ESPN lists Seahawks player at No. 7 in Pass Rush Win Rate

Darrell Taylor haters might want to look away.

Using player tracking data from NFL Next Gen Stats, ESPN Analytics created “revolutionary metrics” to measure performance in the trenches.

Today we’re looking at the their rankings for Pass Rush Win Rate, as of Monday afternoon (aka through last Sunday’s games).

Here’s their methodology, boiled down to a single sentence:

Our pass rush win rate metric tells us how often a pass-rusher is able to beat his block within 2.5 seconds.

Unsurprisingly, the Dallas Cowboys’ Micah Parsons led all EDGEs with a 36% Pass Rush Win Rate (PRWR), which includes an even better 40% PRWR when double-teamed (!!).

Six spots below Parsons is a name that may surprise some folks: Seattle Seahawks EDGE rusher Darrell Taylor.

Through Seattle’s first two games, ESPN credits Taylor with 8 “wins” on 29 pass-rush plays, which equates to a Pass Rush Win Rate of 28%.

That 7th-place ranking puts Taylor ahead of the Dolphins‘ fearsome twosome of Jaelen Phillips (No. 8) and Bradley Chubb (No. 10), the Chargers’ Joey Bosa (tied at No. 12 with Buffalo’s Leonard Floyd), and the 2nd-overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft: Texans EDGE Will Anderson Jr.

It also puts Taylor ahead of his teammate, Uchenna Nwosu (22% PRWR), who is tied with the Colts’ Kwity Paye at No. 20.

Interestingly, both Taylor and Nwosu have a PRWR of 17% when double-teamed.

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Looking at Defensive Tackles, the Cowboys’ Osa Odighizuwa leads the pack with a PRWR of 25%, which includes a 61% win rate when double-teamed.

The 61% seems impressive - and it is impressive - but only ranks 12th among the DTs in the Top 20: the Bears’ DeMarcus Walker leads the way at 76%, followed closely by the Colts’ DeForest Buckner (75%), the Ravens’ Broderick Washington (74%), and the Falcons’ Grady Jarrett (73%).

Note to OCs: Double-teaming high-performing DTs may not be the best plan.

Fear not though, 12s, the Seahawks are represented in the DT PRWR Top 20 by a familiar face . . . Jarran Reed, who lands at an ever-appropriate No. 12.

Through the first two Sundays, Reed has recorded 7 “wins” on 37 pass-rush plays, which equates to a 19% win rate.

When double-teamed, Reed’s win rate is 64%.

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Overall, Seattle ranks No. 4 league-wide in Pass Rush Win Rate, behind only the Cowboys, Texans, and Titans.

Raise your hand if you’re surprised by any of this.

(Mine is raised sky high.)

Go Hawks!