4 Seattle Seahawks on the hot seat ahead of the 2023 NFL draft

Seahawks edge rusher Darrell Taylor is on the hot seat

Darrell Taylor was chosen in the second round of the 2020 draft but he missed his first season after recovering from an injury issue suffered in college. In the two years he has played (2021 and 2022), he has a combined 16 sacks and 26 quarterback hits. He has the speed and a couple of pass rush moves to get to the quarterback. But it says a lot that through two seasons, he has 16 sacks but only 15 tackles for loss.

This indicates Taylor can do one thing somewhat successfully and that is pressure opposing quarterbacks. But he doesn't play the run at all well and is extremely inconsistent even getting to the quarterback. It feels like if Taylor could be consistent and perfect about three pass rush moves, he could get to 14 or 15 sacks.

Maybe he still will get there. But 2023 is a bit of a break or make year for Taylor. The Seahawks took Boye Mafe in the 2022 draft and one should expect him to take on a larger role in 2023. Seattle also has enough high draft capital where they should be able to take at least one edge rusher who can sack quarterbacks while also being a force in run defense. Taylor might simply lose his place in a pass rush rotation if other players are capable of doing more.

But year three could be huge for Taylor. He must know he is being pushed by whomever the Seahawks take in the 2023 NFL draft and maybe Taylor has to find another team sooner than he hoped. That said, if Taylor can be a lot more consistent and get to 13 sacks in 2023, he might be a must-sign for the Seahawks next offseason.