Sheil Kapadia, ESPN Writer 7y

Malik McDowell starts out in the Michael Bennett role for the Seahawks

RENTON, Wash. -- The Seattle Seahawks wrapped up rookie camp on Sunday. Here are some takeaways from the three days of practice.

Malik McDowell will be used in the Michael Bennett role.

Coach Pete Carroll explained that he feels McDowell's role in college didn't really emphasize his strengths.

"We’ll play him a little more at defensive end," Carroll said. "He played inside a lot. He was over the center a lot, and he doesn’t look like that kind of player in our system to us. We’ll play him at five-technique and three-technique and see how that goes. Really would like to see how he works as an inside rusher in nickel and see if he can add something special for us there. But we’ll see."

In other words, McDowell will be taking over Bennett's role -- defensive end in base and interior pass-rusher in nickel. That means McDowell is unlikely to be a traditional starter in his first year. But where he will have the opportunity to contribute right away is as a sub-package pass rusher.

McDowell looks long and lean up close. Carroll said he could add 10 to 15 pounds in the next year or so, but that's not a concern right now.

McDowell didn't have much to say regarding questions about his perceived lack of effort at times at Michigan State. Third-round pick Nazair Jones said his roommate is just a quiet guy.

"He’s cool, laid back, doesn’t say a lot," Jones said. "You guys should know that already."

Jordan Roos is a name to watch.

The undrafted free agent out of Purdue received a $20,000 signing bonus from the Seahawks, and Carroll indicated that Roos looks like a player who could compete for a starting job.

"That was a really important signing for us," Carroll said. "We had targeted him through the draft, and we weren’t able to get him. But he looks like he fits right in. I was really, really happy about that because we’re trying to keep that whole position as competitive as possible. He looks like he’ll be able to battle -- I’m talking with the guys who are going to do the playing. So I think he made a great first impression."

It was only three days, but Roos should not be viewed as merely a backup option this summer.

Mike Tyson drew a Byron Maxwell comparison.

A sixth-round pick out of Cincinnati, Tyson is transitioning from safety to cornerback. And Carroll said Tyson reminds him some of Maxwell.

"I think they’re similar in their stature. They just kind of carry themselves the same," Carroll said. "They have very similar characteristics of size, weight, speed and all that. And both guys came in with a real serious, tough attitude.

"I thought Mike was real impressive in the camp. He has not been a featured outside guy. He played a lot of man coverage on slots and stuff, so this was the first time we’ve seen a lot of that."

Wide receiver David Moore looks the part.

The seventh-round pick out of East Central Oklahoma is physically imposing and already has an NFL body.

"He’s worked really hard since the end of his season to be trained by some of the professional guys," Carroll said. "He had no problem at all with the concepts. He’s a real interesting athlete because he’s built differently than a lot of guys. He’s very strong, and he plays very strong. The transition looks like this isn’t going to take a long time like we initially thought."

Moore will have to impress on special teams to earn a roster spot in his first season.

Shaquill Griffin's development will be fascinating to watch.

Griffin said he didn't play an aggressive, press style at Central Florida. But Carroll said he doesn't think that's going to be a problem for the cornerback.

"I really don’t think he’ll have any problem," Carroll said. "The guys did a really nice job starting him off and working at our stuff. He seemed very comfortable. It looked really good for the first weekend. He got some good shots on some balls down the field. We got to see him run a little bit and all. He has a really good spirit about him that he brings, really anxious to learn and all of that, which is all you could hope for at this time."

Jeremy Lane is the favorite to start at right cornerback with DeShawn Shead recovering from a knee injury. But Griffin could make some noise this summer and carve out a role for himself as a rookie if he plays well.

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