I wanted to start with some overall thoughts on the D-line vs O-line 1v1’s I’ve watched this week…
— There were some good performances but I haven’t seen a single tackle who came close to matching Abraham Lucas for control, consistency and athleticism a year ago and nobody looked like a complete edge rusher like Boye Mafe. That’s not me speaking with Seahawks-tinted specs on — my notes from a year ago are archived if you want to check them out.
— The two edge rushers who impressed the most were K.J. Henry (fluid, athletic, more refined than others) and Will McDonald (immense upside). There have been top drawer flashes from McDonald. In a team drill he ran around Wanya Morris at left tackle like he was one of those bags they use for agility drills. If you can get him playing with consistency — he has special qualities. It’s a big ‘if’ though.
— The interior and inside/out rushers had more success. Adetomiwa Adebawore at times has looked special. His combination of long arms and a shorter frame are ideal for leverage and he has so much explosive power and quickness to complement it. He had a team-rep on Thursday that summed it up. Engage the left guard, press him, release because you’re a far superior athlete, explode to the QB. It was easy.
— Watching Keeanu Benton has been a treat at times. Based on what we saw here — and how he tests — he looks like a top-40 pick.
— I wish Nesta Jade Silvera had longer than 32 1/2 inch arms because the way he’s pushed the pocket at defensive tackle and shoved people around at the LOS has been very impressive. Maybe he can find half an inch at the combine.
— Cameron Young has been one of the standouts for me too. With 35-inch arms and a good looking, prototype frame — he was very disruptive in drills and looks like a very useful defensive tackle.
— It’s very clear Keion White has legit athleticism for his size and even Dawand Jones struggled to contain him on day one in the team reps. However, I do think he needs a bit of technical refinement. He has the potential to be a speed-to-power dynamo but he isn’t there yet.
— Steve Avila won a lot of 1v1 reps this week and to me at least looked like the most impressive interior lineman. Although he only played one day of practise, it’s hard to look beyond Dawand Jones as the top performing tackle although Jaelyn Duncan also played well even if his future is at guard. Darnell Wright, unsurprisingly, also had a very good week.
On to Thursday’s tape…
Keeanu Benton had a good win against Jarrett Patterson — faking a move to the left side then almost jump-cutting and ripping back to the right. Patterson had no answer as Benton broke into the backfield. What a dynamic, athletic, intelligent player Benton is with the perfect defensive tackle frame.
Adetomiwa Adebawore had an easy win against Cody Mauch at left tackle where he just hesitated to the outside, exploded back inside and he was too powerful and strong for Mauch. When the two met again, ‘Ade Ade’ worked to the outside and when it became obvious he wasn’t going to beat Mauch to the edge, he spun back inside to release and claim the win. The O-liners look intimidated by his strength and when he gains position he’s got the nouse to rip upwards to prevent counters and then keep the legs churning to finish. He isn’t going to be a full-time starter at 285lbs but as a rotational impact pass-rusher there’s so much to like.
Andre Carter had an easy win against Ryan Hayes with an inside move. When they faced off again he botched a Euro step and was stoned at the POA. It shows off that Carter has the tools but needs refinement. You would draft him to possibly redshirt him.
Nesta Jade Silvera demolished Joey Fisher on a rep — driving into his pads then ripping down to send the right guard to the turf.
Sydney Brown is a safety but the way he’s covered at times in 1v1’s has been impressive. Big bodies can box him out and we saw that on Thursday. Yet his quickness and agility helps him to stick in coverage. Brown and brother Chase (a running back) are both world class athletes with incredible potential. They will make a team or teams very happy. I would consider drafting both due to their extreme potential.
Nick Saldiveri played center in a team scrimmage on Thursday. He teamed up with Nick Broeker at right guard to open up a big hole up the middle for Kenny McIntosh to score a red zone touchdown. The difference in technique was very noticeable. Saldiveri’s block was a bit all over the place but he managed to barge his way through the D-line to create a lane. Broeker, on the other hand, got his hands inside on Byron Young of Alabama and just controlled his man for a really impressive win. I like both Saldiveri and Broeker as value interior options for Seattle in the middle or later rounds.
