The Seahawks are trading Frank Clark to Kansas City

Frank Clark is being traded to the Chiefs

The Seahawks have agreed to trade Frank Clark to the Kansas City Chiefs. They’ve acquired the #29 pick and a 2020 second round pick. The two teams will also swap third round picks (#85 for #93).

Clark will now be the third highest paid defender in the league.

So what does this mean for Seattle?

1. They have to add pass rushers

The Seahawks just traded away one of the best young pass rushers in the league. He had 35 sacks in four years despite minimal playing time as a rookie. Clark doesn’t even turn 26 until June 14th.

Seattle’s pass rush in 2018 relied on Clark — even with better-than-expected production from Jarran Reed and rookie Jacob Martin.

They’ve gone from one extreme to another. They used to be able to rotate Clark with Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril. Now what are they left with?

Before this trade their #1 draft need was more pass rush. Now it’s an even greater need.

At least one of their high picks will be spent on a defensive lineman — and likely one that can contribute straight away.

Clearly the Seahawks didn’t want to pay Clark (or couldn’t afford to). The trade is understandable and they’ve done well to get the compensation they did. They’ve also created a big hole on the roster.

2. How does it change their draft strategy?

For starters they can consider using pick #21. Before this trade they had to trade down. They couldn’t pick only four times in this draft. Their only chance to generate stock was to move down from #21.

It’s still very likely they will trade down at some point. They now have five picks instead of four — that’s not enough (especially when you need to replace one of your best players). But if a top player drops to #21 (for example, Rashan Gary) they can make the pick knowing they can trade down from #29.

Alternatively they could trade down from both #21 or #29 and truly fill out their board. The strength of this draft is in rounds 2-3. They currently only have one pick in that range — #93. Generating multiple picks in rounds 2-3 could be a target rather than spending their two first round picks.

Whatever they decide, they have more options now. It’s just a shame they couldn’t convince the Chiefs to give up their 2019 second rounder to truly fill out their board.

3. Could they make a franchise-changing move?

In 2013 the Seahawks pulled off a heist by signing Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril to cheap free agent contracts.

Is there a draft equivalent this year?

Rashan Gary and Jeffery Simmons were once regarded as top-10 locks. Now there are questions about whether Gary needs shoulder surgery after the 2019 season and Simmons is recovering from a torn ACL. Adding both would carry an element of risk. It would be a rare opportunity, however, to add two exceptional talents (and at a cost-effective price).

It might be too much of a risk to take but it could, potentially, provide the building blocks for an elite defensive unit.

If they want a top defensive lineman they’ll have to consider taking a chance. There’s a reason why the Chiefs are giving up a haul and paying Frank Clark mega money. Clearly they didn’t believe there was a defensive lineman worth taking at #29 (or worth trading up a few spots for).

John Schneider yesterday said he felt there was a talent drop-off on the defensive line after round three. If the Seahawks want to add impact D-liners, they might have to do it early.

It doesn’t necessarily have to be Gary or Simmons either. Brian Burns could last to #21. Montez Sweat is expected to fall after it was revealed he has a heart condition. Clelin Ferrell could reach the 20’s. There are alternatives.

4. Having two high picks enables them to cover two big needs

At least one high pick will go on a defensive lineman. The two other big needs are receiver and defensive back. Realistically they can now add a pass rusher or defensive tackle then target N’Keal Harry, Terry McLaurin or Parris Campbell at receiver — or one of the many defensive backs they’ve met with recently (Juan Thornhill, Darnell Savage, Justin Layne, Sean Bunting etc).

5. They now have 12 picks in 2020

This is still a re-set for the Seahawks. While they intend to be competitive in 2019 (especially after paying Russell Wilson) — it’s still a process. With two high picks this year they can add impact or control day two via trades. Next year, with 12 picks including five in the first three rounds, that could be the draft to push the Seahawks closer to the top of the tree.

I will have some further thoughts on this subject later — possibly via Google Hangout, possibly via podcast or via a mock. So stay tuned.

You can now support Seahawks Draft Blog via Patreon by clicking the tab below.

Become a Patron!

257 Comments

  1. JohnH

    Details on Clark’s contract with the Chiefs are out. He’s now the 3rd highest paid player defensive in the league.

    https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1120752347469221889

    “Chiefs and Frank Clark reached agreement on a 5 yrs, $105.5 million contract – greater total than DeMarcus Lawrence, with $63.5 million guaranteed, per source.”

    • SoCal12

      Yeah we were never going to pay him that much,

      Sad to see Frank leave, but I like the return and I’m happy Clark is on a Bowl cotender this year. My prediction is that we’ll face off with him again in February of 2021!

  2. TatupuTime

    That’s a good haul for the Seahawks. It will hurt in the short term, but the combination of freeing up that much cap room and getting the picks is a no brainer for me.

    Going to be real exciting to see what they do with those two 1st round picks. Do they take Gary, Sweat or Simmons if they fall to 21? Trade down from 29? Do they potentially trade down from both? 4 2nd and 3rd round picks this year would be a nice infusion of useable players in this draft.

    Thursday got way more exciting anyways!

    • j

      I think we’ll be very interested in Dexter Lawrence, even in trading up for him if need be. He is the best run defender in the draft by far and we need help stopping the run, which is one of Carroll’s principles.

    • Eli

      I was kind of thinking that this could be a hedge for them acquiring Simmons – he would have to fall but if he hadn’t been injured he’s a Top 5 talent in this draft. Pop him at 21 if he’s there and trade down from 29. If he’s not there then trade down from 21 and still pick someone at 29. There’s the obvious caveat that we might not be interested in taking a guy who will need a redshirt year, but it’s an interesting storyline to entertain.

      • mister bunny

        I love this approach. Let 2019 be a developing year. Maybe they make the playoffs, maybe they don’t.
        A move like you suggest loads up for 2020 and beyond, and they’ve got Russ locked up until 2023. Makes sense.

  3. smitty1547

    Some serious draft capital and saved 105 million. Clark was a great young player, but once he went disgruntled and said he wasn’t going to play under the franchise tag, I think Hawks did the right thing. Pete wants young and hungry, not rich and disgruntled.

  4. LandOfBoz

    What a haul!

    I would love to see Suh or Lieuet brought in so we can have a killer interior rush, then use a committee on the outside.

    • Greg Haugsven

      Even Perry on the outside as well. Maybe even Suh and Perry?

      • LandOfBoz

        If Perry is cheap, I think that is a great option.

  5. SWestler

    I think this could potentially open the door for a Jeffery Simmons selection? Takes so much of the pressure of only having that one 1st rounder as trade ammunition. Now we can keep one, trade the other, or even trade both and have enough picks to justify taking Simmons plus at least one more impact EDGE player in rounds 2-3 without jeopardizing not filling other holes as well.

  6. Gohawks5151

    That hurts. A productive, proven pass rusher with upside out the door. 21.1M per year i know is a lot but i truly believe that will age well for KC. They must really believe someone like Gary or Ferrell will be dropping because this is as risky a trade as they have made. Seattle already had a streaky pass rush and now they will be counting on some young guys to be productive in a hurry and for Reed to sustain his play. Risky. With 12 picks next year is there any chance they move up from 21 for a 3rd rounder, knowing they can still acquire more by moving back from 29?

    • AlaskaHawk

      I think it has more to do with Kansas City wanting to maximize their chances in the Superbowl now, while they have a good quarterback on rookie salary. Clark is proven, no one else being drafted has made it in the pros yet, especially in their late pick range.

      • Gohawks5151

        Its definitely a good deal for both if Seattle doesn’t see themselves as a contender. KC clearly is (depending on Hill’s situation). If Gary is in range look out though.

        • LLLOGOSSS

          I disagree that it isn’t a win-win if Seattle doesn’t see themselves as a contender — this was a necessary move regardless. Not to mention that Seattle would never see themselves as anything less than a contender. This was simply dollars and cents. Would they prefer to have Frank? Yes, but not at that price. This was pragmatism, not a step back to save money, but to keep building the team correctly. They are probably pretty happy to have more ammo for this draft. They’re gunning for the playoffs this year and will see how far they take it, but in 2020 they could very well have the depth we’ve been missing and be in the Chief’s position.

