The Seattle Seahawks are entering a brand new era under head coach Mike Macdonald, and naturally, there are big decisions to make heading into the offseason.
It all starts this week at the NFL Combine, where hundreds of draft prospects will attempt to build their draft stock in hopes of getting drafted on the final weekend of April. For a lot of players, this is either their last shot or it’s damn well close to their last shot, to put their name on a team’s radar.
One player, former Michigan linebacker Junior Colson, doesn’t worry about the last bit of context – he’s a lock to get drafted (barring an unforeseen circumstance, of course), the only question is, how high.
NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah, one of the more renowned draft analysts out there, recently bumped Colson up to No. 43 on his big board. Our own draft expert, James Foster, has Colson at No. 83 in his top-300 published back on February 6 and noted the following:
Strengths
Violent & secure tackler
Recognizes screens & sifts through traffic
Scrapes with proper leverage & active hands
Good vision & block anticipation in run defense
Excellent stopping power to attack & absorb lead blocks
Uses powerful strikes to separate himself from blocks
Quick play diagnosis & fit recognition
Sturdy build & low center of gravity helps him stay on his feet
Adequate quickness to bounce around blocks & get back in position
Weaknesses
Below average speed. Doesn’t have the range to track down outside runs
Lacks closing burst & length to disrupt the catch point
Struggles to keep up with shallow crossers from zone coverage
Limited 3rd down skillset. Not suited for deep zone drops or man coverage
Colson and the Seahawks are meant to be in 2024 and beyond
The obvious connection, here, is Macdonald, who was the Wolverines defensive coordinator in 2021. Sure, that was Colson’s true freshman year, meaning Macdonald was with him for just one season. However, Jesse Minter, Macdonald’s predecessor, ran the same defense rooted in former Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Wink Martindale’s philosophy – as both Macdonald and Minter learned their ways under him.
In other words: Colson has a ton of experience playing in Macdonald’s system and he has already shown leadership capabilities and qualities while running the show in-between the sidelines.
And, the Seahawks are currently heading into free agency with starting linebackers Bobby Wagner and Jordyn Brooks as impending free agents.
A team-up with Patrick Queen would be a dream scenario
Macdonald was the best thing to ever happen to Queen’s NFL career and it’d honestly be pretty shocking if the 2023 Pro Bowler doesn’t join him in Seattle. If that ends up happening, it’s almost a bet the Seahawks draft Colson with one of their two third-round picks.
Queen won’t come cheap, but Colson will. It’d balance out and the duo would instantly form an effective tandem for the next four seasons and if Queen goes elsewhere once his contract is up, it’d allow for a “changing of the guard” and the ‘Hawks would still have Colson.
Plus, it’d give Colson time to improve his block recognition while refining the other parts of his game. Both players already have the right mindset and approach, so it’d also represent a chance to establish the defensive tone and culture Macdonald wants to instill.
Final word
No one is saying Colson is going to come in and be the next Ray Lewis, or anything. Hell, no one is saying he’ll even be Brooks.
But the familiarity, the production, and the skill set are all there to work within Macdonald’s scheme. This is a rare scenario that doesn’t come up very often and based off the Seahawks’ overall situation, everything ties together in a nice, neat bow.
