Seahawks draft profile: A.J. Epenesa might heal all wounds

The Seahawks desperately need to fix their pass rush in 202. L.J. Collier was a bust in his rookie season. A.J. Epenesa most likely would not be.

28 sacks. That is what the Seahawks had in 2019. Those 28 represented the second-least in the NFL this past year. This was after Seattle chose what they thought would be a Michael Bennett-type defensive lineman in the first round of the 2019 NFL draft with L.J. Collier. Collier was a failure in year one. He might be in year two and beyond.

In the 2020 NFL draft, and for the long-term fortunes of the franchise, Seattle probably needs to get at least one good pass rusher. The problem is, for as good as John Schneider and Pete Carroll have been at guiding the Seahawks into one of the better teams in the NFL, they have basically stunk at first-round picks since 2012. I mean, maybe Rashaad Penny (2018) will be good but he can’t stay healthy and Germain Ifedi (2016) has stayed healthy but hasn’t been that good.

2020 needs to be different. Schneider needs to make smart choices. He has had a couple of good drafts the last couple of years but not when it comes to the offensive and defensive lines and those are the ones that matter long-term. But if he is able to choose edge rusher A.J. Epenesa, the Seahawks will be better this coming year and five years down to the road, too.

Strengths

Epenesa was a three-year collegian at Iowa. In his sophomore and junior seasons combined he had 22 sacks and 30.5 tackles for loss. He also forced 4 fumbles each in 2018 and 2019. He is big at 6-foot-6-inches and 280 pounds and can bullrush. Seattle needs his kind of power.

https://twitter.com/BigTenNetwork/status/1200527011883540480

The Seahawks will also benefit from the fact that Epenesa played a 4-3 front in college, just as Seattle does. While he will need to be taught exactly how to leverage his power from outside the opposing tackle, he has the tools and strength to do so.

Weaknesses

There isn’t a lot here, other than the fact that Epenesa might have a less limited ceiling than some of his other draftees and maybe he isn’t super-quick. But who cares? Seattle needs pass rush help and they need it now and Epenesa could help with that. Should the Seahawks stand pat at 27th in the draft (hint: they won’t), then Epenesa might possibly be around for them to take.

Final thought

This is kind of a pipe dream. Likely Epenesa won’t be there at number 27 for the Seahawks to think about taking him. Also, Seattle will likely trade down out of the first round to get even more picks because they like doing that. And finally, even if Seattle takes Epenesa that might only jinx him. Seattle stinks at first-round picks but are great at fifth-round choices, so take from that what you will.