Seahawks release Bryant & Rice plus other notes

This wasn’t a big shock.

The news was already out there, the moves both inevitable. Sidney Rice and Red Bryant weren’t going to go any further with the Seahawks.

And yet there’s still a sense of disappointment today.

Rice was a big free agent addition in 2011 — at a time when Seattle had very little quality on the roster and needed an instant injection of talent.

When he was snatched away from Minnesota, he was seen as a potential #1 receiver. Unfortunately the injuries that plagued his career with the Vikings had a similar impact in Seattle.

His signature, however, still provided plenty of momentum at a time when it was absolutely needed.

He never put up huge numbers — but he provided plenty of big plays. None bigger than the play-action touchdown to beat the Patriots in 2012.

Bryant was one of the few players that survived from the Ruskell era. A fierce competitor, he’d been the heart and soul of the team.

It was Bryant who made “we all we got, we all we need” the rallying call in 2010.

It suited a meandering 7-9 outfit punching above its weight. It equally befit a 13-3 Championship roster three years later.

Whatever your opinion of Bryant’s on the field play, teams didn’t want to face him. It was an obstacle that had to be passed.

He set the tone for the defense, long before the likes of Earl Thomas and Richard Sherman took the baton.

He’ll go somewhere else and be just as impactful. And just as underrated.

Yet this is where the Seahawks are at right now. This is no longer a rebuild — it’s a maintenance job. Keep the key players you can’t live without. Replace the ones you can.

We talked about it throughout the 2013 season, and there were a few candidates who could’ve been cut.

Brandon Mebane’s contract is just as cut-able as Bryant’s — yet he played as well as any one-technique in the league through the second half of the season and the playoffs. It became no contest.

Rice’s ACL injury made his departure a formality. They paid millions to two injured receivers in 2013, while a bunch of UDFA’s and cheap replacements won a title. Percy Harvin isn’t going anywhere, but Rice’s deal couldn’t be retained.

It’s also possible that neither player will need to be replaced — another key reason why they’ve gone and the likes of Chris Clemons and Zach Miller remain.

Most people expect Seattle to add a receiver with one of their first two picks in the draft. Personally, I think it’s a nailed on certainty.

But even if it doesn’t happen — they’ll have the same crew that were good enough to win a Super Bowl if they re-sign Golden Tate.

In fact the prospect of having Harvin for more than a couple of games stands to add a significant boost to the position.

They can live without Rice if they retain Tate.

Bryant’s size will be a loss to the defense, but this is a unit that has constantly found ways to adapt and evolve. They intend to keep Michael Bennett — and there’s no reason why he can’t feature more prominently at end.

Today’s news could open the door for Bennett, Clemons and Cliff Avril to take more snaps together. This trio wreaked havoc together in the post season.

If they find a way to keep Tony McDaniel — or replace him with a similar sized player — there’s no reason why they can’t thrive without having a 320lbs monster playing early downs.

There’s also a chance Greg Scruggs and Jesse Williams come into the fold — and the later rounds of the draft could offer up a Justin Ellis, DeAndre Coleman or Da’Quan Jones.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying Rice or Bryant won’t be replaced. As noted, it’s a great draft for receivers. I also projected 303lbs Stephon Tuitt to the Seahawks in my last mock draft.

But if they’d released Zach Miller instead, they’d have to replace him as a priority. A capable run blocking tight end is vital to this offense. The options in free agent are pitiful, and do you really want to be handcuffed into looking at a Troy Niklas in round one?

Likewise Clemons would need to be replaced.

Benson Mayowa remains untested. Bruce Irvin appears destined to remain at linebacker (according to Dan Quinn in a recent interview). O’Brien Schofield is a free agent.

You can’t go into the season with just Avril and Mayowa as your edge rushers. And it’s a rotten draft for LEO’s.

Both players could be cut in the future — or they could be asked to restructure their deals.

But they’re very much safe for now.

If either was going to be cut before free agency, it would’ve happened today — at the same time as Bryant and Rice.

In the case of Clemons, one thing could change that of course — the strong options available in free agency.

