The Seattle Seahawks came within inches of beating the San Francisco 49ers in Week 17, taking the NFC West title and heading into the playoffs with a ton of momentum. Instead, they had to settle for the wild card. If they had taken care of business against Arizona at home in Week 16, things could also have been different, but suffering two straight divisional losses at CenturyLink Field, where they tend to dominate opponents, gave the Seahawks things to think about — as did their loss to Green Bay in the divisional round of the playoffs. After the 2020 NFL Draft, the Seahawks have 21/1 odds to win Super Bowl LV. Did their draft choices help? Take a look at our thoughts on how their selections should influence your sports betting.
Seattle Seahawks 2020 Super Bowl Odds & Analysis After the Draft
Jordyn Brooks? In the first round?
Well, the Seahawks really needed a pass rusher. But the top rushers on the board, such as A.J. Epenesa or Yetur Gross-Matos, weren’t first-round talent. So they took linebacker Jordyn Brooks out of Texas Tech, even though Patrick Queen was still on the board and was rated higher by the majority of draft analysts. Brooks does have a ton of speed and can make plays, and the Seahawks are starting to show some age at that position. K.J. Wright is entering his contract year and is 31 years old. Last year, the Seahawks permitted 4.85 yards per rush and 6.02 yards per offensive play. Those numbers were 31st and 32nd in the NFL a season ago.
Brooks has the flexibility to be able to play either inside or outside, and he has a 4.46 40, which will add speed to a Seattle defense that did not have enough of it last year. The Seattle defense uses the weak-side linebacker in space, so he could fit there.
Darrell Taylor gives the Seahawks an edge rusher
The Seahawks had to trade up to get Taylor at the 48th pick, but it should pay off. At Tennessee, he combined for 16.5 sacks over his last two seasons playing at outside linebacker. His size (6’4” and 267 pounds) is comparable to that of Frank Clark, and he could line up as a weak-side edge rusher instead of a five-technique.
Don’t expect huge numbers right away. There have only been six players in the last decade who have been drafted outside the first 16 but still recorded at least eight sacks in their rookie season, so expect Taylor to contribute to the pass rush but not yet cause chaos on the level of a Joey Bosa. There will be a learning curve, and it will be interesting to see how he progresses.
Damien Lewis adds to the offensive line
The Seahawks had 18 offensive linemen before the draft, so Lewis makes 19. He did start at right guard in two seasons at LSU as well as at junior college. However, the Seahawks could be preparing to release some of the linemen they have, as Justin Britt would cost them $11.4 million against their cap but is coming back from an ACL tear. Right guard would cost them $4.2 million and is entering his contract year anyway, so if the Seahawks release one or both of them, they free up cap space — and room for Lewis to move closer to the regular rotation.
Seattle also loaded up at tight end
The Seahawks already had Greg Olsen, Will Dissly, Luke Willson, Jacob Hollister and Justin Johnson at tight end, but they drafted Colby Parkinson from Stanford anyway. He stands 6’7” so Russell Wilson gets another big target. He has great hands, with just one drop against 48 catches in his last year with the Cardinal. Stanford is getting a reputation for churning out quality tight ends, as seven of their tight ends have been drafted since the 2012 selection.
