First 2019 NFL mock draft

The purpose of this mock was to highlight a few names, reflect on where I think certain players will land and create a discussion about the strengths and weaknesses of the draft.

It seems very clear, even at this early stage, that the following is true:

— There is not a clear-cut top-10 quarterback this year and any QB taken in the first frame will likely be a hail mary on physical talent/potential

— There is a distinct lack of first round options at the skill positions and O-line

— There is a lot of depth in the defensive front seven, particularly the defensive line

— You will struggle to find value in the top 10

This isn’t necessarily a good year to pick early. The likes of Nick Bosa warrant a top five pick in any draft. Yet the dearth of talent at certain premium positions (namely QB and OT) will make this an unappealing class for rebuilding (or bad) teams.

I don’t think it looks like a particularly deep draft at the moment. We’re a long way away from the Senior Bowl and combine. Opinions can change after those two events. I’ve said it before — it might not be the worst year for the Seahawks to only own four picks. I suspect they will find a way to acquire more.

I also believe the substantial group of potential first round defensive linemen in 2019 is further evidence of the top High School athletes electing to play defense. It’s hard to identify draftable offensive linemen in college. It’s extremely difficult. And yet look at the cluster of prospective first round defensive linemen. It’s a problem for the league. It has been for a while. And it’s why it’s vital the Seahawks keep their current O-line together.

This is a top-25 mock for now…

#1 New York Giants — Nick Bosa (DE, Ohio State)
For me Bosa’s the clear choice at #1 even with New York’s need for a quarterback. There just isn’t a QB worth taking at #1 — even if the bigger names like Justin Herbert declare. Bosa’s a complete pass rusher and has shown even more potential than his brother.

#2 Oakland Raiders — Clelin Ferrell (DE, Clemson)
Exactly what you look for in a 4-3 base end. He has the length, the ideal size and the ability to win with his hands, the bull rush or a speed rush to the outside. Ferrell can kick inside, he can play in space. He already has 12.5 TFL’s and 7.5 sacks this season.

#3 San Francisco 49ers — Devin White (LB, LSU)
This is early for a linebacker but White will start in the NFL for over a decade and instantly become a household name. He’s a tone-setter, he’s extremely quick and consistent. He was recruited as an athlete in High School and scored 122.19 at the SPARQ testing. He’ll blow up the combine.

#4 Buffalo Bills — Quinnen Williams (DT, Alabama)
Williams had a legendary performance against LSU, recording 2.5 sacks and 3.5 TFL’s. He was unblockable and took over the game and was clearly the best player on the field. Every NFL team will salivate over the tape of that game. If he declares, he goes very early.

#5 Arizona Cardinals — Ed Oliver (DT, Houston)
Oliver is a fantastic athlete but teams will have to determine where he fits at the next level. He’s not Aaron Donald. He’s a 275lbs defensive tackle with great quickness but can you really trust him to play inside full time? He doesn’t have the frame to play defensive end.

#6 Cleveland Browns — Christian Wilkins (DT, Clemson)
Teams are going to love Wilkins. His personality, his production, his frame, his combine testing. To me he ticks every box for a high pick and there aren’t many prototype three-techniques like this. He’s being knocked, unfairly, in the same way Deshaun Watson was knocked. Familiarity breeds contempt.

#7 New York Jets — Brian Burns (EDGE, Florida State)
Burns has played with his hair on fire all season, despite FSU having a miserable year. He’s long and very lean and there might be concerns about his weight. He’ll need to bulk up. Even so, he’s extremely quick and aggressive and has 13.5 TFL’s and nine sacks in 2018.

#8 Denver Broncos — Drew Lock (QB, Missouri)
Lock has a rocket arm and was touted as a potential first round pick this year before he opted to stay at Mizzou. Desperate teams searching for a first round QB might decide he’s their best bet. And they’ll use his ‘signature’ win against Florida to reassure themselves.

#9 Indianapolis Colts — Raekwon Davis (DT, Alabama)
He’s not getting the same numbers as Quinnen Williams but there just aren’t many human beings on the planet with his size (6-7, 316lbs) and quickness. He can control the LOS and work against the run but he has the ability to break into the backfield and make plays.

#10 Oakland Raiders (via Dallas) — David Edwards (T, Wisconsin)
Teams are always looking for good offensive tackles. There aren’t going to be many available in 2019. Edwards will end up being considered the best of the bunch. He’s a pure right tackle but he’s aggressive and consistent. Teams will like his attitude.

#11 Detroit Lions — Derrick Brown (DT, Auburn)
Brown was absolutely outstanding against Texas A&M last weekend. He’s a complete defensive tackle — with the size to hold his own in the running game and a fantastic get-off, swim/rip combo and bull rush to be an effective pass rusher. Underrated.

#12 Jacksonville Jaguars — Jachai Polite (EDGE, Florida)
Polite often gets double-teamed as opponents key in on Florida’s best defensive player. There might be concerns about his size and length but a good combine should allay those fears. He has a ton of potential, should record a fast 10-yard split and plays with ferocious effort.

#13 Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Greedy Williams (CB, LSU)
Williams isn’t targeted often which is to his credit in college but it also makes it hard to judge his development. Going into the season he looked like a raw player with great potential. Has he taken the next step? It’s hard to say. But he plays a premium position and looks the part.

#14 Green Bay Packers — Rashan Gary (DE, Michigan)
A big-time recruit back in the day, Gary looks like Jadeveon Clowney in terms of his frame. Unfortunately, he doesn’t play much like Clowney. He’s underwhelmed a bit and has been hurt in recent weeks. Still, he has major upside potential and fits any scheme.

#15 Baltimore Ravens — Zach Allen (DE, Boston College)
Allen has been a revelation this season. He’s big and stout but also has great quickness and the ability to win with his hands, speed or power. He looks like a stud. A good combine will secure a high grade. Watch him against Clemson this weekend.

#16 Tennessee Titans — Dexter Lawrence (DT, Clemson)
Big, athletic nose tackle who ran a 5.03 forty at 335lbs in High School. Players with this level of size and athleticism always go early. Like Wilkins, he gets marked down because people are just so familiar with him. Lawrence is a tremendous talent and could go earlier than this.

#17 Seattle Seahawks — D’Andre Walker (DE/LB, Georgia)
Explosive and quick, Walker is highly underrated. He has five sacks this season, plays with great aggression and speed. He’s 6-3 and 245lbs but does an incredible job setting the edge vs the run. He ran a 4.16 short shuttle at SPARQ testing (similar to Leighton Vander Esch).

#18 Philadelphia Eagles — Greg Little (T, Ole Miss)
I think Little’s best position will be guard. That said, someone might be willing to give him a shot at left tackle. It’s the position he plays in college. He was highly recruited in High School. He doesn’t particularly jump off the screen but he’s probably the next best after David Edwards.

#19 Atlanta Falcons — Dre’Mont Jones (DT, Ohio State)
Jones has issues defending the run. He might even be a liability there at the next level. Yet as a pass rusher he’s excelled this season. He’s taken a big step forward. This year he has 6.5 sacks. In 2017 he had just one sack. He just looks better.

#20 Miami Dolphins — Steven Montez (QB, Colorado)
Colorado’s season is starting to fall apart but not much blame can be apportioned to Montez. He has great size and mobility, tremendous deep accuracy and if you’re going to take a shot on a quarterback in this kind of range, he’s worth it.

#21 Minnesota Vikings — Byron Murphy (CB, Washington)
Gritty defensive back with great suddenness and an ability to fly to the ball. Could be tried at corner or safety at the next level. A lack of size will put off some teams but he’s a very talented defender with a bright future.

