THE DEFENSE

[Seahawker]

MM's unit improved a bunch over last season finishing with about a #12 ranking. Murphy & Witherspoon now have another year under their belt and with the signing of Demarcus Lawrence the arrow looks to be pointed up.
Where is this defense headed and who (what positions) should we target in the draft?

 

[Shane Falco]

Leo's 92 yard run back was epic. He can move for a big man.

 

[Hotchy]

Target in the draft ? Our biggest weakness was stopping the run. A high pick rookie to start over Reed at DT and CB , for challenging our current corners. More depth at LB would be nice

 

[seabowl]

Target in the draft ? Our biggest weakness was stopping the run. A high pick rookie to start over Reed at DT and CB , for challenging our current corners. More depth at LB would be nice

Wasn’t Murphy supposed to be the solution on the interior DL?

 

[Rat]

Definitely need to keep adding youth on the DL. On the interior, the jury is still very much out on Murphy, while both LW and Reed are over 30 and could see their decline at any time. On the outside, Mafe will be a FA after next season, and while we can afford to give him long-term money, he plays a premium salary position and the returns with him have been so mixed, who knows if giving him a long term deal is even a great idea? Hall looks promising, albeit a bit inconsistent, but hopefully that improves this year. Lawrence is mostly just a vet presence who has been in decline, doesn't offer much as a pass rusher, and is coming off an injury.

There's potential for the line to be a significant strength this upcoming season, but it wouldn't take a lot for it to drop off considerably either. A smart team will keep adding.

 

[SoulfishHawk]

I think the defense is going to finish the year top 10. I said what I said.
Shocked that some are already giving up on Murphy. Damn, tough crowd to say the least. Holy hell.
As far as adding to the trenches, hell yes. Keep doing it. Just take a look at the Eagles and Chiefs. There's a reason they're in the mix over and over again.

 

[gmor]

Target in the draft ? Our biggest weakness was stopping the run. A high pick rookie to start over Reed at DT and CB , for challenging our current corners. More depth at LB would be nice

I'm hoping a mid round pick will go to a legit NT, allowing Reed to rotate along the line.

 

[Rat]

I think the defense is going to finish the year top 10. I said what I said.
Shocked that some are already giving up on Murphy. Damn, tough crowd to say the least. Holy hell.
As far as adding to the trenches, hell yes. Keep doing it. Just take a look at the Eagles and Chiefs. There's a reason they're in the mix over and over again.

I just said the jury is out. I was explaining why it would be wise to keep looking at young talent on the interior. Even if you like Murphy's trajectory so far, his playing time was fairly limited and he's still much more potential than proven at this point. We HOPE he takes that big step up this year, but these guys develop at different rates and we don't know if it will happen soon, if it happens at all. And even if Murphy establishes himself as a piece this season, the other guys at his position are at an age and mileage where they're increasingly vulnerable to injury and regression.

Maybe they all work out, stay healthy, and things go great this year, but they should be preparing for anything. Frankly, I think teams should have the mindset that they're NEVER completely satisfied with what they have on the DL. I've never heard of a team complaining they had too many good players.

I like the Giants of the past several decades as an example. Having high-end players like Strahan and Umenyiora didn't stop them from adding pass rushers like Tuck and Pierre-Paul, and they benefitted tremendously from it.

 

[SoulfishHawk]

Fair enough. Often guys going into their second year, the jury is out. It's just my opinion that he's better than people are claiming he is.
The more guys in the trenches the better. Keep them fresh, keep that rotation going. It's huge.

 

[Natethegreat]

It's great to keep loading the cupboard at D line but we do have other pressing needs as well.
I'm excited for our d. I do think we need to add a linebacker in the draft.
I would be stoked if we drafted Maliki Starks too.

 

[hgwellz12]

I think the defense is going to finish the year top 10. I said what I said.
Shocked that some are already giving up on Murphy. Damn, tough crowd to say the least. Holy hell.
As far as adding to the trenches, hell yes. Keep doing it. Just take a look at the Eagles and Chiefs. There's a reason they're in the mix over and over again.

Right there with ya!

