Taylor Grades

[D-train]

I liked this pick given we finally made an effort to fill a need but maybe we gave up too much to move up? Here are the grades:

48. Seahawks: EDGE Darrell Taylor, Tennessee
Grade: C+. Seahawks needed more EDGE help and Taylor has first-round flashes because of his burst and pass-rush plan. Thick, long frame. Good power too. Just can disappear for long stretches. Early for him.

48) Seattle Seahawks (from Jets): EDGE Darrell Taylor, Tennessee — Seattle slides up into this spot (and pays up plenty to do so) to grab a fascinating pass rusher who has some very Seahawks-y traits and edginess. We viewed him more as a third-round pick, but we can see why they felt the need to add some juice at this position. Will he produce? Taylor wasn’t great last year after many felt he was poised for a breakout season. Grade: C.

Darrell Taylor, Edge, Tennessee

Strengths: Explosiveness, upside

Weaknesses: Consistency, run defense

Hey, look: The Jets are trading back in the draft! Because their roster is SO STACKED that they don’t need to select players from one of the deepest second rounds in recent memory. (That was sarcasm, folks). Ah well, the Jets' latest loss is the Seahawks’ gain.

The Seahawks recorded only 28 sacks last year, tied for the second-lowest total in the NFL. Bruce Irvin returns to the team this year after an 8.5-sack season for the Panthers, but Jadeveon Clowney is dangling in free-agent limbo and unheralded defensive tackle Rasheem Green led the team with four sacks last year. So edge rush is a position of obvious need.

Taylor is a boom-or-bust edge-rusher who mixes huge games (three sacks against Georgia and four against Kentucky in 2018, two each against Mississippi State and South Carolina last year) with long disappearing acts. When he's on, he uses hip and head fakes to gain the advantage on his blocker, torques around the edge suddenly and delivers a jolt when he reaches the quarterback. When he's off, he's one of the last guys off the line of scrimmage at the snap and crashes into his blocker without a plan. Whether the issue is concentration, conditioning or something else, the long stretches of sluggish play are what separate Taylor from the first-round picks.

He is an adequate-at-best run defender who too often allows himself to be taken where his blocker wants him to go. He fits best as a stand-up edge-rusher on passing downs, at least at the start of his career. He can be dangerous right away in a 20- to 25-snap role. He fills a need, and he’s the type of player (for better or worse) that the Seahawks like to build their defense around.

Grade: B

[D-train]

48. Seattle Seahawks (from Jets): Darrell Taylor, DE, Tennessee
Grade: B
The Seahawks likely won't re-sign Jadeveon Clowney, and Ezekiel Ansah remains a free agent, leaving a void for a strong all-around edge defender. This is better than their first-round pick of linebacker Jordyn Brooks, but they get docked for passing on better edge rushers, including A.J. Epenesa and Terrell Lewis. Taylor (6-4, 267 pounds) stands out as a prospect because he is a pure power pass-rusher. Improvement in his moves, mobility and instincts can make him a well-rounded contributor.

[ThePro]

He's a player. If he was able to perform at the combine I don't think he falls to us.

[D-train]

Nfl.com is very kind. Love the line in red though. I guess we still have a big need at guard despite having almost 10 guards on the roster...

Seattle Seahawks
Day 1 grade: B
Day 2 picks: Tennessee DE Darrell Taylor (No. 48 overall); LSU OG Damien Lewis (No. 69)
Day 2 grade and analysis: B+
The Seahawks continued to improve their defense by picking a long, strong pass rusher in Taylor. That get-off and toughness is what Pete Carroll wants on the edge. We'll see in time if giving up a third-round pick to move up 11 slots for Taylor, instead of waiting a bit longer or picking Terrell Lewis or another edge player, was a bit too rich. Damien Lewis is powerful and has better foot quickness than he's given credit for. He addresses a big need for the Seahawks.

[D-train]

He's a player. If he was able to perform at the combine I don't think he falls to us.

Yep. I am happy with both 2nd round picks. They just don't make up for nightmare in the first round.

