It’s not a secret. This off-season, the Seattle Seahawks faced a serious linebacker need. With the departure of Devin Bush, Jordyn Brooks, and Bobby Wagner to free agency, the Seahawks would need to rebuild their off-ball linebacker group from the ground up. Who in Seattle will thereafter take the mantle of Bobby Wagner?
The team signed Tyrel Dodson and Jerome Baker as free agents, continuing general manager John Schneider’s aggressive signing spree, but there are no other returning linebackers who played more than 21 defensive snaps in the previous campaign. It’s highly likely that they will add one through the NFL Draft. Our very own Evan Winter was already eyeing the ideal position at linebacker for the Seahawks a few weeks ago. It appears that he could have been right after all.
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Jim Nagy, the Executive Director of the Senior Bowl, stated that the linebackers coach for the Seahawks traveled 2000 miles via plane to attend the Michigan Pro Day. Why is that relevant? Junior Colson of Michigan is among the top linebackers available in the 2024 NFL Draft class.
Yes, the Wolverines have invited 17 more prospects to the NFL Combine. Today, there are a plethora of additional talents to consider. The Seahawks’ linebackers coach was the only confirmed member of the defensive staff to be present, which is noteworthy.
Junior Colson played for the Michigan defense for just three seasons, totaling close to two thousand snaps. As a true freshman, he jumped right onto the field as the team’s starting off-ball linebacker. In 2022 and 2023, he also served as the defense’s quarterback.
Colson played through the full 2023 season, but he still has a broken hand, so he was unable to work out at the NFL Combine or today on his pro day. Though he won’t be able to watch him practice, it’s obvious that the linebackers coach for the Seahawks will be meeting Colson while in Ann Arbor, despite traveling across the nation.
large sample NFL mock draft statistics and league sources I’ve spoken to presently project Colson as an early round three potential; yet, considering the overall weakness of the linebacker class, he might be an ideal fit for the Seahawks’ 81st-round selection decision. If so, it’s feasible that today’s Michigan Pro Day marked the Seahawks’ first meeting with the next Bobby Wagner.