 

[sutz]

Wasn’t Murphy supposed to be the solution on the interior DL?

Murphy was added to be part of the solution on the DL. One player ain't gonna fix 150 yds/game.

 

[Jerhawk]

I like what Rat said, but my mindset is a little different. I’d really like the team to address the back end and select either a safety or corner with one of their first three picks.

Woolen finished 65th among corners via PFF grades (I understand PFF is a volatile grading system on this board but here’s me showing research) with a 67.9 grade.

Love and Bryant are both pedestrian safeties imo. I truly believe the defense could make a huge leap with an eraser back there to force the QB to hold onto the ball for an extra tick. Or a safety like Kam who can make some serious splash plays and put the fear of God into the opponent.

Which is why I really hope the Seahawks draft at #18: Nick Emmanwori

 

[Natethegreat]

I like what Rat said, but my mindset is a little different. I’d really like the team to address the back end and select either a safety or corner with one of their first three picks.

Woolen finished 65th among corners via PFF grades (I understand PFF is a volatile grading system on this board but here’s me showing research) with a 67.9 grade.

Love and Bryant are both pedestrian safeties imo. I truly believe the defense could make a huge leap with an eraser back there to force the QB to hold onto the ball for an extra tick. Or a safety like Kam who can make some serious splash plays and put the fear of God into the opponent.

Which is why I really hope the Seahawks draft at #18: Nick Emmanwori

He came in for one of the Seahawks 30 visits so it's certainly possible. I prefer Starks but Emmanwori certainly possesses elite athletic traits.
I too think that safety is on the hawks radar at 18.

 

[Appyhawk]

Building in the trenches should be a continuous process, every year. Same for linebackers.
If you don't love Love you stand a good chance of never being satisfied.

 

[AROS]

I was reading the other day that the back half of the 2024 season we finished #5 overall D. Way to go fellas! Now let's pick up where we left off and get to #1!

 

[chris98251]

I do find it amusing that many here look at advanced stats and ratings about players, but these same sites also rank college players and draft prospects and are wrong as hell many times, Guide is fine, but eyeball test and how they actually contribute I value more. Players may not get into a stat sheet but are doing their job so others can. Sherman had lousy stats on a game day sheet, why, nobody would throw at him, same can be said for a DE or DT, they may choose to run to the other side where better success can be had.

 

[NoGain]

I'm optimistic about our defense next year, much more so than our offense. Like Aros said, our D got better as the year went on and the defensive players got more comfortable with MM's schemes. MM also got better acquainted with how best to utilize their talents. I was especially impressed with how our team came out strong after our nosedive into the bye. That spoke a lot to me about MM's ability to instill some real attitude into our players.

I've heard/read from several sources that this is an exceptional year for DT's in the draft, very deep. With that in mind, it seems pretty logical to me that they will draft a DT in the 2nd or 3rd round.

My guess is they don't draft a QB in rounds one or two, but I could see them taking a shot on a QB in the 3rd round if one of the top 4-5-6 QB's is available and they like them as a developmental QB.

Outside of the tippy-top edge rushers, I just don't know if they'd use one of their top 5 picks on one over their need of interior OLmen.

Somewhere their going to draft a few DB's, but it wouldn't surprise me if they wait until day three for that, unless they really like someone. Same for non pass rushing LB's.

The wildcard picks for me are WR and TE. They could pick one higher than we might expect.

I could easily envision our top 5 picks being 2 OLmen, a DT, WR, and QB or TE.

But back to the D... a top 10 defense I think is in the cards for us. In MM I trust.

 

[jammerhawk]

The team needs a better pass rush from the base defence. I'd be all for adding a an edge rusher who can be a difference maker, another safety, a legit NT, and another CB who is suited to play on the outside instead of the slot.

OTOH I'd be happy if the O has at least one legit and versatile interior Lineman added, as well as a quality TE, and a another big and fast WR.

I'd be willing to bet we will be pleased with Murphy before the end of this season.

 

[Shane Falco]

I think very few fans are unhappy with the progression of the defense and what MM has done to help it. I also think most fans assume they'll keep adding to it and improving on it. That's probably the surest thing about this team.