#22 Washington Redskins — Josh Allen (EDGE, Kentucky)
Allen’s having a huge season with 14.5 TFL’s and 10 sacks. He also has five forced fumbles and four pass break-ups. Georgia seemed to target him in the running game though. Can he set the edge in the way D’Andre Walker can? Not sure. He might have to be a pure 3-4 OLB.

#23 Cincinnati Bengals — Jeffrey Simmons (DT, Mississippi State)
For a long time I didn’t think Simmons would be drafted early. Google his name and you’ll find out why. Then I remembered the Bengals exist. And if there’s one team that will probably be more than happy to draft Simmons, it’ll be Cincy.

#24 Houston Texans — Kaden Smith (TE, Stanford)
Smith is the player that has stood out to me when watching Stanford this year. He’s athletic and mobile at the second level and a true mismatch. He’s a solid blocker too. If he tests well at the combine he can secure a high grade.

#25 Oakland Raiders (from Chicago) — Damien Harris (RB, Alabama)
In terms of talent, Harris deserves to go earlier than this. He’s a complete running back. Ideal size, explosive traits, shiftiness, breakaway speed, toughness, home-run ability. He’s a total stud and Alabama should use him more.

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153 Comments

  1. Gohawks5151

    But Seattle is REALLY trading back right!? Haha. For what its worth i thing if a blue chipper falls (Polite, Burns etc) they should just stick with their pick. White to San Fran? Think they would revisit the D Line again? Armstead and Thomas haven’t lived up their their potential.

  2. JJ

    Rob,

    What position do you see Walker playing in the pros? Bruce Irvin type roll or more of a DE?

    • Rob Staton

      I think he can play edge or linebacker.

  3. Trevor

    Great nick Rob and I agree with the rankings and fits in most cases.

    I am a huge Christian Wilkins and I like the Watson comp because I was a big fan of his as well. Never understood how he lasted as long as he did. Wilkins is currently getting no love in the national media where he is often mocked late in Rd #1 or early 2nd. I am with you and think he is a top 10 talent and character player.

    If he somehow were to fall like Watson did and end up on the board for Seattle do you see him as a good scheme fit? I have always thought of him as a Sheldon Richardson with a better motor.

    • Rob Staton

      I think he’s a scheme fit for any 4-3 team.

  4. Ukhawk

    I like this pick a ton

    As usual Rob is out in front of other draft pundits who have Walker going anywhere from round 2-4.

    Position wise who cares, the guy is versitile, can cover, rush and hold at the Poa. He could be a jack of all trades and okay anywhere from Leo to OLB.

    If we can’t take him my preferred FA signing would be a similar player, Anthony Barr.

    • Darnell

      Good call. Even outside of the big names – Clowney & D Lawrence – there could be some fairly appealing front 7 players available in free agency such as Barr, Preston Smith, Shaq Barrett.

  5. cha

    Boy! Will be interesting to see that Raider OL. Bookend first round tackles, big time FA’s Osemele and Hudson and a first round RB. Cable would get loaded with weapons for the run game.

  6. NinerMadman

    A ILB for the Niners? Not a chance in the top 5. Niners need difference makers at EDGE, CB, S, WR or OT. If draft fell this way, it would be between Williams or Thompson to add to their secondary. That or a trade back and take the next best pass rusher.

    • Rob Staton

      It’s November. The only team I’m even remotely interested in trying to pair with a specified need is Seattle.

    • brendon

      why are you on here for niners draft news? did you read the title of the site?

  7. Darnell

    If I’m the Hawks I think the only way I might get pulled away from drafting DL/edge is if Devin White or Deionte Thompson are available.

    • Rob Staton

      Thompson doesn’t strike me as a special talent. He’s played well this year but the Seahawks aren’t going DB early unless they are special.

      • LouieLouie

        Besides Rob, I like what they have going at CB. They’re young and have made some mistakes, but I like the future. They might add another veteran or two for depth, but they have much bigger needs for next year. Perhaps Safety is something they could look at in the draft, but otherwise defensive front seven. It would be nice if their suspended Linebacker can come back for another year or two.

      • Attyla the Hawk

        Been floating this idea out there the last several weeks.

        Given that Seattle has a tendency to double dip in deep talent pools, but not necessarily early.

        Do you think that PCJS might view Byron Murphy as a candidate at FS. His skill traits are eerily similar to Earl’s coming out. Instinctive, rangy, physical tackler and excellent skills playing the ball.

        Do you see those kinds of parallels in the two? If we’re talking special players then Murphy has to be one of the maybe two players in this draft that possess that level of talent.

        • Rob Staton

          I love Murphy as a safety convert

  8. CaptainJack

    Hey nice job putting Kaden Smith in the top 25. He’s REALLY good… man watching him play is so fun. Stanford is a tight end factory, coming up next year will be Colby Parkinson who is also a total stud.

    I like UCLA’s Tight end Caleb Wilson later on as well as a pass catcher. Hes not an elite athlete or super tall but he can run routes really well, he’s just savvy about how to get open and has had fantastic production this year.

  9. H

    Why is Will Grier not getting more attention in a poor QB class? From what I’ve seen he’s the best guy out there. Lock is all potential, Montez and Herbert seem like they wont declare. Grier is accurate, experienced and productive, I thought he was excellent against Texas.

    Id be thrilled to be getting Walker on the Hawks.

    • Kenny Sloth

      Way better deep ball than Herbert

    • McZ

      Grier gets shunned for the same crap as Russell Wilson. Perceived weakness because of subpar size. I hereby bet, Chargers with pick #32.

    • Rob Staton

      Physical limitations, plays in that extreme spread system which is productive every year. Not a R1 type for me.

    • DC

      Fwiw, Tony Pauline has Grier rated as a 4th round prospect.

  10. charlietheunicorn

    You know the Raiders are going to get the #1 pick and probably the #10 pick (via trade from Dallas) so I would suspect 1 offensive player and 1 defensive player would be snagged.

    I just not sure Denver will go for a QB in round #1. Every QB doesn’t appear to be a “can’t miss” to me. Other years you had a few guys that seemed like a fit….. perhaps the Broncos could go for the WSU QB in round #2 and draft a CB or LB round 1 to replenish their depleted defense.

    I also think the Kaden Smith TE Stanford might be a guy to keep tabs on for Seattle. If they trade back and pick up some mid round picks, he would be an ideal compliment to what they already have at TE. Would they dare go RB early in this draft as well? (We are also seeing why Seattle went RB early last year….. health and availability are big concerns in the RB room.)

    • Rob Staton

      I’m pretty confident in saying there’s practically zero chance the Seahawks draft a tight end in round one.

      It’s just not a major need. Dickson, Vannett and Dissly are all under contract. Even with Dissly’s injury, they kept on rolling. Vannett scored at the weekend, Dickson vs Detroit.

  11. Kenny Sloth

    Maybe it’s the lack of footage keeping me from finding my gems again, but I absolutely hate this draft so far. You can always use speed in the front seven, but is a front seven heavy class saying anything but every other position which are already less multiple in a good year are absolutely devoid of talent

    • Pickering

      I’ve written it before, but if it’s generally agreed this class has limited prospects outside the front 7 on D, that could drive free agency prices even higher this offseason.

      Another if, if it is rich in D lineman, if teams think they can find the guys, especially the DEs they want through the draft, it could reduce the demand and price for Frank Clark.

      • McZ

        Make no mistake, Frank Clark will be paid, a lot actually.

        The real question is, if Seattle can afford to sign him, with half the team on FA and Wilson to pay. While piling up sacks, Clark has his flaws, too. His first half vs Chargers was atrocious.

        If we lose at Rams, we are predictably out of playoff contention. It would give us the possibility, to shape the roster and bargaining chips for the next draft and FA. The Chargers are bound to go all in, and Bosa is still injured. If we could trade Clark for a R1 pick, or a a R2+R3, I think we should go for it.

