Breaking down Charley Casserly’s mock draft

Charley Casserly used to be the GM in Houston. He’s worked at the NFL Network since 2006. Today he published a first round mock draft.

It’s interesting for a few reasons. Casserly is connected within the league and there’s a chance this projection reflects some of the consensus thinking on certain prospects.

Here are some points worth raising:

John Ross at #16 overall
A number of good sources have suggested Ross is destined for the top-20 and Casserly reflects that here. With the potential to run in the 4.2’s or 4.3’s at the combine, Ross could easily leave the board in this range. Yes a laundry list of injuries are a concern. Teams will do their homework. Yet the combination of an explosive release, the ability to get open and separate and take the top of the defense make Ross a DeSean Jackson type talent with none of the character headaches. Someone is going to roll the dice on his health.

Leonard Fournette at #4 overall
People are falling over themselves to knock Fournette, a genuinely fantastic talent capable of defining an offense over the next few years. And for all the talk of a diminished value in the running game — if Todd Gurley, fresh from a torn ACL, can go #10 overall — Fournette isn’t escaping the top-10. According to Casserly: “In my opinion, Fournette does some things better than Adrian Peterson.” Preach.

Cornerbacks come off the board quickly
This feels inevitable with the only challenge determining which names come off the board first. Casserly goes Marshon Lattimore, Sidney Jones, Marlon Humphrey, Teez Tabor, Gareon Conley and Tre’Davious White (in that order) in the top-25. Quincy Wilson and Adoree’ Jackson also go in round one. That’s eight cornerbacks in the first frame and it doesn’t feel unlikely this year. He also touches on some scenarios we’ve often discussed, like Humphrey and Jones being likely top-15 picks and Jackson going to Atlanta in the late first round.

Offensive tackles leave the board in a similar range
Personally I think Garett Bolles will work his way into the top-10 but Casserly’s scenario isn’t unlikely either. He has the Giants trading up to #18 to take Ryan Ramcyzk, the Broncos selecting Bolles at #20 and the Lions (potentially needing to replace Riley Reiff and Larry Warford) taking Cam Robinson at #21. Either way, the chances of Seattle getting an attractive OT option at #26 are slim.

Charles Harris goes in the top-20
He doesn’t get talked about much (possibly due to Mizzou’s poor 2016 campaign) but Harris is the real deal. He’s the type of pass rusher teams fall in love with. Great burst and balance, the ability to attack the edge consistently and you’d expect a really good 10-yard split at the combine. It feels inevitable that someone in the top-25 will take a chance on him.

The Pats get a fantastic deal for Jimmy Garoppolo
The Browns trade the #12 pick in Casserly’s mock to New England for Garoppolo. Cleveland should be made to make a formal apology to the rest of the league if they give the defending Super Bowl champions a top-15 pick. Even so, it seems Garoppolo is a target for a number of teams. And if the likes of Chicago prepare an aggressive move — Cleveland has the ammunition to beat any offer because of that high bonus R1 pick from Philadelphia.

No Haason Reddick in round one
With his supreme athletic profile, incredible production, top performance at the Senior Bowl and clear leadership qualities — it seems improbable that Reddick won’t be a day one pick. Casserly doesn’t include him in this projection. It’s not unlikely that Reddick’s floor is pick #26.

Taco Charlton drops to #30
Charlton flashed his incredible talent in the Orange Bowl against Florida State and with an Aldon Smith level of potential, it would be a major shock if he dropped this far in round one. If anything, he could force his way into the top-10.

Solomon Thomas drops to #17
It’d be an absolute gift for Washington. Thomas will have one of the more dynamic combines and with his size, versatility and character — he appears destined for the top-10. It’s always good for a prospect to go into the draft with momentum — and Thomas’ last game was a JJ Watt-esque performance against North Carolina. It won’t be a shock if the Niners take him at #2.

No David Njoku in the first frame
Njoku is just a fantastic prospect. With tight end size and receiver mobility, you can line him up anywhere at the next level. He’s the most exciting and enticing tight end prospect to enter the draft in a few years. It could be argued he’s a better prospect than any of the receivers available — and he might be a more dynamic target. Casserly also has O.J. Howard lasting until pick #32 (like the Pats need any more help after the Browns trade).

What about the Seahawks pick at #26?

Casserly has them taking Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey, stating: “Thomas Rawls has proven he can’t be reliable.”

It’s easy to imagine the Seahawks liking McCaffrey because, well, what isn’t to like?

He’s highly athletic, a lot more sudden than people give him credit for, he’s tough and dynamic in equal measure, he’s effective as a runner, receiver and returner. The rest of the league needs to pray he doesn’t end up in New England with Tom Brady.

The thing is, it’s hard to imagine the Seahawks taking a running back this early who is lighter than C.J. Prosise but with a very similar set of skills. It’d be an admission they’re virtually giving up on their preferred style of physical offense. With first and third round picks invested in two running backs of this style, they’d be changing the identity of the offense probably forever.

What’s more, we know Pete Carroll recently stated Seattle’s priority needs as cornerback, linebacker and offensive line. He also stated his confidence in Thomas Rawls. The Seahawks probably will add another running back in the off-season — but the first round feels unlikely.

Who else was available? Here’s a list:

Haason Reddick (LB, Temple)
Zach Cunningham (LB, Vanderbilt)
Jarrad Davis (LB, Florida)
Budda Baker (S, Washington)
Obi Melifonwu (S, Connecticut)
Justin Evans (S, Texas A&M)
Rasul Douglas (CB, West Virginia)
Kevin King (CB, Washington)
Fabian Moreau (CB, UCLA)

The scenario Casserly projects lends itself to a trade down. Mitch Trubisky is the only quarterback taken in round one so there’s a possibility someone would move up for a QB. The Seahawks could move down into the top of round two and still secure all but one (Cunningham) of this group according to Casserly’s mock.

One other quick thing to consider on this — you might be rooting for the QB’s to fall to present a favourable trade down scenario. Yet there are major benefits in terms of players dropping to #26 if they go early.

Jason La Canfora had an interesting report a few days ago. He suggested the Cardinals covet Deshaun Watson but would likely need ‘a significant trade up’ to get him. They have the #13 pick — so it sounds like he won’t be leaving the top-10.

La Canfora also had this to say about Patrick Mahomes:

At worst he’s the third quarterback taken in the draft and I wouldn’t rule him out as a top-three pick, either, depending on what quarterback-starved teams like the 49ers, Browns and Bears do in the trade or free agent market. I don’t think he gets past the Texans in the first round.

So it’s possible Mahomes and Watson go very early — and per this report, at least before Seattle’s pick. Assuming Trubisky also leaves the board, that could lead to some nice options dropping to #26.

In my next mock draft I might look at this kind of scenario with three QB’s going early plus a bunch of cornerbacks and what it could mean for Seattle.

This is a really fun draft class. It’s easy to pine for about 5-6 different players in round one and there’ll be a ton of options in the mid/late rounds too.

220 Comments

  1. Trevor

    Seem like Casserly is missing some guys in Rd#1 but he always seems to be dead on with some guys because of his connections.

    Rob I really feel Bolles is a top 10 talent. If he is on the board at 19 do you think there is any chance the Hawks would consider moving up to 19 in front of the Broncos to take him?

    • Rob Staton

      Maybe but I suspect they won’t assume that will happen and will address the OL pre-draft (if they intend to) and it will make a trade-up less appealing.

  2. Sean-O

    McCaffrey to the Hawks at #26? I think he’s got a real shot to be a solid pro but I think (just like Rob does) that the fit just isn’t there.

    Assuming the list of guys Rob listed are available at #26, I’d bet the Hawks do “the usual” & trade down. Nothing wrong with more picks in what seems to be a deep draft!

    • CA

      I would cream if we had that board available. Absolutely trade that pick down, a lot of draftable names there, but not McCaffrey. I LOVE McCaffrey but with those names left if they took him I’d be pretty disappointed. McCaffrey would would find a way to work in this offense, but I just don’t see it for a R1 pick. I’m with you, Sean-O, trade that pick.

    • Capt. Poopy

      While I wouldn’t like the pick, how great would a Prosise and McCaffrey backfield be. Both very similar, it might make it very tough on defenses.