          • Gohawks5151

            Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s good for both. Moreso for KC because it helps them now. This deal helps Seattle in the future more than in 2019.

    • Ty the Guy

      KC will have issues after this year, financially, But they are firmly in “win now” mode.

      Seattle’s draft capital in 2020 is unreal! 12 for now and comp picks still on their way!

      I do not see them trading up in this year’s 1st rd, unless someone slides. But now that I type that, maybe R. Gary or M. Sweat? J. Simmons? Intriguing.

      • DCD2

        The 12 picks is including the projected comp picks. Our native 7, plus the KC pick and 4 comp picks.

        • Greg Haugsven

          I think Tyreke Hill getting in trouble helped out as well here. He was about to get a massive extensive until his mess up. Now Frank gets it.

  7. j

    That 2020 second would make it a hell of a lot easier to use a pick next year to move up from 21.

    We have the full compliment of comp picks plus our usual ones so we won’t be hard up for draft stock in 2020.

    Under this scenario we’d move down from 29 to gain extra picks.

  8. GauxGaux

    Rob, looks like you’ll have your hands full in 2020…

  9. Edgar

    Something had to give. Bobby Wags is a Hawk for life!

  10. LLLOGOSSS

    I expect we’ll see extensions for Wagner and Reed soon, gotta take advantage of that extra $17 mil for bonus pro-ration.

    Am I seeing correctly that Frank got as much guaranteed money as Russell?! Wow.

    Franks a great player, but this was the right thing to do in this moment, and I’m really excited for what the draft will turn out now…

  11. Uncle Bob

    I’m gonna miss Frank, he was fun to watch, and his growth was gratifying. That being said, this is a terrific trade with winners all around. If ya gotta do trades to make the current system work, this is a model one. I’ve been hard on JS for wasting the value of Sherm and ET, and was worried he’d do it again……congrats John, this is a top flight move in capitalizing on value. There will be lots of worry out there, doom sayers will abound, but this is a team sport. The team now has added capital, both money and picks, to get multiple players to replace Frank. Hurtt and Norton will have some work to do. This might speed up a resolution on Wagz, also a good thing. A dozen picks next year to play with? Wow! The future looks a bit better with strong core leaders/players, and the potential for a young, well coached team. Bright, bright, bright.

    Frank wins big too, nice payday, well earned. And KC improves their defense over the guys they dumped, again, well managed.

    C’mon Thursday night, let the party begin!!!

  12. Kenny Sloth

    WHAAAAA I take a quick nap and frankys traded!!#!

    • Kenny Sloth

      Oooh baby that’s a spicy haul. Better than I thought we’d get. Wish the 2nd was fpr this year tho

      • charlietheunicorn

        Better rest up, something tells me day #1 of the draft is going to get crazy.

        • Kenny Sloth

          On the first day of draftmas John Schneider gave to me…

        • Volume12

          PURE PANDEMONIUM! 😉

    • Eburgz

      Im just trying to figure out what you do where you can take naps mid morning on a Tuesday…

      The compensation is on point but we lost a real one today. Hopefully we use the picks and the cap space well.

  13. charlietheunicorn

    PC mentioned something in his interview yesterday that stuck with me.
    Paraphrased “If you only look at the ‘prototypical’ guys, you will miss out on a bunch of special players”

    I immediately thought of Khalen Saunders, DT, Western Illinois.

    • Eburgz

      Saunders is cool but not at a second round pick as he’s being touted currently. I have no idea how Saunders is supposed to be a round 2 guy and Greg Gains is supposed to be round 5 or later guy. Someone explain it to me please, then link me the tape that explains the explanation. Both look like round 3 guys to me. I expect neither to be hawks with the lack of length.

  14. Jamie Callahan

    Is there a date after which if a FA is signed, it doesn’t result in losing a compensatory pick?

    • Rob Staton

      Few days after the draft

      • Shadow

        May 8

    • Sean

      May 10th

  15. Volume12

    At that price I 100% get it, but it still stings. Frank is an awesome, awesome talent. At least he went to my AFC (2nd favorite team) squad though. I’m fired up about that.

    Brian Burns come on down! Let’s f***n’ go!

    • Trevor

      Burns, Sweat or Gary at 21 and Simmons at 29?

      Probably end up trading down with both picks and completely out of Round #1 so JS can end up with his full 8 pick allotment.

      • Volume12

        Probably. They’re about to add a couple studs on the D-line though. JS gushing about this D-line class tells us so.

        Maybe. I could see them trading outta round 1 with one of those picks for sure.

        • CHawk Talker Eric

          If past is prologue (and there’s a willing partner) they’ll trade down from BOTH 21 and 29. Depending on how much they move down, there’s a couple extra 2019 R2-R3 picks they don’t have now. Too many holes on the roster not to tap into the Day 2 talent pool.

          Your Chiefs just took a big step towards the AFC Championship

      • charlietheunicorn

        I think you could do a #21 for #32 and #97 and #101……

        and still have 2 1st round picks. 😉

        • Ben Ft. Worth

          DUDE!!! I would LOVE, to go from 2 to 6 picks in the 1st 3 rounds!!!! Wow!

        • neil

          I don’t know who would give then a high 2nd and 4th for 21. Even if you get a high 2nd and a mid 5th does that add up in point value for a mid 1st? and it only adds one extra choice on a gamble.

          • Eburgz

            A high second and a third rounder or early fourth would be proper compensation based on history and the trade charts.

      • Ben

        It we got that haul I would probably cream my pants. Simmons and Gary in the same draft? I know there are concerns about injury, but those are two top 10 players that we’d get in the late first at very important positions. Forget the secondary, those are some big boys up front.

      • Volume12

        Could add one of them, a safety, and tap back into the D-line come round 3 too.

      • dylanlep

        I really hope its Simmons and Burns and not Gary.

  16. Trevor

    With the trade of Clark you have to believe the Hawks are building towards a 2020 title run.

    I think this should firmly put Simmons in play for this draft. Been talked about a lot but they would be basically be getting a top 5 pick in the 2020 draft to add to the DL after his res shirt injury year.

    • rowlandice

      I agree Trevor. Simmons seems like a value pick now for a 2020 push. To go with all the draft capitol next year, they should be loaded.

  17. Paul Cook

    The salary CAP strikes again! At first blush, it seems like a fair deal for the Hawks who didn’t want to be CAP-strapped this off-season and next. It hurts, however, to lose a proven commodity at arguably the 2nd most important position in the NFL, a quality pass-rushing DE. Draft picks are always a roll of the dice in terms of them living up to their draft-slot potential. We won’t know for a few years if the trade will pan out for us. It does, however, give us a lot more draft-day excitement this year and next.

    My guess is that they use the 21st pick if one of the DLman they covet falls to them, and that they trade out of the first round with the 29th pick to pick up an additional pick this year. Who knows? We’ll see.

    Boy, next year’s draft will be a bonanza for the Hawks with their regular allotment of picks, their compensatory picks, and that additional and probable late 2nd round pick from the Chiefs/Clark trade.

    It will be interesting to see how they play the FA market when it comes to DLmen. They will probably be able to afford a higher cost/shorter term deal for a quality DLman coming off an injury or one getting up in years to fill the gap Clark’s loss created. It would also be nice if one of their young DLmen stepped up (Greene?).

    Anyway…a lot of food for thought.

  18. DC

    Not long ago our best players were on defense and we allocated nearly all of our monetary resources towards keeping most of them. Our offensive line fell into shambles.

    Fast forward to the present. Clark, Wagner & Reed are at the plate for big raises. To keep them all probably affects the ability to field a functional OL once again. Seattle was not going down that road a second time. Is it more likely now that Ifedi’s 5th year option gets picked up?

  19. Kenny Sloth

    Frankys gonna be a Hawk. Shut your lyin ass up Pete

    • Volume12

      Sleight of hand with Pete. He’s waving his right hand, pay more attention to his left.

      • LLLOGOSSS

        I really don’t buy that Pete is duplicitous, I think he stays positive and works toward keeping guys, but it’s not a unilateral decision. Frank has a choice to make, also. There was a deal he left on the table here.