What if the market is cold just as it was a year ago?

What if there’s an opportunity to talk to a Michael Johnson, Brian Orakpo or Jared Allen?

If there’s a short term deal to be done, just as we saw with Avril and Bennett, Clemons could become expendable — saving an extra $7.5m in cap space.

Things are starting to get interesting — and with other deals now being completed around the league, prices are being set. It wouldn’t be a total shock if we hear something on Tate or Bennett over the weekend.

So where are we at in terms of the cap?

It was revealed today that the budget is set at $133m for 2014. The Seahawks are able to roll over just under $3m from last season, taking the grand total up to about $136m they’ll have available.

With the cap increasing by $10m, the $3m rollover and the $12.8m saving today — there’s plenty of room for the Seahawks to play with here.

With a further increase of around $10m expected in 2015 (plus another $10m in 2016) — suddenly some of the long term problems are easing.

Really, they should have no problem extending the contracts of Thomas, Sherman and Russell Wilson. The annual cap rises plus the departure of other top earners will provide copious amounts of room to get those deals done.

Bennett will be pricey, as will Tate to a certain extent. Retaining the other free agents will really be down to market value and testing the water.

Yet theoretically you could pay Bennett $8m per year and Tate $5.5m per year and still have around $10m to play with.

If you wanted to go after Johnson — who’s almost certain to leave the Bengals — you make an offer knowing you can cut Clemons and save another $7.5m immediately.

So with Bennett and Tate in the bag, you’d be going into the market with a cool $17-18m to play with.

More than enough to at least make a few enquiries and also look into re-signing Steven Hauschka, Breno Giacomini, Tony McDaniel and Clinton McDonald.

Re-signing Earl Thomas this off-season shouldn’t have any impact here. His cap hit is already $5.5m in 2014. You could sign him to an extension that pays close to $10m per year on average, and you could still keep that cap number at around $6-8m in 2014.

The extended cap rise really is a gift from the football gods as Seattle tries to keep a Championship team together.

But the most exciting part is — they could get even better.

And if there’s any further incentive to get busy in the market — remember this. Seattle is the most fashionable place to play in the NFL right now. A lot of free agents are going to want to come here.

Come and be part of the dynasty. Come and play for the team that lets you be yourself.

Come and play for the team that won the Super Bowl and intends to win more.

If you can improve an already productive defensive line going into the draft — it frees you up to target receiver and offensive line with the first two picks.

The only stumbling block could be the amount of free cash elsewhere. Jacksonville has around $60m in cap space. Oakland is in a similar position. With teams like that needing to force major rebuilds, they’ll likely get the cheque book out.

But again — players want to play in Seattle. That’s the joker in the pack.

I’m not sure they feel the same way about playing for the Raiders and Jags. And it’ll test their desire to really overpay in order to land key free agents.

Draft notes

— Stephon Tuitt ran a forty yard dash at a specially arranged pro day today. Nobody seems to be reporting anything about this, but the player himself says he ran a 4.8. That’s an impressive time if it can be confirmed.

— Austin Seferian-Jenkins underwent foot surgery today, according to this report. He’s expected to miss around eight weeks, which sounds generous. With the draft starting later this year (early May), he might be able to squeeze in a pro-day.

— The weirdest story of the day involved the Miami Dolphins, who appear to be shopping Dion Jordan. It’s only a year since they traded up to take him with the #3 overall pick. It’ll be interesting to see if they get any takers. After such an underwhelming rookie season and persistent shoulder problems, I’m not sure I’d be racing to make a deal.

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67 Comments

  1. Colin

    Tough moves, but not surprising at all. Can’t pay good players great player money. I’d like us to bring back Golden Tate, but not on an overpay. Bennett needs to be re-upped and hopefully Earl and Richard get some things worked out. I’m still believing Breno is going to walk, and Zach Miller likely gets cut, but I’m hoping not.

