Rounding out the Seahawks undrafted free agents: the linebackers
The Seahawks added quite a few players to the party after the draft. Today we’ll look at the linebackers. One of whom may actually play there.
With perennial Pro Bowler Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright locking down the starting jobs, there wouldn’t seem to be much room for linebackers on the Seahawks. Especially after they drafted budding star Shaquem Griffin and signed free agent Barkevious Mingo. But if last season proved anything, it’s that you have to be ready for everything. Including injuries. So let’s take a look at the newest players competing for a spot in the linebacking corps.
First up is Emmanuel Beal of Oklahoma. 6’0″ and 218 pounds, he’s undersized for the position in the pros. He ran a 4.58 40 on his pro day, and managed just 12 reps on the bench press. Pro Football Focus ranked him in the middle of the pack in run-stop percentage at 8.4 percent. For context, Leighton Vander Esch led all linebackers at 15.9 percent, while the worst performance came in at just 2.3 percent. Still, his run-stop grade was better than highly regarded prospects like Rashaan Evans and Jerome Baker.
After transferring from Lackawanna Community College, Beal started every game for Oklahoma as a junior and senior. He led the Sooners in tackles as a senior with 95, seven of those for a loss. Clearly he has a nose for the football. Special teams and a possible move to strong safety look like Beal’s ticket to stay in Seattle.
Seattle Seahawks
Seahawks bring in athletes, less focused on position
Northwestern’s Warren Long is another smallish linebacker the Seahawks signed. He’s listed at 6’0″ and 218 pounds, identical to Beal. Unlike the Sooner, Long doesn’t have a ton of experience at the position. He moved from running back after a medical redshirt in his senior season, although he did see action on special teams throughout his career with the Wildcats.
While he only got into eight games as a senior, he made the most of his opportunities. He closed out his career with two tackles for a loss and his first career sack in the Music City Bowl against the Kentucky Wildcats. Much like Beal, Long will have to make an impact on special teams and transition to the defensive backfield to make the team.
Next up is Florida State’s Jacob Pugh. At 6’4″ and 246 pounds, he’s the only ostensible linebacker Seattle won’t have to move to another position. He ran a 4.65 in the combine, and is long and rangy. His production dropped off as a senior, which is a concern. In 2016 he had 43 total tackles; as a senior he had just 21. This was despite playing and starting in just one fewer game.
Regardless, Pugh has a lot of positives, as you can see in his profile on nfl.com. He’s played at SAM linebacker and as an edge rusher. He’s shown excellent lateral movement, too. For the negatives, you can see that all in the link. The negative that stands out for me is his drop in production as a senior.
Nevertheless, he made the cut from the Seahawks rookie minicamp this weekend. That’s more than can be said for a five of his fellow undrafted free agents. We’ll go through that group soon when we discuss the newest players to join the Seattle roster.