Seahawks Draft Profile: Would Will Anderson Jr. Be Game-Changing Pick For Seattle?
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With the 2023 NFL Draft set to kick off in Kansas City on Thursday, April 27, the Seattle Seahawks will have a chance to take another big step forward following a surprise playoff berth with four picks in the first 52 selections, including a top-five pick for the first time since 2009.
Over the next month leading up to draft weekend, the AllSeahawks.com writing staff will dish out in-depth profiles on numerous prospects who could be targets on Seattle's big board as the franchise aims to open a window for Super Bowl contention.
Up next in the series, the Seahawks already have a talented trio of edge defenders in Uchenna Nwosu, Darrell Taylor, and Boye Mafe with other intriguing young options behind them. But if Alabama's Will Anderson Jr. falls to them, would his undeniable talent take their pass rush to the next level?
Background
Heralding from Hampton, GA. as a top-100 recruit, Anderson immediately found his way into Alabama's star-studded lineup as a true freshman, starting 13 games while earning SEC All-Freshman team recognition. From there, he terrorized opposing quarterbacks winning the Bronco Nagurski Award and earning All-American honors while registering 17.5 sacks for the Crimson Tide. A rare defender to do well in Heisman Trophy balloting, he finished fifth overall in voting, losing out to Alabama teammate Bryce Young. While his numbers weren't quite as impressive as a junior with roughly half of the tackles in 2022, he still amassed 10 sacks and 17 tackles for loss, once again receiving All-American and All-SEC honors before declaring early for the 2023 NFL Draft.
Strengths
Lightning in a bottle rushing off the edge, Anderson terrorizes opposing tackles with a dynamic first step and explodes off the line like a stick of TNT, allowing him to immediately threaten blockers upfield. Once he rockets past them, it's typically game over, as he has the ankle flexion and flexibility to swiftly dip around the corner and flatten out his rush path to promptly collapse on the quarterback in the pocket.
While Anderson lacks the size of some other top EDGE defenders such as Texas Tech's Tyree Wilson, he still has nearly 34-inch arms and uses his length effectively to create separation from blockers and disengage from blocks. Specifically, he capitalizes on his reach to make linemen who become vulnerable opening up too much trying to slide to his speed by beating them inside with swipe, rip, and arm over combos. He's also a major disruptor on stunts and twists.
At 253 pounds, Anderson has a muscular frame and plays with the physicality and toughness of a bigger defender setting the edge, He sets a cement anchor when tackles try to knock him off the ball and uses sound technique to win the leverage battle, frequently standing blockers up and extending his arms to create a viewing window to snuff out ball carriers.
All effort all the time, Anderson led by example from the moment he stepped onto campus in Tuscaloosa. A fighter in the trenches regardless of where he lines up, he consistently made plays against the run in goal line situations and also often chased down running backs and receivers on jet sweeps outside in pursuit, displaying his elite athleticism, motor, and football instincts. He also picked off a pass in coverage, displaying quality versatility as an outside linebacker.
Weaknesses
Though the Crimson Tide moved Anderson around some, including occasionally standing up over the A-gap on passing downs, his size may create some positional limitations in the NFL. When facing stronger, athletic tackles such as Tennessee's Darnell Wright, he had more issues shaking free as a rusher and holding up physically at the point of attack, which may suggest he's best suited for a 3-4 scheme.
In the pass rushing game, Anderson has a decent array of counters in his tool box already at his disposal. However, further development will be necessary if he wishes to continue racking up big sack numbers at the next level, as it would serve him well to add refined club and swim moves to his arsenal to help free himself from blockers who get hands on him early in the fight after the snap.
Though it may have simply been a one-year aberration, Anderson left quite a few tackles on the field in 2022. Arm tackles won't get the job done in the league and he will need to do a better job wrapping up once he tracks down ball carriers than what he did throughout his junior season.
Fit in Seattle
It's not difficult to see why Anderson has been billed a top-three prospect dating back to the conclusion of last year's draft. His off-the-charts production rushing the quarterback coupled with quality film as a run defender make him one of the best all-around edge defenders to come into the NFL in the past decade. He's also a revered, high character leader who gained the utmost respect from coach Nick Saban.
For these reasons and his pedigree coming from one of college football's blue blood programs, it would be a surprise if Anderson falls to the Seahawks at the fifth overall pick. If the Cardinals plan to make a selection two picks earlier, the two-time All-American should be the favorite to go to the desert and chase after Geno Smith twice a year in the NFC West instead.
While Seattle has more pressing needs than EDGE at this stage, however, Anderson has the skills and upside to be a perennial All-Pro selection and he's best suited for a 3-4 scheme like the one deployed by coordinator Clint Hurtt. If he somehow slips to the fifth pick or the team trades up a few spots, it should take general manager John Schneider less than five seconds to turn in the draft card to land a new franchise cornerstone for the defense to be built around.
Previous Seahawks Draft Profiles
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