Seahawks draft profile: Leki Fotu could be mid-round steal

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - OCTOBER 26 : Leki Fotu #99 of the Utah Utes adjusts his pads during their game against the California Golden Bears at Rice-Eccles Stadium on October 26, 2019 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - OCTOBER 26 : Leki Fotu #99 of the Utah Utes adjusts his pads during their game against the California Golden Bears at Rice-Eccles Stadium on October 26, 2019 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)

The Seahawks need defensive line help for 2020. Hopefully, Seattle can find this via the draft. If so, Leki Fotu might be one of the guys.

12s all know that the Seahawks need edge rushers. But the entire defensive line is a bit of a mess. Sure, Seattle re-signed Jarran Reed and still has Poona Ford, but how good is Ford exactly? No one knows for sure. Seattle needs run-stoppers as well as pass rushers. Leki Fotu could be the guy the Seahawks still in the middle of the defensive line for years to come.

Fotu is a beast of a man. He is 6’5″ and 330 pounds and strong as heck. He would not be easy to move for any NFL offensive lineman. And once Fotu knows how to leverage his size and strength as a pro, he will be even hard to push around. Running up the middle against the Seahawks with Fotu waiting? Not so easy.

Strengths

This part is easy. Fotu is huge. But he is also fairly athletic for a guy his size. When Fotu hits you as a runner (and I feel bad for you if he does), you are going to feel the pain. He likes to pop people. Fotu also has a great motor; He doesn’t take plays off.

In a lot of ways, Fotu is a perfect example of what Pete Carroll wants in an interior defensive lineman. Fotu is quick enough to get off the snap, strong enough to fight off blockers and big enough to eat up space.

Weaknesses

This may not be a huge problem in future seasons, as the Seahawks need pass rushers sooner rather than later, but Fotu wasn’t built to be a sack artist. At Utah, Fotu had just 4 sacks in 4 seasons. He isn’t going to chase down the opposing quarterback.

But Seattle likes to take players from colleges they trust. In 2019, the Seahawks chose Marquise Blair and Cody Barton out of Utah. They know Fotu. Having three guys familiar with each other on a defense is a good thing. Plus, Fotu may not be drafted until the 4th round or so, perfect for Seattle. Fotu is going to be a Seahawk.

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