      • Hawks22Fun

        I have to say, Marshawn Lynch is not replaceable…

        Having Prosise and McCaffrey COULD be deadly with DangeRuss…

        But that would depend on Pete and Bevel actually ‘optimizing’ their players into roles of what they do best…which they claim to do, but seem to fail on, a lot of times…

        I would be excited to see the possibility!

  3. Ed

    OMG. He may have been in the league, but is one of the worst with mock drafts. The last few years I always look at finals mocks and reality to see whose closest.

    But if it happened that way, merry christmas. I would say take Reddick, then trade up, or even trade next years first (if hawks can’t beat 49ers/Rams/Cardinals for the division, they have bigger problems) and get 3 guys.

    1st Reddick
    2nd Obi (trade with Browns/Bears)
    2nd King/Douglas

    What an immediate influx of talent in positions of need.

    • Rob Staton

      As noted in the piece, I suspect Casserly’s mock does represent some consensus thinking within the league (eg Ross top-20, Harris top-25, lots of CB’s going in R1) but there are also some misses too (no Njoku, no Reddick etc).

      • CharlieTheUnicorn

        I think the OT might also have a run earlier than many suspect. 3 or 4 guys who are “1st round” guys… I did find it interesting that Bolles was mocked to Denver. I’m think he might go higher than #20, but he would be a nice get for them and almost immediate starter.

  4. All I see is 12s

    I don’t know, but I get the feeling that reddick will get the Noah Spence treatment. Last year this time he was flying to the top half of rd 1 after his brilliant senior bowl. Then, a sub par combine and everyone cooled off. I don’t expect Reddick to have bad Combine , but I do expect the biases scouts had coming into this process to prevail. He wasn’t hyped coming into the draft season for whatever reason(unless your name is Rob Staton). There maybe even some bias because he was a walk-on in college. I might just be dreaming but I think there may be a good shot that he’s there for Seattle rd 1

    • Rob Staton

      Two things worked against Spence though — getting kicked out of Ohio State (and needing to play small school football) and running a 4.80 forty at 6-2, 251lbs. Reddick might run in the 4.4’s.

      • All I see is 12s

        I don’t remember. His cone drill was elite wasn’t it?

        • Rob Staton

          He had some nice drills but hard to shake the character concerns and then a 4.80 at his size.

  5. CharlieTheUnicorn

    If someone gives up a #1 for that pile of BU QB in NE.. they deserve to be bad. I can’t see the Browns trading their 1st round pick(either pick) for that guy. I could see them trade the 2nd round pick, perhaps, top of the third would be more like it to me as an armchair GM.

    A #12 pick for a career backup QB with “potential”…… no way. Draft a rookie if you must.

    The Browns need 2 impact players at #1 and #12…. and I can see them trading back slightly the #12 pick, so they could get another pick in the 2nd and 3rd round… since this has nice depth in some areas.

    • ImUrHuckleBerri

      Same here. It would absolutely shock me to someone trade a 1st round pick for a player picked in the 2nd round that has all of 4 starts under his belt. I would think teams would be skiddish of giving up that much for a young QB who hasn’t played much. Especially after what has transpired with Osweiler getting that new deal with Houston last offseason.

      • Greg Haugsven

        The Browns have used there second first round pick in three different drafts on a QB. Quinn, Weeden and Manziel. 0 for 3.

        • CharlieTheUnicorn

          New people running the show, maybe they will get it right.

    • vrtkolman

      I just think of Matt Cassell whenever the next big NE QB hype comes rolling around. Belichick is just that good.

  6. BobbyK

    With ample talent in the mid-rounds, I think it’s highly likely the Seahawks would trade down in this scenario. They have no 4th round pick and could potentially pick one up with a trade down.

    If they stood pat in this scenario, I think they’d have to go Reddick. He solves two problems.

    1. He eliminates the need we have at linebacker.

    2. He adds to our need of another pass rusher.

    It’s as if we’re getting two picks for the price of one in a way.

    I love Cunningham and would be happy with him if Reddick were gone… but he’s “only” a good LB… we’d still need pass rush help somewhere (Julius Peppers? Sheard?).

    • CharlieTheUnicorn

      I did a little checking into pick value and the Browns #33 pick and #97? picks line up almost perfectly with the #26 pick value. Browns would grab a QB at #26 and Seattle could get an extra pick in the fourth. I’m not a big fan, especially if there are multiple guys on the draft board that could fill some obvious needs (Obi or Cunningham for example).

      • BobbyK

        The #97 pick is going to be the start of the 3rd round comp. picks. Besides, the Browns don’t own their own 4th round pick. It was traded to Philadelphia.

        • Capt. Poopy

          You can trade comp. picks, no?

    • ImUrHuckleBerri

      I feel like Seattle doesn’t need much edge help at all. It’s interior pressure that Seattle has always struggled to get. Why I am really hoping Easley hits the market from the Rams and Seattle can sign him to a deal where he makes 4-5 mil per year on 3 year prove it deal. He’s also only 24 I believe as well.

      • BobbyK

        I like Bennett and Clark rushing from the interior on third downs. That leaves only Avril decent on the edge. Clark is awesome inside or outside, but I’d actually feel better with him coming up the gut on 3rd and 10 with an edge guy coming in. If we could get a guy like Peppers to rush from the edge on 3rd downs, that’d be awesome. He could also take some snaps from Avril so that Peppers and Avril are both well rested for individual games and the entire season. Avril barely played 50% of the snaps the year we won the Super Bowl. I’d rather keep them fresh.

        • ImUrHuckleBerri

          Difference of opinion I suppose. But no way this front office is going to sign Peppers (37) way to old. As consistent as he’s been he’s due to fall off drastically at any point. Like I said would much rather get someone like Easley(24) if he is available to be one of our 3rd down interior rushers along with Bennett and Jefferson. Have Avril, Clark, and Marsh already to rotate on the edge if they need it. Plus I am expecting our running game to be a lot better this next year so our offense can sustain longer drives to keep the defense even fresher.

          • BobbyK

            Yep. Difference of opinion. I think there’s probably 10-20 guys who aren’t even on NFL rosters right now who can rush the passer better than Marsh. Rob might be one of them. He’s good in the run game, sealing the edge, and special teams, but him being on the field on 3rd and 10 situations is worthless. They’d be better off rushing three and playing with an extra DB, imo.

            • Ed

              While I would still like a LB that can rush on 3rd down (ala Irvin), Marsh is not that bad. He is a hustle guy and maybe doesn’t get a lot of sacks, but he put a fair amount of pressure on the QB when he was in. At times, the entire DL got 0 pressure.

              • RWIII

                Marsh is an adequate backup. He does hustle. In fact the plays he makes is because of his relentless pusuit.

        • RWIII

          Bobby K: You are not the only that feels that way. If the Seahawks can’t find a good interior pass rusher. Then stick Frank Clark inside on third down. It is much easier to find an edge rusher than an interior pass rusher.

          • Misfit74

            We do that already, though maybe we should do it more often. NASCAR FTW

    • C-Dog

      I’m with you, Bobby. In this scenario, I stay at 26 for Reddick

  7. AlaskaHawk

    Why would Cleveland trade there #12 pick to New England when they can pick Watson with their #1 pick? Yeah I get it that they don’t pick the best edge rusher in the entire NFL history , but they would get a proven college QB. And they can still get an edge rusher with their #12, or trade down to Denver range for a first and an additional 2 or 3rd round pick.

    If New England gets a #12 pick for Garoppolo I’m going to barf.

    • RealRhino2

      Heck, if NE gets OJ Howard at #32 I’m going to barf! Agree with others, I just don’t see Cleveland trading #12 for Jimmy G. How often has the “showed flashes in a few games as a backup, let’s trade for him” plan actually worked? Matt Schaub? I can’t think of any/many others right now. Matt Flynn didn’t, Matt Cassell didn’t. Favre’s situation was different, since he wasn’t acquired based on limited starts since Atlanta was too dumb to play him. Rob Johnson? Steve Walsh?

      I would also think that after NE used former Browns Sheard and Mingo after the Browns let them go that they would realize the Pats are smarter than them, and if the Pats want to do the deal, don’t do it.

      • RWIII

        Alaska. If the Browns wanted they probably get him at 12.

        • AlaskaHawk

          Yes Watson could still be available at 12. Probably one of the top three will still be available. It will just depend on how the draft shakes down.