  2. kevin mullen

    Damn, Michael Johnson?? That’s an itch I’d be willing to scratch…

    As far as Red, I really hope there’s a way to bring him back, albeit reduced salary and all. If there’s a player in today’s era that just scream “Seahawks”, it’s Red. I understand the business side of the NFL, but really, Red needs to come back home. It’ll be weird seeing him in another uniform.

  3. Ben

    Any chance Ego Ferguson or Anthony Johnson have the size to fill Bryant’s shoes?! I do honestly believe that Ego is very very very underrated coming into this draft. He has a HUGE motor as I’ve stated on here before. Nothing gets by John or Pete though.

    • Ben

      Furthermore Ego is only an inch shorter and 8 lbs. lighter than Big Red. I’m sure he could easily pack that on by next year.

    • Rob Staton

      For me, both are interior guys. In particular Johnson looks like a one-tech.

  4. rrsquid

    I’m a little disappointed hearing that Gano got $3M/year today. He’s the only other K I would have considered signing. That puts Hauschka’s range at $3-$3.5M/year. Carpenter is possible. His kick-offs are good, but he need more accuracy. Especially in Seattle where every point counts.

    • Belgaron

      Hauschka is a fine option if you are not philosophically opposed to pay your kicker that much. If they, don’t want to do it, they will go with a rookie or another teams cut like they did with Hauschka.

  5. Geoff U

    Rob, do you think Clemons will be back to 2012 form after a year recovered from the ACL surgery? Still played hard and certainly had his moments, but looked a step slow this year, and I’m wondering if that’s from the injury. I guess the question is, how much of his slide was due to injury vs just getting older?

    If he can return to 2012 form, why wouldn’t we keep him? 7.5 mil isn’t bad at all (Avril’s making 7.5 mil on the other side). And if we have the money, never hurts to have another pass rusher. Would hate to go back to just depending on just one or two guys like the Atlanta game, which would be were we’d be if Bennett (assuming he gets a new deal) or Avril go down.

    • Rob Staton

      It might be a stretch to expect 2012 form after such a serious injury, but I think he can contribute. We saw that in the playoffs. But if you can get a Johnson, Orakpo or Allen at the same price, I think you have to consider it. Even if it’s a really tough decision.

  6. red

    Tony Pauline has wrote that Bengals want to restructure Dunlap if he doesn’t accept he might get cut. I wonder if a couple of mid round picks can pick him up. His salary next year is 8.5 but going into 2015 he is under 6 mil a year going forward with Avril a FA in 2015 this could make some sense.

  7. Ukhawk

    Thinking Tyson Jackson as a possible lower cost free agent Red replacement

  8. CC

    Really good points Rob!

    Do you think they might restructure either Clem or Zach? That would seem to make sense if they would go for it.

    On Tate – based on his comments on Cooper’s contract, I’m betting he wants $6m per year – and for that amount he could go somewhere with a passing offense and put up some good numbers. It sounds like Detroit is interested, so I could see him leaving.

    • Rob Staton

      I think a restructure is possible for both, but maybe not imperative.

      • CC

        Thanks Rob – I wouldn’t mind if they could keep them, but reduce their price to get a few more guys extended. I am very happy we have an extra $10m +3m rollover – that has to make getting the key guys around easier.

  9. Jeremy

    No big loss IMO. Red will be missed in the locker room, but his performance won’t.

    Anybody know the health of Greg Scruggs? And it seems like I keep asking this, but what about Korey Toomer??

    • Kyle N

      Gregg Scruggs recently tweeted that he was at 311lb with 6% body fat. Looked in great shape, doubt he could get that way with a nagging injury.

      • Jeremy

        Good news, thanks Kyle. I really like his potential.

  10. Allen M. (@am_misfit)

    Great article. It is so exciting to be a Seahawks fan these days! To think we can reasonably expect to keep our own key FAs – AND – sign someone like Michael Johnson seems insane. This front office is so damn good! That said, I don’t see a big DE contract going out other that for Bennett. His inside/outside specialty is a rare and valuable commodity.

    I’ve been eyeballing some of the same guys for a while that I recently read on this blog: Moncrief and Benjamin.

