Three Seahawks that will exceed expectations in 2021
By Lee Vowell
Darrell Taylor
12s have yet to see 2020 second-round pick Darrell Taylor on the field. He was injured for his entire rookie season after over-training last offseason. This isn’t really a bad thing. It basically shows Taylor wants to be in great shape. And if COVID-19 had not played with a player’s ability to workout in team facilities under the supervision of team trainers, Taylor probably doesn’t get hurt last year.
Taylor will be transitioning from a defensive end to the SAM linebacker. This transition shouldn’t be difficult for Taylor, however, as he played both linebacker and defensive end at the University of Tennessee. Taylor’s college teams were bad and he had little help but this will be different with Seattle.
Taylor won’t need to be the focal point of an opposing offense’s blocking scheme, far from it. In fact, Taylor should almost always see one on one blockers when he is rushing the passer. Taylor has the athletics, speed and intelligence to speed pass opposing linemen or move around them on stunts.
Plus, while the jury might still be out on how good of a defensive coordinator Ken Norton, Jr. is, one thing is for sure: He knows how to coach linebackers very well. Seattle has lots of talent at linebacker but they also have the right coach to get the most out of that talent. Taylor will be a better player and further along entering his first real season in the NFL because of Norton. Taylor could easily get 7 sacks.