          • Sea Mode

            I think if Watson is still there at #10, the Bills pull the trigger (assuming they don’t retain Tyrod Taylor).

    • Ishmael

      If the Browns do that I will fly to Ohio and fight their entire front office. They could potentially have such a great draft. If they decide they’re not keen on Watson for some reason, then sign Tyrod Taylor in FA – they’ve got like 80 billion in cap space so it’s not exactly an issue.

      1.1 Myles Garrett
      1.12 Solomon Thomas
      2.33 Budda Baker

      Odds are Thomas will be long gone by that point, in which case take Sydney Jones or Tre’Davious White. How’s that for an injection of talent?

  8. Coleslaw

    My wishlist in order for 26
    1. Bolles
    2. Reddick
    3. Marshon Lattimore
    4. Kevin King
    5. Obi Melifonwu
    6. Taco Charlton
    7. Zach Cunningham
    8. Any outside corner that’s still there

    • Coleslaw

      Left out players who were unlikely to be there except Bolles and probably Reddick

      • HawkTalker#1

        After #2 I’d probably pus the trade down button on the first round.
        If we can find a way to manipulate our draft picks to get 3 to 4 really nice early picks, I think we’re going to be in really good shape. As long as we stick to the priority of needs and don’t go nuts at a running back or wide receiver when we really need more help elsewhere.

        • LLLOGOSSS

          Word.

      • AlaskaHawk

        I like the defensive depth in this draft.

  9. icb12

    Pats with 2 picks in the first is scary. They could get a pass rusher and McCaffrey potentially.

    Sigh.

    Merry Christmas Tom Brady.

    • RWIII

      BTW : The Patriots have plenty of cap space.

    • Hawk Eye

      Christmas happens every day the NFL does not dig into Tom’s “trainer”, Alex Guerrero.
      When he is not selling fake cancer cures, he has 39 year old Tom Brady running faster than when he was 29, and all because he does not eat strawberries. And a lot of other Pats use him also.
      I heard some rumblings from an ex-Bill that they wonder why some of the Pats don’t get tired and if they have a new PED.
      I used to think that the last pro team to have a PED advantage was the 70’s Steelers, but something stinks in Boston. Athletes have been using PED’s for more than 50 years. Steroids are not new, just better.
      To be fair, I suspect half of the Hawks and every other team uses or has used PEDs, but I suspect we might have a Balco East happening.

      • Ishmael

        Mate, 80%+ of the league is on them. The Pats aren’t doing anything special, Brady is just laughable though – not quite as bad as James Harrison, but definitely the same ballpark. Nothing will be done about it though, it does the NFL absolutely zero good to try and clean up their act – and then how far back do you want to go? It’s pretty clear that most big college programs are using, and I suspect it’s rife in high schools as well.

    • EranUngar

      Pats with two 1st round picks is scary.

      Pats with two 1st round picks + 63M in cap space is sickening….

      • Rob Staton

        ‘Win Forever’

        • EranUngar

          Yes, Brady lost just one game last year…he can repeat it next year in the SB….

      • vrtkolman

        Not having to pay Jamie Collins and Chandler Jones is probably almost $30 million cap right there.

  10. KD

    I don’t know if anyone else sees this, but McCaffrey reminds me a lot of Reggie Bush at USC (they also both wore #5. Coincidence or Illuminati?), just a tad slower and not as agile, but the vision is superb. It wouldn’t shock me if Carroll takes a liking to him for that reason. Very similar players in a lot of respects.

    • AlaskaHawk

      If the Seahawks didn’t have other needs…. and I don’t think that just because he is similar to Prosise that they wouldn’t pick him. After all Prosise is not a pro yet, nor is Rawls. They got lots of potential but it’s still early in their careers. So if the Seahawks need a jolt on offense McCaffrey might be the running back to do it. Don’t forget the Patriots had three starting running backs. White scored Three of their touchdowns.

      • Sea Mode

        Ok, I get there is a lot to like about McCaffrey, but saying a guy who lead the league in YPC and another who had 17 carries for 66 yards and seven catches on seven targets for 87 yards against the best defense this season and eventual SB champion are basically less ready to contribute as pros than McCafferey is not right IMO.

        Injuries are the only thing holding them back, and when they finally get on the field at the same time and can split the load, that might be all they need to stay healthier. Either way, they are pros.

    • CA

      McCaffrey went on the record saying he wears #5 as Bush was his idol growing up.

  11. dave crockett

    Among the LBs, after Davis, Cunningham, and Reddick (probably in that order), who will likely pique Seattle’s interest?

    No one seems to be talking about anyone other than those three.

    • Cameron

      Alex Anzalone and Bowser have been discussed. At times on this blog we seem overly devoted to the early rounds. Would love some posts on later round possibilities at LB and other positions.

    • ImUrHuckleBerri

      Jarrad Davis from Florida maybe.

    • Rob Staton

      We’ve discussed Boswer, Anzalone, Phillips and Gilbert too off the top of my head

  12. Greg Haugsven

    I actually got mad when I saw McCaffrey mocked to Seattle. Like it was the actual draft. My emotion would be disappointment. Aynone else?

    • Cameron

      It’d be a gut punch imo. I’m not all that enthused with McCaffery for what he is and what he is we already have anyways. Hard pass.

      • HawkTalker #1

        Out

        • Hawk Eye

          i can’t see it. That does not make sense to me.
          Now, I expect the hawks to make a few surprise picks, but that one would be a shocker

    • icb12

      I’d be absolutely stoked.

      He’s a playmaker in multiple facets of the game.

      • Sunhawks

        I am with you… I would be very happy. McCaffery could be insurance for the KR game too. The present stable of RB’s is well… not very stable. Does he not “tip the field”? Do any of the other Seahawks RB’s?

    • Kenny Sloth

      Doesn’t represent an upgrade at a position of need.

      Personally I think he’s a bit role player at the next level

      • Greg Haugsven

        I agree Kenny, almost like a Sproles, Woodhead type

        • Kenny Sloth

          Rob has comped him to Ryan Matthews which isnt a very flattering one imo

        • bankhawk

          Spot on comp, Greg! (IMHO)

    • Kenny Sloth

      I had a similar reaction to Bruce Irvin being taken by us in the first when it actually happened hahaha

      We had barely discussed him at the time

  13. Nathan_12thMan

    What picks are we expected to have as of right now? And if we traded down out of R1, what would our draft board likely look like (best guess, open to anyone)?

    • Cameron

      Right now
      R1: Native
      R2: Native
      R3 Native
      R3: Comp
      R5: Comp
      R6: Native
      R7: Pick from Dallas for C-Mike trade

      If we traded back like last year we could add a late 3rd/early 4th. Mostly depends upon how far we trade back I guess

      • Cameron

        I can see Pete and John wanting to draft 9-10 times. Multiple trade backs not out of question imo.

        • Nathan_12thMan

          I don’t necessarily agree. Sometimes a draft class (& your needs) play out a certain way that you don’t go in wanting to draft 9-10 times, but you want to draft the right guys in the right spots. By that I mean we have a team with just a few needs, we aren’t the 49ers. I could see us trading back out of R1 to get another R3 pick because the talent in rounds 3-5 are so attractive that they want their guys in there. Heck they might trade up from R5 into R4 for a guy they see available.

          • Cameron

            I don’t necessarily disagree, sometimes moving up the draft board to fill specific needs is warranted, and certainly not out of the question for this upcoming draft.

            The Seahawks aren’t the 49rs true but I don’t think it’s a rule that good teams don’t or won’t draft many times. There are other factors, such as depth of class and long term roster structure that can factor into such a decision. The Seahawks drafted 9 times in 2014 (the year after winning the SB), and we had no 1st round pick or comp picks. We traded down twice before taking Paul Richardson with our first selection.

            There are many commentators on this blog who think we are taking 5 players out of the Edge/LB and Corner/Safety positions. That would leave only two picks for other positions. I like this DB and LB class as much as anyone, but we aren’t taking that many players from those position groups unless we draft 10 times imo.

            I’m thinking we draft 9 or 10 times because of the overal depth of the class in the value rounds (2-3) and because of the depth specifically of the CB/S classes, where the Seahawks have thinned over the years due to lack of quality drafting and development.

