Seahawks 2021 draft target: Charles Snowden edge rusher of the future

The Seahawks need more good edge rushers because a team can never have enough. Charles Snowden could also be a steal in the 2021 NFL draft. Snowden is a big linebacker or a tall defensive end who needs to gain weight. But whatever he is, he has the potential the be an impactful player for years to come.

Snowden is 6-feet-6-inches and weighs about 250 pounds. He has enough quickness to get around offensive linemen. Snowden also has excellent intelligence and high character and is a player Seahawks fans would love.

Another good sign that Snowden will be a good pro for a long time is that he gets better each year. Out of high school, he got only one scholarship offer from a Division 1 school and that was where he ended up, Virginia. And each year at Virginia, Snowden got better.

Seahawks always can use more edge rushers like Charles Snowden

In his senior year of 2020, Snowden would have obliterated his career-bests had COVID-19 not played havoc on the college football season. During his junior year of 2019, Snowden had 5 sacks and 11 tackles-for-loss in 14 games. In 8 games in 2020, Snowden had 10 tackles-for-loss and 6 sacks.

The Seahawks will have two ways of working Snowden into an NFL player. One is to keep him as a linebacker and use him as a specialty pass rusher. The better option might be to have Snowden gain 20 pounds and move him to defensive end where he will have the great height to knock down passes but should still keep enough of his quickness to pressure the quarterback.

One of Snowden’s weaknesses is lower-body strength and he would get pushed around some by NFL offensive linemen at this point. But a year of NFL weight training will get Snowden where he needs to be.

Another question mark about Snowden is how quickly he can rebound from a broken ankle late in the 2020 season. Snowden should be ready by the time preseason starts, however, and those snaps will be invaluable to him.

Like probably every other draft pick the Seahawks will get in this year’s draft due to Seattle not having a pick until later in the second round at this point, the player will need some time to acclimate to the NFL. But John Schneider and Pete Carroll also do a great job of figuring out which players will be steals in rounds three and beyond. Snowden is likely a fourth round or later pick.

If Snowden is still around in the fifth round, the Seahawks should take him. In 2021, Snowden probably won’t help much but Seattle doesn’t need him to be. But in 2022 and beyond, Snowden should be ready to contribute after learning from players like Carlos Dunlap. Snowden can be a very good player for several years for the Seahawks.