Seahawks drafting this edge rusher would be a nightmare for the 49ers

The expectations should be that Seattle Seahawks fans see a lot of fundamental changes to the Seattle defense beginning in 2024 with Mike Macdonald as the new head coach. Pete Carroll was a very successful head coach with the team for more than a decade, but he seemed increasingly incapable of fixing any issues. How long did 12s endure watching the run defense be bad or linebackers allowing passes to be completed over the middle of the field for first downs?

Fans could see the problems. Opposing teams took advantage of the issues. Seattle couldn't stop the situations from arising.

Part of the reason that Seattle allowed so many passes to be completed over the middle was that the pass rush was extremely inconsistent. The Seahawks were 11th in sacks (47) in 2023, but 17 of them came in two games (Week 4 versus the New York Giants when Seattle had 11 and Week 16 versus the Titans when Seattle had 6). 36 percent of the team's sacks this past season came in two different games, while in many other games, Seattle had one sack or less.

Chop Robinson would be an excellent pick in the first round for the Seattle Seahawks

Against the NFC West champion San Francisco 49ers, Seattle had a total of 4 sacks in two games though the one sack that came in Week 12 accounted for only one yard lost. In the two matchups, the 49ers also converted on 11 of 22 third-down attempts. That is a good way for Seattle to lose two games and to get back to the top of the division, Seattle is going to have to beat the 49ers.

This is where edge rusher Chop Robinson comes in. The Penn State product has been compared to Dallas Cowboys' edge rusher Micah Parsons in terms of potential. Robinson's athletic ability is elite and he ran a 4.48 40 at the NFL Combine even though he is 6'3" and 254 pounds. His athleticism score at the combine ranked third among all edge rushers.

His issue in college is that he never seemed to develop his technique. Though he is extremely fast and strong enough to play right away in the NFL, Robinson only had 11.5 sacks in three seasons. He is capable of much more, however, and he will develop quickly if he plays under Macdonald.

Adding Robinson at pick 16 in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft, or possibly even a few spots later if the Seahawks trade back, to a mix of pass rushers that include Boye Mafe and Uchenna Nwosu would greatly improve Seattle's ability to get third-down stops. The 49ers offense can be stifled but a team has to get good pressure and Seattle hasn't been able to do that consistently. That would change if the team picks Robinson.

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