  11. EranUngar

    Red was due 3M if he is on the roster after March 3rd. That forced the release now. Rice was as good as gone the day we signed Harvin.

    I am not sure Clem stays. They have no incentive to release him now. They need the cap space for Tate, Bennett and the FA market and now they do. It’s smarter to keep Clem and Miller in-house and let the FA frenzy work itself out. After the draft they will have ample time to decide who stays. By then most teams have already committed their cap space elsewhere. That would be a most restructuring friendly timing. Also, during training camps injuries force teams to look for trades…get value for your cuts.

  12. Belgaron

    John Clayton opined today that Clemons and Miller will be cut, maybe as soon as Tuesday.

    • Rob Staton

      We’ll see. Would be odd to delay cutting those two players.

      • EranUngar

        Why should we cut them now ? We have enough pocket money for Bennett and Tate and even some left to check the FA market. I think they will try to get a mid/late round DE to compete with Mayowa and Clem in camp. Then decide if they cut or re-struct him.

        As for Miller – Without a replacement in hand they can’t let him go. He is a starter at a key position and until they have a blocking TE he won’t be released.

        There is no need to let players under contract go before the summer unless you need the cap space to sign others and we cleared enough of it for now.

        • Belgaron

          One of the highest priorities this off season is extending Thomas and Sherman, there will also be some veteran FAs they can sign. They also have the option to long term Hauschka and could even extend Maxwell.

          • Jeremy

            Maxwell is an interesting one here. Would they extend him now before he has a full season under his belt? I think they could save a ton of money if they did. His potential is through the roof IMO. With Sherman on the other side, he will see a lot of balls his way.

            Nobody is talking about Thurmond. I really hope they keep him around. He’s a great slot corner, and an instant starter if injury hits.

            • Kyle N

              Nobodies talking about him I feel because most people just assume he’s gone. Even with injuries and the drug suspension, some team is going to pay him money to start as an edge corner. We’d retain him only as a slot guy and there is no way we could pay him as much as another team just because he’d only be our third guy.

          • Steve Nelsen

            I think it would be a great time to extend Maxwell. He flashed Pro-Bowl caliber play down the stretch. We can’t keep him if he plays that well next year and becomes an unrestricted free agent.

      • CC

        I sort of see these first 2 cuts as reality checks for others to come. It puts them on notice and if they are talking restructure, it lets them know, restructure or you’re out. Clem and Zach have to know they will not get what they are making anywhere – so you get a known contract rather than enter the rat race.

        For guys like Tate and Bennett, they are young enough to test the market and they know they’ll make more than they are now. Clem and Zach know they’ll make less.

        • Kyle N

          I would disagree that this was used as a scare tactic. This was just a business decision to let of go guys whose contracts vastly outmatch their play and have players behind them to replace them.

  13. cha

    Rob, what’s your take on how much & if the hawks plan to roll over any cap $$ to 2015?

    There’s a case to be made for rolling over more $$ (the 2015 deals that need to be done) or essentially maxing out in 2014 minus a little breathing room (Super Bowl winner/go for it mentality + projected increases in 2015/16 will offset the big signings)

    Rolling over cap $$ is one area the general fans (esp me) can use some more education.

    • Rob Staton

      Rolling over cap is a wise idea… but not crucial because of the cap rise. I think even with a couple of additions they can role $3-4m.

      • DavidinBellingham

        I still think rolling cap to next year is important because of Sherman and Russell extensions. Sherman is going to want 12 a year. Russell is going to get 15 a year at the least. Those salaries are only going to get bigger as the inevitable increase in salaries continues. Rolling the maximum to next year could be of more importance than a couple of players.
        Which QBs and CBs are due this year and next for big salaries? Open question.

        • Michael M.

          Most of the players from the 2011 and 2012 drafts will be going into the last year of their respective rookie deals. That being the case, I imagine Cam Newton, and Kaepernick will be getting very good sized deals soon. Dalton and Bradford (who has 2 more already expensive years left) should be cheaper than them, but who knows? If I’m the Bengals I might wait on that decision until the end of next year, and I would be shocked if the Rams didn’t wait at least that long.

