Seahawks all-time draft Day Three dream team: Hawks field a ferocious defense
The Seahawks Day Three D-line is destructive with a capital D
This defensive line racked up 126 sacks for Seattle, with a grand total of 182 in all. Yes, we sadly let one of these sack machines get away for the majority of his career. This group was nasty against the run as well. Hmmmm... let me rephrase that. When the other team tried to run on one behemoth in particular, it would have been much easier to run through the proverbial brick wall. All good little 12s know who I'm talking about. But let's get to the entire line.
DE: Michael McCrary, 1993, 7th round. McCrary is the one who got away, as he made the Pro Bowl twice with the Ravens. He couldn't crack the Hawks starting lineup until his fourth season in Seattle, but he cracked it like an egg. McCrary exploded for 13.5 sacks and 71 tackles in 1996. So why did the Hawks let him walk? Well, they didn't, not exactly. As he hadn't shown much in his first three seasons, he played for just $200K in 1996. That was a $150K pay cut, but I suppose it beat being cut from the team completely, which was Seattle's other offer. After his outstanding performance, the Seahawks offered $1 million, but McCrary decided to walk. It certainly worked out great for him, as he made the Ravens Ring of Honor.
DT: Red Bryant, 2008, 4th round. Speaking of the Ring of Honor, this is the defensive lineman I believe belongs there in the Seahawks version. He played six of his eight seasons in Seattle but only unleashed his full talent when Pete Carroll moved him to defensive end. Yes, I know I've got him listed at tackle, but it's my list, and I'm playing the 326-pound monster inside. Or do you want the two guys who weighed 260 there instead? Anyway, Bryant did virtually all of his damage once Carroll took over. In 2011 he blocked four kicks and returned an interception for a touchdown. Remember, this is a man who is only slightly smaller than a grizzly bear.
DT: Rocky Bernard, 2002, 5th round. At 6'3" and 301 pounds, Bernard would have paired nicely with Bryant. Bernard did in fact start 15 games in Bryant's rookie season, but Red was injured, and only active for four games. Bernard was surprisingly agile too, breaking up six passes in 2004. Wow, I didn't realize Ken Norton Jr. was on the staff back then. Ahem...moving on, Bernard's best year for the Hawks had to be 2005. Despite just starting seven games, he racked up 8.5 sacks and 16 tackles for a loss. 103 of his 160 career games we played for Seattle, with 29 of his 33 sacks and 53 of his 61 TFL coming while playing for the good guys.
DE: Michael Sinclair, 1991, 6th round. Here's another absolute beast that's been forgotten by far too many younger 12s. He played all but one of his eleven years for the Hawks. His 73.5 career sacks rank second behind only the sack machine, Jacob Green. Just as with Bernard and McCrary, it took a few years for Sinclair to break into the starting lineup. I suppose that's understandable for a sixth-round pick, but you have to wonder how the coaching staff took three seasons to see what he could do. Oh, it was Tom Flores; never mind.
I mean, Sinclair had eight sacks in nine games in 1992, so of course, he only got two starts the next year. Once he got into the starting lineup, he took off. 1996 was the first of three straight seasons with double-digit sacks and a Pro Bowl appearance. He could hit a little, too, as his 25 career forced fumbles are nearly double those of Cliff Avril's second-pace 14. Yeah, I think you could win a lot of games with these savages on the D-line.