Seattle Seahawks: Grading every pick in 2020 NFL Draft

In the 2020 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks kept their recent tradition of making surprising selections with early picks.

Instead of trading out of the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks kept their top pick and used it on a potential starting outside linebacker. From there, the Seahawks continued addressing their deficiencies on both the offensive and defensive lines.

Overall, Seattle didn’t own the 2020 NFL Draft. Sure, the team made some decent picks, but the franchise passed on some instant-impact players for projects.

The Seahawks earned a lot of mid-level grades in the draft and found fewer gems than they did last year.

Round 1, Pick 29: Jordyn Brooks, LB, Texas Tech

Where should I begin with this? Well, the Seahawks made a surprising pick in the first round for the third year in a row. In 2018, the team took San Diego State’s Rashaad Penny with the 27th pick. The following year, Seattle used the 29th pick on TCU’s L.J. Collier. Now, it’s Jordyn Brooks‘ turn.

Seattle used the 29th overall pick on Brooks, who saw significant playing time during each of his four years at Texas Tech. As a senior, Brooks amassed 108 tackles, 20 tackles for loss, and three sacks. He’s instinctive and terrific against the run, but Brooks looks lost in pass coverage at times. He’s not reliable in that facet of the game yet.

If Brooks slots in as an outside linebacker in Seattle’s 4-3 defense, he could challenge Cody Barton for Mychal Kendricks‘ vacant position. Or, the Seahawks could rotate Brooks in as a bench player and then let him take over for K.J. Wright when the veteran’s deal ends after the 2020 season.

Linebacker was not one of the five positions I thought Seattle needed to address early in the draft. Unless the team gets Jadeveon Clowney back, the defensive line still lacks any punch on the edge. The offensive line is also a potential issue since the Seahawks signed a ton of backup-caliber linemen in free agency.

Besides drafting a player at the wrong position, Seattle has not selected a player from a football powerhouse in the first-round in several years. With plenty of players from Alabama, Clemson, LSU, and Ohio St. flying off of the board, Seattle’s selection of players from schools like San Diego St. and Texas Tech doesn’t sit well.

A year ago, I gave Seattle’s selection of Collier a generous C+. I’m tempted to go straight to a D at this point, but I’ll give Brooks a C+ as well since he possesses greater versatility than a player like Collier. Outside of his pass coverage, Brooks checks a lot of positive boxes. However, there were better players still on the board.

Final Grade: C+