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Analysis: 6 Senior Bowl Prospects Seahawks Could Land at Pick No. 41

The Senior Bowl has become a must-watch offseason event for Seahawks fans in the Pete Carroll and John Schneider era. With this year's iteration now underway down in Mobile, Alabama, Ty Dane Gonzalez looks at six attendees who could appeal to Seattle with its first pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Ty Dane Gonzalez

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Day two of Senior Bowl workouts is in the books, and plenty of prospective NFL players have already left quite the impression on those in attendance. The Seahawks won't get a crack at this year's rookie class until pick No. 41 in the 2022 NFL Draft, but when they do, there's a good chance it could be one of the up-and-comers currently working down in Mobile, Alabama. 

Since general manager John Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll arrived in Seattle, 30 of the team's draft picks have been Senior Bowl alums. That connection has only grown even deeper over the past few years, with former Seahawks scout Jim Nagy being appointed to executive director of the event in 2018. From that point forward, each of Seattle's first selections of the past four drafts—running back Rashaad Penny, defensive end L.J. Collier, linebacker Jordyn Brooks and receiver Dee Eskridge—kicked their pre-draft tour into high gear at the Senior Bowl. 

That trend may very well continue in 2022, and there are several names certain to catch the Seahawks' attention. While things can—and will—change quite a bit over the next two months, here are five Senior Bowl attendees that could be up for grabs when Seattle is finally on the clock. 

DL Devonte Wyatt, Georgia

Devonte Wyatt

Wyatt, a star for the national champion Georgia Bulldogs, can do it all. He's primarily a 3-technique but has experience at nose tackle and a cup of coffee at 5-tech. His get-off might be the best of any interior defender in this year's draft, and that's certainly rung true at the Senior Bowl thus far. It's strikingly quick for the 307-pounder and, most importantly, repeatable, which helped him record a strong 13.1 percent mark in Pro Football Focus' pass rush win rate metric during his senior season. He was also one of the top run-stuffers in the nation, displaying an imposing physicality that SEC guards and centers struggled mightily to stave off. But in the end, these exciting traits may wind up taking him out of Seattle's range and well into the first round. 

DL Phidarian Mathis, Alabama

Phidarian Mathis 2

Sticking with SEC defensive linemen, the first thing that jumps out about Mathis is his size and length. Standing at 6-foot-4, 313 pounds with 345/8-inch arms, the Alabama product has the physical tools necessary to walk out of Mobile with a great deal of helium. He may not have the kind of get-off Wyatt possesses, but he's incredibly quick for a lineman of his stature and explodes off the line of scrimmage. Though he played the majority of his college ball on the inside, his athletic traits could make him an intriguing "big end" for Seattle. 

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DL Travis Jones, Connecticut

Travis Jones 2

Like Mathis, Jones offers impressive size and length on the interior. As the above picture illustrates, he generates a ton of power and launches through opposing linemen with ferocity. He does a great job driving blockers downfield and using his 34-inch arms to rip off blocks with ease. But he doesn't just get by on power alone; Jones is a well-rounded athlete, which has caught some by surprise over the past two days. There's a lot to like here from both a pass rushing and run-stuffing perspective. 

EDGE Boye Mafe, Minnesota

Boye Mafe

There should be edges aplenty for the Seahawks to comb through at No. 41, but Mafe has really popped over the last two days. He's a terrific athlete who gets off the edge in a hurry and makes use of his hands excellently, leading to a handful of dominant reps in one-on-one drills against some of the event's top offensive linemen. The tools are loud and he's putting them all on display down in Mobile right now, though his approach will need to be refined for the NFL level. But there's a lot Mafe already brings to the table, offering an exciting ball of clay for Seattle to potentially mold. 

TE Charlie Kolar, Iowa State

Charlie Kolar

Kolar's been a polarizing figure in the early stages of the draft process. Some feel he could wait until the final day of the draft to hear his name called, while others believe he's the best tight end in an admittedly weak class. Although both ends of the argument may be too extreme, the 6-foot-6, 259-pounder has gotten off to a good start in his Senior Bowl experience and looks to be on a nice, upward trajectory into second-round consideration this April. Thus far, he's backed up his collegiate track record as a legitimate pass catching threat with good route running ability and a solid grasp on run blocking, which should appeal to a Seahawks team faced with the potential losses of free agents Gerald Everett and Will Dissly.

T Darian Kinnard, Kentucky

Darian Kinnard 2

The Seahawks may have their sights set on Jake Curhan or Stone Forsythe starting at right tackle in 2022. But if they're not convinced either one is best suited for the job, Kinnard is an interesting name to potentially throw in the mix. He's had a bit of an up-and-down Senior Bowl thus far, which includes a clip tweeted out by Nagy that depicts the Kentucky tackle getting buried in a one-on-one drill against Florida State edge Jermaine Johnson. However, on the two subsequent reps, Kinnard got the best of Johnson to cap the first day of workouts off with a bang. Measuring in at 6-foot-5 and 324 pounds, Kinnard gave up just seven pressures during his senior year in the SEC. It doesn't get much tougher than that at the college football level, putting him right in his element for this all-star-style affair down in Mobile. It'll be interesting to see how he fares as the week progresses, and Seattle might be watching intently. 

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Ty Dane Gonzalez
TY DANE GONZALEZ

Reporter and editor covering the Seattle Seahawks for All Seahawks. Host of Locked On Mariners.

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