            I’d put the over/under on # of times Seahawks draft at 8, and I’m taking the over.

            • HawkTalker #1

              I’m hoping to hit the under, but only because I see them trading down for more picks AND THEN also trading back up to increase the quality of the picks they will have in rounds 2-4, where the beef is.

              • Cameron

                Seahawks have never drafted fewer than 8 times in PCJS era.

            • Cameron

              I did a little math and it turns out the Seahawks have drafted on average 9.42 times per year in the PCJS era.

              The fewest players drafted is 8 and that was only once in 2015.
              They drafted 11 players in 2013 and 10 players each in 2012 and 2016

              • Sea Mode

                Thanks for doing the homework.

                Right, but how many of all those players taken on day 3 made the roster and contributed? A couple of us broke all this down last month. I’d be interested to hear what you think:
                https://seahawksdraftblog.com/updated-mock-draft-january-22nd#comment-305453

                I think quantity is the way to go early on in the team-building process (2010-2013 for the PC/JS era), but after filling out the roster with talent, it’s going to be much harder to make the team, so I like the quality approach: do what you have to to add 3-4 guys at positions they will really upgrade. (perfect example: Tyler Lockett)

                And since you bring up history, take into account that we have gotten way more contribution from UDFA than from R4-7 picks. To me, this just reinforces that fact that, at this point in the PC/JS era, we should be trading up when necessary to get “our” guys in the first 3 rounds. (not that you can’t find gems later, but the probability is much lower and it’s not as worth taking the bet when your roster is already Championship quality)

                • AlaskaHawk

                  I totally agree with your UDFA comment Sea Mode. And that makes the number of R4 to R7 picks less relevant. I would hate to see the Seahawks trade out of the first round again. It’s like they want to handicap themselves by not picking a first rounder.

                  I totally agree they should be trading up into the third round. There will be quality picks through the third.

      • Nathan_12thMan

        Thanks!

        I gotta say that options at #26 and how many are likely still there at the beginning of R2 (if we traded out of R1) are really attractive.

        It’s hard to know how it might likely play out because we haven’t even started FA and the draft changes things but the idea that we could end up with Reddick or Menifonwu along with the other talent available lower in the draft. Damn.

        The hard part is figuring out where we draft OL, because whether we spend smart or not in FA on OL, we still gotta add at least one offensive linemen through the draft.

        —————–

        I’m highest on Reddick & Menifonwu. Their versatility while still being highly athletic high quality football players is really intriguing. I’d love Njoku but we’ve got Jimmy & I’d rather spend the pick on defense. I’m still interested in Luani if we didn’t get Menifonwu (or some other DB). Lastly I’m still interested in keeping my mind open in regards to Mixon in R2 or R3 (assuming he’d go before R4). Before I held the opinion that people like him should be banned by the NFL from entering the league. Have a zero tolerance policy. But I have a conversation with Davis Hsu that made an impact on me.

        > Hsu: He will likely impact the NFL in some shape- as did Tyreek Hill -as does Frank Clark (all 3 diff situations). I would say you need to take each situation case by case & dig and use best judgment to fill in. the victim wants him to be drafted high- they likely have some sort of deal. a lot of NFL players and humans have done a lot of bad stuff/crazy stuff- most of it not on video.

        If my team (or any team) does real, morally strong, due diligence and finds the person to be on the right path, even if they are a bust, I think I can get behind drafting the guy. So if Mixon passes all of our FO’s interviews, checks and such and they like him as a back, I think I could get behind drafting him.

        • Cameron

          I think we’ll take one OL on day 2 and perhaps another on day 3. We just have to keep adding bodies and add to competition.

          For me Reddick is about all I’d be interested in staying put at 26 for. He’s the only one who would have a (in my opinion) clearly defined role from the get go. I could stomach Melifonwu there but would prefer a move down as I think he will be there late 2nd round.

          • AlaskaHawk

            I think they will pick up a tackle in free agency, and that will lessen the need to draft one early. Besides which they rolled with Gilliam and Fant last year, so is it really a pressing need to management???

  14. JimQ

    I’ve always wondered, does Casserly dye his hair (no grey at his age?) or is that funny looking stuff sitting on his head a wig? I’m thinking it’s just an ill fitting wig. Need to see him in a wind. At any rate, I like old Charlie, he is at least historically entertaining regardless of the year now being 2017.

    • Greg Haugsven

      Casserly in the wind might look like Ernie McCracken

  15. Hawk Eye

    Hawks let RB coach Sherman Smith go.
    Well, they do fire some coaches.
    I remember him from when he was a qb convert into rb with the original Hawks.
    Feeling my age now…….

    • 503CHawk

      Woe! Didn’t hear that. Something had to be going on in the background. Cable must have more say than I thought.

      • HawkTalker #1

        Meaning?

  16. Josh emmett

    it’s time for some defense. I truly believe they are going to buck the trend of no corners early in the draft. I love the idea of a chess piece defender that can cover and play linebacker. Go out and pay some money for dontari Poe. Why not? The hawks have proved that they do really well with veteran free agent defensive linemen. Stick to your strengths right? Get Reddick in the first round grab a FAST corner to play the outside in the second or third and get Poe. I say even trade up to get some elite players. They only have a couple more years with the core they have built and it may be time for the hawks to make a trade to get an elite talent a la the falcons trading up for Julio. I don’t know if there is anything like that in the draft this year but they need some fire power to combat the division.

  17. Coleslaw

    Our man defense is becoming less effective seemingly every year, with chancellor aging, a hole at SAM, and corner problems, this might be an area of focus for JS/PC. They could change things up and go to a more zone based defense with more safeties on the field, warranting a pick like Baker or whichever safety you prefer, but it’s unlikely. If they go defense early and it’s not a DL it’ll probably be someone who excels in man coverage. Obviously the position with most impact there is cornerback, and I think the top dawg in terms of man coverage could be Kevin King with his supposed godly 3 cone time. Reddick showed amazing man coverage ability at the senior bowl, too.
    Who knows, maybe we get Justin Evans and run a defense like the Chiefs

    • Coleslaw

      Adoree Jackson as a safety, Earl, and Kam flying on the same field anyone? Haha

      • Sea Mode

        Mmmm, I like more insticts at safety. Put the athleticism at corner (slot) if we go that way.

        Not a huge dig or anything, it’s just one play, but I have a feeling he’s going to be more of a project than some people think at the next level. He won’t win with pure athleticism:
        https://vine.co/v/5IXOAau1d2U

        • Del tre

          I think choosing Jackson before the 3rd for any team is a huge mistake, more an athlete than a football player in my opinion. I just don’t think he fits in with the hawks at all, it feels like his instincts are lacking but his athleticism makes up for it. His athleticism won’t be special in the NFL and it won’t make up for much, could you imagine him trying to cover Odell when Ross can do that to him? Can you imagine what Doug would do?
          He compares to Baker in size and role but thats it for me
          Where he differs from Baker is the size he plays at, he looks small and plays small while Baker plays big and has instinct. But i believe there are good odds Baker doesn’t make it to 26

          • Sea Mode

            I wouldn’t go that far as to say 3rd round. I think he is early R2 floor. Remember, this is elite athleticism even for NFL standards, like Olympic athlete level he has. And even if he turns out to be a total bust at DB (which I don’t think he will), you still have the added value of a deadly KR from day 1.

            And to be fair, who in the NFL can cover ADB anyway… 🙂

            • Volume12

              They are a zone based defense.

  18. Greg Haugsven

    Way off topic, but Congrats to the machine which is UCONN women’s hoops. 100 straight wins.