          At CB, we could see two or even three new record-breaking contracts for the position, with Sherman, Patrick Peterson and Joe Haden all coming due after 2014. Also don’t forget that Byron Maxwell was in the same draft as Sherm, so his current deal runs out the same time. Aside from Alterraun Verner, who is an UFA right now, I don’t think there are any other “big salaries” in the near future.

          • CC

            What is nice for us on the Kaep and Newton deals coming up, it sets the floor for Russell and lets them factor that in for the future signings. Russell will make a bit more than both because he’s a SB champ, so than the question is, does he make Flacco/Cutler/Romo money.

            • Jeremy

              At some point these QB’s have to decide whether they want an insane contract or to be on a Championship team. Not sure if you can have both anymore.

  14. Allen M. (@am_misfit)

    Obviously, the WR class this year is flush with talent and specific Seahawk-type fits. That being said what do you think of at least taking a look at Hakeem Nicks and/or Kenny Britt?

    • Michael M.

      No thanks. Nicks is always broken and Britt is nuts.

    • Rob Staton

      Britt is a liability I’d be vary wary of. Nicks will get a big contract. I’d rather go after the draft.

  15. Ulsterman

    Sad to see big red go, but at the end of the day he was making too much for the role he played. Love to see him back some time in the future. I think we’re going to see some movement on Tate and Bennett and other possible cuts in next few days.
    Rob what do you think of schofield as a Clemons replacement if they can resign him?

  16. oz

    I doubt that Miller is going anywhere. His cap hit is less than has been reported on this site. I also think Clem may restructure, if not he may be gone as well.
    The player I would be most concerned about is Tate. I think he will be a hot commodity on the market.

    • Rob Staton

      Zach Miller’s cap hit is $7m in 2014. That’s the number we’ve used all along and is accurate.

      • CC

        Zach has to know he wouldn’t get that as a FA now since the franchise tag is $6.5m

        • Rob Staton

          Very good point.

      • James

        Miller should be ripe for a re-negotiation. Didn’t he make some insane amount of money this past season, like $11 million or something? Yet his market value is probably only about $4 million. I think he is valuable to the team, for he is a proven starter, which I am not sure we could obtain even with the R1 pick. Clem has a great deal of value to the team, because he, combined with Avril, gives the Seahawks a near-unstoppable pass rush, and that makes them likely Super Bowl winners again, given the secondary and balanced offense. I say keep Clem for one more season, then let him go for the cash to spend on Russ and Sherm a year from now.

    • Jon

      When was Millers cap reported incorrectly on this sight? It was 11m last year and 7 m this year, and that is what has been said all along. His spot at 7m in 2014 needs to go down or he will go. We cant keep paying a TE top 5 money no matter how good he is at blocking.

      I am not worried about Tate. If he wants to much then he will go. If not he will stay.

  17. dave crockett

    Rob,

    curious about any thoghts you have on Alabama DE Ed Stinson as a Red-style, run-stuffing, edge-setting weak side end who could be available in the mid-rounds.

    • Robert

      I thought Red was a 5T that was deployed on the STRONG side and tasked with patrolling the 2 gaps on either side of the TE and maintaining the edge on early downs.

    • Rob Staton

      I think he’s a terrific player, underrated. The type I’d want on my team. I think he’s a second or third rounder.

      • dave crockett

        Yeah, I was thinking that if you don’t ask him to really rush the passer you could have something comparable to Tuitt, but a little cheaper.

        Interestingly, CBS lists him at 287, which made me do a double-take. He SEEMS a lot bigger than that. If he’s not that worries me a little about him as a pure double-team eating run-stuffer.

        • Rob Staton

          Yep — 287lbs at the combine.

  18. Jeremy

    Am I the only one sitting here hoping the Cowboys release DeMarcus Ware? How good would he look in Wolf Gray???

    • Jon

      he is 31 turning 32. I do not see that as a possibility. I could see an Orakpo type move though to replace Clem, or a Lamar Houston move to replace Red. Or even both If we don’t bring back Tate.

