2017 NFL Draft: Seahawks Take Nazair Jones in 3rd Round

The Seahawks have taken a lot of a defense with their first draft picks and Nazair Jones in one of those players

Jones is another interior defensive lineman. The Seahawks obviously know where their issues were last season. Need to draft for quality at defensive tackle? Check. Need to find help in the secondary? Check. Need some offensive line help? Again, check.

Jones is an interesting story. He nearly stopped playing football in high school due to “suffering from complex regional pain syndrome, a disease that made him unable to walk and caused him to lose 50 pounds in a month,” according the NFL.com.

Since going to college, though, Jones has become a beast. He is a large young man. At 6’5″ and 305 pounds, he should not have an issue standing his ground against professional offensive linemen. The issue is that he is not a physical freak. More likely, the Seahawks will expect him to be a sturdy but not spectacular player for several seasons. Will he be the next Michael Bennett? Probably not. But he could he be an eight-to-ten year pro who stops the opposing team from controlling the ground game? Yes.

The Seahawks have an aging defense. Seattle’s defensive tackles got no push against the opposing quarterback in 2016. Jones should help with that, but he is more a run-stopper. Jones should team with Malik McDowell for several seasons though and form the foundation of the Seahawks defense for years to come.

At least, the Seahawks are certainly hoping for that because missing on defensive tackles in this draft would not be good.