Seattle Seahawks: Grading every pick in 2020 NFL Draft
By Samuel Teets
Round 2, Pick 48: Darrell Taylor, DE, Tennessee
The Seahawks traded up to select Tennessee’s Darrell Taylor with the 48th overall pick. Seattle sent the 59th and 101st picks to the New York Jets in exchange for the 48th pick. Taylor joins a team desperately searching for a pass rush. If Jadeveon Clowney re-signs, then the team’s woes end. However, Seattle’s pass rush currently rests on Bruce Irvin and several unproven young players.
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In his final season at Tennessee, the 6-4, 267-pound edge rusher produced 46 tackles, ten tackles for loss, and 8.5 sacks, which built on his impressive junior season. However, Taylor’s selection at 48th came as a surprise. Several other quality defensive ends remained on the board, including Iowa’s A.J. Epenesa, Boise State’s Curtis Weaver, and Notre Dame’s Julian Okwara.
Taylor’s early selection is eerily reminiscent of Seattle reaching for L.J. Collier last year. The Seahawks took Collier in the first round, but the TCU product played less than 15 percent of Seattle’s defensive snaps as a rookie, despite the team’s battered defensive front. Now, Taylor joins a unit already featuring Collier, Rasheem Green, Irvin, Branden Jackson and Benson Mayowa.
Taylor plays with NFL-caliber power. In the SEC, he faced some of college football’s best tackles and held his own. He’s got good bend and can sometimes access a second gear for the speed to beat a tackle suddenly. However, he still doesn’t process the game quickly enough, and his slow initial burst can kill his rush before it even gets started.
Final Grade: C+