The Seattle Seahawks used their first round pick at No. 29 overall to snag TCU defensive end L.J. Collier. Collier is a big, bruising defensive end who can step in and play all along Seattle’s defensive line, giving them added versatility and depth at a position of need heading into 2019.
“L.J. fits us,” general manager John Schneider said after the draft. “He’s a heavy-handed, chip-on-his-shoulder guy. He lost his mother when he was a freshman in college and he didn’t play well in the last game that she saw, and he’s always used that to his advantage. He played in a complicated system down there at TCU.”
Collier is listed at 6 feet 2 and 283 pounds, so while he won’t look like Frank Clark out there, his ability to get to the quarterback from multiple spots will help fill the void after Clark was traded to Kansas City a few days before the start of the draft.
Collier not only passed the metaphorical eye test to be a Seahawk, he passed the literal one as well.
“They tested to see how long I could keep my eyes open,” Collier said about his experience with Seattle scouts prior to the draft. Collier said he managed to keep his eyes open for “about four to five minutes.”
“They were like, ‘Wow, I didn’t know someone could keep their eyes open for that long.’ ”
The Seahawks obviously had their eye on Collier for a while, and now they have the first big step toward rebuilding their pass rush completed. With eight picks remaining in the NFL draft, however, there is still a long way to go.