      • Rob Staton

        A healthy Orakpo on this defense would be pretty exciting.

    • bigDhawk

      The wheels completely fell off for him last year physically. He had multiple chronic injuries that finally caught up with him, the worst of which was a nerve issue in his elbow he just had surgery to correct. At this point it is safe to say the Cowboys have wasted his career. He is a shell of his former self. Clem is honestly the better player going forward and I would much rather retain him than replace him with Ware.

    • Rob Staton

      Past is best for me.

  19. Madmark

    I got a Seahawk story for ya. Hawthorne and Hill were both free agents and Hawthorne got a deal from the Saints and Hill came back for minimum and started for us. It didn’t hurt much since we then drafted Bobby Wagner but I have to tell you as fan I hated it when everytime I heard Hawthornes name called out in both Saints game this year it hurt just a little. I think that Rice, Big Red, an even Clemons, McQuinstan, and Miller will be given an option to do the same thing. I like this concept which gives the player the option to get more money if they can and if not know that we still want them to play for us, but it is a business.
    The cap hasn’t been set yet but 132 million is the conservative estimate right now and we have a carry over of a little under 3 million. Those 5 players offer 29.5 million in relief and this team can really look into some moves in FA with our players and also out on the market.
    To be quite honest with you I just don’t see the draft providing the DL in this draft that aren’t already gone before 32 and both have been wrote about here on this site. What I do like is this looks like a great year for FA. I’ll give you a list that’s includes a few of our own.
    Michael Bennett 28(Seattle) He’s the Versatile DL we have but how much will he be offered from someone else.
    Clinton McDonald 27(Seattle) He was cut earlier in the season and then brought back when Jordan Hill was injured. The question for me is if he signs a new contract will he still be motivated.
    Tony McDaniels 29(Seattle) Before he came here he was the backup to Randy Starks. Oh by the way Starks is also a free agent this year.
    Randy Starks 30(Miami) A year ago we was all over this guy who got franchised tag so we had to start looking other places.
    Linval Joseph 25(N.Y. G) He’s one of the youngest DL FA.
    Arther Jones 28(Baltimore)
    Henery Milton 27(Chicago) question mark after injury.
    Jason Hunter 32(Dallas) I’m not a fan of players from Dallas and at 32 but I had to throw him in.
    To replace Clemens we have these edge rushers’
    Jared Allen 31(Minnesota) I think this guy still has it and doesn’t need any motivation to win a superbowl. I like to mention his charity for the military would go a long ways here in a region full of military personnel.
    Everson Griffin 26(Minnesota) Had a hard time getting on the field as Jared Allen’s backup.
    Willie Young 28(Detroit)
    Lamar Houston 27(Oakland) It’s a Question about money with a guy this talented.
    Michael Johnson 27(Cincinnati)
    Greg Hardy 26(Carolina) OOPS was Franchise tagged this morning not that we could afford him this year but maybe next year.
    On top of these FA we have:
    Gregg Scruggs
    Benson Mayowa
    Jesse Williams
    Kenneth Boatright
    Dewayne Cherrington
    D’Anthony Smith
    Bottom line is not to panic and that’s what I like about this front office. I think some will leave for the money like hawthorne did but some may not get that offer and may return to seattle like Hill did.

    • CC

      It seems to me that the FO has been preparing for Red and eventually Mebane to leave – and have been stocking up on lineman. If we get Bennett signed, I think we’ll be fine – Petey and team will use these guys to their best and we won’t miss a beat. I keep thinking this is what he had to do at USC every year – replace really good players with really good players.

      • Madmark

        It’s worked so far. come to Seattle and prove yourself and your next contract will be bigger. Jones did it. Got injured and still got a good contract from Detroit. I’m sure McDaniels and McDonald will be looking at the same thing this year. If the price is right we can help you here in Seattle and you may end up with a ring before you move on for the money.

  20. Stuart

    With the increased cap, it’s all relative. Owners will pay players too much thus raising the floor. It’s the history of professional sports. Given that, my preference is lock up everybody we want moving forward now. If Tate is asking to much, he will go.

