The Seattle Seahawks continued their tradition of baffling 1st overall picks on Thursday by selecting a linebacker they didn’t need at #27 overall in Jordyn Brooks. While fundamentally Brooks isn’t a bad player, they had zero need at that position. On day 2, the Seahawks drafted an offensive lineman in Damien Lewis, filling yet another position that has no need, as Lewis now becomes the 19th offensive lineman roster player. Luckily, some sense came to the Hawks in the 2nd round as they traded draft capital to move up in the draft to pick pass rusher Darrell Taylor.
EDGE Darrell Taylor, Tennessee—2nd round pick
Realizing that they had forgot to address the biggest weakness on the team, Pete Carroll & John Schneider traded up in the draft with the NY Jets to collect 6’4, 267lb Darrell Taylor out of Tennessee. Taylor is a blend of speed and power off the edge with all the talent in the world, but in need of some coaching.
Taylor had 10 tackles for loss last year and 8.5 sacks in 13 games. He was the Volunteers #1 threat on defense and found some success protecting the flat with 4 passes defended. He is strong and fast. He goes for the big play and has shown an ability to not only overpower, but run right by weaker opponents.
Weaknesses include a lack of move set to get past defenders and hesitancy off the snap. Taylor as been tricked by play action often in college and has shown a lack of technique when facing equivalent talent on the offensive line.
Taylor is a raw talent but an undisciplined one. He has been involved in fights, which might actually be a plus for the Pete Carroll system. The success of Taylor has everything to do with his ability to learn as he has the talent to be a contributor. He will succeed against lesser talent, but the question is can the Hawks take him on as a project to be a star in this league? Right now, the Hawks need a star at that Edge rusher position rather than “just another guy.”
OG Damien Lewis, LSU—3rd round pick
Congratulations, the Seahawks have another offensive lineman. Damien Lewis is now the 19th offensive lineman on the roster, a roster that desperately needs help on the defensive line, backfield, and the wide receiver position. The Seahawks moved back 4 spots and pulled in Lewis in the 69th position offering a murky picture as he is now the 10th offensive guard on the roster.
The 6’2, 327lb Lewis protected Joe Burrows this year and was envisioned as a 3rd round pick and went right about where prognosticators said he would. The All-SEC guard won the Joe Moore award and was a road-grater of sorts. He is a bulldozer with an inability to get bull-rushed and he looks for contact.
Damien lacks length and is slow footed, meaning he is pretty much strictly a straight ahead blocker. He doesn’t have the footwork to play tackle and lacks the quickness to protect against elite speed rushers. While he hold his own on the line of scrimmage, he often is missing getting to second level targets.
Damien’s addition means perhaps one of the veteran starters’ DJ Fluker or Mike Iupati will get released. Or perhaps there is a complete lack of faith in the remaining 7 offensive guards on this team. This is tough as the team is overflowing with offensive linemen and there is now doubt Lewis will earn a spot; however, what of the defensive line that lacks numbers and lacks talent? We have 4 more rounds of draft to find out.