  20. CaptainJack

    Well say goodbye to having any pass rush next year. At least we get the second in 2020.

  21. charlietheunicorn

    The draft just hit 11 on the 10/10 scale for Seahawks fans.

  22. millhouse-serbia

    Clelin Ferrell is no1 target at 21 imo.

    • SamL

      Agreed. He could be there at 21 and has a great floor as well as ceiling.

      • Don

        Colin Farrell is only 5′-10″ and 42 yrs old. I don’t know why is so appealing. He should stick to acting.

  23. John_s

    Sad to see Frank go. I think he really grew up professionally and personally while he was here. I am glad about the picks. Will make the next two drafts fun.

    Seeing what Frank got from KC, I wonder if there was an issue from Seattle giving the 5th year. Seattle does not do 5 year contracts, not even with Russ.

  24. LLLOGOSSS

    Is it just me, or is everybody else mashing “refresh…?”

  25. Volume12

    For still only having 5 picks, Seattle can do just about anything else teams with twice the amount of picks can do.

  26. King_Rajesh

    Reposting this cause it got caught in the Moderation Net:

    We did it boys! Schneider finally took a page from Belicheck’s book and shipped out a defensive player instead of letting them walk (or worse, paying them)!

    Should have done it for Sherman, Earl, and Chancellor in 2016, but at least he knows now!

    Loading up big for 2020/2021, which should be the years we really push for another title. Rams will have to pay Goff or start over with a rookie QB, Eagles will either pay Wentz or be starting over, Bears will have to look at paying Trubisky, Chiefs will have to pony up all of the cash for Mahomes, Texans will have to pay Watson… All the teams that are cheating with cheap QBs will run out of time soon (and lets hope Brady the GOAT retires soon!)

    It’s looking like we’re making all the right moves once again – it looks like Schneider and Carroll know they’re not good enough to compete for the title in 2019, but with a solid draft this year and a big draft in 2020, they could be right back there in 1-2 years.

    In 2020, we have 12 picks without trading back so far:

    1, 2, 2, (Clark) 3, 3 (Comp – Earl), 4, 4 (Comp – Coleman), 5, 6, 6 (Comp – Mike Davis), 6 (Comp – Sweezy), 7

    • John_s

      I wonder if this is an indicator of how the Seahawks feel about the ‘19 and ‘20 draft?

      • Bigten

        I think it does. I wouldn’t be surprised with a very heavy DL draft, more than expected, because other than the Dline, its a weak class in PCJS eyes. I wouldn’t be sad about trading back with both firsts and getting as many as possible 2nd and thirds. Unless Gary or Ferrell fall. But my hope is that some how we can pick up at least Hill, Zach Allen, and D. Jones now.

    • Troy

      Lol its funny how you just double up all your comments from /r/seahawks and here

  27. RWIII

    Now that Frank Clark has been traded to Kansas City. Tony Pauline said that three players in play for the Seahawks are Jayon Ferguson, Juan Thornill and N’Keal Harry.

    It is going to be interesting to see what John Schneider comes up with, if he trade his 21st pick. Also, Schneider could take someone with his 21st pick and then trade his 29th pick. Schneider could take both of his first round picks and move down. Schneider now has TONS of options.

    • Volume12

      Got a feeling Frank’s replacement or guy who fills his role if you will is coming from the 3rd.

      • DC

        Might even be from last years’ 3rd. RG!

    • H

      I’d be disappointed with any of those 3. Or at least Ferguson and Harry, not sure on Thornhill.

    • Hawktalker#1

      Will be hard to replace Clark, let alone upgrade our DL if we wait and attempt doing it in the mid rounds. Don’t think that’s smart and I don’t see JS doing that.

  28. CaptainJack

    1. Simmons
    1. Gary
    3. McLaurin
    4. DB

    Lol

    • jb9

      I don’t know how they trade down if they can snag two of Sweat, Gary, Simmons, Ferrell, Burns at #21 and #29.

      • jb9

        Picking Simmons in the 1st might be ideal since they’d get that 5th year out of him.

        • Rob Staton

          I know I proposed it as a possibility in the article but I would urge people not too get your hopes up too much on that.

          They’ll need to trade down with one of these picks — and they need a pass rusher who can replace Clark off the edge.

          I think it’s more likely they take a DE/EDGE first, move back from #29 and then look at WR or DB.

          • CHawk Talker Eric

            I won’t be surprised when they trade down from both 21 and 29. All they need is a willing trade partner. Better to have 5-6 Day 2 picks in this draft than 2 late R1s. They have too many roster holes to fill and the talent pool runs deepest in R2-early R3.

      • Rob Staton

        I know — because they only have five picks.

        • jb9

          Quality over quantity

      • LLLOGOSSS

        Best case scenario would be to move down only slightly, perhaps twice, even, and still select at least one of those players. Say someone trades up for one of Sweat, Gary, or Simmons we move back a handful of spots and potentially take the one that remains. Ditto Ferrell/Burns.

        It’s still possible (though perhaps not as likely) to get two of those five while trading back from 21.

    • Trevor

      That would look good to me.

    • Hawktalker#1

      And our pick #5 (5th round) will cover the rest of our draft needs? Hard to see this play out.

  29. AlaskaHawk

    I’m going to consider this good news as I finally have a reason to watch the first round of draft. Surely they wouldn’t trade down on both their first round picks???

    I would actually consider standing pat on draft position now. Two first round picks, five year rookie contracts. That will make up for the missing second round pick. That pick #29 is worth 640 points, so it could be converted into two late second round picks; or mid-round second and third round picks.

  30. Frank

    Holy crap that’s a haul, hope Burns and Simmons fall to us although Tillery or Thornhill would be a great consolation prize. Can’t wait to get off work and take a good look at a bunch of prospects who previously weren’t going to be available.

  31. Michael in Reno

    Hi Rob. Very exciting week for the Hawks for sure!!! What are your thoughts of the Seahawks adding some short-term veteran options once the date hits that won’t affect compensatory picks? What do you think a 1-year “prove-it” deal would cost for Ansah? We have seen the Hawks hosting a lot of veteran D-Liners. Feels like they aren’t done in that regard.

    • Rob Staton

      I’m not that interested in Ansah. Always injured, questionable effort. Always been hit and miss.

      For me you draft young, hungry BAMF’s from this draft and then maybe look at Nick Perry, Allen Bailey and people like that. Plus let’s see if there are some trades to make. Seattle has 2020 stock to use on veteran trades down the line.

      • Michael in Reno

        Thanks Rob!!! Are there any FA Edge or D-Liners still available that you like that are coming off injury or who have under-performed that might benefit from a change of scenery or scheme? What are your thoughts on B. Urban? I also read somewhere that we might be big players in the UDFA market this year (as always), any gems you have your eyes on?

      • Uncle Bob

        Amen brother. Wouldn’t surprise me if another, lesser shoe falls to fluff up rounds 3 or 4 beyond what could be done with trade downs from the ones. I think JS likes his choices there.

        • Greg Haugsven

          Could possibly be Nick Perry as he is a street free agent and possibly Suh around May 10th once the comp picks wont be affected.You could be starting Perry, Reed, Suh, Greene (or a draft pick). Not terrible.

  32. Coleslaw

    My only gripe is that we didn’t have this excitement during the whole draft process lol. This is awesome!!

  33. Trevor

    Option A (I think both will go before this but you never know)

    #21 Brian Burns
    #29 Dexter Lawrence

    Option B (More Realistic)

    #21 Rashan Gary
    #29 Jeffery Simmons

    Option C

    Trade back into 2nd Round with both picks and end up with (5) Picks in Rds 2-3

    What do you think?

    • dylanlep

      Ill go with D – Burns and Simmons

    • mishima

      Option C, no question.

      • Ben Ft. Worth

        C!

    • Bigten

      A is very attractive, but I don’t see it happening. Even so I would trade out of 21 and take Lawrence at 29. I think the option of 2 players in round 2 and 3 (With options being Hill, Allen, Wino, D.Jones, and the DBs and WR) is better than Burns, value wise.
      Option D: stand pat at one of the spots if our guy drops to us and trade back with the other 1st rounder. That would be my choice. Value is to strong in the 2nd and 3rd.

