Mike Macdonald Just Revealed His Secret Edge Rusher Shopping List and It's Not Who You'd Expect
The Seahawks need to rebuild their pass rush. Boye Mafe walked in free agency, and Mike Macdonald is looking at the draft to find his next edge rusher. But here's the thing: ESPN's Field Yates just dropped two names that might surprise you, and neither one screams "dominant pass rusher." That's actually perfect for how Macdonald builds defenses.
The Macdonald Blueprint Actually Works Without Superstars
Remember this: in Macdonald's last season running the Baltimore Ravens defense, they led the entire league in sacks. Nobody on that edge had double digit sacks. Not one. And in both of his seasons here in Seattle, the Seahawks have cracked the top 10 in both sacks and pressures without some elite edge guy terrorizing quarterbacks. That's not luck. That's system. Last season, Seattle got it done with a group led by Derick Hall, DeMarcus Lawrence and Uchenna Nwosu. Lawrence finished first among edge players in Pro Football Focus' run defense grading in 2025. Hall was 15th. The formula works.
Penn State's Dani Dennis-Sutton Has Freaky Athletic Traits
When Brock Huard asked Yates about the most "rugged" edge player in this draft class, Yates immediately went to Penn State's Dani Dennis-Sutton. The 6-foot-6, 256-pound edge rusher earned third-team All-Big Ten honors last season and showed off some ridiculous athleticism in the Penn State-Oregon game. Dennis-Sutton put up 12 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and a program record three blocked punts in 13 games. He ranked second in NFL.com's athleticism score among edge players at the combine, ran a 4.63-second 40-yard dash and finished first at his position with a 10-foot, 11-inch broad jump and fourth with a 39.5-inch vertical. Yates has him right outside his top 50 overall.
Jaishawn Barham Could Be the Overlooked Gem
The second name Yates highlighted was Michigan's Jaishawn Barham, a 6-foot-3, 240-pounder who played hybrid edge and off-ball linebacker in his final two college seasons. In 12 games this past season, Barham had 10 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks while earning All-Big Ten honorable mention. His combine numbers: 4.64-second 40, 33-inch vertical, 10-foot, 3-inch broad jump. Here's the kicker though: Yates thinks Barham is getting way less buzz than he deserves, especially compared to his Michigan teammate Derrick Moore. "Barham's just got these heavy, violent hands where he can really engage offensive tackles and knock them back," Yates said. "He's a work in progress" but has serious untapped potential. That sounds like a Macdonald project to us.
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This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.