Seahawks get defensive with limited picks in 2021 NFL Mock Draft

Round 2, pick 56: Quincy Roche, EDGE, Miami

If the 2021 NFL Draft’s EDGE class lacks the pure headlining appeal of years past, it makes up for it with depth such that Pete Carroll’s bunch will likely be in a position to add a potential impact player at the position despite lacking a first-rounder.

There could be more than a few options in play for the team at pick 57, with each offering a unique value proposition within Seattle’s largely one-gapping defensive front.

If a reading of the pre-draft tea leaves proves correct, we can assume that the Seahawks might find themselves in a type of purgatory in Round 2 in terms of 4-3 defensive ends. For our purposes, we can look at it as something akin to the following: too far down for Jaelan Phillips and too high in the draft to turn to a Payton Turner-type.

In the context of this situation, one could make a strong case for Seattle setting their sights upon Wake Forest’s Carlos “Boogie” Basham, and it would be hard to argue his fit as a traditional end in Seattle’s scheme.

However, using versatility and dynamism as a sort of tiebreaker, we will examine the possibility of Miami’s Quincy Roche making his way to the Pacific Northwest in hopes of bolstering the team’s all-important pass rush.

At 6-foot-3, 243 pounds with arms measuring 32”, Roche is a bit undersized as a projected 5-technique in Carroll’s signature under look. Nonetheless, there is enough in his college tape to suggest that he could acquit himself reasonably well as an early-down weak side EDGE in Seattle’s base defense (which, unlike many league teams, the Seahawks still value).

However, Roche’s most compelling projection within Seattle’s defense is in a roving, standup “LEO” capacity from the weak side. From this position, Roche would be able to work to his strength by focusing almost entirely, aside from some nominal C-gap responsibilities, on wreaking havoc upon opposing passers.

If perhaps not boasting the freakish athleticism of some of his fellow EDGE prospects, a team drafting Roche will find themselves with a tough-nosed, hard-charging, well-developed pass rusher who was able to impact opposing passing games in a variety of ways for two different programs at the college level. Within a pass-happy NFC West, a pass rusher like Roche could prove too valuable for Seattle to overlook.