Wyman: Breaking down projected Seahawks pick DT Justin Madubuike

The Seahawks’ most pressing need is a pass rusher on the edge, but could they boost the interior of their defensive line with the 27th overall pick in the upcoming draft? That’s what ESPN’s draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. thinks.

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In his latest mock draft, which can be viewed here (ESPN Insider required), Kiper has the Seahawks selecting Justin Madubuike, a defensive tackle from Texas A&M.

Madubuike was very productive for the Aggies the last two seasons, compiling 5.5 sacks in each year and totaling 22 tackles for loss between 2018 and 2019. He also performed very well at the NFL Scouting Combine, running a 4.83 40-yard dash and doing 31 bench press reps of 225 pounds. He measured at 6’3 and 293 pounds, but he typically plays between 300 and 310 pounds.

Former Seahawks linebacker Dave Wyman took a closer look at Madubuike this week, and explained what he saw to his co-hosts on 710 ESPN Seattle’s Bob, Dave and Moore.

While at A&M, Madubuike lined up inside at a few different techniques, Wyman said, and was extremely productive as a defensive tackle, even playing against some of the country’s best teams on a weekly basis.

“They played (the national champions) LSU, they played Georgia, they played Auburn, who was ranked eighth at the time, they played Alabama,” Wyman said.

As you’d expect, those schools had a lot of talent. Wyman watched film from when Texas A&M played teams with All-SEC offensive linemen, and as a result, Wyman watched Madubuike take on LSU, Alabama and Auburn.

No prospect is perfect, of course, and Wyman said there more plays where Madubuike wasn’t on the field than he’d like to see, but as you’d expect with a prospect who could be a first-round pick, there’s a lot to like.

“He has a really good first step and he’s got a good sense of sifting through blockers,” Wyman said. “He doesn’t get off his feet very much and he’s really strong … I saw him take two or three guys and just throw them straight down and these are big 320- 330-pound offensive linemen. He’s a really strong guy and really fast. And he’s active. He gets a lot of stats. In that LSU game … he had 1.5 sacks.”

While any team, really, could use a big, fast and strong defensive tackle, Wyman thinks Seattle needs to prioritize an edge rusher.

“If you’ve got Jarran Reed on one side and you sub in Poona Ford and then you get this guy, yeah, I could see it. But I’m very doubtful that this is going to be their first-round draft choice,” he said.

And, like seemingly every year, there’s a strong chance that the Seahawks trade their first-round pick for more draft selections, especially in the second and third rounds.

“I think when they get down (where they typically draft), I don’t think they give many guys first-round grades,” Wyman said. “Whether that’s a mistake or not, you get to pick 27 … I just don’t see them not trading that away and why wouldn’t you? If there’s no players with a first-round grade on them that you guys have come up with then trade it away, try to get a couple more second-rounders that you think are of that quality.”

You can listen to the full conversation at this link or in the player below at the 22:12 mark.

More Seahawks offseason coverage

• Moore: Ranking the Seahawks’ draft success round by round
• Do the Seahawks need to take a receiver in this receiver-rich draft?
• Heaps: Despite moves, Seahawks’ defense has not improved from 2019
• Why 3 2019 defensive rookies need to step up for the Seahawks
• Seahawks 2020 offseason tracker

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