    • Volume12

      I would love Burns. Him and N’Keal Harry are my 2 favorite players in this class, but there are so many guys in round 3 that can fill that role and I’m wondering if that’s the way to go.

      Sounds like Indy is enamored with Burns.

      • D-OZ

        +12

        • Greg Haugsven

          B sounds fantastic as well.

          • Greg Haugsven

            I like A but I actually think the picks would have to be reversed. Either A or B would be good.

            • Hawktalker#1

              Both A and B mean we would only have three picks left (3rd, 4th and 5th). With the same other needs we had before the Clark trade, I doubt JS is going to let that happen.

              • Trevor

                That is true but they are younger and cheaper with elite athletes and have all that $ from not signing Clark to address needs and depth.

                I think option C is most likely.

                JS has never picked less than 8 times in a draft. I think he turns those two 1st round picks into 4 picks on day #2 + a couple of late round picks and the Hawks end up with

                Round 2 – 2 Picks
                Round 3 -3 Picks
                Round 4- 1 Pick
                Round 5 -1 Pick
                Round 6 or 7 -1 Pick

                That way JS gets his 8 picks and he was pretty clear when he was talking the other day that he sees a drop off after Rd #3

    • Eli S

      Option A please. DLaw is a 342 lb. game wrecker who will nullify a teams run game, gobble up double teams for Reed and keep our ace LBs clean. He’s a force multiplier, get him and our Dlines fortunes start to gradually change in our favor. He’s Ngata version 2. Burns is also a good choice as I’d be ok with either he or Sweat. On the other side, Green must step up this season.

  34. SamL

    I’ll take a Google hangout, podcast, and mock draft please and thank you. Just kidding. Maybe not.

  35. MaxC14

    Is it correct to assume that the 2020 2nd we received from Kansas City is actually from the 49ers from the Dee Ford trade? If so, I hope the 49ers suck this year so we get a very high 2020 2nd.

    • JohnH

      It’s reported as whichever of the two seconds is lower.

      • BobbyK

        Beat me to it. 🙂

      • Sea Mode

        Sweet!

    • King_Rajesh

      We get either the 49ers 2nd or the Chiefs 2nd, whichever is worse.

    • BobbyK

      No. It appears we will have the worst pick of the two. For example, if the Chiefs win the Super Bowl – then we will get the 32nd pick in the second round next year.

      • MaxC14

        Thank you for clarifying that

      • juju

        do you have a source on this?

        • Greg Haugsven

          Lets root for Garropolo to blow out the other knee.

          • Sea Mode

            /delete

  36. cha

    I said this in a thread last week but it bears repeating again. The Hawks knocked the Clark pick out of the park. They were right to endure the heat for drafting him they were going to get. What a gem of a draft pick.

  37. Josh

    Thursday will be awesome now!!!! This offseason has been really fun, thanks for everything Rob!

  38. DCD2

    One minor thing that this does, that will likely be overlooked this early is that it gives FA flexibility next year. What I mean is that we weren’t really players in FA this year, in part because signing them would negate our comp picks. If Frank played out the tag and hit FA, he factors into the formula.

    IF, big if, we go with Ifedi’s 5th year option (we do have room for it now) we won’t really have any other compensatory offset concerns and can approach FA without restrictions.

    Part of our great SB defense was built on FA. The money saved from not paying Clark, along with Kam and possibly Doug off the books will give us the freedom to mine the UFA ranks without fear of losing picks.

  39. BobbyK

    If they are playing for 2020 while still trying to compete at (almost) the highest level in ’19, I wonder if they will give more thought to Simmons/Gary… as several of you have said before.

    After all, they’re not as “in” to win now based on moves as compared to when they passed on TJ Watt. Watt was a guy you knew would have been a top 10 pick had he stayed at Wisconsin in the following year and they passed on that opportunity.

    I always find it truly stupid when teams pass on a guy who “should” go in the 20s or 30s when you know they’d probably be top 10-15 guys the following year. And if you’re not “all in” now… then this long-term vision needs to be maximized. The Chiefs are “all in.” The Seahawks were “all in” when they traded for Percy Harvin. The Seahawks are clearly not “all in” for 2019, but they are setting themselves up wonderfully for 2020.

  40. BobbyK

    Personally, if they can’t do a Gary/Simmons round one, I would hope they could trade down a couple of times and potentially pick up another 2nd rounder next year, in addition to a little more help in the 3rd round this year.

    I’m hoping for an Ohio State WR in the 2nd round if they can move down with either pick.

    How much more fun would the blog be next year if they had their first round pick and three in the second round (and couple in the 3rd, and 4th…). More picks equals more realistic chances we can get some of these guys.

    Plus, the best part of next off-season is that we don’t have to get bogged down with sickening Russell Wilson extension talks. The extra picks are icing on the cake.

    • BobbyK

      Rob, I bet your blog, since it’s the best for Seahawks fans, is going to absolutely blow up next year with how many picks they’re going to have. There can only be so much excitement when there’s one pick in the first 2.5 rounds, but if they keep their draft stock for next year… it’s gonna be extra exciting!!!

      • Rob Staton

        Already pumped about it, can’t wait

      • laphroaig

        I won’t be surprised if at least one of those 2020 picks gets traded this year in order to move up and grab somebody we want. The Seahawks M.O. is to trade down from the first but they’ve also shown a willingness to trade up in the later rounds.

    • wallasean

      Right with you on this, I think JS has telegraphed being wary of question mark guys that fall. They can get back to a rotation of guys on DL that was really successful before when the running game was on. Leapfrog back down with those two picks until you pick your guy at WR (Mclaurin for me), then have an amazing day 2 filling in depth throughout the roster.

  41. ZB

    Two words….Rashan Gary

    • Greg Haugsven

      If he is there at 21 I think they select him.

    • Sean

      One word: NO!

      • dylanlep

        Hes not good!

        • Sean

          Highly rated high school recruit (number 1 ranked kid in 2016 class) that underachieved throughout his time at Michigan and now has a reported shoulder problem that sounds potentially serious. No thank you!

        • Hawktalker#1

          You have got to be joking, right?

          Many analysts say he’s great, including Rob, and you think he’s actually bad?

          Come on man.

          • dylanlep

            Well PFF says he’s bad and his analytics profile is not good. There will be players with much better profiles available at the pick, the odds are better they will be hits.

            • Hawktalker#1

              No wonder. Please don’t use PFF as a source. They suck.

              You’d be infinitely better off just sticking with Rob’s opinions over anything from PFF or a majority of the other analysts.

  42. Rad_man

    if they’re trading Clark because they have to in order to keep and extend Wagner this is a big mistake.

    • Rob Staton

      They traded Clark because they got a great offer and, quite fairly, didn’t want to make him the third highest paid defender in the league.

  43. Heliopause

    Hmm, looks like they could even do the unthinkable now; move up into the top ten.

    • Hawktalker#1

      And then their 5 picks into 4 or 3? Really?

    • Rob Staton

      Won’t happen

      • Heliopause

        Well, I did say “could” and “unthinkable.” The contrarian in me almost wants to see it happen just to mess with everybody. To give a more serious answer, my best guess is that they stand pat on one of the 1sts and trade down the other, but wouldn’t it be fun if they did trade up?

    • Bill Bobaggins

      For what? A replacement for Clark? That would be infuriating.

  44. MJL

    After seeing Frank’s post-trade tweet about just wanting to go somewhere he was appreciated..definitely thinking this trade was the right thing for all parties concerned. Was setting up to be a repeat of ET last year…

  45. MyChestIsBeastMode

    I’ve got a feeling we’ll be parlaying the two 1st Rd picks into two 2nd’s + three-to-four 3rd rounders + late round spare change (two-to-three 5th or 6th rounders). Still, I’d like to see one or more of Simmons/Gary/Sweat and I’d guess that would take a 1st for any. Though that does go against the “no woman beaters”, even if Simmons was pre-college, has repented, and lived a more-or-less stand-up life since from what I cant tell imho.

