Field Gulls
The Seahawks got major production out of Knight, who eventually worked his way into the starting lineup midway through the season.
Probably the biggest success of the 2024 Seattle Seahawks draft was the selection of Tyrice Knight. He, along with AJ Barner, surprised the most unsuspecting. His arrival in the starting lineup marked the moment of change for the Seahawks defense.
Even though he still needs adjustments, can he be considered the steal of the Seahawks draft?
We’ve said a few times that Seattle made mistakes in the LB sector; letting Jordyn Brooks walk and signing Tyrel Dodson and Jerome Baker. Knight shared some snaps with Baker in Week 2 in the win against the New England Patriots. Baker got injured and Knight was the starter against the Miami Dolphins and Detroit Lions, sharing snaps this time with Drake Thomas.
The Seahawks traded for Ernest Jones and cut Dodson in the bye week. This finally put Knight as a full-time starter and he fully delivered. He was an important part of the team’s growth in the running game, something that Baker and Dodson were terrible at. The rookie finished with six missed tackles, second-best only to Omar Speights of the Rams. Dodson recorded 88 total tackles in 2024 - the most by a Seahawks rookie since Bobby Wagner in 2012. (via Pro Football Reference)
Knight also showed that the passing game, which was his main difficulty coming from UTEP, would not be such a big problem. He will still need to adapt, but the result was much more positive than expected. His 76% completed passes against was the second-best mark among rookies.
The rookie was also an important piece as a blitzer/pass rusher. He finished the year with 10 pressures (3rd), 2 sacks (2nd), 2 hits and 6 hurries (2nd).
Knight has good technique to face blocks with good leverage while keeping his eyes on the backfield.
He moves with the flow of the play to the left side of the attack. Knight escapes the center and defends the gap that was left open in the opposite direction.
Good work on the shed block with the guard, who goes up to the second level and remains free to make the tackle.
Knight is good at avoiding blocks. He has good mobility and speed to escape the OLs and attack the RBs while still in the backfield.
One of Knight’s best qualities is being extremely instinctive. There is a price to pay for this. In this play he tries to anticipate the gap that the RB will attack and therefore changes his gap, leaving space for the cutback.
Knight has been improving his ROBOT technique throughout the season. After finishing the play action, he turns to find the TE on the route, taking away the option for Sam Darnold, who forces a pass and almost gets intercepted.
Another area where he has improved is his...