  19. HawkTalker #1

    Fanspeak draft
    33: R3P1
    EDGE HAASON REDDICK. Actually hurt myself when I fell running to the podium, but worth it.
    TEMPLE
    59: R2P27
    EDGE DEMARCUS WALKER Ok ok when he was there I couldn’t afford him, so I traded a 2018 R2 plus a 2017 pick to land him. What a playmaker and leader this guy is.
    FLORIDA STATE
    65: R3P1
    CB RASUL DOUGLAS
    WEST VIRGINIA
    114: R4P9
    S MARCUS MAYE. Perhaps s/b another CB like FABIAN MOREAU here and add say John Johnson later just so we have enough CBs drafted to get keepers
    FLORIDA
    125: R4P20
    OT ADAM BISNOWATY
    PITTSBURGH
    154: R5P9
    RB SAMAJE PERINE. Part of the new beefy wrecking crew in the running game
    OKLAHOMA
    156: R5P11
    DL RYAN GLASGOW
    MICHIGAN
    184: R5P39
    CB JEREMY CUTRER
    MIDDLE TENNESSEE
    211: R6P26
    S TEDRIC THOMPSON. Tedric the entertainer? Time will tell . . .
    COLORADO
    239: R7P18
    CB ANKELLO WITHERSPOON. May need some Sherm tackling mentoring, but a great project
    COLORADO
    241: R7P20
    WR SPEEDY NOIL. Can’t teach speed. But, We’ll see if we can teach him the rest of what he needs to learn
    TEXAS A&M

    As I test these mocks, I wonder how much the FO feels like I do (behind closed doors for them anyway away from the coach speak) that CBs are in trouble at the moment and with Shead being out we need a at minimum a sub for him (and perhaps a permanent one, will that guy ever get his head around?) and Lane is just not good enough so we need another there. What help can they get from FA or their practice squad? Perhaps the DB draft should be heavier just so you can find some keepers from the group?

    • Ed

      Would be stoked about that draft. Don’t think Thompson/Witherspoon make it that far, but you can always dream.

      • HawkTalker #1

        Agreed. Right now we have few facts to go on so dreams prevail.

        Looking forward to crushing this draft.

        Go Hawks

    • Cameron

      I would be happy if we got 1/2 of these players.

    • C-Dog

      Reddick + Walker + Douglas + Bisnowaty + Glasgow = My dream draft scenario right there. I’ll say it all the way to draft time, I love Ryan Glasgow, defensive lineman, Michigan.

    • Trevor

      Love the first 3 picks. If you could add Reddick, Walker and Douglas then I think the 2017 would be improved in a big way.

      Like Witherspoon and Thompson as well.

      The more I look at this draft class the more I hope the Hawks focus in Offense in Free Agency and Defense in the draft. They really could rebuild the back end of the defense with the depth in this draft.

      • Volume12

        Is Bisnowaty even draftable? Dude is stiff bruh.

  20. 503CHawk

    Off topic Rob… Regardless of what NE gets for Garaoppolo, isn’t this another example of the genius that is Belichick. When Schneider came to Seattle from the Thompson tree, one reason I was excited was I thought he would draft developmental QBs on a regular basis, coach them up, and if all goes well trade them for draft capital. Obviously easier said than done, but it seems as if JS hasn’t tried.

    Off topic 2.0. Just saw A Football Life – Curtis Martin. That was inspiring. Would love to have someone with his heart from this years draft.

  21. Brandon

    Wanted to hear people’s thoughts on Michigan RB De’Veon Smith. Could be a later round prospect that could help out on first and second down (maybe third). Doesn’t seem like a super athlete, however he was a former 4 star recruit. Love his running style, between the tackles and pounds it in. Doesn’t have too bad of a stiff arm either! Here is a small highlight video just to get a feel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Nm0wImu8UM

  22. RWIII

    Rob: Brock Huard said he would be okay with Cam Johnson in the first
    round. As long as the Hawks put him at right tackle. Just wondering about your take on Cam Johnson and alsoTakkarist McKinley? I have to admit that I have a weakness for pass rushers.

    • Greg Haugsven

      Cam Robinson

    • Rob Staton

      I think Cam Robinson to Seattle is unlikely

  23. RWIII

    Rob: Also if the Hawks don’t get a pass rusher in the first round what does it look like in the 2nd /3rd rounds.

    • Rob Staton

      There are possibilities. I think they might add a veteran pass rusher though.

      • RWIII

        Rob: Thanks for the info.

  24. nichansen01

    Mccaffrey seems so much like a great college player who won’t translate to the pros. We need a runningback but to muy surprise, this doesnt look like the class to find “the guy”. This is the class to stock up on secondary, linebacker and pass rusher.

    • Kenny Sloth

      Next year is a crazy RB class

  25. Blueshawk

    I just wanted to say thanks for being here Rob! This blog is a favorite tonic for this in between season and dreary Washington rain, All the best to you and your family!!

    • Rob Staton

      Thank you 🙂

  26. Ed

    New RB coach. That’s two new coached

    • Trevor

      Not the coaching move I was hoping for. But we have not really been able to develop an RB outside of Beast Mode so it makes sense.

  27. Sea Mode

    PFF College Football ‏@PFF_College 8:15 PM – 13 Feb 2017

    “Washington CB Sidney Jones scared opposing offensive coordinators. Opposing teams only threw at Jones 48 times all year.”

    The real deal, as if we didn’t already know…

    Pauline has him as his #2 CB in the draft after Lattimore. Interesting to see he has 5 R1 grades and 8.5 R2 grades on the CB class.

    http://draftanalyst.com/ranking?position=CB&year=

  28. Vista

    Apparently Lofa Tatupu is also not returning next season. There goes another coach.

    • Kenny Sloth

      DX

      My favorite player as a kid

      • Trevor

        One of my favorites too Kenny.

        • Kenny Sloth

          The only jersey I’ve ever owned hahaha

          • HawkTalker #1

            Funny. I also have his jersey and it is the only one I have ever owned. Too bad it doesn’t come in action Green or I would buy another.

            • Kenny Sloth

              I think there’s some alternate green ones from those horrendous seafoam jerseys

  29. Sea Mode

    What do you all think of T.J. Watt as OLB? (First in general, and then for the Hawks.)

    Please don’t tell me “he’s no JJ. Watt”, as that’s about all I’ve heard. “Overrated because of his name”… ok, ok, I get it. (Funny, normally NFL bloodlines are looked at as something of a plus…)

    Pretend his name is Tom Smith or something and tell me what you think of him as a player. (please 🙂 )

    I’ve only watched highlights until now, and he plays with intensity and gets to the passer, while also seeming to hold up well vs. the run.

    In 2016, Watt recorded 63 tackles with 15.5 tackles for a loss, 11.5 sacks, four passes batted, and two forced fumbles. That’s not too shabby considering he only started one year at OLB. His ceiling could be even higher.

    FWIW, Pauline has him as #3 at OLB after Tim Williams and Takk McKinley (although probably not updated recently, as Reddick still has a R5 grade):
    http://draftanalyst.com/ranking?position=OLB&year=

    Thanks for the discussion!

    • CharlieTheUnicorn

      You know there is another bloodline in the NFL with several successful players currently playing, namely… Mathews. They have all been probowl/allpro types somewhere within their careers. He is intriguing, to be honest, but at the right draft pick. I’m not convinced he is a 1st round pick.

    • Kenny Sloth

      That’s the problem with highlights. You don’t see plays where he couldn’t get his job done.

      Paul Kruger ceiling

      He could be your second best LB. Might look good on the Cowboys

      • Sea Mode

        Well, I’m pretty sure whoever we draft will be our 3rd best LB 😉

    • C-Dog

      I think he’s an interesting player

      Is he a LB in Pete Carroll’s 4-3 under, or is he a LEO? That’s the question I find myself. It feels like might make a better 4-3 end than LB.

      • Sea Mode

        Could be, although we all know about PC using 3-4 personnel in his 4-3. Combine/Pro day will be interesting to see if he is a good enough athlete for us either way.

  30. Ukhawk

    Randoms…

    I think Casserly does hear stuff but also acknowledged as very out of date in terms of current draft thinking.

    Tim Williams being mocked high by Casserly & others on the site. He cannot be ruled out for SLB IMO as he is athletic enough (if they can be assured of his attitude). Also like Anderson later.

    McDowell & Walker out of R1, maybe they should be tradeup targets in the 2nd?

    • RealRhino2

      Seems like every time a mock or ranking comes out the messenger is killed from one quarter or another, whether it’s Casserly or Jeremiah or Mayock.

      From my quick and dirty glance at draft prognostication success, Casserly isn’t any more out of date or out of touch than the rest of them. What I’ve consistently found is the no matter who is doing the mock, they’ll get about 6-8 picks wrong in the 1st round (meaning they have guys going in the 1st that don’t go in the 1st). That’s where Casserly was last year, just like everybody else. Heck, Mayock is looked at as some gold standard by many. He recently released his top 5 by position. I took a look at last year’s top 5. He had three guys in his top 5 lists that weren’t even drafted! And his #2 OG went in the 7th round!