        As a bonus, it’s win-win-win, because the universe is a better place when the Pats miss the SB.

        • 80SLargent

          We’re already more than a week past the trade deadline, so that trade is a non-starter.

          • McZ

            That’s right. The discussion comes two weeks late. Still not convinced, the Hawks can afford to re-sign him. There is a lot of FA on this team.

    • charlietheunicorn

      The talking heads on 710 ESPN in Seattle are thinking this draft will be as pitiful if not more pitiful than the 2013 draft… in terms of high-end 1st round talent. Scary thought.

    • McZ

      It’s because there are no clear contenders built on offense. Makes it hard to spot talent.
      But its definitely there. If we don’t trade, I’d take the following picks:

      Zach Allen, DE, BC
      Denzel Mims, WR, Baylor
      Lucas Niang, OT, TCU
      Cole Tracy, K, LSU

      I’m pretty sure, if we are in the Top 20, we will trade. The Top talent seems to end at 15, any other pick will have very marginal upside to a later pick.

      My other bets are Winovich to Pats, and Grier to Chargers.

  12. Pepper

    Thoughts on James Williams RB or Peyton Pueller LB, Rob?

    • Rob Staton

      Williams looked fun in the one game I watched of Wazzu.

      • Georgia Hawk

        One Game? ONE GAME?

        Wazzu is the most entertaining team in the country between having a high octane offense, a Pirate as the HC that literally says anything that comes to mind, Uncle Rico slinging the pig skin all over the place and doing a dang good job of it, and being ont he edge of a CFP spot, what else would you watch?

        J/K, I know you are incredibly busy with other stuff and its not like Wazzu is flush with draft-able talent. Even as a Wazzu fan its hard to watch games that start at 10:45 pm on the East Coast.

        • Rob Staton

          I’m limited to what games they show in the UK. The only game they’ve shown so far was the Cal game.

          • Georgia Hawk

            Totally fair. That game wasn’t exactly a shining example of great football either.

          • Pepper

            May I recommend YouTube game highlights? If you’re interested. Still a top ten team with several seniors. Any PAC12 team will be difficult to watch given the time zone/channel availablility.

            https://youtu.be/aNqkfJLBnVo

            While we’re on the subject. Is Jake browning draftable?

            • Rob Staton

              IMO Browning is not draftable

  13. millhouse-serbia

    Rob, as I remember, on a lot of your mocks durig 2017 draft season you didn’t have any of WR’s in top 15, and at the and three of them finished in top 10. I know that you don’t value a lot this WR class(and it is possible that you are 100% correct about it), but I think that wr position is to valuable at todays football to not have any of them in top 25.

    • Rob Staton

      This is incorrect. I regularly had John Ross projected in the top-15 and only moved him down the board when there was serious talk about injury concerns post-combine.

      I didn’t grade Mike Williams or Corey Davis projected early. And I think I’ve been proven emphatically right on those two.

      But just because those two went earlier than they should’ve done, doesn’t mean someone’s just going to take a wide receiver early in 2019. Last year the first receiver left the board at #24. If it’s a crappy class it’s a crappy class.

      • millhouse-serbia

        Well, yes , we could say that you were right about Davis and Williams. But here is what you wrote after 2017 draft : “I seriously underestimated the stock of Davis and Williams. Big mistake.”

        I really don’t know a lot about these players, and this is the place , in my opinion (without any fake courtesy), where I can find the best analysis…And I am always really happy when it eventually turns out that you were right about some players… i just wrote the post above because on lot of mocks at the moment i can see some WR/s in TOP 15, TOP 20 and you don’t have any of them…just like with Davis and Williams…

        • Rob Staton

          So let me get this straight…

          You’re calling me out on me admitting an error in a mock, but have since been shown to be accurate in the judgement on the two players?

          And you’re doing this because other people are making bad projections on players who have absolutely no right to be in the top-15… but hey there was that year Rob didn’t mock Williams and Davis in the top-10 so maybe Rob’s wrong again.

          Not one person has made a compelling case for any WR going early next year. Nothing. I have watched all the players. I can’t find a single WR worthy of a high grade.

          Instead of pointing to the 2017 draft, you tell me why I’m wrong. Do the study. Watch the tape. Don’t debate on the basis that other sites are saying different things.

      • millhouse-serbia

        And on John Ross…just look at your pre-combine mocks during January and February 2017…

        • Rob Staton

          I mocked Ross very early plenty of times.

          If he wasn’t in the top-15 in those mocks it was because of the many many reports on his health. Reports that have since proven to be worth noting.

          Don’t really get why you’re going down this route. Just because I — quite rightly it has to be said — didn’t rate the 2017 receiver class doesn’t mean anything for this year. The first receiver taken in 2018 was pick #24. Teams aren’t just going to take a WR in the top-25 on a whim. It’s not a good WR class for R1.

          • millhouse-serbia

            Sometimes i have real problem to express my thoughts because of my limited english knowledge…and this isnt first time that you or somebody else dont understand what i want to say…

            My last intention is to calling you out about something…

            I dont know almost anything about scouting players, and i dont say that you are wrong about this wr draft class!I really hope that at the end you will be right about it.

          • millhouse-serbia

            And when i said. “My last intention” i ment “I did not even have the slightest intention” 😀

            • David Ashton

              Hi Rob.

              I think he’s just picking your brains like I do on occasion. Every draft has surprises, either through stock or performance thereafter.

              Nothing scathing there imo.

  14. McZ

    In general, the difference in popularity for athletes between OL and DL is media inflicted.

    If there are two snaps, and in one the DLiner thumps, and in the other the OLiner thumps, the DLiner will be made up as “baller”, while the OLiner will be a liability. If both snaps end up defense victories, the OLoner gets slaughtered, don’t getting time to adapt. If both go offense, the OLiner is not even mentioned.

  15. Georgia Hawk

    Question for you Rob, and any others that care to chime in.

    When we talk about the draft being a “bad year for offense” or “stacked in the front 7,” You could say that is directly correlated to the inability of underclassmen to enter the draft so you get these waves of positions. It would be a great year for an underclass WR or QB to declare if they were able.

    So…

    Do you think this rule helps or hinders the draft and the NFL as a whole?

    Just curious on what everybody’s thoughts are.

    • Rob Staton

      I like the rules personally. It keeps college football interesting.

      • Hawk Eye

        hmm, seems socialist
        what about a free market type system?
        why can’t adults, and they are over 18 and can take a job anywhere else, make up their own mind?
        are we protecting the NCAA?

        • Rob Staton

          I’m not really sure how ‘socialism’ comes into the debate about players staying in college for three years before turning pro. Regardless, I think we’d be bordering on a political discussion to look into the use of that word further and there’s already too much politics in our lives.

          No, I don’t think it’s all about protecting the NCAA. I think if we actually go and look at High School football players, you might be lucky to find a handful at best who are physically ready and prepared to play in the NFL.

          For example, let’s look at Frank Clark. Do you realise he was 210lbs at Glenville High School when he was recruited by Michigan? Would a 210lbs Frank be much use to the Seahawks? By the time he participated in the NFL combine he was 271lbs.

          Going to college isn’t just an excuse to promote the NCAA. It’s an opportunity for these players to physically grow and develop. To learn skills, experience playing in front of big crowds and dealing with media and public scrutiny.

          They receive nutritional advice, they get bigger and stronger. They have better facilities to train and dine.

          If college football didn’t exist and the NFL teams were just drafting 18-year-olds, they’d need 2-3 years to fill out. What are teams going to do? Stash them on the roster? The practise squad? Are they going to even be drafted or are they going to go way down the board behind all the players who are physically ready to compete and start? How are teams even going to properly be able to grade these players based on High School tape?

          How is a High School pass rusher going to compete against Duane Brown? Or Lane Johnson?

