Seahawks should target one of these defensive tackles in the NFL draft
The Seahawks have a lot of needs to address in the draft, but none may be bigger than defensive tackle. In several cases, you can take that literally.
One of the biggest needs the Seahawks face this offseason is at defensive tackle. Yes, yes, we know they need to bolster their pass rush. But they’ve taken one big step forward with the addition of Cassius Marsh. I’m not saying he’s the complete answer, but he gets Seattle a lot closer to it. Since the Hawks just traded Frank Clark, the pass rush is an even bigger priority than ever.
Still, the Seahawks could use more production at the defensive tackle spot. I think second-year player Poona Ford may well be the answer, but it’s hard to pin all your hopes on a guy with one start. It makes perfect sense for Seattle to give the position some serious consideration in the draft. And you know what Pete Carroll says. Always Compete.
I used the same five sources for these draft rankings as I did for the wide receivers Seattle should take target in the draft: Sports Illustrated, Draft Tek, The Draft Network, CBS Sports, finishing with The Sporting News. Draft Tek slots defensive tackles in three separate groups, unlike the other sites. For our purposes, I looked primarily at three-technique tackles, or as we called them in the Stone Age, 4-3 defensive tackles. I did include a single 1-technique tackle, which I’ll address in his profile.
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When I started this, the Seahawks still had four selections, not five. For that reason, I didn’t include players like Quinnen Williams (average rank 2.2), Ed Oliver (average rank 7.2), or Christian Wilkins (average rank 18.6). Barring a draft-day disaster (which we know certainly happen), they’ll all be long gone when the Hawks announce their first pick of the draft. Seattle now has the 21st and 29th overall picks, and may move up to get one of these guys. I still see them moving down and getting more picks overall.