The NFL combine was a showcase for several linebackers, and the Seahawks could certainly look to one of these players to need up their defense.
The big news in Seattle is all about Geno Smith getting a big new contract. While that changes the Seahawks’ draft strategy to some degree – i.e., they don’t have to draft a quarterback in the first round – they still might. But the Hawks have plenty of areas of greater need than their signal-caller, especially as they re-signed the NFL’s leader in passing percentage. Whether Pete Carroll and John Schneider will sign a QB early is a subject for another time.
For now, let’s address the situation Seattle faces at linebacker. Cody Barton is a free agent, and I’ll admit, he looked like the answer in the middle after stepping in for Bobby Wagner at the end of 2020. Obviously, the Hawks thought so too, as Wagner was released before last season. Listen, they saved $16 million, so I get it. But Barton simply wasn’t good enough. He may return to Seattle, but if there is any chance of getting Wagner back, Seattle needs to make it happen.
Seahawks could add coverage and pass rush with Daiyan Henley
The Hawks may not have star linebacker Jordyn Brooks ready in time for the start of the season, either. His recovery from ACL surgery will almost certainly wipe out his entire training camp. He could miss a few games at the start of the 2023 campaign as well. So it’s imperative that the Seahawks bring in at least one linebacker for the middle of the field if not two. I’ve already taken a deep look at players the Hawks could draft for the line and at the edge, so let’s cover the middle.
My first candidate to join the happy crew is Daiyan Henley, from Washington State. It’s never a bad thing to add a Cougar, right 12s? Carrol and Schneider have already interviewed him, so we know there’s some interest. Henley wasn’t the fastest linebacker in the 40 at the combine, but his 10-yard split was just .03 slower than the top time. He started his collegiate career as a wide receiver, moved to defensive back as a junior, then played his last two seasons – split between Nevada and Washington State – at linebacker.
Over those two seasons, Henley combined for exactly 200 tackles. He had 12 tackles for a loss at Pullman, along with four sacks. He also forced three fumbles and recovered two. He didn’t blitz as much at Nevada and showed he was equally adept in coverage with three pass breakups and four interceptions, one of those a pick-six. At 6’1″ and 225 pounds, he’ll probably need to add a bit more muscle to his frame. Despite that, he’s projected as an inside linebacker. According to the NFL mock Database, he’s listed as the consensus fourth pure linebacker to go and would likely be around for the Hawks at pick number 52, their second of the second round.
Seahawks would add a tackling machine with Jack Campbell
The Hawks could opt for a player that fits the old-school linebacker mold like Brian Urlacher (6’4″ 258) or Jack Lambert (6’4″ 220). I’m not saying he’d be as great as those guys, but at 6’5″ and 249 pounds, Jack Campbell looks the part. He played the part pretty well for the Iowa Hawkeyes, as far as that goes. In his junior and senior seasons, he combined for a whopping 265 tackles. Nine of those were for a loss, to which he added two sacks. He picked off two passes in each of those years and broke up six more as a junior. Big 10 teams may have figured out it didn’t pay to throw over the middle, as he only broke up one pass as a senior.
Campbell won the Dick Butkus award as the top linebacker in college, so it’s clear he can play a little. It’s worth noting that he also won the William V. Campbell Award, considered to be the academic version of the Heisman. He shouldn’t have much trouble with an NFL playbook, right? He is regarded as being a great communicator on the field, and god knows the Seahawks could improve in that area.
He wasn’t one of the stars of the combine with a 4.65 40, but he crushed the three-cone drill with a time of 6.74. No other linebacker broke seven seconds. In fact, only one corner and one receiver performed better than Campbell in the drill. That the man can stop, redirect, and start faster than almost anyone else – especially at his size – tells me he can play over the middle. The consensus has him slotted as the third linebacker to be drafted, just ahead of Henley. There’s a very good chance he’d be available for Seattle with pick 52 as well.
Drew Sanders would give the Seahawks a lot of flexibility
Seattle has another option if they want to go tall over the middle, with Alabama to Arkansas transfer, Drew Sanders. At 6’4″ and 235 pounds, Sanders certainly has the size to play over the middle. Transferring to Arkansas for his junior season, he moved off the edge to the inside off-ball position full-time and blossomed. He still managed 13.5 tackles for a loss among his team-leading 103. Oh, and he chipped in with 9.5 sacks, too. Just so you know he didn’t abandon the passing lanes, he broke up five passes and picked one off as well.
While Sanders didn’t participate in any of the combine testing, as he’s reportedly still recovering from a hamstring injury, he did participate in on-field drills. By all accounts, he looked as smooth in the drills as he did in the SEC, with great sideline-to-sideline movement. A coach’s kid, Sanders has been around football for virtually his entire life. Like Campbell, he understands the vital importance of communication on the field.
The consensus for Sanders shows him as the first inside linebacker to be taken off the board, at pick number 34. Several draft experts expect him to go in the first round, though. A few of them project him to come to the Seahawks, some with their original 20th pick, while a few others expect Seattle to trade back and nab him later in the first round. Regardless, don’t expect Sanders to be around late in the second.
Regardless of which player the Seahawks draft – and I’m quite sure they’ll take none of these guys, just to spite me – Seattle needs to shore up their defense over the middle. Any of these three would give the Hawks a big step forward in that regard. Oh, and sign BWagz, please!