          How is a High School receiver going to play against press-man or handle a complex route tree?

          How is a High School quarterback going to deal with the change of pace, bypassing college and going straight to the pro’s?

          It would end up being a catastrophe.

          Now, you might argue — OK. Make them go to college for a year. Or two years. Well, maybe. But then what’s the difference? You’re still telling the players when they can turn pro. So we might as well stick with the rules as they are. It benefits the players, they get a proper chance to develop physically and play football and show what they can do to the league over a decent period of time. The teams get a chance to spend time scouting and learning about these guys. The players have some experience of what they can expect at the next level. And college football, which is an outstanding spectacle, also isn’t facing annual turnover and weakening what is an amazing product.

          Can anyone seriously say they enjoyed the recent Huskies’ basketball tactic of requiring one-and-done prospects recently? How did that help the team or the players for that matter?

          And you know what? I bet if you polled every player the vast majority would back the CFB rules. Players seem to love playing in college. More so than even the NFL.

          So keep it as it is for me.

          • Hawk Eye

            Lots of players are ready after 1 or 2 years of college to play at the NFL level.
            Let them, this is not about the beauty of the college game, but rather about free will and restricting someone from earning a living. They are getting paid and everyone else is.
            If someone is good enough to enter from high school, let him.
            Nothing stopping the NCAA from paying players if they don’t want them to leave. They can afford coaches for $8 million/year to coach amateurs, but can’t let the kid get a couple bucks from it?
            It is hypocrisy to promote free markets for coaches and restriction of markets for the players.
            The NCAA is a dinosaur, it needs to be revamped.

            • Hawk Eye

              correction
              ** they are NOT getting paid…..

            • bigten

              First off, im pretty sure its the NFLs rule anyways, not the NCAAs, so wouldnt bash the NCAA on that. Secondly, if you don’t think they are getting paid in college, your naive. They get a free education, worth 100ks of dollars, and spread out to all the scholarshiped athletes. They get the free publicity to showcase their talent on the biggest stage, they get prepped for that showcase, trained, fed, coached, developed. They get pampered, celeb status. Make a name for themselves. And that is not including the “benefits” they get from donors and alumns. The thing is, like Rob stated, most players are not ready to come out of high school and straight to the NFL. There are plenty of them like Clark who gain a great deal of weight in college, they find there position (Devin White being recruited as an athlete), and they get to showcase there talent if they come from a small school or arent highly toughted. And think about all the players who are physical freaks out of high school, and end up doing nothing. Sure you get the players like Fournette who are basically men in high school, and could theoretically play a year and enter, but there has to be some kind of standard. Its a rule, a private entity has the right (hence, not socialism) to make up rules for who can work for them. the NFL isnt restricting anyone form earning a living with this rule, they can not play football and do anything else. Coaches are paid, just as professors are. Paid to teach the youth. Are you going to argue that students should get paid to attend class? And there actually is a lot that is keeping the NCAA from paying the college players, and im not saying im against it, but it poses extreme problems for the universities. You realize the proceeds from football go into a budget that gets distributed among the school athletics. You would ruin it for a lot of student athletes if you decided the proceeds for football needed to stay in the football program to pay those players. And its not hypocrisy if you look at it outside the bubble of the narrative you want to spin it, because the NCAA is a private entity as well, and they are part of the free market that allows them to work as they please.

            • Rob Staton

              Very few players are ready after one or two years.

              Very, very few.

              And if you’re making them play for two years, what’s the difference? You’re still telling them what to do.

              I always feel like this is a complaint for complaining sake. We’re all looking for wrongs to right. College football has major benefits for the players.

              • cha

                This issue is like when people argue about the franchise tag. It affects maybe 8 players a year out of 1700 or so in the league. Same thing with CFB. There might be a handful of guys who could legitimately enter the NFL early, but those are the 1%. The other 99% need the development time. It’s really not much of an issue.

                We’ll probably see more top prospects “do a Bosa” and just sit out after they’ve secured their draft stock. That’s an acceptable workaround IMO.

                • Tecmo Bowl

                  “We’ll probably see more top prospects “do a Bosa” and just sit out after they’ve secured their draft stock. That’s an acceptable workaround IMO.”

                  Agree that there will be more players to “do a Bosa”.

                  Do not agree that the situation is acceptable. What we are seeing is the elite prospects being forced to play for “free”, while risking injury, or sit out a year of their short prime earning potential. To me thats not right.

                  Again I think players should have to be tabbed as a first round pick to enter the draft earlier than the 3 years removed from HS. It would effect very few players-the elite. Bosa, Oliver, Clowney, Peterson, Fournette.

                  • cha

                    I really don’t think the risking injury question is as real an issue as it seems. That is what insurance is for. Any topline prospect that doesn’t have an insurance policy against loss of value or a career-ending injury is just irresponsible.

                    Deshaun Watson had a really healthy policy at Clemson and that was after he had his first ACL issue.

              • Tecmo Bowl

                “Very few players are ready after one or two years.”

                100% A potential change in the ‘3 years removed from HS’ rule, would effect very few players-guessing 0-3 players per year.

                Would like to see the advisory committee, that establishes a players draft prospects, expand to include sophomores. If a soph is rated as a first round pick, they should be able to enter the draft. Make no mistake NFL scouts already have high grades on these elite prospects.

      • smitty1547

        The one and done rule ruined both the NBA and college BB. Not to sound like an old fart but I can still name the Phi slam Jamma, Fab 5, running rebel, and duke teams. Now I could not name 2 players from the UW.

        Also young players came into NBA highly touted but not ready so they sat for a few years, some became great (yet u could not remember anything about them from college) or they fizzled out and became nothing.

        As a person i agree if your old enough and good enough you should be able to go earn living, as a fan can’t stand it. Ruined both the NBA and college, rarely watch either anymore. The Sonics of course leavening didn’t help either.

        • Hawk Eye

          no easy answers, but I put a lot of the blame on the NCAA.
          They make huge money and are profit driven, but don’t allow the players to benefit beyond the scholarship. The scholarship is enough for most of them, but the elite players who can go pro and are the stars have more incentive to leave than to stay.
          And the current situation in college football where only a few teams have a chance to win does not help.

          what if the NCAA put all college teams on a salary cap? The cap would include coaches and players, with a limit on max salary for players. If the major teams could spend $12 million on the coaches and the players, then we would see if Saban can get the top talent and have the top salary.
          THIS WILL NEVER HAPPEN. But I would love to see an even playing field, with players have an incentive to stay in college, get their degree and then turn pro

        • Tecmo Bowl

          The ‘one and done’ rule has flaws no doubt.

          One thing the NBA does have right is allowing players to test the waters and participate in the combine. If the player doesn’t like their draft stock they are eligible to return to school-provided they haven’t hired an agent.

          Meanwhile in the NFL early entrants:
          2018- 106 with 37 going undrafted 34.9%
          2017- 95 with 28 going undrafted 29.5%

          65 undrafted underclassmen in just 2 years. How does allowing a select few elite prospects turn pro after 1 or 2 years of college FB dilute the game more than it already is being diluted? The difference would be more than made up if players could go back to school if they don’t like their draft prospects.

        • AlaskaHawk

          I fall on the side of wanting players to participate in college. The NBA allowing younger players in, is quite the joke. How many actually succeed at pro basketball, considering the limited number of slots for them? 10 to 20 a year? What happens to the rest? Despite the talk that they can return, I don’t see them returning very often. The whole one and done thing doesn’t allow the average fan to become familiar with them = or even care since it will be a whole different team next year. And the quality of college basketball is terrible. I only watch it during March madness.

          Football wise – I get the concern of using these young players for monetary gain. And what if they do have an accident? Maybe instead of wondering the school should have to purchase insurance for the starters?

