Seahawks NFL Draft Profiles: A trio of LBs for 2 picks in second round
Apr 15, 2022, 10:32 AM
Our offseason Seahawks profiles continue, now having moved from free agency to the NFL Draft set for the end of this month. The Seahawks are on the board at pick No. 9, the highest pick they’ve had since they selected tackle Russell Okung sixth overall in 2010.
Should Seahawks take Oregon DE Kayvon Thibodeaux if he’s there at 9?
If you missed it, we already looked at two potential fits at cornerback (no surprise there, it’s the two best prospects in the class) and two quarterbacks (one of whom reportedly visited Seattle this week).
Now let’s look at a trio of linebackers that should be available for Seattle on Day 2.
Channing Tindall, Georgia
• Height/weight: 6-2/230
• Class: Sr.
• Notables: AP All-SEC Second Team (2021)
NFL Network draft analyst Lance Zierlein believes Tindall compares to a player Seahawks fans are already familiar with: Cody Barton. Tindall recorded 67 tackles and five and a half sacks in 2021, a year that saw the Bulldogs dominate their way through the regular season and win a national championship. He dd play behind the best defensive line in college football, though, which will make some add an asterisk to his stats.
• Jake Heaps’ scouting report: “He’s my favorite linebacker I’ve watched outside of (projected first-round Utah linebacker) Devin Lloyd. He’s not a big guy but he plays like it. He played on an amazing defense at Georgia with a great defensive front that allowed him to avoid taking on the blocks some other linebackers did in this draft, so there’s a question mark there: How good is he really in the run game when everyone in front of you makes your job easier? But look, outside of that and just watch his explosive traits, he ran a 4.47 at the combine with a 42-inch vertical. This is a guy who for a linebacker has average size, but he’s incredibly explosive and instinctual. If you and watch his film, you better have some popcorn, because he will shoot out of a cannon. Once he sees and diagnoses a play, he reads and reacts and gets to the ball so quickly.”
It's time to hand out this week's Inside College Football Game Ball.@JonesN4mo honors @GeorgiaFootball's Channing Tindall for his eight tackles and three sacks against Tennessee. pic.twitter.com/ApLATd1hb8
— CBS Sports Network (@CBSSportsNet) November 17, 2021
Leo Chenal, Wisconsin
• Height/weight: 6-2/261
• Class: Jr.
• Notables: Tallied 8 sacks in 2021, First-Team All Big Ten
Chenal was a first-team All-Big Ten starter who played on the best defense in the FBS in terms of yards allowed per game (240.8). He’s projected to go in the second round, where Seattle’s on the board at both 40 and 41 overall. For a defense that’s looking to be attack-minded, they’ll love Chenal’s response to a question about what he brings to a team: “My main thing I love saying is I’m violent. I want to use my body and do whatever I can to blow stuff up.”
• Jake Heaps’ scouting report: “He’s much more of a prototypical size. He’s a big dude and he’s a lot to handle; because of that he had unbelievable production in the Big Ten – 18 1/2 tackles for loss, eight sacks, 115 tackles. This guy lives around the line of scrimmage. He gets downhill, has a great nose for the football, and is someone who I believe can be a difference-maker from Day 1. For this attack-minded defense (new Seahawks defensive coordinator) Clint Hurtt wants to have, I think Chenal has the ability to be a productive, game-changing type of disrupter who has a knack for making plays near the line of scrimmage.”
"One of America's best linebackers" @chenal_leo has been DOMINANT … to put it lightly pic.twitter.com/ULbgKlzuch
— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) November 3, 2021
Troy Andersen, Montana State
• Height/weight: 6-4/235
• Class: Sr.
• Notables: FCS ADA National Defensive Player of the Year (2021), Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year (2021), First-Team All America
Andersen bested all other linebackers at this year’s combine with a 4.42 time in the 40-yard dash and might be one of the draft’s most versatile players. At Montana State, he played running back, quarterback and linebacker, and did it all well. He was Big Sky Freshman of the Year while making starts at running back and linebacker, and was named first-team All-Big Sky as a quarterback in 2018. His greatest accomplishments, though, have been at linebacker, where he was unanimous first-team All America in 2021.
• Jake Heaps’ scouting report: “He’s got 4.4 speed and a 46-inch vertical. He was incredibly productive at Montana State. A former quarterback converted to linebacker, but you can see his football IQ rise and translate as a linebacker. He’s a guy who understands, recognizes and diagnoses plays well. He’s Mr. Do Everything, similar to Cody Barton. He’s a tough player with amazing athletic traits, all the physical tools, and the competitive motor to run sideline to sideline. I think he’s got the opportunity to come in and compete with Barton, but also from Day 1 be a core special teams type of player.”
Troy Andersen. Buck Buchanan Award Finalist.
Awarded to the FCS National Defensive Player of the Year. #BobcatBuilt pic.twitter.com/bQmx5VBQkd
— Montana State Football (@MSUBobcats_FB) December 8, 2021
Bumpus: Seahawks OC Shane Waldron has never had a TE like Noah Fant
