Why Seattle Seahawks wanted Tennessee Vols' Darrell Taylor after visit before NFL Draft

Darrell Taylor was the last NFL Draft prospect the Seattle Seahawks brought in for an interview before coronavirus halted that process.

Taylor and Seahawks general manager John Schneider exited that day with a good feeling about the possibility of Taylor winding up Seattle.

“When Darrell left the building that day, he’s like, ‘Man, I really hope this works out,’” Schneider said in a teleconference with reporters after the Seahawks selected Taylor in the second round on Friday with the No. 48 overall pick.

Taylor, the former Tennessee linebacker, became the first Vols player drafted since 2018.

The Seahawks considered taking Taylor in the first round, Schneider said, but they selected Texas Tech linebacker Jordyn Brooks with the No. 27 pick.

Then they got to work on trading up in the second-round draft order to try to land Taylor.

“From the get-go this (Friday) morning, we were on it,” Schneider said, “trying to move the whole way. We were trying to go up pretty high to get him.”

Seattle traded the Nos. 59 and 101 picks to the New York Jets to move up and nab Taylor, who compiled 19.5 sacks during his Tennessee career. He will be tasked with helping improve Seattle’s pass rush after the Seahawks struggled to get to the quarterback last season. Taylor likely will spend much of his time with his hand in the turf with the Seahawks, but he also has the versatility to play stand-up linebacker.

"The height, weight, speed thing is there,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. “His aggressiveness is there, his flexibility, his savvy for turning the corner, and doing the things that that position calls for—the power he has to finish. He's got speed to power moves. And there's enough ability there for him to do some dropping (into coverage) the few times that we do that, when we mix our looks.”

Taylor played his senior season with a stress fracture in his leg and still logged 8.5 sacks. He had surgery on Jan. 30. Although he attended the NFL scouting combine, he did not participate in on-field drills or workouts.

Schneider said the Seahawks' doctors evaluated Taylor on his visit to Seattle, and team personnel watched video of a workout he did before the draft. They liked what they saw and liked what they heard from Taylor on his visit.

 “He just handled himself very well and was excited to be there,” Schneider said. “We ended up having lunch that day, too, a couple of us, and he just did a great job. He was just a very impressive young man — with an edge. He’s got a chip. He’s mad that he didn’t have a better season. Who knows if he’s healthy this year where we end up drafting him?”

Blake Toppmeyer covers University of Tennessee football. Email him at blake.toppmeyer@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @btoppmeyer. If you enjoy Blake’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it. Current subscribers can click here to join Blake's FREE text group offering updates and analysis on Vols football.