Seattle Seahawks: Recent first round draft picks have disappointed

2012 – Bruce Irvin

The Seahawks took Irvin with the 15th overall selection in 2012. In two seasons at West Virginia, Irvin recorded 22.5 sacks and 29 tackles for loss. Seattle thought he could serve as an elite edge rusher who would complement Chris Clemons. That plan fell apart rather quickly.

While Irvin did record eight sacks as a rookie, he only managed to get 16 combined tackles. 2013 shook up the team’s roster entirely. At age 32, Clemons’ production plummeted. He played in 14 games, starting 11 of them, but only recorded 4.5 sacks. Prior to 2013, Clemons had three consecutive seasons with at least 11 sacks.

Instead, Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett became the team’s primary pass rushers. Both defensive ends were signed in the offseason heading into 2013 and combined for 16.5 sacks in their first season in Seattle. Overshadowed by his new teammates, Irvin produced just two sacks in 2013.

While Irvin did go on to record 6.5 sacks in 2014 and 5.5 in 2015, the linebacker was out of place in Seattle’s defense. After four seasons with the team, the Seahawks elected to not bring him back for another go. He signed with the Oakland Raiders and spent the last two and a half seasons with the team before being cut and joining the Atlanta Falcons for the second half of 2018. He also spent more time at the defensive end position during this transition.

In seven professional seasons, Irvin has 265 combined tackles and 43.5 sacks. That production isn’t bad, but it doesn’t justify a first round selection or the cap a player like that consumes. We’re seeing the same issue in Pittsburgh right now with Bud Dupree, although his fifth-year option was exercised, unlike with Irvin. While Irvin isn’t a bad player, he was a bad fit for the Seahawks and did not live up to the expectations that come with being a first-round pick.