Name: Timmy Jernigan
Position: Defensive Tackle
School: Florida State
What a dream it would be to go from college football champion to a super bowl winning roster in one offseason. This is a real possibility for the BCS champion as Jernigan is likely to be available when the Seahawks are asked to make their pick on May eighth.
It’s no secret that Seattle likes to run a deep rotation of talented players along their defensive line. Seven different players saw over 450 snaps on the defensive line for the Super Bowl Champion Seahawks and I don’t expect them to stray from that plan moving forward.
How Timmy Jernigan Meets Team Needs
Jernigan couldn’t land in a better place to show off his skills. With the Seahawks running such a rotation on their defensive line, and the releases of Red Bryant, Chris Clemons, and the free agency loss of Clinton McDonald, more bodies are needed. Not just bodies, but cogs in the ever rotating, ever victorious defensive line that is the Seahawks front four.
Impact as a Rookie
Playing time would be what holds Jernigan back the most as a rookie. Being a part of a rotation keeps the players fresh, but it reduces their snap count which would reduce his stats and likely his impact. Jernigan would likely see most of his time on passing downs going after the quarterback. This will keep him fresh and effective, in this role he could finish the season with five sacks and 15-25 hurries.
What Jernigan Does Well
Jernigan’s best traits are his hand use, his effort, and his pass rushing ability. Jernigan does an above average job of using his hands, both to direct lineman, and on initial contact, as he bats away lineman’s hands and drives through them. Jernigan has an off and on switch with his effort, the limited snaps he’d see in Seattle would allow him to keep it on. Jernigan can show plays where he does nothing and hardly tries, and other plays where he’ll run 20 yards downfield to tackle a running back. Getting him to keep up his effort will be a big deal for him moving forward. What he does better than anything else is rush the passer, and getting to the quarterback is something Seattle does well and will need to continue doing well.
What Jernigan Struggles With
Jernigan’s biggest problems are his effort, and his run defense. I know I listed effort as both something he does well, and a problem, but like previously stated, it’s an on/off switch that keeps him in both categories. He struggles in run defense as he often gets washed out of plays and he overextends himself which lets lineman turn him away from the play easier.