Seahawks land pass rusher in Tennessee’s Darrell Taylor
SEATTLE (AP) — They waited until the second round, but the Seattle Seahawks addressed their biggest need entering the NFL draft by selecting Tennessee pass rusher Darrell Taylor on Friday night.
The Seahawks traded with the New York Jets to move up 11 spots and select Taylor. The Seahawks gave the Jets the No. 59 overall pick in the second round and Seattle’s only third-round pick at No. 101 overall.
The Seahawks have another second-round pick at No. 64 overall.
Taylor is 6-foot-4 and 267 pounds and fits the mold of the type of pass rusher Seattle wants coming off the edge. Taylor was second in the SEC last season with 8 1/2 sacks. For his career, Taylor had 19.5 sacks overall, good for 10th-most in school history.
Seattle added veterans Bruce Irvin and Benson Mayowa in free agency but landing a pass rusher was a huge priority for the Seahawks during the draft. Seattle is still hoping to retain Jadeveon Clowney, but GM John Schneider said this week that the team has needed to move forward with its plans while it waits for Clowney’s decision.
The Seahawks selected Texas Tech linebacker Jordyn Brooks in the first round.