Seahawks should take one of these defensive ends to pair with Frank Clark
The Seahawks need to pass on these two players
First, let’s take a look at a couple of players who won’t be on the Seahawks short list. Or at least shouldn’t be, no matter what. I’ll start with Nick Bosa, the phenomenal end from the Ohio State University. Sorry, my sister-in-law made me write it that way. Yeah, I know Bosa will likely be long gone before the Seahawks take the 21st pick. But what if his injuries scare teams off?
The injury is exactly why Seattle needs to pass on him, unless he somehow falls into later rounds. He only played in three games last year after suffering a core muscle injury. Sounds a lot like his older brother. Joey Bosa missed his first four games with the Chargers in 2016 with a bad hamstring, then the first nine games last year with a foot injury. If Nick does fall into later rounds, of course he’s worth the risk. In the first round? No thanks. The Seahawks have a lot of needs, and too much history with players that can’t get on the field.
The second player is one whose name has popped up in mock drafts already. That would be Florida State defensive end Brian Burns. He’s got the height at 6’5″, but weighs in at just 235. You can be an edge rusher in college at that weight, but there are no ends in the NFL at that weight. You may recall the name Shaquem Griffin. In his last two collegiate seasons, he had more sacks and more tackles for a loss than Burns in his.
Burns might make an excellent linebacker, but he isn’t a first-round pick at defensive end. According to walterfootball.com, the teams they spoke with have Burns graded as a second round guy. At his height and weight, there’s just no way he could handle drive blocks by a beast like D.J. Fluker. Or much more to the point, someone like Andrew Whitworth or Joe Staley. Again, Burns might transition into an excellent linebacker. He broke up seven passes in his last two seasons. But a first round pick is a valuable commodity. As the Seahawks know all too well, you need as close to a sure thing as you can get, not a reach or project. That’s why they’ll trade down and look at these players.