      So I know it’s tempting to read one of these and say, “No way that guy lasts until #26, he’s going top 10!”, but history shows us that NOBODY really knows. That includes YOU, btw. And that includes me.

  31. RWIII

    Guys: John Clayton has mentioned that Byron Maxwell could be a cap casualty. If Maxwell can end up.back.in a Seahawk uniform that would HUGE. If the Maxwell does come back assuming they get a 3rd round comp pick. With their 4 top picks in the first 3 rounds they could add an offensivextra tackle and three players on defense.

    • Rob Staton

      Maxwell played really well to end the season. I think it’d be a surprise if they cut him — especially with $30m in cap room already.

      • CharlieTheUnicorn

        I had thought he would be guaranteed over 28M if he is still on the roster after a certain date, which is why he might get the axe. Paid like a #1, but more a #2 CB.

    • Trevor

      Would be awesome to bring maxi back. Don’t see why Mia would ever let him walk given he seems to be rounding back into form last year.

      If they could add Maxi and then in the draft pick a guy like Obi or Baker early and a guy like Witherspoon later that would be ideal really.

    • Steve Nelsen

      Maxwell is the premier target for Seattle in FA if Miami releases him. I don’t think he will get released but it is possible. They are paying #1 money for a #2 CB who got benched at one point last year. He could be a trade target too.

      He is a guaranteed productive starter in our system. JS loves to go into the draft without any glaring needs and Maxwell is the only FA CB who is proven in our system and locker room.

      • Rob Staton

        Miami only saves $3.5m if they cut Maxwell. Hardly worth doing.

        • RWIII

          If Miami only saves 3.5mil (cutting Mawell) then they probably don’t release him. The only reason I brought it up in the first place is because John Clayton brought it up to begin with.

  32. LeoSharp

    I really don’t think the Seahawks are likely to pick a corner in the first round at all. They have a ton of young players they are looking to develop in particular Pierre Desir, physically he is almost identical to Sherman when he came out. There are a few who have been injured there are guys who this year have had quite a bit of play time this year such as Elliot. The technique takes a while to learn so it’s unlikely a new corner would be competent enough to start straight away so really it seems likely that they are going to just bring in high level competition at that spot and not a presumed starter.
    Linebackers depth, the ability to cover the short area of the field, covering running backs out of the backfield as well as a suitable backup for Earl Thomas are much greater needs long term. These issues won’t be addressed by drafting an early deep 3rd corner.

    • Rob Staton

      It may prove to be correct that they’re looking to develop some of these younger players. However, it’s important we don’t get ahead of ourselves on players like Pierre Desir. This is a guy cut by the Browns and Chargers, who spent half a season on Seattle’s practise squad. They didn’t at any point stash him like DeAndre Elliott. And while he will likely get a chance to compete for a job down the line — it’s hard to imagine this team banking on that.

      What’s more, Carroll specifically named cornerback as a position they would target in the draft. Doesn’t mean it’ll be R1 but it could be if the right type of long, freaky corner is available.

      I suspect you might be right and that they’ll look at LB or a dynamic versatile DB like Melifonwu early and take a corner or two between rounds 2-7. But CB is a possibility early too.

  33. Sea Mode

    Bucky Brooks just published his scouting report on McCaffrey:
    http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000785495/article/the-book-on-christian-mccaffrey-scouting-polarizing-rb

  34. Kenny Sloth

    Just discovered Sheffield Wednesday has an U.S. U-20 player on their roster. James Murphy, Mid from Jersey.

    Although he’s only made one appearance in a domestic Cup loss.

    • Rob Staton

      Cool. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the teams I cover. I’m doing their game tonight.

      • Trevor

        Rob is it possible to listen to the coverage of one the the matches you do online?

        Non Seahawks related but what happened to the Cinderella story from Last year Leicester? Did they loose some key players or was last year just a case of all the stars lining up perfectly for them? Seems like Vardy has fallen back to earth this year.

        • Sea Mode

          I’m sure losing Kante didn’t help on the back end of things. And now look who’s in first place: his new team Chelsea…

          • Kenny Sloth

            Kante was a black hole for Leicester last year.

            I only like teams with Americans on them.

            Tottenham, Newcastle, Fulham, Reading.
            Technically Matt Miazga is on loan from Chelsea

            Some other Americans Abroad clubs;

            Borussia Mönchengladbach, Shalke, Eintracht Frankfurt, Hertha Berlin, Hamburg.

            Vitesse, FC Grönigen, Fiorentina

            And, of course, one of the top teams in the world; Borussia Dortmund with one of the best young Americans ever; Christian Pulisic starting.

            • Kenny Sloth

              Rangers have a young guy named Emo Hyndman on loan creating in droves

              Tijuana, Léon in Mexico

              Obviously almost every MLS team has some International Contributors.

              Sounders regularly send up Clint Dempsey and rookie phenom Jordan Morris. Christian Roldan to follow soon!

        • teejmo

          Well, when you can’t score a goal per game, you don’t really have any wiggle room for error.

  35. Ed

    While maybe not the big changes I sometimes hope for, I am glad the Hawks are making some coaching changes.

    I really think an offensive weapon is needed too outside of CB/S/LB

  36. Trevor

    JS always seems to be thinking a draft or two ahead when making his picks and filling needs. Last year they focused on offense because of the need and looking ahead he likely saw the lack of OL etc in this draft.

    That being said the strength of this years draft is obviously DB, LB and next years seems like it will be DT and RB.

    For this reason along with the needs Pete stated after the season I really believe the Hawks focus on DB, LB in the first two days of the draft this year and then next year look for an impact DT and RB perhaps. That all goes out the window if a talent they love falls to them of course.

  37. C-Dog

    26: R1P26
    EDGE HAASON REDDICK
    TEMPLE

    70: R3P6
    CB RASUL DOUGLAS
    WEST VIRGINIA

    90: R3P26
    WR CHAD HANSEN
    CALIFORNIA

    105: R3P41
    S TEDRIC THOMPSON
    COLORADO

    151: R5P6
    DL RYAN GLASGOW
    MICHIGAN

    184: R5P39
    EDGE JOE MATHIS
    WASHINGTON

    211: R6P26
    OT LEVON MYERS
    NORTHERN ILLINOIS

    229: R7P8
    RB MATTHEW DAYES
    NC STATE

    An early run of QBs and CBs makes Hassan Reddick unexpectedly available at 26. PC/JS don’t trade back and happily pick him up, the rare LB who can rush play SAM but also backup KJ and Bobby. They trade back into early R3 with the QB hungry Jets who still have yet to commit to draft the position in R1, pick up picks 70 and 152, and draft Douglas, who somehow is still available. They take California red zone target Chad Hansen and Colorado single high safety Ted Thompson as well in R3. Carroll cites their 2016 red zone inefficiencies as the reason for the Hansen selection, he also cites Hansen’s effectiveness as a run blocker.

    R5 they take two of their favorite players in this class in Michigan DT Ryan Glasgow, and Washington edge rushing LB Joe Mathis. Carroll cites the toughness and versatility in both of these players. They get Swing tackle Levon Myers and one cut runner

    • Sea Mode

      Love the Thompson pick, C-Dog! The more I watch of him, the more I think he becomes a “must have” for the LOB 2.0 project.

      I also think Reddick could reasonably still be there. If Deion Jones ran a 4.39 and lasted into R2, it could happen. Gotta keep the hope at least remotely alive!

      • C-Dog

        Very compelling case to be had for Thompson, for sure. Reddick and Glasgow were two of my favorite in CFB all last season. If Seattle drafted those to guys, I would attempt back flips.

  38. Trevor

    I really hope we focus on offense in Free Agency

    #1 Whitworth (2yr / 18 mil deal front loaded) LT to give Fant a year to truly develop and become the elite LT I think he can be. Whitworth is said to be a great team guy and an ideal vet for Fant to learn behind. Would love to see Ifedi moved to RT and have a 2017 OL of LT Whitworth, LG Rees or Assiata, C Britt, RG Glowinski, RT Ifedi. I think it would be a huge upgrade and at least be league average which is all I think we need.

