than an important edge rusher, and the provision of gifted iDL will not be as plentiful as the sting market.

Maybe it received’t be this 12 months for the Seahawks, however the discount hunter method to defensive deal with within the draft has to cease. In the event that they take Johnny Newton or Byron Murphy II then I’d be completely nice. The Seahawks want younger, elite expertise at defensive deal with, and it’s method overdue.