  16. clbradley17

    Rob, first of all Walker is a great pick for us. If a similar scenario happens like with Jarran Reed in the 2016 draft, where we see a player we have rated in the top 20-30 drops to mid to lower 2nd, say Buggs from AL or Tillery from ND, would you like to see us use our 3rd and maybe a 4th from 2020 and/or CJ or another player to go up and get a great run stopping DT or a better FS if TT plays consistently bad over the last 8 games? I know it would be much more difficult than in 2016 to move up since we have only 4 picks this year.

    Also, who are some DTs, safeties and CBs besides possibly Baity from KY that you could see us drafting in rounds 3-5 if we stay pat? Mainly interested in big run-stuffing DTs that possibly will be available mid-round 3 or round 4 if we go DB first, especially after the showing against the Chargers. 2019 could be Reed’s last year if we can’t afford him along with RW, Clark, Wagner and several other 10+ mil.$ contracts (RW’s will 30-35, Clark’s 17+, etc.).

    • Rob Staton

      It’s a big early to determine on trade up or down scenarios but I’m not really convinced Tillery or Buggs would be worth a bold move.

      It’s also a bit early for me to say with any confidence about day three types. Not a particularly deep looking draft.

      • JJ

        Without the draft breakdown tapes it might be a little harder this year to find the day three players. Will have to wait for senior bowl and combine to really find guys.

  17. clbradley17

    Some of the same highlights and a few different ones – Walker is a beast and reminds me a lot of Frank Clark or even the 2 Pro Bowl DEs we faced the first 2 games (Miller and Mack). Incredible size/speed combination!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JZByKpHvxk

  18. KD

    Man, Walker plays with some FIRE!

  19. JohnH

    Very interesting take, thanks Rob. I really enjoy your work.

    I have only recently started following the draft, so I don’t know the history as well. But wouldn’t it be fairly unusual for only one QB to be taken top 10 and one in the top 20? It seems like most years bad teams talk themselves into drafting QBs high regardless of the actual talent levels.

    • Rob Staton

      It’s not that unusual. Something similar happened in 2014. Bortles at #3, Manziel in the 20’s then Bridgewater at #32.

      • Shadow

        Plus, going back one year earlier, wasn’t E. J. Manuel the only first round quarterback selected in 2013? (Yeah, good move there, Buffalo….)

        • Rob Staton

          Indeed

        • Hawk Eye

          in order to make that move look better in hindsight, they traded away the pick that was Mahomes and this year traded up for Josh Allen, who might be the next Bortles. If you think that looks bad now, wait three years.
          worse than that?
          The only sports radio stations I get where I live are from Buffalo…..

  20. Matt

    Rob –

    I’m curious – what made you pick Walker over Allen or Dre’mont Jones?

    *I’m not disagreeing, just curious as to your rationale of him over the others. I personally would be thrilled with any of those 3. I think personally, I’d go with Jones then Allen then Walker. Again, just personal preference but I like the idea of a true pass rushing 3T to pair with Jarran Reed. That’s a young, formidable duo.

    • Rob Staton

      Jones’ run defense is a liability and a weakness I think will be exposed at the next level unless he makes major changes. Allen was targeted over and over again by Georgia, running right at his side. To me that said, he’s a 3-4 guy. So unless the Seahawks want to play him in the role Mingo is playing, not sure it makes sense. Walker is excellent setting the edge vs the run but also has the ability to impact games as a rusher.

      • FresnoHawk

        We do have issues stopping the run and the Jet sweeps are killing us!

        • Rob Staton

          We had issues stopping the run against the Chargers. Not against the Bears, Cowboys, Cardinals, Rams, Raiders or Lions.

          • FresnoHawk

            Chargers twice if you include preseason, Denver ran on us. Thinking about the Rams is what generated my comment. I think a key quality running teams need to have is to be “lights out” defending the run in order to win the important games. Big test coming up!

            • Rob Staton

              You can’t include pre-season.

              The Seahawks have been lights out defending the run this year. The Chargers game was a step back but that might be due to the personnel they chose to make active. I’m not concerned at all about SEA’s run defense. They’ve been terrific against some top backs — Johnson, Zeke, Gurley, Lynch, Kerryon, Howard. Not remotely concerned by this.

              I am concerned by their lack of quality depth across the board, which is going to be stretched beyond belief with a new collection of injuries.

              • FresnoHawk

                I hope your right scared your wrong!

              • astro.domine

                But Rob, we’re allowing the 4th most yds/carry at 4.8. Teams have gouged us with big running plays, if not with methodical commitment.

                I think it’s indicative of the modern NFL- it’s no longer enough to just be able to physically stop a team in obvious running situations, now you must stop teams like the Rams and Chargers who use the run as a back-breaking complement to an explosive passing attack.

                We’ve shown no ability to do that latter this season.

                • Rob Staton

                  This is a classic case where the stats don’t tell the whole story. And it’s why I never, ever rely purely on stats to form an opinion.

                  They had a horrendous day defending the run last weekend and that’s severely impacted the average. Here’s the reality:

                  Chicago — 3.2 YPC, Jordan Howard — 35 yards
                  Arizona — 3.3 YPC, David Johnson — 71 yards
                  Los Angeles Rams — 3.5 YPC for Todd Gurley — 77 yards (they had 155 total, thanks to fly sweeps)
                  Oakland — 4.2 YPC — Marshawn Lynch — 45 yards
                  Detroit — 2.6 YPC — Kerryon Johnson — 22 yards

                  Seattle has done an excellent job defending the run. They had a bad start against Denver and a bad recent game against the Chargers. That has effected the average. Look behind the stats for the truth.

                  • astro.domine

                    It seems to me you’re pruning the stats unfairly when you exclude the Denver game and the fly sweeps LA ran. In my estimation, we’ve only stopped two competent rushing offenses this year: Chicago & Detroit. Arizona and Oakland have completely inept offenses which everyone has stopped this year.

                    I’m not saying our run D is terrible, only that we haven’t shown the ability to stop the run when facing truly dynamic, balanced attacks. Fly sweeps (along with counters, misdirections, etc) are exactly the kind of run I’m talking about.

                    • Rob Staton

                      How is listing game-by-game ‘pruning’ stats? Come on man. I’ve just listed multiple games where the Seahawks have shut down or stalled some of the best RB’s and running games in the league. If you want to say they’re not defending fly sweeps well then I can go along with that. They don’t defend screens well either. These aren’t proper run plays whereby you judge a run defense. A fly sweep to Robert Woods isn’t on the run defense any more than a WR screen is.

                      A couple of weeks ago I was literally asking Pete Carroll about his terrific run defense. Then they hammered Detroit. Then they had a rough day vs the Chargers and it’s a problem. What we’re really saying is they can do a better job against the fly sweep. That’s very different. The pure run defense has been good apart from two games — a bad start vs Denver and a shocker against Melvin Gordon (probably inspired by a poor choice of inactives).

                  • astro.domine

                    I just don’t see how you can defend this notion that our run D is such a strength when we’ve allowed huge totals in literally half our games this year (Dal, Den, LAR, LAC).
                    And stop putting Zeke in the “shut-down” category; he had 127yds @ 7.9 a carry.

                    • Rob Staton

                      I’ve already explained it to you multiple times now. If you haven’t got the picture yet, I’m not going round and round in circles.

  21. AlaskaHawk

    It’s to bad that Seahawks picked a running back last year, because I’ve had a bromance going on over Harris with Alabama. I just love the way he runs for the best college team in the nation 🙂

    I know there are probably other backs who are just as good and will go later. But I sure wanted him last year, and I haven’t seen anything this year that changes my mind. Lost opportunities….

    • mishima

      Would love to see the Hawks draft Harris just for the reactions on Twitter/Fieldgulls. Too funny to imagine.