    Most importantly, whoever they do take, they’ve gotta hit it right. One could say that every year come draft time, but when trading away our most dominant young defender going into his prime, the only way to overcome that move is to pick some winners from the draft with our newfound draft capital.

    My gut says our ceiling is 10-6 but my heart says 12-4 is still a possibility if they hit it big in the draft, Jacob Martin steps it up along with Shaq, Tre, and TT (or whomever is FS post-draft). Go Hawks!

    • JohnH

      Even though there’s video of it which always increases the media furor, I’d argue that what Simmons did was markedly less bad than what Clark did. As far as I can tell, SImmons was protecting his sister. Was what he did wildly excessive and wrong? Of course. But (to me anyway) there’s a world of difference between not properly calibrating the level of force you’re using against a stranger who physically assaulted a loved one, and you yourself physically assaulting a loved one.

      When I was a teenager, if someone had jumped my sister I’d wager that my response wouldn’t have been much different than SImmons. It’s hard to hate on the guy for it honestly.

      • Sea Mode

        Look, there’s no real reason to debate this any further since Frank is no longer with the team, and I agree completely with your point on Simmons. But I just don’t think it’s fair to talk about “what Clark did” as if it were such a sure thing and we knew about it.

        See 6 min. mark:
        https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1927159054007735

        I understand there are plenty of motives to think that Frank and his girlfriend invented that story, and I respect if that is anyone’s opinion. But I personally am inclined to give credit to what the actual people involved said happened, not what people on the outside supposed happened. And on a very personal level once again, I believe that her face would have ended up much, much worse than that light scratch with no bruising if Frank really had done something to her.

        The PC/JS also clearly believed Frank’s version as well, because when asked after drafting him if they still held to their policy of “never drafting anyone who had hit a woman”, they said that yes that still held.

        I just want to set this out there because I feel many (not just aimed at you specifically) tend to talk about this as a sure case of domestic violence in which Frank was found guilty, because that’s the version that makes most of the headlines, but I think there was a lot of digging to do and I’m glad the Seahawks were willing to look past the narrative and carry out their own investigation, which in turn led them to give Clark a chance.

        • jujus

          Agreed on both accounts.

          The evidence didnt line up with the story on Frank and I have been supportive of him after the pick.

          On Simmons,

          yes he was wrong for hitting the attacker, but anyone who says they wouldnt defend their family vs a stranger is either lying or a coward imo.

          A punch can kill, and in the heat of the moment moment if its my loved one vs a stranger… thats a simple choice.

      • MyChestIsBeastMode

        Ya, I didn’t write the Simmons bit to pass judgement. It’s a matter of fact that he hit a gal regardless of situation. I’m interested in the explicit Seahawks stance on “won’t draft woman beaters” vs. the fact that he did hit a woman. In a nutshell, I’m wondering if Simmons will be on our draft board or not.

        I tend to agree that he had a reason for what he did (protecting his sister. Definitely not self-defense, but also understanding that a good offense can ultimately be a good defense in that him stepping in likely stops the gal from getting back up and coming at his sister once more… or maybe he was just simply enraged. I don’t care to debate it because we will never know what was in his head at the time, probably a bit of both anger and intent to protect his family) + he was young enough not to be in college yet i.e. a kid/young-adult. I believe in second chances and have not seen any additional reason to think he is a problem child. But, I am not sure how this will align with the Seahawks explicit values. We shall see.

        • Sea Mode

          Agree, that will be the interesting point.

          I tend to think he just lost his head in the heat of the moment, and the video seems to me that he went far overboard in anything that could be justified at that point as “defending” his family member, but of course I don’t have any more info than anyone else has.

  46. Dale Roberts

    KC must have been really down on Dee Ford because they only received a 2020 second round pick (the equivalent of a third). Did SF get less of player in Ford than seems obvious? KC added $6 million a year to their cap number and they haven’t signed MaHomes to his post rookie extension, which will be huge. We also don’t know how Clark will react to big money.

    San Francisco has Ford for 5 years at appx $15 million/year and he is only 2 years older than Clark. They can get out of the contract after two years with only $5 million in dead money. Let’s hope KC knows something about Dee Ford that San Francisco doesn’t.

    I think Seattle’s view is that they needed two Frank Clarks and that wasn’t going to happen if they paid him. Now we’re in a position to add some serious fire power to the DL over the next two years at an affordable price. I’ve believed all along that Jaran Reed is more valuable to Seattle than Clark and will be more affordable. Pressure up the middle is more destructive to an offence than edge pressure. If we can get a guy like Trystan Hill who can stop the run and still get some pressure the edge players will get their sacks by default. It’s amazing you can lose a player like Clark and still think tomorrow is brighter.

  47. Don

    With the Hawks in rebuild mode, and not a contender, they should do what the Patriots do. How much would Wagner get in a trade? Another 1st and 2nd rd pick? 2019 will be a reload and development year.
    What good would Wagner do on this team, maybe make the Hawks 10-6 instead of 9-7?

    I like Wagner, but it is best trade now while the value is still high. Look at Earl Thomas, who they should have traded away a year earlier, and got 1st rd pick. Instead they waited until it was too late, and Thomas walked away and the Hawks got nothing. Think long term and get the high draft picks now.

    • Rob Staton

      The Seahawks are not in rebuild mode.

      • Don

        Rebuild may be too strong of a word. Any team that is at the borderline of the playoffs is probably not a contender, and more talent is needed. The Hawks went to the SB with most of the team being young and talented. Why not copy the Patriots and trade older talent for new talent.

        • Rob Staton

          ‘Why not copy the Patriots’

          31 teams could try that. None would succeed. Because there’s only one BB & TB.

          • Don

            I understand, few teams have the personnel to copy the Patriots. I am thinking with Wagner wanting a 3rd contract, and getting older, slower, how many players stay that good and deserve a huge contact. By the time the Hawks get back to being a contender in 1 or 2 years, Wagner will be even older. If the Hawks are gong to be down for a couple of years, use the down time to develop a young LB.

            • Rob Staton

              I’ve not seen any evidence of Wagner getting slower. His last two seasons have been the best of his career.

    • Bill Bobaggins

      10 win, playoff team last year in rebuild mode? “eyeroll emoji”

      • Don

        Just because a team may get in the playoffs with 10 wins (and some teams don’t get in), it doesn’t mean they are good enough to win the SB. Just making it to 10 wins and getting to the playoffs is not the goal.

        • laphroaig

          Jeez, we’ve been spoiled by success. I remember when finishing over .500 and getting into the playoffs were considered accomplishments and rebuilding is what you undertook when you accomplished neither.

          • Don

            yeah, I remember when I thought making $10 / hr was an accomplishment. Shame on me to be spoiled and want more. I should just be happy with that pay and watch others get more. The Hawks should just be good and not even try to win a SB.

    • Hawktalker#1

      Ouch. Not a great take.

      • Don

        Nothing wrong with asking the question. If you get multiple high picks for him, it is worth considering.

    • TomLPDX

      The Seahawks are always in rebuild mode, just like every other team. Bobby is the glue of our defense now and has been for a while. Accept it. I think they finally gave up on trying to sign Frank because he cost more than they could afford and they want to sign Bobby more. He is the undisputed leader of our defense now and will be for a few more years at a minimum. Build around him and make the team better. Why do you think they paid KJ for another year?

      • Don

        Because KJ is good and less expensive, and knows the system. If a team offered the Hawks a 1st rd pick for him, should they take it? I would. He isn’t getting any younger.

  48. Ben Ft. Worth

    HEARING: Jets were offering #3 for Frank Clark and wanted to swap with Seattle at #21. Seahawks said no and went with Chiefs deal.

    ~Parker Lewis

    • JohnH

      I just straight up don’t believe that. Trading down from #3 nets you way way way more than #29 and a low second next year. No way they’d choose the Chief’s offer over #3.

      • Ben Ft. Worth

        Tell Parker Lewis that. He’s the one reporting it, not me.

        • JohnH

          1. I have no idea who that is.
          2. I realize that you aren’t the one saying it, I’m just commenting on it.
          3. Relax dude, no need to be defensive.

          • ZB

            Wait….who is the one being defensive here? I’m drunk so don’t listen to me.

