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The Seahawks have an interesting situation when it comes to their interior linemen. They've got Brandon Mebane locked up for the time being, Alan Branch for another year, Clinton McDonald is solid and under team control for a while, and assuming they work something out with Red Bryant, he's the type of guy that could move inside if need-be. On the other hand though, their marked lack of pass rush from the inside this season has fans clamoring for a 3-tech defensive tackle that can slice and dice opposing lines and get after the QB from the middle.
The front office hasn't really said one way or another whether they'd even be interested in an interior lineman in this year's draft - it's pretty unclear whether that's a smokescreen or whether they're satisfied with what they have at the nose tackle and 3-tech position, but I wouldn't rule out a DT selection with the Seahawks' first pick at 11/12. With that in mind, let's turn to Mayock's top-five.
His group is a little bit different than many I've seen - while many have Michael Brockers listed as the top player there, I've seen some that list Penn State's Devon Still #1 and interestingly, Mayock has Still ranked fourth on his list. Jerel Worthy, Dontari Poe, and Fletcher Cox are the other usual suspects listed in the top five, but if you're picking 11th there's a solid chance you're the first team taking a DT this year. With that in mind, this ranking system becomes, actually, pretty damn important. There's no telling on how the Seahawks may have this group ranked, but take a look at the scouting videos below to make your own opinions (note, I couldn't find any videos on Dontari Poe).
Mayock's top-5 (seven, really):
Defensive Tackle
1. Michael Brockers, LSU
2. Jerel Worthy, Michigan State
3. Dontari Poe, Memphis
4. Devon Still, Penn State
T-5. Fletcher Cox, Mississippi St.
T-5. Kendall Reyes, UConn
T-5. Brandon Thompson, Clemson
Rise: Brockers, Poe
Fall: Still, Thompson
New entry: Reyes
Also, make sure you check out Ben's analysis on fits for the Seahawks at this position, here.
1. Michael Brockers, LSU 6'5, 306
2. Jerel Worthy, Michigan State 6'3, 310
4. Devon Still, Penn State 6'4, 310
T-5. Fletcher Cox, Mississippi St. 6'4, 295
T-5. Kendall Reyes, UConn 6'4, 300
T-5. Brandon Thompson, Clemson 6'2, 311
Big thanks as usual to DraftBreakdown for the excellent scouting videos they put together. If it wasn't for their hard, unheralded and humble work, we'd be forced to watch those godawful horrible highlight videos with terrible soundtracks all day. So, thanks to Aaron Aloysius, JMPasq, JPDraftJedi, TTN2810, MARI0clp and the wholeDraftBreakdown crew.