Seahawks versus Patriots: 5 bold predictions for Seattle
By Lee Vowell
L.J. Collier gets the first sack of his career
L.J. Collier was terrible in his rookie year of 2019. He was injured, the team has said, and 12s didn’t know it. But in this year’s training camp, Collier didn’t look a lot better. When Seattle played the Falcons in week one, however, Collier got the start over Rasheem Green and wasn’t bad.
Collier had just one tackle but he did have a quarterback hit, the first of his career. He played 30 snaps or 38 percent of all of the Seahawks defensive snaps. When Collier was taken in the 2019 NFL draft in the first round he was seen as the type of player who was a lot like Michael Bennett. Bennett could line up in any of the defensive line positions and create chaos.
Collier is a long way from being Michael Bennett but he is also just starting. His upward career trend will take another step on Sunday when he gets a sack against Cam Newton. And Collier won’t get it off the edge. Collier will stunt inside and supply interior pressure.
Collier will need to play a bit more in week two because Rasheem Green is likely out with an injury. But that will only help Collier gain more confidence and help him long-term.