At the start of draft week, the Seattle Seahawks made headlines everywhere by trading star defensive end Frank Clark to the Kansas City Chiefs. Clark was the heart and soul of Seattle’s pass rush as he logged 35 sacks for the Seahawks.
Even if Clark was still in the mix, the Seahawks were going to have to address their pass rush. With Clark becoming a Chief, the defensive end position immediately shot to the top of Seattle’s needs. The Seahawks spent their first pick of the 2019 NFL Draft on defensive end, L.J. Collier.
Collier is an intriguing prospect who should fill in quite nicely for Clark. However, the Seahawks made a very questionable decision not addressing the defensive line for the remainder of the draft until their very final pick when they selected defensive tackle DeMarcus Christmas No. 209 overall.
Instead of going after any number of defensive end prospects remaining – like Texas’ Charles Omenihu – Seattle instead chose to focus on other areas positions for the team. Drafting three wide receivers, two safeties and a guard addressed another critical need, but Seattle decided to also draft a pair of linebackers and a running back as well.
The defensive end position is now comprised of mostly unproven talent. Quinton Jefferson and Jacob Martin played well late last season, and Cassius Marsh is coming off a career year with 5.5 sacks in 2018.
However, Jefferson has not made much of an impact in the four seasons he has been in Seattle, Martin will be only a second-year pro, and there is a reason why Marsh keeps bouncing around Seattle, New England, and San Francisco.
All of these players, including newly acquired L.J. Collier and second-year defensive end Rasheem Green, will need to truly up their games if the Seahawks have any hope of harassing opposing quarterbacks in 2019.
