The Seahawks changed up their coaching staff and reloaded at linebacker and safety this offseason. The one place where they improved the most was their defensive line, though.
Heading into the 2024 NFL draft they had a good group in place, with long-time veteran Leonard Williams as the centerpiece returning on a lucrative three-year deal. At nose tackle Jarran Reed and Johnathan Hankins provide solid experience and know-how. However, the rock star arrived in Detroit at the end of April, when Seattle used its first-round pick on Byron Murphy II, fresh off a dominant senior season at Texas.
With the arrival of Murphy, the Seahawks are moving Dre'Mont Jones outside to join the edge rotation with Uchenna Nwosu and Boye Mafe. Add it all up and you have what looks to be a really good, really deep defensive line unit - even if it's as yet been untested in its latest form.
At least on paper, this is now one of the top defensive line units in the league. ESPN analyst Mike Clay agrees. He has the Seahawks DL ranked No. 2 in the NFL in his 2024 offseason projections. While it's tough to say exactly how good this group will be until we see them on the field in a regular season game, we do have at least some idea of what to expect.
Williams, Reed, Hankins and Jones have been around for a while and all have shown at least a passable ability to rush the passer and (occasionally) stop the run. We also know Seattle will be strong outside if Nwosu can remain healthy and Mafe continues to develop as an edge rusher. Best of all, head coach Mike Macdonald has already proven he can get the most out of a pass rushing group, even if there's no A-list sack artist in the group.
The x-factor in determining just how far they can go is how great Murphy will be, and how fast he hits the ground running as a rookie. Muprhy has an incredibly high ceiling, having posted the highest pass-rushing grade of any interior lineman in last year's draft class. Having just suffered for 10 years of disruption from Aaron Donald, the Seahawks have to be hoping they're getting a similar game-wrecking dynamic in a relatively undersized package with Murphy.
For whatever it's worth it sounds like the Rams really had their hearts set on taking Murphy - they tried to move up several times to pick him but were unable. If Murphy can return the favor to LA and help bottle up Santa Clara's backfield, this Seahawks defense may be a thing again much sooner than most fans think.
