Wyman highlights UW Huskies LB as Seahawks draft target

Much of the pre-draft discussion about the Seattle Seahawks has centered around two positions: the offensive line and quarterback. But there’s another spot the team could address where they’re replacing notable players. That would be linebacker.

Huard: Where Michael Penix is better than other QBs in NFL Draft

The Seahawks saw longtime star Bobby Wagner depart in free agency to the Washington Commanders. Also out the door is 2020 draft pick and multi-year starter Jordyn Brooks, who also is heading east after signing with the Miami Dolphins. In response, Seattle inked Tyrel Dodson and Jerome Baker to help fill the voids left by a pair of impact players. Baker and Dodson each signed one-year deals, which means the Seahawks have just one linebacker (OLB Uchenna Nwosu) under contract past the 2024 season.

Former NFL linebacker Dave Wyman, who is now an analyst on Seahawks Radio Network broadcasts, looked at several linebackers the team could go after during a recent edition of Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob. One of the players he highlighted was UW Huskies standout Edefuan Ulofoshio.

“He’s a good player,” Wyman said. “He plays all over the field, very powerful, didn’t run a blistering 40 (yard dash), but you look at him on the field and and he runs a lot faster. … I feel like he’s very raw, and … a lot of times you want the guys that are raw. They haven’t learned any bad habits.”

Ulofoshio joined UW as a walk-on in 2018 after playing at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas. He was awarded a scholarship in January 2020 from then-head coach Jimmy Lake and developed into a standout player and leader for the Huskies’ defense. The Anchorage, Alaska, native racked up 94 tackles, eight tackles for loss and three sacks in his final season with the Huskies and earned first-team All-Pac 12 and third-team Associated Press All-America honors.

Hot start for the Huskies thanks to Edefuan Ulofoshio! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/7ip4794iUI

— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) September 24, 2023

One of the biggest knocks on Ulofoshio is that he doesn’t possess ideal speed and quickness despite having a productive college career. He ran the 40 in a 4.56 seconds, which was still good for sixth among linebackers at the NFL combine.

“Here’s the thing I would say about him, and this is what I love to say if you earn this – it’s a good thing: he plays faster than he runs,” Wyman said. “The other thing (is he’s) incredibly explosive. At the combine, he beat all the linebackers at the vertical jump (39 1/2 inches).”

Ulofoshio carries a bit of an injury history. He missed 14 straight games between the 2021 and 2022 seasons with a pair of injuries. An arm injury forced Ulofoshio to miss the final six games of 2021, and a torn ACL suffered in January 2022 kept him out for the first eight games of the next season.

“I would love to have him,” Wyman said. “He’s got a fourth-round grade, so maybe if he’s in the fourth or drops to the sixth, then maybe the Seahawks take him. But I just think whenever you see that people are aware that he has a medical history, I automatically count the Seahawks out just because they are very particular about that.”

Listen to the full conversation at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Tune in to Wyman and Bob weekdays from 2-6 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

More on the Seattle Seahawks and the NFL Draft

• Turbin on why Seattle Seahawks should draft a QB
• What style of lineman fits new Seahawks OC Grubb’s scheme?
• Seahawks expected to sign O-lineman who made ’21 Pro Bowl
• Bump’s best-case scenario for Seattle Seahawks QB Sam Howell in ’24

Follow @ZacHereth