      • Bobby54

        We would have included #21 in that proposed deal with the Jets. So #3 vs. #21, #29 and a future second. If you see it like this, it doesn´t seem that unlikely…

      • Darnell

        The thing is, I wouldn’t do that unless you already had a trade down from 3 agreed upon.

        They could have been left holding the bag with Q Williams or N Bosa in exchange for Frank+21. Which would be tough to swallow.

        Though it would have been epic to see them trade from 3 right out of the first round (picture a montage video set to Eye of the Tiger).

        • Bobby54

          Yes, I like the Chiefs deal way more. Bosa, Quinnen or Josh Allen are all great prospects, but we need more bodies. Dream is that Burns falls to #21 and now we can stay put or even trade up a little with the 2020 picks to secure him at say #15. After that, you do your usual trade downs into day 2.

        • laphroaig

          What if Clark didn’t want to go to the Jets? As I understand it, he could have nixed the deal by refusing to sign the franchise tag, which would mean the Seahawks didn’t have a contract with him they could trade.

          The speed with which KC signed him to a new contract tells me it was already on the table and he probably chose to take it rather than whatever the Jets were offering.

          • TomLPDX

            I think there is truth in this. KC is a win-now team and they have the right personnel to do it. Jets…they have some work to do just to get back to the playoffs

      • jb9

        You’re forgetting about #21 as well. Seahawks chose #21+#29+2020 2nd over #3.

        Trade value chart:

        #3=2200
        #21+#29=1440
        2020 2nd=?

        • Sea Mode

          Usually you can count the 2020 R2as a 2019 R3 on the chart for calculation purposes.

  49. Ben Ft. Worth

    NFL Network analyst. Just did a broadcast on TV with it too.

    https://twitter.com/ParkerLewisJR/status/1120760024664424454?s=19

  50. Ben Ft. Worth

    Excuse me, Mike Garafolo retweeted by Parker Lewis*.

  51. Blue

    Wow! What a fun time. Just to change directions, how far down in round 1 of the draft could the Seahawks move if they packaged their 2nd round pick or a 2020 pick(s) with either of their first round picks? Could be a rare opportunity to get the defensive lineman you really want and still have a 1st round pick.

  52. James

    Dr Khalfayan now the most important man in the building. His accurate verdict on Sweat, Gary and Simmons is critical.

    • Greg Haugsven

      Whos your preference James?

      • Dale Roberts

        Gary because of his versatility and rare athleticism for his weight. He could play this year and have labrum surgery next off season. There’s also no reason to think it would be a long term problem.

    • CHawk Talker Eric

      I’m not advocating taking any of those, but Simmons is the rarest of the 3. Pass rushing DEs are fairly common. Pass rushing 3Ts who can play up and down the DL are much more rare.

  53. Willyeye

    Given the plethora of D-Line talent in this draft, and the scarcity of Seahawk picks, I don’t think JS will risk either of the 1st round picks on a “prototypical” D-Line rookie. I believe he will trade down with both 1st round picks for a slew of Day Two pass rushers. I believe that as per usual, Schneider’s favorite picks will be available in the 2nd and 3rd rounds. The odds are better to draft a future star with 3 or 4 Day Two pass rushers than picking 1 or 2 Day One pass rushers.

    • Ben Ft. Worth

      I’d like for us to trade back with both 1st’s as well. From #21 to somewhere at the end of 1. Then take #29 and #??? and see what else you might be able to scoop up.

      • jj

        Can we trade back from 21 to 29..Sorry bad joke. Knew it when I wrote it.

  54. charlietheunicorn

    I find it INCREDIBLY hard to believe that Seattle would pass on the #3 pick.
    There is going to be a QB needy team moving up the draft into a top 5 spot to grab a QB… and if you are 1 pick in front of the Raiders, that is a pretty spot to be….. since they are highly likely to draft a QB at #4.

    • ZB

      I think the Jets were probably asking for a 3rd rounder to go with it.

      • Hawktalker#1

        Easy to speculate, hard to know what the offer actually was. Not sure anyone will ever know.

  55. Sea Mode

    Whelp, they actually did it. Eventually they had to draw a line in the sand on their price, and it looks like Frank wasn’t willing to back down on his ask.

    Glad we got a decent return, although it would have been nice to get one of their R2 picks this year instead of next. Oh well.

    Back to the drawing board for my final Seahawks mock draft for tomorrow!

  56. McZ

    This puts the Hawks into a controlling position in the draft.

    Anybody concerned we cannot compete in 2019 should remember, just how much talent can be acquired in R2-4. Players fallen from hype like Zach Allen, some very good WRs, a bunch of diverse backfield generals for any need, some of the better OL players the last few years have seen, a precious few very capable LBs, we could even manage to get Byron Murphy … aso

    This will be hell of a draft weeekend. No need to despair.

    • Hawktalker#1

      Sorry, I have to disagree with that take.

      We just lost our best pass rusher and one of the best young defensive lineman in the NFL. Sure, now we have some picks, but we have to fill that big hole before we can say we’ve made any positive headway at all. That is not an easy task and I don’t think we should assume we’re in any kind of a better or more positive position because of this trade as of today. We need to do a great job in the draft and our selections need to pan out just to fill the holes were left with. We have other holes to fill and needs to address as well.

      I do look forward to seeing how JS creatively uses the few picks we do have.

  57. Dawgma

    Wait, someone finally taught the FO that you can trade disgruntled overpriced vets for late first round draft picks instead of the other way around? Rejoice!

  58. Sea Mode

    Shoot.

    Ian Rapoport
    @RapSheet

    #Seahawks star DL Jarran Reed spent this morning undergoing surgery at the hand of Dr. William Meyers in Philly to fix a sports hernia, source said. He’ll be fine with plenty of time for training camp, as the recovery is 4-6 weeks. One of the players Seattle may look to pay

    1:04 PM – 23 Apr 2019

    • LandOfBoz

      Just cleanup, not a lot to worry about in my opinion. If they implanted surgical mesh, he will heal fast and be stronger than ever at that spot.

      • Sea Mode

        ok, cool. I guess I just don’t like to see any of our guys that young need interventions, even if they are relatively minor.

        Hope they lock Reed up sooner rather than later.

  59. Sean Harker

    Rob- does this tell you they have high confidence in Rasheem Green and Jacob Martin to develop into starters? I think it says a lot about those two youngsters myself. I think Green is a forgotten guy in all of this.
    Would love to see them look at Nick Perry, Suh and E Barry…the huge thing here is freeing up that cap space. They have options they didn’t have at this time yesterday.

    • Rob Staton

      Not really. I think it was a perfect storm of not being willing to make Clark the third highest paid defender in the NFL and getting a great trade offer.

      • Sea Mode

        Yup. And a fairly desperate need to recoup draft picks at the same time.

    • mr peapants

      I agree sean. martin looked extremely explosive last year and green played well in pre season. but also I think this dline class figures into it too.

  60. VashonALL

    Curious how folks feel about Jachai Polite now. He had solid tape no? How badly did he botch his stock? If he falls all the way to the 3rd I’d be intrigued.

    • Rob Staton

      He botched it so badly, it’s hard to imagine how far he might drop.

      • LLLOGOSSS

        Iirc, this was regarding bad interviews? Or no?

        • Rob Staton

          It was everything. His workouts, weight, interviews.

    • Bigten

      I had the same question. Was a top ten by some off of his tape before the combine, destroyed his stock with interviews, but how far before he is worth it? I wouldn’t mind if we got an early third and took him. Grab him Gary and Simmons, three top ten talent wise. Also intrigued with Zach Allen, he was also seen as very high pick based on tape after the season. What is the knock on him again?

  61. Dan

    Rookie pass rushers usually get 5-8 sacks at their best… The defense has taken a significant drop in talent. Teams will have plenty of time to pass the ball against the Seahawks. This is a terrible trade that puts the franchise back several years. You simply don’t trade away young elite pass rushers unless you are the foolish Raiders (and now Seahawks). Third place in the West now awaits.

