Seattle Seahawks 90-Man Roundup: Will Johnathan Hankins Be DL Game Changer?

Desperate for size in the middle, the Seahawks brought Johnathan Hankins in as a tandem package with defensive coordinator Aden Durde with high expectations.

Seattle Seahawks nose tackle Johnathan Hankins looks to make a play on the football during a drill at mandatory minicamp. / Corbin Smith/All Seahawks

With OTAs wrapping up across the NFL, the Seattle Seahawks will open training camp at the VMAC in just under two months, officially ushering in the first season under new coach Mike Macdonald.

In preparation for the new incoming season, we’ll be detailing every member of the Seahawks 90-man roster over the next several weeks, diving into scheme fits, exploring best and worst case scenarios and predicting what to expect from each player entering the 2024 campaign.

Adding much needed beef to the Seahawks defensive line, what are reasonable expectations for Johnathan Hankins in his first season with the organization?

Background

Following a stellar college career at Ohio State, the Giants selected Hankins in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft and earned a starting spot in his second season with the team, posting monster numbers with 51 tackles and seven sacks. In his final two seasons in New York, however, he was hobbled by injuries and failed to come close to replicating that production, leading to the team allowing him to walk in free agency. After a lone year with the Colts, he played the next four-plus seasons with the Raiders, starting 61 out of 66 games played with 172 tackles and 2.5 sacks. He latched on with the Cowboys midway through the 2022 season and turned in one of his finest seasons last year playing for defensive line coach Aden Durde, pitching in 27 tackles and three sacks in 14 starts. Reuniting with Durde, he signed a one-year deal with the Seahawks in March.

Scheme Fit

Listed at 6-3, 320 pounds, Hankins offers a bit more versatility than advertised, as he has logged nearly 4,000 career snaps as a 3-tech defensive tackle along with 1,605 snaps as a nose tackle shading the A gap/covering the center. In Mike Macdonald's defense, he will likely see the bulk of his playing time at nose tackle, anchoring the middle of the line with a powerful space eater capable of making plays at the line of scrimmage.

Best Case Scenario

Continuing his resurgence playing for Durde, Hankins carves out a starting role for the Seahawks in the heart of the defensive line, registering 34 tackles and matching his three sack output from 2023 to play a key role defending the run as well as occasionally providing a splash as an interior pass rusher on early downs.

Worst Case Scenario

Lacking the burst and quickness to slide up and down the line as he did earlier in his career, Hankins loses out on snaps at nose tackle to Jarran Reed and second-year defender Cameron Young, and while he still sees snaps as a rotational reserve, he doesn't make near the impact expected teaming back up with Durde in Seattle with just 15 tackles and a sack.

What to Expect in 2024

Last season, the Seahawks lacked a traditional nose tackle on the roster after losing Al Woods in free agency and Bryan Mone to injury, and the run defense suffered as a result. For that reason alone, signing Hankins should be a game changer up front, as he has a lengthy track record of being a productive nose with plenty of size to hold up against double teams in the middle who also can make plays of his own from time to time. With some of his best ball happening in Dallas with Durde as his defensive line coach, he'll be expected to make a significant impact.

With that said, Hankins' pass rushing numbers have been hit and miss in his career and the Seahawks have amassed enough depth and versatility up front that he may be hard-pressed to match his 350 total snaps from a year ago. Keeping him fresh will pay dividends late in the season, but from a statistical standpoint, the presence of Reed, rookie Byron Murphy, and Young likely will limit his workload enough that matching his tackle and sack production may prove difficult. Nonetheless, expect big No. 97 to be an excellent addition in the trenches.