Barkevious Mingo is the new Bruce Irvin. Is that a good thing?

The Seahawks signed free agent Barkevious Mingo to shore up their pass rush. Will this work out any better than when they drafted Bruce Irvin?

Barkevious Mingo was signed by Seattle to play a hybrid role, both a strongside linebacker and an edge rusher. Unlike almost every other free agent the Seahawks have brought in this off-season, Mingo got a two year contract. That tells me Pete Carroll has a lot of faith that Mingo can get the job done.

Pete showed similar faith back in 2012 when he made Bruce Irvin the Seahawks first pick of the draft. Let’s look at Irvin’s numbers to see if we can spot what intrigued the Seahawks so much. After all, almost everyone expected Irvin to go in the second, if not the third round.

Bruce Irvin played two years in junior college. He was good enough to be named the All-California Region III Player of the Year, which earned him his transfer to West Virginia University. Irvin was a dominant player in his two seasons, 2010 through 2011. He totaled 22.5 sacks and 29 tackles for a loss in his Mountaineer career. Those are the kind of stats that get you noticed.

For comparison, J.J. Watt played two years at Wisconsin in 2009 and 2010. He amassed 11.5 sacks and 36.5 tackles for a loss there. We all know how Watt panned out, so you might understand why Carroll was so excited about Irvin. Who wouldn’t want a shot at a guy like that?