The Seattle Seahawks used the 2019 NFL draft to shore up their depth at multiple positions. One position they addressed late in the draft was defensive tackle, where they lost Shamar Stephen to the Vikings in free agency.
Seattle ended up selecting Florida State defensive tackle DeMarcus Christmas in the sixth round to help add depth on the inside.
Christmas lined up primarily at three-technique (over the guard) while in college, and although he does have some experience at nose tackle, Seattle expects to use him primarily at three-technique.
“He’s going to play 3-technique to start us out,” coach Pete Carroll said after the draft. “We just want to bring him along. Good, tough guy, who can do a lot of good stuff. We just want to develop him, we need the depth, and we need the girth. He’s a 300-plus pound guy. He’ll start at 3-technique.”
Christmas admitted he’s more of a run-stuffer than a pass rusher, which should suit the Seahawks who struggled to stop running backs up the middle last year.
Between Christmas and Poona Ford, who excelled as a run-stuffer and is expected to play more next season, Seattle has done a nice job of addressing the run defense up front.
However, the Seahawks aren’t finished just yet.
“We picked one, so we thought it was important,” Carroll said about their depth on the defensive line. “We’ll continue to work to develop that.”
