The Seattle Seahawks enjoy an explosive, run stuffing defensive tackle that can apply pressure to the quarterback: Cortez Kennedy, Brandon Mebane, Poona Ford and Joe Nash, to name a few former players. Enter rookie Deven Eastern. With their second pick in the seventh round, John Schneider and Mike Macdonald selected the Minnesota Golden Gopher to add to the depth of their defensive line, joining players like Leonard Williams, Jarran Reed, Byron Murphy, Rylie Mills and Brandon Pili. How will he fit in with the Seahawks? Time for the deep dive!
At 6’5” and 320 lbs, Eastern has a similar size profile of Williams and Reed. He is an explosive athlete, having a quick get off. His Relative Athletic Score of 6.95 notes that his broad jump at the Combine of 9’4” is above average for defensive tackles. His combine testing comp according to Pro Football Network is Andrew Billings, while his size comp is John Ridgeway. Meanwhile, his style of play is very similar to Reed, and is seen as a potential successor to Reed. Both players are run stuffers who use their wide frames to fill in any gaps along the line, and above average wingspan to wrap up opposing running backs or even quarterbacks. Reed will be a good veteran mentor for Eastern on the team.
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Eastern’s explosiveness off the line helps him with applying pressure on the quarterback and stopping running backs in their tracks. He had at least two sacks in his last two years at Minnesota, 12 total tackles for loss, five total passes deflected, two forced fumbles, and averaged 31 tackles each of the last three years. He makes his presence known on the field, and the variety of ways he can impact the game is something that Macdonald will be looking to tap into.
On the other side of the coin, he is not the most technically sound player, relying more on his sheer size and strength than technique and feel for the game. This will need to be something he works on during training camp if he is to succeed in the NFL, especially in the complicated defense that the Seahawks run.
On the Seahawks website, Eastern is listed as a nose tackle, which means he will need to prove that he can be an immovable object on the defensive front and take on double teams against opposing offensive lineman. Luckily for the Seahawks, that is a specialty of his. Emory Hunt noted that, “he can hold the point of attack vs the run game, clogging up his gap while also condensing the adjacent one as well.” Dane Brugler’s analysis of Eastern’s game was that he, “doesn’t get embarrassed when facing double teams,” and that he, “uses his long arms to threaten gaps and break down shoulders.”
Macdonald established the culture of Mission Over BS with the Seahawks, meaning that the players do not let anything distract them from the goal at hand. Eastern fits the bill of this philosophy. He is open about his challenges with ADHD, and he did not let it stop him from achieving his goals. He became a four star recruit, having 64 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, seven sacks and one forced fumble in his senior year of high school, and committed to Minnesota.
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Redshirting his freshman year, he kept working hard, and over the following four years kept proving himself to his coaches, gaining more snaps each year. By his junior season, he was a full-time starter, and became the anchor to the teams defensive line. Eastern was a four-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree, and was invited to the Senior Bowl.
On the current roster, there are six nose tackles in total, Eastern, Brandon Pili, Jarran Reed, Bubba Thomas, J.R. Singleton and Uso Seumalo. The Seahawks generally only keep two nose tackles on their 53 man roster and two on the practice squad. Last season Reed was on the active roster and Pili was moved up to the main roster during the season. Singleton and Thomas were on the practice squad last season. Eastern and Seumalo are both rookies, and will be competing to get on the roster. Another option is that Eastern starts off on the practice squad, and is able to be called up three times for game day during the season before needing to be added to the roster if the Seahawks want him available moving forward.
With both Reed and Pili coming back, it will be difficult for Eastern to break into the main cast. He will need to prove that he can beat out the other nose tackles. With the quality of depth the Seahawks have along the defensive line, Eastern can continue to develop, just like he did at Minnesota, for when the time comes for him to shine in the navy and green uniforms in front of the 12’s. The ceiling is high for the rookie, and he is someone to watch during the preseason games to see how he fits on this team, and the havoc he can cause on the field.
2026 NFL Draft review: Reviewing Deven Eastern and his fit with the Seahawks Top World News Today.
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