      Front 7, 24/7. In time, will need to replace Wagner/Wright, but drafting edge rushers is always a good value move. Walker makes perfect sense.

      • Old but Slow

        I can see Kenny A beating the table for Harris, already! (snark)

  22. DC

    Any chance of a top 50 prospect list from you Rob? As the Seahawks often trade down it would be fun to see where you have some of the ‘tier 2’ guys located.

    • Rob Staton

      Yep, there will be a top-50 down the line for sure.

  23. DC

    Tony Pauline has a 14 pick mock up. Kinda fun to see the overlap.

    http://draftanalyst.com/mock-draft-top-14

    • AlaskaHawk

      You could also check Walter Football for a three round mock draft and some information on top prospects by position. They expand it to all 7 rounds right before the draft.

  24. charlietheunicorn

    ok ESPN, why are you pumping this Kyler Murray kid so hard….

    They mentioned Baker Mayfield in the article, which is understandable…. then they throw in a few other QB names of interest…. but then because of the baseball and football angle (and height) … you guessed it, RWs name got tossed in as this guys NFL potential.

    You draftniks, what do you think of this kid?

    • Matt

      He is amazingly talented but tiny. And I mean historically small for the QB position.

      Listed at 5’10 195lbs…I bet he’s honestly sub 5’10”. He is extraordinarily gifted, but that is not an insignificant physical limitation. Whoever drafts him has bigger cajones that I do.

    • Volume12

      Great college player, but he ain’t playing football after Oklahoma. He signed a $5 million dollar deal with the Oakland A’s as the 9th overall pick.

  25. Kenny Sloth

    Roll On, Columbia, Roll On

    • Kenny Sloth

      Oof. A miraculous MLS season means squat if it don’t end in a trophy

  26. Logan Lynch

    I’ve got a feeling Carson won’t play this weekend. Possibly he can be back for the GB game, so they can ram the ball down their throats. My question is whether they’ll give one guy (Mike Davis) the lion’s share of the carries or if they’ll spread the ball around. A part of me thinks Penny and/or Prosise will get quite a few chances. I hope the defense can create some turnovers this week…I think they’ll need them.

    • cha

      I would think they’ll keep up a similar rotation. Davis for a series, Penny for a series, and Prosise on third downs,
      Davis ends up with 60% of the carries.

      Prosise, here’s your chance to make some money with a really good showing, buddy. Pro tip: don’t do anything in warm ups. Just stretch a little, do some jumping jacks or hit the exercise bike.

    • H

      Id certainly like to see Penny get more of a chance to get going than he did against the Cardinals. For all his (massively exaggerated) faults, he does have to best break away ability of the top three backs, we’re gonna need some big plays this weekend.

    • AlaskaHawk

      This will be Penny’s chance to step up and show us what he’s got. But – I got a gut feeling that the Rams will be concentrating on closing down the running game and making Wilson throw to beat them. So I’m not expecting 190 yards on the ground this game. Success may be getting more than 100 yards on the ground.

  27. millhouse-serbia

    Seahawks scouting Georgia-Auburn game tomorrow. That’s consecutive weeks at Georgia and three times in the last five weeks.

    • Nick

      That’s really useful information. I’ve got to assume they are looking closely at Tyler Clark and D’Andre Walker. Clark is a little bit of a beast.

      • Volume12

        After the game DTs Derrick Brown and Nick Coe had for Auburn last week, not a coincidence they’re checking that team out. They’ve got a lot talent at other positions as well though.

  28. Kenny Sloth

    Rob, I’m sure I speak for everyone when I tell you I’d love for you to do another google hangout soon!

    • Rob Staton

      Happy to

  29. Volume12

    Wow. Walker in the 1st? Think he’s a fantastic player, but round 1 with this group of D-lineman?

    • Zxvo3

      He plays with an attitude that is so Seahawky. I think he’s talented enough for a 1st round pick IMO.

      • Volume12

        I agree. I like him a lot. However, not all of this years pass rushers are gonna go round 1 even if most of them should. Teams are gonna reach, some will draft need over BPA, and some will fall in love with the flavor of the month come combine time.

    • AlaskaHawk

      I wonder if Raekwon Davis or Dexter Lawrence slipped, would it be preferable to get a stud DT or a quick DE/LB like D’Andre Walker? Obviously the Seahawks need elite defensive ends, but it seems to take them a long time to develop, and the hit rate seems like its about 50%. Defensive Tackles develop quicker, but they can also be found at later rounds. Plus the Seahawks aren’t even using a couple DTs like Poona Ford.

      • Volume12

        Good question. There’s gonna be some pass rushers that slip. And yes, you can find good ones (defensive tackles) later. DTs that can give you pass rushing ability? Not so much.

        IMO, Seattle will address one of those positions in FA, one early in the draft, and hedge through the draft whatever position they add during FA.

        More importantly, gotta get Clark wrapped up.

        • AlaskaHawk

          So maybe the deciding factor is pass rushing ability. If they can find a defensive tackle with pass rushing ability, it would meet a long term goal of Pete Carroll. And if it is a defensive end, they need DEs too.

  30. Josh

    There will be a bunch of offensive players overdrafted this year. It happens every year. Every team in the top 15 needs offense. It’s hard to pick in mock who will be over drafted because it’s hard to imagine a lesser player being drafted over an awesome prospect. I feel like the hawks need the most is a true #1 wide out. Russell has 3 slot receivers. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them over draft a wide out if the board falls like what Rob’s mock looks like. Not what I would do but I wouldn’t put it past them if they have their pick of any receiver in the draft.

    • Rob Staton

      1. There isn’t a true #1 wide receiver in this class.

      2. There is absolutely no way that Seattle’s top need is a wide receiver. I can’t believe that case is being made.

  31. CaptainJack

    What would this board think of drafting Iowa State wideout Hakeem Butler in round one?

    I really like D’andre Walker, but to me the defense is not the reason we are losing games. It is the inconsistency of the offense. I feel like we need to add another big time play maker, and Butler is just that.

    Hakeem Butler has looked fantastic recently, and he has elite size for a wide receiver.

    • Rob Staton

      The last thing this team needs is another offensive weapon for everyone to piss and moan about when they don’t get enough snaps.

      Besides — the receivers aren’t the reason the Seahawks are losing either. We can hardly point the finger at Lockett, Baldwin and Moore can we?!?

      The pass rush relies solely on one EDGE rusher. Jarran Reed has chipped in but he’s not a consistently threatening interior rusher. He does his best work controlling the LOS.

      Championship teams have multiple pass rush options. See: Seahawks 2013

      • CaptainJack

        I agree with you somewhat. But I’m also seeing Walker projected to go later. You can find good EDGE outside of round one. Yannick Ngakoue went in round three. Rasheem Green went in round three after being talked a bit as a first rounder. Danielle Hunter went in round three, and he leads the league in sacks. I think Walker goes in similar range, if we somehow got a second round pick I’d feel pretty good about securing him there. Although I recognize we don’t, but I also think there’s a chance he’s there in the third with the relative low hype Georgia players get combined with the front seven depth this year.
        Butler is a special talent, he just jumps off the screen when he plays. He’s from Iowa State so he’s unlikely to end up being some Diva like Jimmy Graham or Percy Harvin. It’s the chance to add a randy moss level talent. And I really like Walker.

        Can you put blame on the receivers? I wouldn’t say blame, they aren’t “not living up to poential”, they’re just not a very high potential group. David Moore is great for where he was drafted, but he’s not really a anything more than a complimentary peice. Doug Baldwin is Mr. Reliable but he’s not a dynamic game changer the way a Julio Jones or an AJ Green is. Lockett is smaller and this effects his ability to make contested catches. And he’s really no Antonio Brown or anything. The receivers are good but not great. Butler just elevates the group to the next level. We saw it in the end of the Chargers game. The receivers weren’t good enough to Seal the tie at the end.
        We drafted Penny knowing he might not play a ton his rookie year. So why would investing a pick into a wideout that has the potential to be one of the elite playmakers in the league be such a bad move just one season later?

