National Football League

Why Seahawks should select Texas Tech DE Tyree Wilson at No. 5 overall

Updated Apr. 20, 2023 11:42 p.m. ET

The Seattle Seahawks addressed deficiencies on the defensive side of the ball in free agency by bringing back linebacker Bobby Wagner and defensive tackle Jarran Reed, along with signing defensive end Dre'Mont Jones, linebacker Devin Bush and safety Julian Love.

Still, Seattle could use another dynamic player to heat up the pass rush. Uchenna Nwosu and Darrell Taylor each finished with a team-high 9.5 sacks last season. But Nwosu enters 2023 in the final year of a two-year deal that will pay him $8 million in total compensation for the upcoming season, while Taylor will become a restricted free agent at season's end.

Seattle needs a suitable replacement at edge rusher should Nwosu or Taylor not return in 2024.

That player is Texas Tech's Tyree Wilson, whom the Seahawks should select at No. 5 overall. With five selections in the top 83 picks, the Seahawks have a lot of avenues they can explore — including trading down for more picks as they have traditionally done.

But securing a difference maker on defense should be a priority for Seattle at the top of the draft.

"What I think is exciting about this one is you get the first challenge coming up at five and then we've got a whole other one at 20, and Day 2 we come right back again," Seahawks coach Pete Carroll told reporters during a pre-draft meeting this week. "Those three big events of those early picks, it kind of comes back at us in a hurry, makes it really fun and a challenge, and a lot of scenarios, more so than normal."

Wilson has the rare combination of unique athletic traits and consistent production Seattle seeks in a top-10 selection. Last year, the Seahawks drafted six impact players because general manager John Schneider and Carroll stuck to the team's identity in player evaluation and stayed true to the type of players they wanted to add to the organization.

"You have your core philosophies, and that's why you are hired," Schneider told Seattle Sports Radio 710 AM last week. "But you have to be pliable. There's a lot of people involved in this — scouts, player development people, coordinators, head coach, position coaches. You have to be able to take all this information in but come back to what your core values are by the time you make that decision."

Long and rangy at 6-foot-6, 271 pounds and with an 84.5-inch wingspan, Wilson offers Seattle versatility. He has an ability to generate pass rush off the edge or kick inside and work as an interior defensive lineman who can rush in obvious passing situations or set the edge in the running game.

Joel Klatt's Top 50 Players in the 2023 NFL Draft

Joel Klatt reveals his Top 50 Players 2.0 for the 2023 NFL Draft, including Texas Tech edge Tyree Wilson in the top five.

"At the end of the day, the eye in the sky don't lie," Wilson said at the NFL Scouting Combine. "They can turn on the tape and can tell I'm passionate about football, chasing the ball carrier down even when it's not my play to make."

In two years as a starter for the Red Raiders, Wilson totaled 99 tackles — including 27.5 tackles for loss — and 14 sacks. In 2022, he finished with 61 tackles, including 14 TFLs, and seven sacks, earning second-team Associated Press All-American and first-team All-Conference honors.

Wilson played in only 10 games last season, suffering a fractured bone in his foot that required surgery in November. The surgery was performed by renowned foot and ankle surgeon Dr. Robert Anderson, who has operated on players like Chargers edge rusher Joey Bosa and safety Derwin James, along with Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Wilson recently received medical clearance.

Wilson's father, Jason, lives in the Seattle area. Tyree initially committed to Washington State to be closer to his father but ultimately signed with Texas A&M, where he played for two seasons before transferring to Texas Tech, also the alma mater of Seattle linebacker Jordyn Brooks.

Here's FOX Sports NFL Draft analyst Rob Rang's scouting report on Wilson from his analysis of the top edge rushers in this year's draft:

Wilson promises to be one of the more polarizing prospects on this list, as scouts are split on his upside. There is no denying his unique combination of size, athleticism and power, but he remains more of a prospect than a finished product. That is not what most are looking for in a likely top-10 selection. If he commits to his craft (and perhaps adds a little grit to his style), Wilson could emerge as the most dominant edge rusher of this class with shades of a young Jason Pierre-Paul in his game.

The Seahawks have had mixed success selecting edge rushers near the top of the draft board during the Schneider and Carroll era over the past 14 years.

The Seahawks surprisingly took Bruce Irvin at No. 15 overall in the 2012 draft and were panned by draft analysts for reaching on him. However, the West Virginia product developed into a productive pass rusher for Seattle and has returned to the Seahawks twice in his career.

In 2015, Seattle selected Frank Clark at No. 60 despite his off-the-field issues. Clark posted two seasons with double-digit sacks during his four seasons with the Seahawks before they traded him to the Chiefs in 2019.

The Seahawks did swing in miss by selecting Michigan State product Malik McDowell in the second round of the 2017 draft. McDowell suffered injuries in an ATV accident weeks before the start of training camp his rookie season and never played a regular-season snap for the Seahawks.

Two years later, Seattle selected L.J. Collier at No. 29 overall. The TCU product finished with just three sacks in four seasons and signed with the Arizona Cardinals this offseason as a free agent.

Pass rusher is a premium position, so the Seahawks will continue to take their swings at the top of the draft. And Wilson appears to be the perfect combination of a player who produced in college and still has the upside to emerge as a future leader on defense at the next level.

"I feel like I'm a different pass rusher," Wilson said at the combine. "I'm not just committed to power. I feel like I can do power and speed and be effective inside and outside. Really, just being that dominant dude on the field."

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.

Top stories from FOX Sports: