With the No. 25 pick in the third round of the 2019 NFL draft – No. 88 overall – the Seattle Seahawks selected linebacker Cody Barton out of Utah.
The Seahawks traded up to select their second Ute of the night, after safety Marquise Blair.
Barton appears to be a bit of a “jack of all trades, master of none” type of player. He has plenty of versatility, as he played many positions in Utah’s defense, including both inside and outside linebacker. Overall, Barton appears to be solid across the board but lacks elite skills at any one aspect of his game.
At first glance, it might seem questionable as to why the Seahawks are selecting another linebacker. After all, they have Bobby Wagner, K.J. Wright, Austin Calitro, Shaquem Griffin and Mychal Kendricks.
While the Seahawks linebacking corps is solid on paper, there might be a little more volatility than expected.
Wright is coming off an injury-riddled 2018 campaign where he only played in five games. Kendricks’ availability is deeply in question as he is still facing sentencing for insider trading. Not to mention Kendricks’ season was also cut short due to injury as well.
Considering there are legitimate questions and concerns about potential availability for two of Seattle’s top linebackers, it seems rather prudent for the Seahawks to draft a versatile type of player in Barton.
