Here is the Home Page for this series of posts.
I’m going out on a limb here, considering you probably have a good idea of where I’m gonna go with my top 7, if you give it just a tiny bit of thought. There were a lot of ways I could’ve taken this one, but ultimately too many of the players are akin to lottery picks. If this rookie blows up, then of course he enters into the discussion. Or, if that fringe roster guy lives up to his potential, then here we go!
As I noted when I wrote about Jacob Martin, this team is on the hunt for the player (or more likely, players) who will replace Frank Clark. Martin belongs on this list because he’s headed into his second season, and at three sacks in limited snaps, he showed solid promise for a rookie 6th round pick.
To contrast, Rasheem Green was unquestionably a disappointment as a rookie 3rd round pick (the second player we took in the draft, after another disappointment in Rashaad Penny). He played in only 10 games, recording just a single sack (one that I had completely forgotten about, against the Packers on Thursday Night), and overall not making much of an impact whatsoever. At no point did he appear to see his playing time increase, or make any strides at all in his development. So, why do I have him on this list at all?
Well, for starters, I know he’s going to be here. Barring injury, he’ll be part of the D-Line rotation, and with Clark gone (and others with question marks about their availability) there will be plenty of opportunity for him to show what he can do. There’s no better substitute for developing as a player than actual game reps, and this year he should have his fair share.
Also, I’m not gonna lie, that 3rd round status (#79 overall) really has my interest piqued. If you get drafted in the top three rounds, either you’re ready to play right away, or you’re a promising-enough development prospect to be given plenty of chances to succeed. From the moment he was selected (“way-too-early” per most pundits, naturally), Green was deemed to be more of a project. He left USC after his Junior year. He JUST turned 22 years old a couple months ago. I mean, you could argue he hadn’t even continued growing into his adult body! He certainly hadn’t developed into his ideal NFL body. Just getting through his rookie season alive, while getting a small slice of playing time in the process, is probably all we should’ve expected. Now that he’s had his rookie year and knows what it takes to be a professional – combined with the opportunity presented by the Seahawks’ roster construction – I fully expect a jump in his level of production.
His floor should be as a rotational player – sliding inside & outside – with a small handful of sacks. His ceiling is pretty tough to project, because if everything breaks right and he’s as good as everyone in the organization thought he could be when they reached for picked him, we could be talking about The Next Frank Clark. Maybe the power won’t necessarily be there in Year 2, but his ability to play anywhere on the line and being effective both against the run and pass, could bring shades of Early Frank Clark.
Jacob Martin is just a speed guy on the edge. Rasheem Green – if he pans out – could be so much more. That’s why he’s so important to the Seahawks in 2019.
As I’ve said before, the Seahawks have no guarantees heading into the season with regards to their pass rush. So, instead, they’re throwing as many promising young players into the mix as possible, just hoping that one or two of them hit it big.
Also, not for nothing, but Rasheem Green was a BEAST in the pre-season last year. 7 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and 3 QB hits against Indy; 6 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and 4 QB hits against the Chargers. I know, I know, pre-season success is NO precursor to regular season production, but it’s better than nothing. He at least showed up against the backups on a couple of playoff teams, and that’s as a 21 year old who some said could’ve been a high first round pick this year had he returned for his Senior year of college.