    If Sherman is asking to much, then he will play out this season and next season we will franchise him. This gives us Sherman for at least two more seasons on very affordable wages. I love Richard Sherman and cant imagine him playing for another team but…

    I don’t want to be great for 2-3 years and then sink back to rebuild mode. I want sustained success for the next 10 seasons plus. With PC/JS it can absolutely be done. You cannot overpay, period.

    Don’t forget that Washington State does not have a state tax. Even if a team offers one of our players more money than we do, it does not mean that the net income will be higher. Any agent, CPA or Financial Advisors know this, and likely the smart players do too. It’s not an Apples to Apples comparison rather Apples to Oranges.

  21. matt509

    I have a question for everyone. Would you say PC and JS use the combine to evaluate players? Because I know people who are calling me an idiot for saying they do. I think it’s completely obvious that they do.

    • Rob Staton

      I think it’s a vital part of what they do for sure.

    • dave crockett

      My strong impression, from Rob, Scott Enyeart, the Field Gulls crew and others is that they use the information from the combine, but they don’t fetishize the numbers.

      In fact, from what I’m gathering they use this SPARQ approach, which is basically an index kind of approach to get at overall athleticism. They weight the different events in a formula that provides them with a more complete athletic profile. What I like about them is that they have some very broad athletic baselines for each position. But it seems to me that they’re kind of agnostic on how you get there.

  22. James

    Keeping track of the players Rob has highlighted for the Seahawks, it certainly seems as if our R1 pick will be one of these guys:

    OL: Xavier S’ua-Filo, David Yankey, Antonio Richardson, Joel Bitonio, or Morgan Moses
    DL: Stephon Tuitt, RaShede Hageman, Brent Urban or DaQuan Jones
    WR: Kelvin Benjamin or Brandon Coleman

    ….obviously, the re-signing or release of Golden and/or Brenno will impact things, but if you had to pick one of these guys today, who do you like? I would go with Tuitt, but if he indeed just ran a 4.8, he won’t be there at #32, in which case I would go with Xavier S’ua-Filo, who is a Tom Cable guy if there ever was one, at a position of need.

    • James

      * I violated rule #1 by having Hageman on the list, because his reputation is that he lacks competitive fire, and PCJS have NEVER selected a draft choice without that fire, but I kept him because he is an obvious replacement for Big Red, and he keeps getting mentioned so often.

      • dave crockett

        I wouldn’t buy that at all about Hageman.

        SB Nation did an interesting longform piece on him that’s worth a read. Lacking fire is not his problem.

        What I’d say is:
        a) he’s raw and has lacked some technique,
        b) always be careful about “motor” criticisms on big guys* (people said that about Mebane), and
        c) I think he ultimately ends up as a Tony McDaniel type run-stuffer at DT or DE.

        *Lots of people will go right to “motor” because they don’t know how to analyze technical flaws in a player’s game.

      • CC

        I wonder if Carp is a guy they listed as a guy with competitive fire – he is one draft choice that seems to have gone against the grain. Maybe he has it, but to me, he has been uninspired. I have to think that if Hageman doesn’t have the fire, it would be hard to see them drafting him. Pretty much the way I feel about ASJ – even if I’m a Husky fan – he isn’t a guy who fits on this team regardless of his attributes.

    • Steve Nelsen

      The Hawks seem to believe that you can find good interior linemen in later rounds so they don’t draft them in the first even if they are really good like Su’a-Filo. Benjamin and Coleman both fill a need and are the kind of explosive playmakers we are only going to see this year because of the depth in the draft.

  23. SunPathPaul

    I see PC and JS having a great vision going forward. I’m not worried, but super excited!
    If we draft a WR, TE, OL, and DL- with the depth we have, we will repeat as champions!

    Just imagine a full season from our Ferrari Percy Harvin!
    When he was playing the offense seemed SO much more powerful!
    Even if Tate walks, another WR added to what we have w Percy will shine!!

    Health is the only concern here… Let’s prAy for a healthy Percy next year!

    Go hawks!

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