Seahawks should target edge rusher Matthew Judon in a tag and trade
By Geoff Shull
Matthew Judon: History and now
Matthew Judon was drafted in the 5th round, out of Grand Valley State University in the 2016 NFL Draft. Judon was a small school wonder who accumulated just about every major award that was offered in Division II football. He won the Gene Upshaw Trophy for the top defensive lineman in the country, as well as Athletic Conference’s defensive player of the year. During his senior season, he accumulated 20 sacks, 23.5 tackles for a loss and 3 forced fumbles.
His stellar collegiate career awarded him an opportunity to participate in the NFL draft combine. Judon measured in at 6’3”, 270lbs, with 34-inch arms. During the combine, he ran a 4.73 40-yard dash, 30 reps on the bench press, 4.52 short shuttle and a 1.65 10-yard split. His 40-yard dash and bench press were among the best in his position that year.
Seattle has very specific requirements that defensive lineman must meet to be considered. They need to possess 33+ inch arms, 1.7 10-yard split, and a 4.5 short shuttle. These measurements are thought to indicate that the player possesses enough twitch/burst to their step, that they can beat the offensive lineman to the point of attack. Judon meets all the criteria.
Fast forward to today, Judon has played 4 seasons in the NFL. During the 4-year span, he has accumulated 28.5 sacks. This includes a stellar 2019 season where he had a career-high in sacks (9.5), pressures (58) and QB hurries (45). I include pressures and hurries because they are the true indicator of how effective a player is rushing the quarterback.
Take for example Bud Dupre, he accumulated 11.5 sacks this year, which is great. However, his pressure rate is only 6%, while his hurry rate is a mediocre 10%. How this reads to me, he was an average rusher who benefited from luck and other players’ consistent pressure.
To put it into comparison, Judon accumulated 2 fewer sacks (9.5), however generated a pressure rate of 11% and created a QB hurry of 16%. This simply means that the sacks he accumulated were through him beating his man, as opposed to the QB simply being in the wrong place, at the wrong time. Judon’s production appears much more so sustainable, thus in my opinion, a safer player to invest in.