[ThePro]

He's a player. If he was able to perform at the combine I don't think he falls to us.

Yep. I am happy with both 2nd round picks. They just don't make up for nightmare in the first round.

There's this too. Hawks might have got your "DK miracle" after all.

An in-house medical isn’t always a crucial part of the evaluation, but with a prospect like Taylor, it is. After the 2019 season ended, Taylor had surgery to repair a stress fracture in his shin, taking away his ability to participate at the Senior Bowl and the Scouting Combine. He played the entire season with the injury, totaling 8.5 sacks while playing through the pain.

[D-train]

He's a player. If he was able to perform at the combine I don't think he falls to us.

Yep. I am happy with both 2nd round picks. They just don't make up for nightmare in the first round.

There's this too. Hawks might have got your "DK miracle" after all.

An in-house medical isn’t always a crucial part of the evaluation, but with a prospect like Taylor, it is. After the 2019 season ended, Taylor had surgery to repair a stress fracture in his shin, taking away his ability to participate at the Senior Bowl and the Scouting Combine. He played the entire season with the injury, totaling 8.5 sacks while playing through the pain.

Wow. A DK miracle for the offense and a D.T. Miracle for the D. Love it! and love those initials!

[D-train]

In continuing to break their trend of trading down, the Seahawks packaged a pair of picks to trade up in the draft on Friday.

Seattle addressed their pass-rush needs by traded their second round pick and their third-round compensatory pick (101st overall) to the New York Jets to move up to the No. 48 pick to select defensive end Darrell Taylor Jr. out of Tennessee.

After trading Frank Clark to the Chiefs and getting little from free agent Ziggy Ansah, the Seahawks produced a woeful pass rush last season even with the addition of Jadeveon Clowney. The 28 total team sacks was the second lowest in the NFL, with only the tanking Dolphins registering fewer with 23.

With Clowney still unsigned, Seattle brought back former first-round pick Bruce Irvin and another former Seahawk in Benson Mayowa to add to their depth on the defensive line. Neither are game-changing types as pass rushers, but can be effective in the right circumstances.

The last three times the Seahawks have traded up under general manager John Schneider, they picked wide receiver Tyler Lockett in 2015, defensive tackle Jarran Reed in 2016 and wide receiver D.K. Metcalf in 2019.

Let’s get to know Taylor a little better …

Name: Darrell Taylor Jr.

College: Tennessee

Height: 6-4

Weight: 267

The Skinny: Taylor, who has drawn comparisons to Clark by several draft analysts and scouts could bring a level of explosiveness that the defensive ends on the roster simply don’t possess. He is still raw in terms of pass rush moves and counter moves to blockers, but the initial explosion off the line is special. The pass rush skills can be refined with proper coaching. Clark was far from a finished product when Seattle took him in the 2nd round of the 2015 draft, tallying just three sacks his first season. But he bounced up to 10 the following season. Seattle may need to rely on Taylor a little more this season.

ADVERTISING



There is a question about his health, having undergone surgery for a stress fracture in his left leg in January. Per Taylor’s Instagram, he played the entire season with the injury. The surgery prevented him from participating at the NFL combine other than interviewing with teams.

Despite the pain in his shin, Taylor registered 46 tackles, 10 tackles, 8 1/2 sacks (second most in the SEC) with four base breakups, six QB hurries, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble in those 13 games. He also had eight sacks and 11 tackles for a loss as a junior.

Taylor lost his mother, Peggy, to breast cancer in 2013 when he was sophomore at Hopewell High School in Virginia.

[Michael K.]

The Mississippi State game he had two sacks? Those were the only two sacks that OT gave up all year.

[JAWA]

Yep. I am happy with both 2nd round picks. They just don't make up for nightmare in the first round.

Agreed. You should know by now that Pete and John's MO is to make a head-scratching pick in the first round and yet redeem themselves in the later rounds. I'm willing to give Brooks the benefit of the doubt but so help me god if he gets hurt between now and the first game of the season.