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Seattle Seahawks 90-Man Roundup: Can Devere Levelston Make Waves in a Crowded DL Room?

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Seattle Seahawks 90-Man Roundup: Can Devere Levelston Make Waves in a Crowded DL Room?


With OTAs now opening across the NFL, the Seattle Seahawks will open training camp at the VMAC in a little over two months, officially ushering in the first season under new coach Mike Macdonald.

In preparation for the new incoming season, we’ll be detailing every member of the Seahawks 90-man roster over the next several weeks, diving into scheme fits, exploring best and worst case scenarios, and predicting what to expect from each player entering the 2024 campaign.

Reuniting with former high school teammate Byron Murphy II in Seattle, can Devere Levelston make an impact in a crowded defensive line room?

Levelston started at Tyler Junior College after graduating from DeSoto High School in Texas, where he starred alongside Murphy. He accrued 12.5 tackles for loss and 5.0 sacks before transferring to SMU. While at SMU, Levelston started in 26 games but despite playing in 13 games, only three of his 26 starts came in 2023. In his four seasons at the FBS level, Levelston made 90 tackles, including 16.0 for loss and 11 sacks. His highest season of production came in 2021 when Sonny Dykes was the head coach, as made 38 tackles with 10.5 for loss and 6.5 sacks and his production fell off once new coach Rhett Lashlee took over. After a quiet final season with the Mustangs, he signed with the Seahawks as an undrafted free agent.

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SMU defensive end Devere Levelston rushes Houston quarterback Clayton Tune.

SMU defensive end Devere Levelston rushes Houston quarterback Clayton Tune. / © Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

During his time at SMU, Levelston played all across the defensive line. In 2021, he played 355 snaps at right defensive end and 179 in the interior but still on the right side. However, by 2023, Levelston was mostly on the inside with 324 snaps at 3-tech defensive tackle and only 37 at defensive end. In Mike Macdonald’s defense, he looks to be a defensive end, but will likely need to add some weight to make that happen. He is currently listed at 281 pounds, which is a bit light to play in the trenches in a 3-4 defense. That could be an issue though since he isn’t a great athlete and doesn’t have a great get-off on the ball, attributes that could be even worse with extra mass.

Levelston’s experience playing all across the defensive line and as a stand up rusher could give him a leg up on the competition vying for reps. If he’s able to play at multiple spots and make some plays in preseason games, he could be a practice squad candidate to develop and potentially compete for a roster spot down the road.

Due to Levelston not being the ideal size for the position and lacking preferred athletic traits, it could be a struggle for him to get on the field and show what he can do in a deep depth chart. A textbook tweener, he receives a pink slip early in training camp without getting any preseason snaps in Seattle.

Previously finding success at SMU hunting down quarterbacks, Levelston is an intriguing player with his versatility and size. However, versatility likely won’t help him that much when you consider that he doesn’t have the ideal size to play defensive tackle, where he is currently projected to play for the Seahawks, and tested poorly athletically in most drills at his pro day.

If he can use his length and his 91st percentile broad jump can help him get off the ball and penetrate, Levelston could make enough of an impact in the preseason to warrant a practice squad spot, and it’s possible he could benefit from playing alongside Murphy again to bring out his best on the practice field. However, he first will have to carve out consistent reps in a crowded defensive line group and that will be a tough lineup to crack for an undrafted rookie of his talent level.

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Previous 90-Man Roundups

Buddha Jones | Devin Richardson | TaMerik Williams | Rason Williams II | Ro Torrence | Nathan Pickering | Dee Williams



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Seattle Seahawks Injury Updates: Status of trio of DBs

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Seattle Seahawks Injury Updates: Status of trio of DBs


There were Seattle Seahawks injury updates on Friday regarding three defensive backs coming out of the Hawks’ overtime win over the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday Night Football.

Seahawks’ Derick Hall suspended one game for stepping on player

Here’s a look at the updates, as well as insight from head coach Mike Macdonald and additional information from ESPN NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler.

• The biggest concern for the Seahawks coming out of the game is safety Coby Bryant, who has a knee injury. Macdonald said in a press conference Friday that Bryant would “get imaged,” meaning undergo an MRI. Fowler reported on social media that, per sources, Bryant is “expected to miss ‘some time’ based on initial tests.”

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• Cornerback Riq Woolen has a knee concern of his own, but Fowler reported that it’s “not considered serious” and that, per a source, Woolen “more so got ‘banged up.’”

• Versatile defensive back Nick Emmanwori was evaluated for a concussion late in Thursday’s game, but Macdonald said he cleared concussion protocol.

