2021 NFL Free Agent Scouting Report: K.J. Wright

NFL free agency is set to begin on March 17th, be sure to visit our NFL Free Agent Rankings Tracker for real-time updates! Below is the latest scouting report on free agent  K.J. Wright .

Overview: 

A draft steal of the early Pete Carroll tenure in Seattle, Wright was selected in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL Draft. As a rookie he made 16 starts and was a face of the Seahawks defense for the entire decade, racking up 941 career tackles in 144 starts. The SAM linebacker in Carroll’s 4-3 plays on the line of scrimmage a lot and is asked to set the edge against the run and cover in short as well as intermediate zones. Wright excels at both of these tasks using his length and football IQ. An excellent communicator in zone coverage, he passes off routes and is in the right spot consistently. His length and violent hands help him to stack and shed blockers. The Mississippi State product has never been the most explosive athlete and is not a sideline-to-sideline linebacker who doesn’t get home often when blitzing. He is also not suited for man coverage as he lacks twitch and dynamism. Wright can be a starter in a zone-heavy defense as a SAM or even as a MIKE. Outside of his intelligence and coverage ability on the field, he can be a mentor for younger players, passing some of his knowledge along and securing the second level of a defense. Due to his age, he is a candidate for a shorter contract, but still has some good football ahead of him in the right situation as his game has never been reliant on athleticism.

QB | RB | FB | WR | iWR | TE | LT | RT | OG | OC | DT | NG | 3-4 DE | 4-3 DE | 3-4 OLB | 4-3 OLB | ILB | CB | iCB | FS | SS