4 prospects Seahawks could reach for at No. 20 in 2023 NFL Draft

Reach No. 3: Seahawks could draft defensive tackle Calijah Kancey

Kancey is projected in some mocks to go as early as near the top ten, but most mocks have him going from the mid-20s and later. There is little doubt that athletically Kancey can play in the NFL. The concern some teams have is that he isn’t the biggest player as he is 6’1″ and about 280 pounds. His lack of length might mean he needs to rely too much on his athleticism to get around offensive linemen but NFL offensive linemen are pretty athletic as well.

Still, Kancey gets a lot of comparisons to Aaron Donald for a reason. Both played at Pittsburgh, both are basically the same size, and both have extreme athleticism. If Kancey had not played at Pittsburgh, he might not have the Donald comparisons but they are still appropriate. I am not saying Kancey is as good as Donald currently as Donald is one of the best players to ever play, but if Kancey is 80 percent the player Donald is then Kancey is worth choosing high in the 2023 draft.

Kancey could fall in the draft simply because he is a pure defensive tackle. He isn’t long enough to be a defensive end, but that should be perfectly fine with the Seahawks. Adding the super-quick Kancey to a mix that includes Jarran Reed and Dre’Mont Jones would make the Seattle defensive line night and day compared to 2022.

Kancey would also be able to learn from Jones how to use his interior quickness to beat centers and guards. Kancey’s 16.5 sacks in college, plus 34.5 tackles for loss, are no fluke. He was a great college player. He should be a very good NFL player as well.