    • Ben Ft. Worth

      Someone needs a nap. Its gonna be ok buddy. Hang in there. Seattle has a plan. They wouldn’t pull the trigger on this trade if there wasn’t some blue prints already in place as to how we go from here. People said the sky would be falling last year too. I never believed that for a second.

      I’m very excited about this deal. Anything is possible now.

      • Hawktalker#1

        +1

  62. KD

    THIS
    CHANGES
    EVERYTHING

    So glad i took this week off from work. Given the amount of the contract and constraints the Hawks face, it appears that there was no way we were going to be able to keep Clark, Wagner and Reed all together, so I’m glad that Wagner and Reed were prioritized. Now there are so many possibilities open in the draft now, so it will be interesting to see how they approach the draft overall now, especially with 12 picks available next year. Regardless of the direction they go, whether they make this is depth draft with one or two impact players, or if they go heavy at the top, we’re going to have a lot of fun this week.

    GET HYPED!

    • Coleslaw

      Yeah, there definitely was no way to sign Clark and all the others. Wilson, Reed, Wagner and Clark would have been $80M+ per year. Not sustainable. We got a great deal, I’m pumped.

  63. Trevor

    Post Frank Clark Trade Mock

    Trade #1 Hawks Trade #21 to Indy for #26 + #90
    Trade #2 Hawks Trade #29 to Cincy for #40 + #73 + #184

    Hawks end up with their full allotment of 8 picks

    #26 Dexter Lawernce (DT / Clemson) Montez Sweat, Rahsaan Gary , Brian Burns(if available but I think all 3 are off the board)

    #40 Darnell Savage (S / Maryland ) or Juan Thornhill

    #73 Terry Mclaurin (WR / Ohio St) or Gary Jennings, Emanuel Hall

    #90 D Walker (Edge / Georgia) / Chase Winovich and Christian Miller are other options

    #93 Chuma Edoga (OT/ USC)

    #125 Trevon Wesco (TE/FB) Foster Moreau would be another option

    #160 Derrick Thomas (CB / Baylor)

    #184 Kayden Elliss (LB /Idaho)

    • Dale Roberts

      I’d love this draft. Personally I’d rather have Gary but I just can’t see him being available at 26 so Lawrence seems like a good value at 26. The problem with Burns is that we need a DE that can play the run as well and I think Burns is too light to hold up. I’d take Thornhill over Savage but again I think he’ll go before 40. I also don’t think McLaurin will be there at 73 but Gary Jennings is a very intriguing pick. Edoga is a tackle so unless he’s project to move inside I’d opt for a guard or another DL guy. Elliss I don’t know anything about. What his is special quality?

    • RWIII

      Tevor: I like your mock draft. I have been reading alot Trevon Wesco. I like him a lot. Underrated receiver. One of the best blocking TEs in this draft. Do you think Cincinnati is willing to move up?

    • Hawktalker#1

      Nice work there Trev. That has to be one of the most reasonable trade down scenarios I’ve seen so far. However, the bar has been set pretty low to date. 🙂 Keep it coming.

  64. Alex Higgins

    Why hasn’t anyone mentioned the obvious possibility: we are in a position to trade a pick or two from next year in order to get more picks this year. If this year’s draft is deep, then that makes a lot of sense. We have plenty of holes to fill right now.

    • Dale Roberts

      I heard Clayton talking about that very subject. We have 12 picks next year. Remember, next year’s picks are worth a round less so for example a 2020 second is valued as a 2019 third. That means you get less value when you trade a future pick.

    • Bigten

      As Rob has mentioned, it’s deep in DL, with a cliff after the third. No pics from next year are going to put us in a position to take advantage of that depth. And as has been mentioned, the rest of the positions are severely lacking in talent. Don’t get me wrong, I would love more ammo this draft, but I am even more excited for the ammo we will have next year.

  65. Greg Haugsven

    How this trade affects the Seahawks Cap Space.

    Before the trade:

    Frank Clark…$17,128,000
    Pick 21…$2,262,447 (replacing $570k) Cap Space needed $1,692,447
    Pick 84…$722,061 (replacing $570k) Cap Space needed $152,061
    Pick 124…$666,410 (replacing $570k) Cap Space needed $96,410
    Pick 159…not high enough to be in top 51

    Total Cap Space needed for Frank Clark, and picks 21, 84, and 124…$19,068,918

    After the trade:

    Frank Clark…$0
    Pick 21…$2,262,447 (replacing $570k) Cap Space needed $1,692,447
    Pick 29…$1,959,018 (replacing $570k) Cap Space needed $1,389,018
    Pick 92…$710,108 (replacing $570k) Cap Space needed $140,108
    Pick 124…666,410 (replacing $570k) Cap Space needed $96,410

    Total Cap Space needed for picks 21, 29, 92, and 124 $3,317,983

    Savings of $15,750,935

    This will obviously change if they trade down or up. What can we go get for $15 million now?

    • Dale Roberts

      “What can we go get for $15 million now?” Bobby Wagner and Jaran Reed.

      • Greg Haugsven

        We would actually gain cap space by signing Bobby Wagner, they may want to extend Reed now and yes he would take up some space but not a ton this year.

      • cha

        I sure hope not. If they use 2019 cap space in 2019 on 2020 extensions that would severely hinder 2019 DL roster building. They simply have to get some veteran pass rush pronto.

      • LLLOGOSSS

        Exactly, we need to use the cap space this year to pro-rate their massive guarantees, while we have it.

    • RWIII

      Greg: After trading Frank Clark. Seattle is not going to have to worry about being in CAP HELL. Trading Clark gives the Seahawks TONs of flexibility when it comes to the salary cap. Next year Seattle is going to have 12 draft picks(at the moment) plus TONs of Cap space. This is an absolutely awesome stroke of genius.

      GO JOHN GO!

      Go Hawks!

    • Coleslaw

      I doubt they traded him for cap relief this year. We’ll probably roll it all over to next year. Itll allow us to sign Bobby and Reed and still have money for our other free agents in the coming years after. We have pretty much our entire roster becoming FAs in the next 3 years. We have to re sign EVERYBODY. A lot of guys coming off their rookie deals will need real contracts.

      It allows us to keep our core together. Frank may not be part of that core anymore, but now we can keep whoever we want, and Clark will be replaced by a top DL in this class on a 4 year rookie deal likely with a 5th year option.

      The strength of the roster in the long haul will be much better off now than it would have been with Clark. Our core can be bigger now.

      • Greg Haugsven

        If the Seahawks did extend Reed for 4 years now and gave him say a $10 million signing bonus and kept his base salary the same at $1,116,769 it would only add $2 million to his cap hit this year ($10 million/5). They could then maybe extend Bobby for 3 more years and give him a $12 million sign bonus, lower his base salary from $10.5 million to $5.5 million (difference of $5 mill) and add the $3 million of his signing bonus to this years cap ($12 mill/4) you could actually extend both Reed and Wagner and use exactly $0 of cap space this year. I know that is a lot of math and I think I just passed out.

        • Coleslaw

          That’s pretty cool. Although we dont need to cap space this year. We didnt need it before the Clark trade either. We could’ve signed FAs and our draft picks. This IMO is all about 2021 and 2022 free agents, and the $80M/year they would’ve been paying for 4 players.

  66. Coleslaw

    DL will be the first pick. Pencil it in. The clues have been there all along. When Schneider said that a guy could be at 21 that they have to take, we should’ve known he was talking DL.

    I think they know we’ll be able to get someone like Gary, Simmons, Ferrell, Sweat, Burns. I REALLY hope we get Rashan Gary. That would be the best possible outcome of the whole draft. A legit top tier talent at 21? I dont care if he plays with a bum shoulder all 2019 and misses a month of 2020 after surgery. If hes there hes the pick.

    • SoCal12

      I’m hearing Gary a lot and I would love to pick him up, but I still think it’s a long shot he falls to 21. He was talked about as a top-10 pick and I don’t really see a shoulder issue putting him past 20. Unless it’s way worse than expected in which case are we willing to risk that?

      I have a feeling Clelin Ferrell is going to be our guy or Burns. Great characters with high potential. Sweat depending on his heart condition. If I had to rank the likelihood of our first pick I’d go: 1. Ferrell 2. Burns 3. Sweat 4. Gary.

