Forget one visit, the Seattle Seahawks want at least two with Missouri edge rusher Zion Young. After meeting with him at the NFL combine, the team is set to have a 30 visit with Young this week, just a couple of weeks before the draft.
If a 12 needed further proof that Young should be available at pick 32, that Seattle would take him, this is that proof. The question is what the Missouri product would bring to the Super Bowl-winning Seahawks. Would he be a true replacement for the outgoing Boye Mafe?
The answer is, for the most part and based on raw attributes and college production, yes. Young is terrific against the run, and, like Mafe, can set a hard edge and can chase down quarterbacks, too. Also, like Mafe, one might wonder if his ceiling on the latter is somewhat limited.
Seattle Seahawks scheduled to meet with edge rusher Zion Young yet again
Mafe had power and speed, but couldn't get more than six sacks in a season in three of his four years with Seattle. His highest number was nine in his second season. He had but two in 2025. Did he have a high-end pass-rush win-rate? Yes, and that helped his teammates more than it helped him.
Still, he was able to transition his production into a new contract in free agency with the Cincinnati Bengals that pays him an average of $20 million a season. That is good money, of course, and maybe he will be more productive in Cincy, but the Seahawks were never going to pay him that much.
Seattle must replace Mafe, however. The key to a good edge rush group is having multiple players who are very good. The team has DeMarcus Lawrence, Uchenna Nwosu, and Derick Hall, but having a fourth who can be elite is important. That could be Zion Young.
According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Young had 57 total pressures this past season, including 6.5 sacks. He also had 16.5 tackles for loss. While his sack totals weren't massive, he did get pressure on 18 percent of his snaps, which ranked in the 97th percentile of college football.
If those numbers sound somewhat familiar, it is because Mafe did the same kind of thing for the Seattle Seahawks this past season. The sack numbers were relatively low, but he was disruptive and threw off the timing of the opposing quarterback. This is what the 6'5" and 262-pound Young can do, too.
He might not equate what Boye Mafe did in Zion Young's first season, but he wouldn't have to yet. The Seahawks have depth at his position, and he can grow into his role. By 2027, though, Mike Macdonald could turn Young into a special player and a long-term great for Seattle.