        I’d highly reccomend you check out Butler if you haven’t already. He’s my number one. He’s not the top need but he might be BPA.

        • SoCal12

          Ironically your own argument on finding talent later seems to apply more WR than Pass Rushers honestly. Antonio Brown was a 6th rounder. Stefon Diggs and Tyreek Hill were 5th rounders. Adam Thielen and our very own Dougie B were completely undrafted. Meanwhile, how many first round WR busts have there been? Just off the top of my head in the last few years: Laquon Treadwell, John Ross, Corey Coleman, Corey Davis, Kevin White, Bershad Perriman, Phillip Dorsett…

          Meanwhile the examples of pass rushers you listed in guys like Danielle Hunter and Rasheem Green (who is still unproven) are the exceptions not the rule. The top pass rushers like Kahlil Mack, Aaron Donald, Joey Bosa, Von Miller etc. all went in the first. If you need a pass rusher then it’d wise to choose one early.

        • Rob Staton

          I’m sorry Captain, but you can’t list three defensive ends and say ‘therefore you don’t need to draft DE early’. You can cherry pick three names at any position and make that argument. Should we also say you never have to draft a QB early because Tom Brady, Russell Wilson and Nick Foles won Super Bowls recently? Should every RB be taken in the top-10 because of Saquon, Gurley and Zeke?

          The fact is you can find any position early or late. You have to use the specific draft class to your advantage, not refer to unrelated previous classes. Looking at this class, it would be madness not to go defensive front seven early. You’d be fighting the clear strength of the early class, all because of philosophy. Thankfully, the Seahawks have never made that mistake under PCJS. They haven’t got every pick right, but they’ve always identified where the talent is early and tapped into it.

          I don’t see any reason to believe Walker will last into R3. Just because he’s being projected later by others means nothing to me. I’ll stand by my record over the last 10 years. Not that I get everything right — far from it — but personally I think the draft coverage this year has been awful on the internet. I’ve read so much rubbish over the last few weeks. There’s a lot of people talking about the draft these days but I’m not sure anyone really has anything interesting to say — with the exception of Tony Pauline’s tremendous Draft Analyst site.

          I find it baffling that you’re accusing the WR’s of not living up to potential. Lockett has scored nearly every week, Baldwin is hurt and missed games. Moore has been excellent. Jaron Brown has chipped in with three touchdowns. No way was it their fault at the end of the last game.

          I’ll say this now. You can take it to the bank. Seattle will not draft a receiver first. Book it.

          As for Butler. I’ve watched a bit of him. I don’t see a first round type. Increasingly over the years I think it’s been easier to judge the early round WR’s. There are big receivers in every class but rarely do they go in R1. Butler lacks suddenness in his routes and doesn’t easily create separation off his break. He’s extremely lean and while there’s plenty of evidence of him high pointing the football (which is nice to see) there isn’t much boxing out, physically dominating a defensive back. Neither has he got that long speed to be a difference maker in the way Mike Evans clearly was at Texas A&M.

          You can always see it with the big guys. We saw it with Evan Engram too, who was a TE. Personally I think it’s one of the easiest positions to judge in terms of the early rounds, receivers and pass-catching tight ends. Those types are easy to identify to go early. Butler is a long-strider with decent ball skills but a lean, lanky frame and I suspect he won’t run particularly brilliantly at the combine. A mid-rounder at best for me with potential.

    • Volume12

      I’m a big fan of Butler personally. What this class lacks at receiver in terms of talent at or near the top, it more than makes up for with it’s depth. Might not be very many #1 or #2 WRs a couple years from now, but plenty of 3’s and 4’s.

      Seattle should keep adding firepower to it’s offense, but I don’t think it has to be a day 1 or day 2 priority.

  32. CaptainJack

    To me, Hakeem Butler is the best wide receiver I’ve seen coming out in several years. The next AJ Green. First round all day.

  33. Volume12

    Love him, hate him, like him, ‘meh’ on him, great story here on Kentucky’s Josh Allen:

    http://www.nfl.com/labs/cfb247/joshallen-ky/joshallen-ky?campaign=tw-nf-sf201682173-sf201682173&sf201682173=1&utm_source=t.co&utm_medium=referral

  34. Jake

    I really think this team need another pass rusher. I’ve only watched one game from walker (Florida vs Georgia) but I just don’t see any burst from him like I would like to, only one game sample size though. This defense needs some secondary help and another decent pass rusher to become elite.

    • CaptainJack

      He had a great game against Missouri, and that full game is on YouTube.

  35. charlietheunicorn

    I think it should be fairly obvious where Seattle will go in the 2019 draft….

    DL (DE) would most likely be a double dip opportunity
    RB (FB) would also be a likely target and I believe a very likely target in the first 3 round range

    TE is the only other position that jumps out at me, I could see OG as well, but if they resign Fluker and Sweezy…. they would have enough to roll into 2019. TE is the one thin position, when you project into 2019, due to injury and contract(s).

    I disagree about a CB being taken early (top 3 rounds). They appear to have “the CB position” on the rebound already, so I can’t see that being a priority draft position.

    I also kicked around LB, but Seattle has so many pieces right now…. I think they have enough to make it through 2019. I guess it also depends on how you view KJ Wright. If you think he is done, then maybe they need some OLB help…. but if you think he might be resigned and be productive, then I can’t see them expending draft capitol on the position earlier than 4th round.

  36. Mac

    I think the draft needs are:

    DE LB OG WR RB CB

    You can never have enough pass rushers or linebackers.

    Depth behind Sweezy, Fluker & Pocic: not the most pressing need, however with the injury history of both the hawks might be able to find a guy later.

    I put wr as a need, a receiver is not the most pressing need but this class should be deep but unspectacular. Maybe a guy who can take Jaron Browns spot for cheaper.

    I would like a proscise replacement, or someone who could push him or mckissic/ take krs or pr’s

    At cornerback, I believe it would be a luxury pick late.

    I think the only things stopping the Seahawks is their ability to get after opposing quarterbacks. If we can get more pass rushers via the draft and free agency, stay reasonably healthy, we can compete

    • Rob Staton

      I wouldn’t even list WR or OG personally.

      If there was a chance to draft the next Julio Jones that’s one thing. But depth at WR is not necessary. They have a clear top three, Jaron Brown, some youth that they like at the position on the PS and clearly JS hasn’t given up on Darboh yet.

      And at guard you have a clear starting pair, Pocic who you spent a R2 on. They’ve had Simmons stashed all year and it’s not like a Fant couldn’t potentially fill in.

      The clear needs for me are DL, DB and LB.

      • charlietheunicorn

        Which would be a bigger need or high priority or the thinnest position group in this draft class??

        DT or DE/OLB type? Should I be considering ILB or MLBs as well, even though BWAGZ is still legit.

        I could see them do the rent-a-player route at DT, which they have had some success with almost every season. I hate to say it, but a Bruce Irvin type of guy really would be the cats meow for this defense… if they could bring that skill-set/physicality to the DE and or OLB position. Really wish they could have brought him home to Seattle….. c’est la vie I guess.

        • Rob Staton

          I think they already have their Bruce with Barkevious Mingo.

          For me it’s pretty clear what they need. An EDGE, DE or interior pass rusher. I think, unless they re-sign KJ Wright and/or Mychal Kendricks, linebacker is also need. I picked D’Andre Walker in this draft as a player who can play EDGE but has also shown an ability to drop to linebacker too.