      That’s assuming we don’t end up trading 21 of course which is also very much a possibility.

      • Hawktalker#1

        Nice thread.

      • Coleslaw

        100% agreed on everything except Ferrell and Burns part.

        Gary’s issue is serious, but not long term. Like Simmons except not as bad. I also have a hard time seeing him there at 21, but with all these DL, the difference really might be health.

  67. Greg Haugsven

    I forgot, once Frank left someones contract had to enter the top 51 as well. So remove $570k from that number. $15,750,935- $570,000= $15,180,935

  68. ZB

    Does Kliff Kingsbury strike fear in you’re heart?

    • Sea Mode

      No, but that glaring grammar mistake is doing a pretty good job of it… 😉

    • Hawktalker#1

      No. But I would much rather play the Cardinals with Rosen then Murphy. I have no fear of Rosen.

  69. Coleslaw

    If Seattle turned down #3 it’s because they didn’t want to risk being stuck there. Plus even with #3 and reading down, you’re not getting 2 1sts in this class. You couldn’t plan anything at all. It would have been a MAJOR gamble. Albeit one that value wise may have exceeded what we got after trading down. But you still wouldn’t have 2 1sts this year, you wouldn’t be able to feel comfortable picking in round 1 with your first pick, which means youd eithee miss out on your DL replacement, or miss out on filling out your draft board.

    A month ago I take #3. 2 days before the draft, not so appealing.

    • Matt

      I’m only going to disagree slightly because #3 guarantees you Nick Bosa or Quinnen Williams. While I yearn for more picks – this team hasn’t had the opportunity to stare a sure-fire Blue Chip in the draft for a long time.

      I’m sure the Jets would have included another good 2020 pick that could be used to get back into R2.

      All that said, if the Hawks can get Simmons and an instant contributor with both 1s this year…probably best for the long haul.

      • Coleslaw

        If you pick at #3 youd be essentially trading Clark and #21 for whoever you pick there. The rookie deal for the #3 pick isnt cheap either. From everything I’ve heard, the deal would have been Clark and #21 for #3.

  70. Matt

    Love this trade. I love Frank as a player but the whole point behind roster construction is to pay guys as little money to perform at a high level. Frank’s new contract will require him to perform at a really elite level to justify that. You can get away with that at QB, but every other position – this is where teams get in trouble. You can’t pay good players great money. And you can’t pay great players elite money. Frank is a great player making elite money. That’s not a good value proposition.

    Regarding the draft…this will be unpopular, but barring not having the right guys on the board – I want to see Seattle stand pat with both 1st rounders. I think they absolutely need to draft Jeffrey Simmons. That’s a top 5 talent and they may never get this opportunity for as long as RW is their QB. I’d like to see Juan Thornhill as the 29th pick.

    This leaves a hole in R2, right? Well, we now have 12 picks in 2020 – and I think you need to deal next years 2 and 3 to get back into R2 this year and that’s where you target a pass catcher. There will be a great guy on the board. R3, R4, and R5 is where you double dip on some Edge guys. LJ Collier, Crosby, Nelson…there will be guys there.

    If you can walk away from this draft with Jeffrey Simmons, Juan Thornhill, Terry McLaurin, and 2 of Collier, Crosby, Nelson, Omenihu, Bingham – I think you have the groundwork for a serious run in 2020.

    Simmons is a special talent. Him, Reed, and Ford is a preposterous amount of talent at DT.
    Thornhill is an absolute playmaker and freak athlete. Whether he is at FS or Nickel or both…he’s a fantastic talent.
    McLaurin is plug and play. Absolute Dynamo.

    • Sea Mode

      I love McLaurin as much as anybody around here, but I don’t think he’s worth trading away a 2020 R2 and R3 considering the amazing amount of WR talent that looks like it is coming in next year’s draft.

      So, IMO, target him, but if you miss out then just put WR off until next year.

      I’m still not convinced Thornhill isn’t just the next Obi Melifonwu either. I can’t deny the athleticism nor the production, but he just doesn’t have the “it” factor for me, especially not in R1-R2. In R3, I think that’s where I personally would feel more comfortable adding him. But hey, I could be way off about him.

    • Rob Staton

      I have no idea why people want to waste multiple 2020 picks to trade into this year. The value sucks.

      • D-OZ

        I’m just ignoring any such suggestibility, Rob. 🙂

  71. SoCal12

    Rob, are you doing one last mock before the draft? I’m really interested in what you can cook up with our new capital. I imagine this trade changes any mock you might’ve had in the works quite a bit lol.

    • Rob Staton

      Yes — final mock on Wednesday

  72. GauxGaux

    Mockin’ It…

    1. Bryon Murphy
    2. Dexter Lawrence
    2. Terry McLaurin
    3. D’Andre Walker
    3. Trysten Hill
    4. Foster Moreau
    5. Derrek Thomas

    • ZB

      I love Byron Murphy too but people keep telling me he’s not a Seahawk. The rest of the players on the list would be incredible.

      • GauxGaux

        I was sold during Rob’s piece… bummer to hear.

    • Hawktalker#1

      Ice Cold Take.

      There is no way the Seahawks are going to take any other position than a DL/DT with their first pick. Frank left a hole and now they have to fill it with a quality pick. Not a wide receiver, not a DB, and so on and so on. There is no way the front office is going to dig a hole and not make every effort to fill it.

    • Rob Staton

      Lawrence will be long, long gone.

  73. Hawkin

    Hear me out on this one. If one of the top DE is sitting there at 16, seahawks trade up with one of their 2020 2nds. Who do you think is there and would it be worth it? Maybe it’s not even a DE, maybe Hockenson is there.

    • ZB

      Christian Wilkins

      • ZB

        To me Wilkins is a top 10 talent all day long. IF he dropped to 16 I would have no problem trading up to get him. I believe he will be a force to be reckoned with at the next level for years to come.

      • GauxGaux

        Who is a better sheme fit next to Reed… Wilkins, Lawrence, or Other?

        • ZB

          I would probably say Lawrence but I don’t think we would have to trade up to get him.

          • GauxGaux

            Then give me Lawrence and add Hill in the later rounds… want to add Walker too as a LEO with Marsh and Martin. Then GREEN, JONES, JEFFERSON, at EDGE? Add a FA maybe…

    • Coleslaw

      Ed Oliver is the ONLY player I would trade up for. Period.

      We’ll likely have a crack at a blue chip DE anyways without trading. Possibly might even have that at 29 after trading down.

      • ZB

        Personally after watching a bunch of film on Oliver I think he is overrated as a top 10 pick. I believe him to be in the 20 range talent wise.

    • Hawktalker#1

      I think most would believe using next year’s second round pick is not a good idea. But for the sake of discussion, how many positions are you estimating we could move up in the first round this year using next year’s second round pick? That might be a determining factor. It might be less than you think.

  74. JaviOsullivan

    Time to mock draft.

    Pick 21. Give me Brian Burns
    *Pick 29. Trade down with Bengals for #42 and #72.
    Pick 42. Darnell Savage
    Pick 72. L.J. Collier still available??? or Terry McLaurin.
    Pick 92. Max Scharping
    Pick 124. Blake Cashman
    Pick 159. Derrek Thomas

    And I think it’s likely that we have another trade down with #124 to get more late picks.

    • ZB

      Looks fine to me but I just don’t think McLaurin or Collier will end up being there at 72. Just a feeling though. I could be wrong.

    • Hawktalker#1

      Pass on Burns for reasons already discussed often.

  75. Coleslaw

    Has anyone heard from Sean? I still cant stop thinking about that dude from time to time. I really hope hes ok.. Sean, if you’re just a lurker now, we love you brother.

  76. GauxGaux

    Throwing this out there…. Bark Mingo taking a “sophomore” leap?

    • LLLOGOSSS

      He’s just not on the field all that often, and when he is, he’s rarely rushing the passer, which I what I want to see. Just didn’t get a lot of opportunities as the year went on. They didn’t really use him like Bruce Irvin, they must feel that he isn’t great with his hand in the dirt?

© 2024 Seahawks Draft Blog

Theme by Anders NorenUp ↑