    #2 LaGarett Blount (2 yr /$4 mil deal) Ideal short yardage Power RB to team with Prosise and Rawls. We struggled running the ball in the red zone and Blount has been one of the best. Give him 6-8 carries a game and he will stay fresh.

    #3 Martellus Bennett (4 Year / $32 mil deal) Team up Bennett with Graham and give Russ two huge target to go with out small ultra quick WRs and it could be lethal. How do you double Jimmy in the red zone when Bennett is on the other side.

    Draft ( Something Different this time)

    Rd #1 Reddick (LB-Temple) He would be ideal addition to go with Bobby and KJ giving the best LB group in the league IMO. I love his upside as a pass rusher as well.

    Rd #2 Montavious Adams (DT Auburn) He was a man amongst boys at the Senior Bowl and is exactly the type of pocket collapser this defense needs. He does not have Chris Jones length but I think he could have the same type of impact next year and provide those 6 sacks we miss from Clinton MacDonald.

    Rd #3 Rasul Douglas (W.Vir) I love his ball skills and the way he battles. Reminds me a lot of Maxi. He could start early opposite Sherm and may get beat a little starting out but will turn the ball over as well and be a playmaker I think.

    Rd #3 Comp Issac Assiata (G- Utah) Nasty SOB would compete for a Guard spot and back up the Center Position. He would be the ideal addition to our OL if we want to become bullies again.

    Rd #5 Comp Tedric Thompspn (S-Colorado) Love this guy and think he would be an ideal depth guy at Safety as well as a great special teams guys.

    Rd#6 Derick Wise Jr (DE-Arkansas) Love the potential of this guy. He has ideal length and speed to be an NFL edge rusher. He and Daeshon Hall are my two favorite sleeper edge guys in this class and both could develop into a Daniel Hunter type DE in a year or two.

    Rd#7 Jaylan Ware (OT -Alabama St) Small school OT prospect who is ultra raw but is 6-7 310lbs and really athletic. Would be another good development project

    Rd#7 Zane Gonzalez (PK – Ariz St) Looks like we are moving on from Steve H so lets bring in some competition)

    • Sea Mode

      Interesting ideas, Trevor.

      Not sure why Blount would want to leave NE though. I guess if they don’t make him an offer…

      Have thought about Martellus too, but:
      1. what would that say about having spent a R3 pick on Vannett last year and possibly stunt his growth?
      2. do we really want/need $18m tied up at the TE position?
      3. perhaps most importantly, can we handle 2 Bennetts on the same team!?

      I’ll have to go watch Adams when I get a chance. Thanks for throwing out something different to think about, as unlikely as it seems, certainly not impossible by any means!

      • Trevor

        I still think Vannett will be very important as a blocking TE.

        I think Graham and Bennett would have to be considered part of of the receiving group when considering their salaries.

        Did you have a chance to watch the Senior Bowl practices / drills. Adams was an absolute beast and the most dominant lineman on either side of the ball. Eddie Van (UCLA was another guy who really flashed and surprised me.

      • Ed

        Agreed, especially for that much. NV didn’t get on the field much, but when he did he did well. He can be the next ZMiller, let him play.

        Would prefer Lacy as a RB (still young).

      • AlaskaHawk

        Blount only made 1 million last year on a one year deal. It wouldn’t be hard to beat that offer. 2 years for 4 million is still pretty small change.

    • Kenny Sloth

      This is the year to draft a K

    • HawkTalker #1

      Nice work. Let’s see I have to have at least one critical comment, right? No trade up for Boller and No Campbell in FA? This will never work. That should do it.

  39. All I see is 12s

    Hallelujah!!! Carroll reporting that seahawks issued warning for the Sherman injury list. No other discipline

    • All I see is 12s

      Autocorrect…. Garafolo reported it

    • STTBM

      Everyone ought to send the Steelers a Thank You card. Because the Steelers were caught not disclosing Bell’s injury, Goodell couldnt bust Seattle without doing the dirty to SHitsburgh as well. And you know he doesnt want to take on another powerful, storied team like them…So he had to back down from walloping Seattle as he originally intended.

      Any way you slice it, Seattle broke the rules rather blatantly. Total amateur move by PC and JS, and the latest in a yearly string of rules violations by Seattle over the last four years. They had some punishment coming, and were gonna get it too until the Bell thing happened.

      Glad we arent losing a pick, but still disgusted with PC and JS, to say nothing of Goodell and Shitsburgh Stealers.

      Very excited for the Draft and the Combine this year. I would love to see any combo of Reddick, King, Douglas, Baker, Charlton, Obi in the first couple rounds. Really hoping we sing a halfway decent OL rather than never-were’s like Webb and Sowell. I dont think I can take another year of bringing in only bottom of the barrel garbage…

      • All I see is 12s

        Wow, kind of a downer…

      • Kenny Sloth

        I’ll take it.

        Control what you can control.

        Goodell gonna do goodell.

        • Hawk Eye

          yes, good news indeed.
          If you want to hear some crying, just read some other sites about that news and hear the haters…..

        • Volume12

          ‘Control what you can control.’

          That’s a dope saying right there.

          We could all learn from that. No reason to panic over losing a 2nd rounder. Woulda sucked, but what can we do about it? Cry?

          Sucks that are out team didn’t go farther, but the sun came up the next day and we don’t play for them anyways.

          • Kenny Sloth

            I’m positive I got that from Pete Carroll

            I say “seperation’s in the preperation” to all of my employees haha

      • Volume12

        Bro, every team breaks the rules.

        It cracks me up that we expect a gladiator sport to be an after school special. PC has always been this way. So has BB, Tomlin, and everyone else.

        • Kenny Sloth

          It’s war out here. Doesn’t matter what anyone else has or does.

          I’m glad we didn’t disclose his injury. Might have really impacted our season if they had.

          The chances of us making the super bowl probably dwindle if everyone knew half of our secondary was throughly compromised.

        • Ishmael

          Yep, everyone does it. But FFS realise you’re under scrutiny, and don’t give the NFL a chance to ping you. I know Pete wants to defend his players, which I’m normally all for, but sometimes you have to get a grip. They should seriously put every single player on the injury report every single week. It’s a jokeshop sop to Vegas, and should be treated as such.

          ‘K. Chancellor: lower back stiffness, left achilles tightness, mild cough, chest congestion, compound fracture of right tibia, bruised ear – Probable.’

          • Kenny Sloth

            ‘R. Wilson: left pectoral strain, nic on his left knee, cactus splinters, afraid of snakes, needs a shave, too much yoga, Sagittarius, loves a good bbq rib – QST’

            • Ishmael

              😂😂 It would honestly make my year if the Hawks did that

          • Tien

            Totally agree with you & STTBM. We could have easily complied with the rules and still not give our opponents an advantage. What Pete did was just idiotic and needless risk taking and I’m really glad we weren’t burned for it. Here’s hoping for a great draft and another SB season next year!!

      • RWIII

        For once I can be happy about something the Steelers did.

  40. Peanut

    I don´t personally believe that Seattle will use a draft pick on a RB. Carroll really likes Rawls and Prosise, and there are sure to be some players that can be added after the draft to bring out some competition for the spot.

    LB and Secondary is a true focus for this years draft. If there are some solid tackles out there when laters rounds comes around, sure. But the loss of Irvin and M. Smith haven´t been truely addressed, and Shead is injured untill the beginning of next season, and there NEEDS to be some strong depth at the CB´s spot on the other side of The Worm.

    • Greg Haugsven

      Devante Mays ( Utah State) late rounds or UDFA. Dudes 5′ 11″ 230 and can Pou d people

  41. HawkTalker #1

    Feedback please . . .

    I saw C-Dog (by the way C-Dog, congratulations on some monster posts recently. I have enjoyed them a ton and appreciate all the effort you put into them, keep them coming – ha sounds like I’m talking to Rob . . .) select Chad Hansen WR around 90 in a mock earlier and although my attention has not at all been on wide receivers for this draft, I took a minute to see if there was anyone else around that range I thought might be interesting and I happened on KD Cannon from Baylor 4.38 speed. Anyone have any thoughts on Cannon?

    • Kenny Sloth

      Me and Vol were following his season.

      He looks like a Seattle type of receiver.

