3 burning questions for the Seahawks during training camp

Who will step up for the defensive line?

The Seahawks single greatest weakness entering the off-season was the pass rush. Specifically noting the lack of speed around the edge. Seattle’s answer was to sign speed rushers Bruce Irvin and Benson Mayowa. They continued adding speed by drafting Darrell Taylor of Alton Robinson.

On the interior, they spent a pretty penny retaining defensive tackle Jarran Reed. However, outside of he and Poona Ford, there remains a lot of uncertainty. The depth is severely lacking.

Pete Carroll recently told the media that Darrell Taylor is likely out a few weeks. There are three things we know to be true: death, taxes and early-round Seahawks rookies battling unknown injuries before the regular season. This really puts a damper on his hype. Without reps in practice, it will be hard for him to carve out much of a role once he gets healthy, a la LJ Collier.

Speaking of Collier, I actually think this could be a huge year for him. The Seahawks obviously feel fairly confident at their 5-tech spot between Collier and Rasheem Green, otherwise, they would have brought in another player.

I can easily see Collier splitting time between the 5-tech (DE) and the 3-tech (DT). This would give 2019’s number one pick plenty of reps in games. This would give him a Michael Bennett type of role. It would also serve as defensive tackle depth.

If I had to guess two players that will break out this year on the defensive line, it would be Rasheem Green and Benson Mayowa. Green showed a phenomenal feel in the run game last year. Playing behind Jadeveon Clowney surely helped him see things in a different light. After all, Clowney is one of the best run defending ends in the NFL. I wouldn’t be surprised if he accumulated 12+ tackles for a loss and at least 6 sacks.

Benson Mayowa on the other hand is a late bloomer. Last season with the Raiders he was near dominating in the first 5 games. However, the Raiders season quickly went downhill for the team and they elected to go a more youthful approach.

This drastically reduced Mayowa breakout campaign production. However, when watching film, he was filthy. His counters were on point. His bend and speed around the edge were pristine. Mayowa had 7 sacks and a pressure rate of 12.4% across 218 pass-rush attempts. I can honestly say if the Seahawks utilize Mayowa speed right, he could easily be a 10+ sack guy this year.

My prediction for the breakouts:

Player:                       Mayowa         Green

Tackles:                       40                    38

TFL:                              6                      14

Sacks:                         10.5                6.5

Pressure rate:          11.5%             8.9%