Why Seahawks should take CB Coby Bryant in the 2022 NFL draft

The Seattle Seahawks have mostly been piecing their cornerback group together the last few years. This is how drafting Coby Bryant could help stabilize the unit.

Bryant has good size for an NFL corner at almost 6’1 3/8″ and almost 200 pounds. His arms are 30 1/2″ so not ideal to way corners used to be on a Pete Carroll defense but this has been less important over recent years. D.J. Reed has been pretty good the last two years for the Seahawks but doesn’t have overly long arms.

Bryant will come into the NFL with lots of college playing experience which will only help him become a player who can step in to a starting role faster. Bryant played five years at the University of Cincinnati but redshirted in 2017. In his last four years, Bryant played a total of 50 games and was productive in every one of them.

In 2020, Bryant had 4 interceptions. In 2021, Bryant had 2 picks but 11 passes defended. He also forced 2 fumbles. Bryant also won the Jim Thorpe Award for Most Outstanding Defensive Back this year.

Why Seahawks should choose Coby Bryant in the 2022 NFL draft

Even with all his accolades, though, Coby Bryant is expected to last until Day 3 of the 2022 NFL draft. It isn’t because he is without skill, clearly, so why would he not be a high pick? One is that Bryant does give a little separation to receivers. This appears to be more of a coaching issue, however, than something where Bryant lacks speed. He is certainly fast enough.

Two is that while Bryant is very aggressive in run defense, he sometimes lacks good technique which allows runners to gain a few extra yards after Bryant first engages.

All of his issues, though, can be fixed with proper coaching. In fact, now that the Seahawks have hired Karl Scott and Sean Desai to be defensive coaches, Bryant will learn from those guys how to play press coverage. Bryant is a smart football player who can pick up on technique and what a receiver is trying to do quickly. He also has the physicality to play press.

The Seahawks defense needs to get back to being one that is one of aggression and doesn’t sit back and allow offenses to dictate pace and alignment. Players like Bryant can help fix this issue and why Seattle needs to take him in the third or fourth round in the 2022 NFL draft.