The Seahawks improved to 12-3 with their win over the Rams, giving them a one-game lead over Los Angeles for both first place in the NFC West and the No. 1 seed to the postseason out of the NFC. The Seahawks also clinched a playoff spot with the dramatic comeback victory.

The next Seahawks game will be at 10 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 28 on the road against the Carolina Panthers (7-7). Radio coverage on Seattle Sports will begin at 7 a.m. that day with the pregame show.

More Seattle Seahawks coverage

• Macdonald explains Seahawks’ game-winning 2-point decision
• Brock Huard: The reason Sam Darnold was able to beat Rams
• Where Seahawks’ No. 1 seed odds stand after epic win
• Stacy Rost: Seahawks dramatically flip script to beat Rams
• Anatomy of a comeback: How Seattle Seahawks stunned Rams

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Seattle brings losing streak into game against San Jose

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Seattle brings losing streak into game against San Jose


Seattle Kraken (12-14-6, in the Pacific Division) vs. San Jose Sharks (17-15-3, in the Pacific Division)

San Jose, California; Saturday, 10 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: The Seattle Kraken look to end a four-game losing streak with a victory over the San Jose Sharks.

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San Jose is 17-15-3 overall and 4-4-2 against the Pacific Division. The Sharks have conceded 117 goals while scoring 104 for a -13 scoring differential.

Seattle is 12-14-6 overall with a 5-4-0 record in Pacific Division play. The Kraken have a -20 scoring differential, with 79 total goals scored and 99 conceded.

The matchup Saturday is the third time these teams square off this season. The Kraken won 4-1 in the last meeting. Jaden Schwartz led the Kraken with two goals.

TOP PERFORMERS: William Eklund has eight goals and 14 assists for the Sharks. Tyler Toffoli has five goals and five assists over the past 10 games.

Vince Dunn has five goals and 14 assists for the Kraken. Chandler Stephenson has four goals and three assists over the past 10 games.

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LAST 10 GAMES: Sharks: 5-5-0, averaging 3.4 goals, 5.9 assists, 2.9 penalties and 5.8 penalty minutes while giving up 3.5 goals per game.

Kraken: 1-9-0, averaging 2.2 goals, 4.1 assists, 3.9 penalties and 9.6 penalty minutes while giving up 3.6 goals per game.

INJURIES: Sharks: None listed.

Kraken: None listed.

___

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.



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Roster Moves: Seattle Seahawks activate Young off IR

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Roster Moves: Seattle Seahawks activate Young off IR


The Seattle Seahawks activated wide receiver Dareke Young from injured reserve and elevated running back Cam Akers and offensive tackle Amari Knight off the practice squad Thursday ahead of their pivotal primetime showdown against the Los Angeles Rams at Lumen Field.

Bump & Stacy: 3 keys for Seattle Seahawks to beat the Rams

Young, 26, has missed Seattle’s past eight games with a quadricep injury. The fourth-year pro is a key special teams member for the Seahawks and was on the field for over 50% of the team’s special teams snaps in each of the six games he’s played this season. He has seven tackles and 10 kickoff returns for 322 yards. He also has two receptions for 48 yards.

Akers, 26, would be making his Seahawks debut against his former team if he gets into Thursday’s game. He played in three games for the Minnesota Vikings earlier this season and totaled 19 yards on five carries.

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A sixth-year pro, Akers spent three-plus seasons with the Rams after they selected him in the second round of the 2020 draft out of Florida State. Akers’ best season with Los Angeles came in 2022 when he rushed for career highs of 786 yards and seven touchdowns. He has 2,044 yards and 13 TDs on the ground in 56 career NFL games.

Knight, 24, provides the Seahawks with some depth at tackle with starting left tackle Charles Cross ruled out for Thursday’s game with a hamstring injury. Veteran backup Josh Jones is getting the start in place of Cross.

Knight went undrafted out of UCF and made his pro debut in Seattle’s Week 4 win over Arizona.

The Seahawks face the Rams on Thursday night at 5:15 p.m. Radio coverage begins at 2 p.m. with the pregame show on Seattle Sports 710 AM and the Seattle sports app. 

Seattle Seahawks coverage

• Breaking down everything at stake in Seahawks-Rams showdown
• Seattle Seahawks rule out LT Charles Cross for showdown vs Rams
• How Seattle Seahawks and L.A. Rams stack up in NFL power rankings
• Do Rams have Seattle Seahawks QB Sam Darnold’s number?
• Huard: Shaheed will be X-factor for Seattle Seahawks’ stretch run

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