          My personal preference would be to try and retain Kendricks and Wright, load up your LB depth and then draft for the D-line. And if they’re picking in the top-20 (I think they will be) — then they will have plenty of opportunities to get their EDGE, DE or DT.

          • FresnoHawk

            100% agree with Rob but never count Schneider out when it comes to acquiring middle round picks for Offensive needs. If we’re drafting a LB it will be obvious.

    • Volume12

      Oregon LB Troy Dye

  37. clbradley17

    PFF put out a “top players at every position through week 10” page: https://www.profootballfocus.com/news/college-the-best-college-player-at-every-position-through-week-10

    Another fantastic Utah State LB with run stopping and coverage skills like our all-pro Utah State alum Bobby – probably one to watch for next year since he’s a sophomore is David Woodward: “LINEBACKER: DAVID WOODWARD, UTAH STATE – 91.6 OVERALL GRADE
    One of the unsung players in the nation this season, Woodward ranks fourth among linebackers with a 92.4 grade against the run and fourth in coverage at 90.5. He’s broken up three passes, picked one off, and he’s only missed two tackles on the year.”

    Continuing on after Walker in round 1, and staying in the same rounds with no trades, I could see us picking up a run-stopping DT like Greg Gaines of Washington in the 3rd, possibly the best available FS in the 4th or another big pass-rushing DE like Anthony Nelson of Iowa, and a big CB like Baity of KY in the 5th. On DE Nelson from Walter Football and sportsnaut:
    “Height: 6-7. Weight: 260.
    Projected 40 Time: 4.82.
    Projected Round (2019): 3-5.
    10/20/18: Nelson has 22 tackles with 5.5 for a loss and five sacks on the season.

    8/29/18: Nelson was a solid defender for Iowa over the past two seasons. As a sophomore, he totaled 41 tackles with 9.5 tackles for a loss, 7.5 sacks, four passes batted and two forced fumbles. He had six sacks, 33 tackles and two forced fumbles as a redshirt freshman.”

    “Last season, per Pro Football Focus, he racked up 55 total pressures.”

    Charles Omenihu from Texas is another big pass-rushing DE at 6’6″ 275 and has been looking better as TX has won several big games the last few weeks. https://texassports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7239

    Corbin Kaufusi of BYU looked great against probable 1st or 2nd round OL David Edwards of WI and is huge at 6’9″ 285 – from Walter Football:

    “Height: 6-9. Weight: 285.
    Projected 40 Time: 4.84.
    Projected Round (2019): 2-4.
    10/20/18: Kaufusi had an impressive game against Wisconsin, having his way with Badgers right tackle David Edwards. It was embarrassing for Edwards the way Kaufusi routinely beat him and pushed him around. Kaufusi has 34 tackles with seven for a loss and six sacks thus far this year. He would be a great fit as a 3-4 defensive end in the NFL.

    8/29/18: The big-bodied Kaufusi has the potential to break out in 2018. He stopped playing basketball for BYU and is focused on football. He only started five games in 2017 while recording 31 tackles and 2.5 sacks, but is expected to be a starter in 2018.”

    But with all these prospects, need to wait until the all-star games to see how they perform against the best in the country and if they can consistently win the one-on-ones in the practices and games, plus if they have speed and explosiveness at the combine.

    • Volume12

      Bronson was better and how’d that work out for him at the next level. These dude are pure!y base 3-4 ends.

  38. Zxvo3

    Do we have Mingo for next year? Also I love D’Andre Walker in this draft but if we resign Mychal Kendricks and Wright, wouldn’t it be best to draft a player like Jachai Polite or Zach Allen who would be fully committed to the defensive line?

    • Rob Staton

      Polite and Allen were off the board.

      Walker can play EDGE.

    • teejmo

      Unless they cut him (which is unlikely), yes, Mingo will be a Seahawk next year. As to Walker, both Polite and Allen were already “selected” in this mock draft, so they’re already out, and Seattle’s first-round picks are nearly always physical freaks, which Walker reportedly is. Plus, the Seahawks have a history of taking LEO/SAM types. Of course, the chances of Seattle actually keeping their first round pick are practically null, what with them having only four total picks and all.

  39. Volume12

    Michigan St DE Kenny Willekes is dominating today. A better version of Chase Winovich.

  40. Volume12

    Sky is the limit if an NFL D-line coach can get Dre’Mont Jones to be more stout at the POA and keep his pads down more consistenly.

    Saw someone say he reminds them of a Malik Jackson like interior rusher and now I can’t I need it.

  41. Jerry

    Thanks Rob! This is great.

    One question: It seems like most view this as not a great draft class. Most of what I’ve read has focused on the top of the draft. What about the rest of the draft? How is it in terms of depth?

    I’m wondering because the Hawks will likely have a pretty high pick (somewhere around ~15ish). Do you think they’ll adhere to their MO of trading back for extra picks this year? You mentioned that this isn’t the best draft to be picking in the top 10, but the mid first seems like a decent place to be in this draft. The lack of talent could cause a really good DE or DL to be sitting there for us. With the strength of this draft aligning well with our need to bolster the pass rush, maybe keeping our first rounder this year makes sense.

    On the other hand, we only have four picks. JS clearly likes to accumulate picks (typically 9-10 per draft). I’m a fan of that approach, especially given our success with mid to late round picks. I wonder how the mid rounds are looking this year. Do you think its a good year to trade back into the late 1st or even into the 2nd for extra picks?

    Right now, it seems like the most pressing needs are DL, DE, and DB. After that, it would be good to add depth at OL, LB, WR, In your draft above, there is still good DL talent lasting past pick 25. Worth trading back to bolster depth on a team that is still in the midst of significant roster turnover?

    Where do you see the ‘sweet spot’ of this draft at this point?

    • Rob Staton

      It’s difficult to properly judge depth this early but my feeling at the moment is it’s weak in terms of genuine top-10 prospects. Maybe only 2-3 tops. Then you’ve got a pretty thick period of about 20-25 guys. Then another tier that might be 10-15 deep. It’ll be a good class, in my estimation, to pick in the 16-25 range and then have another pick in the top-50.

      I think the good DL’s will go early and often.

  42. Zxvo3

    Just a question Rob, have you watched S Darnell Savage Jr. out of Maryland? He’s a ballhawk and plays very physical

    • Rob Staton

      I haven’t, sorry.

    • Hawktalker#1

      I really like him as well, but I’m concerned he may Lack the length/size PCGS look for.

  43. Volume12

    God CFB rules! These last 2 weeks have been lit.

    We got Bedlam (OK St./Oklahoma) right now with 62 combined pts, 900 yds of combined offense w/ 10:00 to go in the 3rd, and then the Iowa/N’western game has like 300 yds of combined offense and 13 total points.

    Wish the NFL was more like this.

  44. SoCal12

    May be becoming a pipe dream at this point, but if Jachai Polite is still on the board when it’s our pick I’d forget trading down and run to the podium. I think the dude’s got “it”. I’ll be more than a little disappointed if we trade back while he’s still there and miss him, even though it might be the smarter move. Walker would be a solid pickup if we do trade back though.

  45. Volume12

    Miss St DE Montez Sweat and ‘Bama’s Quinnen Williams out here putting on a show.

    • Rob Staton

      Williams did. Thought Sweat was quiet.

      • Gohawks5151

        Sweat had a sack and tackle for loss to be fair

  46. Volume12

    2020 WR class is potentially gonna be loaded. To name a few…

    ‘Bama’s Jerry Jeudy
    Colorado’s Laviska Shenault
    OK St’s Tylin Wallace
    Clemson’s Tee Higgins
    Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb
    Michigan’s Donovan People-Jones

    • Rob Staton

      Shenault, Higgins and Jeudy in particular look excellent.

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