1. Yannick Ngakoue, Minnesota Vikings
It’s no secret that the Seahawks’ pass rush could use a major upgrade. We can’t exactly fault them for refusing to give into Jadeveon Clowney’s outlandish contract demands this past offseason as he was reportedly demanding to reset the market for defensive lineman, which would have seen him paid more annually than Rams all-world DT Aaron Donald.
However, their pass rush is expectedly suffering the consequences. Per Pro Football Reference, Seattle presently ranks 23rd in the NFL in sacks (9) and 22nd in QB rush percentage (6.6%), so it’s not entirely surprising that the Seahawks rank 20th with a 25.3% blitz percentage: They simply don’t have the horses in the stable to consistently wreak havoc.
Enter free agent-to-be Yannick Ngakoue, who is currently playing under a one-year, $12 million contract after being traded from Jacksonville to Minnesota before the start of the season. The former third-round pick is one of the more underrated pass rushers in the sport, logging at least 8 sacks in every season since he entered the league back in 2016.
In total (68 games), Ngakoue has tallied 132 tackles, 46 of which have come for a loss, 42.5 sacks, 16 forced fumbles, 85 QB hits, and nine passes defended. If the Seahawks ever wanted to make up for lowballing Clowney, they should absolutely sign a player in Ngakoue, who is statistically proven to be the more consistent player.
Seattle has more than enough financial flexibility to make Ngakoue one of the wealthiest defensive ends in the NFL, and the team would promptly become the prohibitive Super Bowl favorites if it did so. After all, a lack of a dominant pass rusher is undoubtedly the one thing holding them back right now.
