Why Seahawks Opted to Select Damien Lewis, Bypass Defensive Tackles

When the Seahawks exited the 2020 NFL Draft, they left without taking a defensive tackle, though they managed to get their top two guys in Jordyn Brooks and Darrell Taylor. But they then faced a choice: further satisfy the desperate need for pass rush or opt for another position. Seattle went for the latter, taking LSU offensive guard Damien Lewis in the third round. Nice.

The move passed up any chance of getting a noteworthy interior presence, with the Seahawks next picking at Pick 144 in Round 4 after having traded a third rounder to go up and get the outside rush of their man Taylor. General manager John Schneider obviously understood the ramifications of such a decision, but it’s interesting to explore the ‘why?’

The selection of Lewis started a run on interior offensive linemen. Schneider loves his ledges; Seattle will feel they got a man at the start of a distinct interior offensive line tier. Feasible alternatives to Lewis for the Seahawks got taken after him. Jonah Jackson went to the Lions at pick No. 75, John Simpson went to the Raiders at pick No. 109, and Logan Stenberg also went to the Lions later in the fourth round. All three had been heavily mocked to Seattle and the trio went before the Seahawks’ next selection at No. 144.

After the draft, Schneider spoke in detail about studying the board and where players will be taken, telling Danny and Gallant on ESPN 710 Seattle, "The draft is evaluation and it is also about trying to figure out how to study where you take guys."

Like with snagging his top two targets, Schneider got the Lewis pick right in range and timing. Seattle checked off another main objective.

Yet, in the moment, taking Lewis felt somewhat unnecessary. Guard did not appear to be nearly as big a need as defensive tackle and the Seahawks’ theme of going for the “Best Player Available” in the 2020 draft was particularly frustrating at that point. When Lewis’ name was called by an increasingly ragged Roger Goodell, Seattle reached 18 offensive linemen in total. Combined with the free agency focus on the line, this felt like overkill.

The defensive tackle depth, meanwhile, was gross. The starting pair is Jarran Reed and Poona Ford. That’s solid. The issue is what’s in reserve: DeMarcus Christmas, Nazair Jones, Bryan Mone, and Shakir Soto. Christmas is likely to be a fine early-down defensive tackle. Jones showed initial promise, yet seems to have lost the coaching staff. Mone was terrible in limited 2019 action. Soto hasn't played an NFL snap.

Carroll rightly has pointed out that the 5-technique defensive ends - such as L.J. Collier and Rasheem Green - can kick inside to 3-technique defensive tackle on passing downs. However, this only applies to a small number of snaps. While the Seahawks have established success in cheap free agency when looking for a plug-and-play defensive tackle - Al Woods being the latest example - they lack 3-technique players who can get it done on early downs inside too.

These men are harder to find. Woods was one of these players, although more of a 3/1 technique. He is now a Jacksonville Jaguar. Another free agency departure was 3/5 technique Quinton Jefferson, who deservedly got paid by the Buffalo Bills. It’s that versatile 3/5 type Seattle really lacks.

This draft had defensive tackle options in it. Acknowledging that Brooks was a player Seattle had to have and Taylor was the best available pass rushing prospect in the Seahawks’ view, it’s the Lewis pick at No. 69 overall that was the area Seattle could have upgraded their defensive tackle room and interior pass rush.

Their trends for 3-techniques are as follows: 6-foot-3 or taller, arms longer than 32 inches, weight in the 295-305 pound region, short shuttle quicker than 4.65 seconds, and some serious bench press reps. Having established that Reed and Ford could do with another man who can rush the passer but survive on early downs inside, looking at pressure percentage figures is necessary too.

The evaluative importance of pressure percentage to the Seahawks is illustrated by Pete Carroll’s March 2018 comments after drafting Jacob Martin in the sixth round of that draft. I quoted these in my article on Darrell Taylor’s pressure rate too.

“We’re just looking for activity and problem-makers,” Carroll told John Clayton on 710 ESPN Seattle. “Usually you can look to that pressure percentage; how many times when they rush do they affect the quarterback?”

Thanks to Sports Info Solutions and their “The SIS Football Rookie Handbook 2020,” we can see the 2019 pressure percentages of the defensive tackles that came out this year - a more effective evaluative tool than looking at the total number of pressures. SIS defines a pressure as a play “in which there is a quarterback hurry, hit, knockdown or sack.” The pressure percentage figure is just the “percentage of pass rushes that resulted in a pressure.” SIS separates defensive tackles from nose tackles.

1st: Marlon Davidson, Auburn, 14% pressure percentage

1st: James Lynch, Baylor, 14% pressure percentage

3rd: Javon Kinlaw, South Carolina, 12% pressure percentage

4th: Broderick Washington Jr, Texas Tech, 11% pressure percentage

4th: Neville Gallimore, Oklahoma, 11% pressure percentage

4th: Justin Madubuike, Texas A&M, 11% pressure percentage

4th: Calvin Taylor Jr, Kentucky, 11% pressure percentage

4th: Khalil Davis, Nebraska, 11% pressure percentage

9th: Three tied with 9% pressure percentage

(Manocherian, M., ed.SIS Football Rookie Handbook 2020 (ACTA Sports, 2020) p.319)

Javon Kinlaw (tied for 3rd) went No. 14 overall to the 49ers, so he can be removed from this discussion. Meanwhile, the man tied for 1 place, Marlon Davidson, went the pick before Darrell Taylor to the Falcons. The second-round pick by Atlanta did make sense in Seattle and the Seahawks must have considered him. However, they would have been aware of the area of the draft he would have been taken and Schneider made the move to trade up for Taylor after Davidson went. Taylor was the target.

The other first place pressure percentage was James Lynch, who went to the Vikings in the fourth round. When you look at Lynch’s combine numbers, it makes sense that Seattle was not interested: his arms were shorter than 32 inches and his weight was lighter than 290 pounds. His fit would have been tweener-ish on the Seahawks defense.

It is the four-way tie for fourth place where two interesting names come up. Justin Madubuike (Pick 71 to the Ravens) and Neville Gallimore (Pick 82 to the Cowboys) were players who the Seahawks clearly turned down in favor of Damien Lewis.

Gallimore was under the 6-foot-3 mark at 6-foot-2, but the bigger issue was his terrible agility testing at the combine. The 304-pounder ran an impressive 4.79 second 40-yard dash with a 5.01 second short shuttle and 7.97 second 3-cone. Even if we buy into the move to primetime negatively impacting the results, we can’t ignore these figures. They are far slower than the 4.65 seconds or quicker short shuttle the Seahawks have looked for at the position.

Madubuike was a touch shorter 6-foot-2 and a touch light at 293 pounds, but the rest of the testing he did was impressive and met Seattle’s thresholds. With long 33 1/2-inch arms, the former Texas A&M star ran a 4.83 40-yard dash and 7.37 second 3-cone, plus put up 31 reps on the bench press. Madubuike, however, did not run the important short shuttle.

That said, his college resumé was excellent. In his final two years, Madubuike put up a total of 11.0 sacks and 22 tackles for loss, with the Aggies deploying him in a variety of techniques. His penetration, quicks, and size would have been exciting value in the third round.

However, the importance of the Seahawks meeting with and interviewing players has been clear in their draft strategy this year. Madubuike left school early as a junior and was not reported as meeting with Seattle at the NFL combine. Lewis attended the Senior Bowl where Seattle would have met him, was coached by Carroll’s friend and former colleague Ed Ogeron, and had a video conference with the Seahawks too.

The three men to also tie for the joint-fourth place in the rankings by achieving an 11% pressure percentage figure in 2019 were Broderick Washington Jr, Calvin Taylor Jr, and Khalil Davis. Washington Jr. and Davis were day three picks. Washington (Pick 170 to the Ravens) had only 23 bench press reps. Davis (Pick 194) had just 31 1/2-inch arms. Seattle decided to take the speed edge rush of Alton Robinson - another Senior Bowl attendee - instead adding the former Syracuse star with the 130rd selection.

Meanwhile, Calvin Taylor Jr. was an undrafted free agent project with no testing numbers. His rumored 6-foot-8 frame would have intrigued the Seahawks (Schnieder has long obsessed over finding a Calias Campbell-type), but UDFA is a crap shoot and Taylor ended up signing with the Steelers.

The decision to take Lewis over Madubuike was one made without hesitation. Seattle’s pick came in so damn fast on the television coverage. It’s a call from Schneider that looks better over a week after the draft. The Seahawks have now cut D.J. Fluker and Justin Britt for cap reasons.

Looking at the type of player Lewis actually is - we’ll have a film breakdown at Seahawk Maven soon - he has experience at left guard and center in addition to right guard. He ticks so many of Seattle’s boxes, including overcoming adversity. He experienced the horrors of Hurricane Katrina, his mother breaking her back and hurting her leg, his father being incarcerated, and he went through the JUCO route to LSU.

Described as a “grown man,” by Schneider after the event, it’s clear Lewis was another chap Seattle had to leave with the draft with.

“Once we drafted Damien, everybody felt like we were drafting a starting right guard in the National Football League because he’s just a man,” Schneider told Softy Mahler and Dick Fain on KJR 950. That’s massively high praise. With Fluker gone, it seems like Lewis is right guard No. 1.

As for the defensive tackle room, more bodies are needed. Who knows how much Woods’ four-game, 2019 PED suspension impacted Seattle’s decision not to pay him the $2.75 million he got in Jacksonville. It might just be that Woods is 33-years-old. The Seahawks got an outstanding level of play for him relative to the cost, but they felt a repeat was unlikely.

Post-day three, Gregg Bell of The News Tribune asked Carroll “do you have enough in the middle?” Carroll began by dancing around the question with 5-technique-moving-inside talk.

“That doesn’t mean we’re done looking or working either,” Carroll said as he started to get into the real issue. “John’s gonna keep going and keep digging around, seeing if there’s a guy that might spark us in there, as we always do.”

The present free agent list features notable names who could contribute at the position of need: Mike Daniels, Damon Harrison, and Marcell Dareus. But during these strange pandemic times, Seattle can afford to be patient. There will (presumably) be cut-downs to the Final 55 that they delve into. In the draft, they chose to pick a starter (Lewis) over a rotational piece (Madubuike). That’s fine with me!

Permission to use the Sports Info Solutions data was granted by the SIS Vice President of Football & Research Matt Manocherian on April 21st 2020. You can purchase “The SIS Football Rookie Handbook 2020” here. It’s a fantastic read full of data, articles and NFL-level scouting reports. ACTA Sports is offering a 50% discount at the time of writing. Follow SIS on twitter here and Matt here.