Seattle Seahawks first-round draft pick L.J. Collier was in attendance Friday afternoon with the rest of his draft class for the opening day of rookie camp.
Collier was selected No. 29 overall by Seattle to compete to start at defensive end. Coach Pete Carroll recognized a former player in Collier from the first time he saw him on the field.
“He’s very flexible and can move around,” Carroll said after Collier was selected in April. “The guy that I saw pop up on the TV that he’s a lot like is Michael Bennett. He has the versatility and the style and the penetration ability, he’s really slippery. He has terrific pass rush makeup and so we’re going to fit him right in the scheme in that regard and look forward to that.”
Collier was asked about his likening to Bennett during his very first press conference at the VMAC and appreciated the comparison.
“I think that’s a great comparison because he can play outside and he can play in,” Collier explained. “He’s a tough hard-nosed guy. He loves to hit people. I like his style of play and his flexibility of going in and out. Obviously, I can do that, too. That’s where I see the comparison.”
Two seasons away from his last game for Seattle, Bennett is still remembered fondly by the Seahawks for his aggressive style of play. Collier was asked whether or not he felt extra pressure to rise to the level of one of Seattle’s toughest defensive ends.
“Not at all, if anything, it drives me to get better,” Collier said. “The guys here are going to push me. They’re going to help me get better. It doesn’t put any pressure on me at all. I’ve lived with pressure my whole life. It just pushes me to go harder and play even better.”