      Can really control the redline and win jump balls for a smaller guy

      • Sea Mode

        Looks like big hops and long arms to go with legit speed. Definitely a mid-round possibility IF they want to add competition to the WR room.

  42. BobbyK

    The more I think of this Casserly pick (Christian McCaffrey), the more I like it. I like both Rawls and Prosise. Both have proven to be darn good players when they are healthy. That’s the problem. They usually aren’t healthy. It’s not like Prosise simply had one nagging injury his rookie year. They were one after another. The problem with McCaffrey as it relates to the Seahawks and Rawls/Prosise is that it would be nice if he was bigger. However, if they have him ranked as a #10 player overall and the next best guy sitting for them is their 22nd ranked prospect – I don’t think I’d object. They still have a second round and two third round picks for defense. Granted, all of our speculation is simply that – speculation. For all we know, we make a trade or sign someone and one of our current holes on the roster that we’re looking at in the first couple of rounds won’t exist anymore and there is more reason to think we could draft an offensive playmaker. Rawls and Prosise aren’t going to do us much good next year if they miss as much time as they already have in the past year or two.

    • Volume12

      The patience he runs with is on a LeVeon Bell type level.

      If Okung’s deal is picked up that might be a 3rd round comp as well according to OTC.

      • BobbyK

        That’d be awesome! Three third round picks – yes, please. I doubt it will happen, but it could. Their line was bad last year and at least he’s decent. If they allow one of their only decent players on the line to leave – it’s really going to hurt it. They may almost pick up that option. Probably not… but you never know…

  43. Coleslaw

    What happened to Derrick Nnadi? Does anybody talk about him anymore? I’d love to partner him up with Reed and Jefferson

    • HawkTalker #1

      Not sure he is in the draft

    • Sea Mode

      Returning for Sr. year

  44. HawkTalker #1

    Determining the overall draft order. I know comp pics have not been officially awarded yet, but over the Cap is pretty darn good at that stuff and has projected picks now. I’m surprised I’m not able to find a website that shows the projected overall draft order of all the teams for every round like I have seen in previous years. We should know enough to produce a list that’s about 98% accurate. That would be a huge help in trying to determine who potential trade partners could be as we try to calculate multiple pick trade values training up-and-down in order. Anyone know of such a website or resource ?

    • Sea Mode

      I use this: https://www.draftsite.com/nfl/seattle/38/

      You can see each team’s picks (ignore the mocked players) or on the main page are the full 7 rounds in order.

  45. HawkTalker #1

    I tried a different strategy after being disappointed in later rounds where it seemed like I was only collecting garbage, traded up to bulk up on JUST 5 PICKS:

    My biggest pain was missing Reddick who I think I am becoming too attached too (yeah it’s a growing club) but over all I like the stronger picks. Anyone say this was a bad draft? LOL

    YOUR PICKS
    1: R2P3
    LB JARRAD DAVIS
    FLORIDA
    2: R2P26
    CB MARLON HUMPHREY
    ALABAMA
    3: R3P4
    EDGE DEMARCUS WALKER
    FSU
    4: R3P25
    CB RASUL DOUGLAS
    WEST VIRGINIA
    5: R3P26
    S OBI MELIFONWU
    UCONN

    • BobbyK

      Would have been nice if you could have gotten Myles Garrett in the 6th round.

      • HawkTalker #1

        That wouldn’t have been realistic (and this is?). . . Hahaha

      • Sea Mode

        Nice one, Bobby!

      • HawkTalker #1

        Wait a minute. Were you mocking me? 😉

        • BobbyK

          🙂

    • RealRhino2

      I tried a little mock draft simulation as well, taking Reddick at #26. Seems to have left most of my best secondary options off the table as I kept seeing other “need” guys I didn’t want to pass up. BPA, if you will:

      26: R1P26
      EDGE HAASON REDDICK, TEMPLE
      58: R2P26
      G FORREST LAMP, WESTERN KENTUCKY
      90: R3P26
      DL MONTRAVIUS ADAMS, AUBURN
      105: R3P41
      CB FABIAN MOREAU, UCLA
      184: R5P39
      S TEDRIC THOMPSON, COLORADO
      211: R6P26
      TE COLE HIKUTINI, LOUISVILLE
      229: R7P8
      CB TRESTON DECOUD, OREGON STATE

      This seems more in line with past Seahawks draft practices than maybe what I want.

      • HawkTalker #1

        Yeah, seems to be a big drop after the 3rd round, which is why trading up into that range once I think could be helpful to get the strong CB(s) we’re looking for. And unless we can really pull something special off in free agency or from our current practice squad (unlikely), I think we have a serious need to add two really good CBs.

  46. Misfit74

    I think McCaffrey is too redundant with Prosise, esp for a 1st round pick. If you want another pass catching, satellite back, use a mid, late or UDFA.

    Unless one of the top 2 backs falls, which is near impossible to consider, I just don’t see RB at 26.

    The other skill players I like and wouldn’t mind at 26: OJ Howard, C. Davis, Njoku, and possibly Mike Williams. You never know. Dez Bryant, Demaryius Thomas, Allen Robinson all were within that range…

    • Volume12

      What Rawls did behind this line, this year and last, is pretty damn incredible.

      Something like 12 starts, 6 games over 100 yards and 3 of those 6 over 160 yds.

      I agree with ya. I like Rawls. They should be more concerned over fixing this O-line and improving the secondary which they rightfully appear to be.

      • Misfit74

        Similar to what Lynch had to do in creating despite poor blocking and frequent defensive penetration. Yes, Rawls did a lot with what he was given.

  47. Sea Mode

    What does everyone think of possibly re-signing Malcolm Smith? Especially if we miss out on LB early and end up drafting a developmental project in the later rounds, he could be good depth inside or outside.

    He is 28 in July. 3yrs/$10m?

    Normally I am against those mid-tier signings (between $2-6m/apy), but he is on the lower end of that spectrum and could be valuable veteran depth that every Super Bowl team needs. Look what he did for us in our SB win. Injuries gonna happen.

    JS never signed guys in that range in the early years, only paid the stars and found contributors on the cheap in the draft, but in recent years they signed Rubin, Kearse, Lane all in that range. (I know you’re going to kill me over those last two…)

    • Greg Haugsven

      I get the thought but I would be against it. Doesn’t rush the passers and would only be on the field 1/3 of the time. I still say go cheap.

      • Greg Haugsven

        I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. “You have to create holes to infuse youth”. The SAM is a great spot to infuse.

    • BobbyK

      We need to draft well and not trade any of those picks that could be used on getting younger in bulk. I don’t mind the occasional free agent veteran, but we’ve got to pick our spots. Players naturally get injured less the younger they are. I want to stay away from too many guys in their late-20s (and 30s).

    • Misfit74

      I’ve considered this but I think the speed of Malcolm Smith maybe waning and that’s really what made him so special

      • Volume12

        Tennessee LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin is a lot like Malcolm Smith. Great range. Seems to be in on every play, shoots gaps with the best of ’em, does alot of the little things very well. Playmaker.

        Very interested to see him at the combine. What’s he measure in at and his speed.

    • Kenny Sloth

      I never liked Malcolm Smith honestly.

      Seems to rely on his athleticism too much and never really took the next step in his development

  48. RWIII

    New England has 63mil in cap space. WOW!

    • HawkTalker #1

      Good hope they overspend badly

  49. ImUrHuckleBerri

    Not a good sign for landing Reddick. Mayock has him ranked the #2 LB in this draft class. Also has Bolles as the #2 OT.

    • RWIII

      Huck: That should not be a surprise. I don’t expect Bolles to be their at 26. Probably not Reddick either. Probably not Marlon Humphrey or Ryan Ramczyk either. Now it seems like Cam Johnson might be off the board as well. One possibility might be Obi Melifonwu. Don’t know much about Zach Cunningham. I am starting to warm up to Takkarist McKinley.

  50. Hughza

    ET’s instagram pic showed him scouting Budda Baker.

    • Misfit74

      I guess that means one of two things:

      1.) We like him.
      2.) We want other teams to think we do.

      For the record: I really like him.

      • Ishmael

        He could teach Earl a few things about how to tackle tbh

  51. Hughza

    With the deep defensive talent in this draft, do you think there will be a run on offensive players in the first round?

© 2024 Seahawks Draft Blog

Theme by Anders NorenUp ↑