Steve Avila had a bit of a mismatch against Ali Gaye who kicked inside for a rep. Avila showed great hand placement. He was far too strong and walled off Gaye. Game over. Avila has really helped himself in Mobile and his stock was already high.
Another day, another tweet mis-judging a rep involving O’Cyrus Torrence. This is a win for Byron Young. Again, too many people on Twitter seem to think unless you rip through the block, swim and release or dump someone on their backside, it’s not a win. Look what Young does here. He gets his right arm right into the middle of Torrence’s chest and long-arm’s him into the pocket. He is literally pushing the pocket. This is what a 290lbs defensive lineman is supposed to do when they don’t have Aaron Donald’s quickness. A rep like this, in a game, moves the QB off his spot. Torrence is also grabbing onto his jersey at the right shoulder while constantly fighting to get his right hand into the chest. He’s hanging on.
Everyone in the replies is hailing it as a great rep. Do they realise it isn’t the job of the offensive guard to get pushed 5-6 yards into the backfield?
Now watch Steve Avila against Zacch Pickens. He doesn’t cede more than a yard or two in depth here. Power, strength — a nice little shove to finish. A bouncer throwing you out of the club.
I also came across this rep, praised as a ‘dominating’ win for John Michael Schmitz.
Let’s break down what happens here. Cameron Young — one of the stars of the week as mentioned earlier — doesn’t use his hands well enough initially and leans into the center. Thus, he surrenders pad level and Schmitz gets into his chest. Young then has to re-set and bench presses Schmitz to disengage using his 35 inch arms (this is why length matters). Pause the video at 0:02 seconds. Young has released from the block at that point, Schmitz is over-extended and desperately clinging on. At 0:03 Young is facing directly to the quarterback and Schmitz is facing his own goal-posts. This is a pressure or a hurry every day of the week. How on earth is this a dominating 1v1 rep for the center?
Julius Brents had a decent week and in a 1v1 against Jonathan Mingo he was with the talented receiver step for step on a deep route before breaking up a pass. On the interior, shorter routes he has had issues but anything where he needs to run downfield — Brents handled with ease in Mobile.
Mingo absolutely destroyed Darius Rush on a red zone rep. He delivered a wonderful stutter-step and shifted to the left corner pylon. Game over. Rush had no answer. Mingo moves beautifully for a big man. He also knows how to get open and has a plan.
Rush has had some good moments but also some ugly moments. A real mixed bag from him. On Thursday he had a far better time covering Andrei Iosvias. His backpedal and transition were good and when he turned to the football, he was perfectly placed to make an easy interception.
I’ll watch the game tomorrow and provide some notes before reviewing my horizontal board and producing a new mock draft.
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This kind of insight into prospects is invaluable–thank you Rob for the attention you pay to the players who will find their way onto NFL rosters for the next several years. You have the eyes of scout and we all benefit from your unique perspective.
Evaluating prospects is an incredibly difficult business and to have someone who is dedicated to studying as many players as you from a Seahawks-centric perspective is unreal. We’re incredibly lucky to have a draft prognosticator who is focusing on our favorite team’s needs. No matter what we think the Hawks strategy should be in the draft, people who follow this site are so well informed that we can see the value in whatever Pete and John decide on draft day. And if we disagree, we have a solid foundation on which to base our arguments.
Thanks for your tremendous work!
Yep
Those clips. Man.
Still really like Schmitz but that looks like holding on Sundays.
Torrence. Good grief. That’s a whole big enough to have a Blitzer walk right up to the qb in live play. Not sure how getting walked backwards into the qb or potentially the runningback if they are expecting to run behind you is a win.
I’m starting to wonder if these people that consider an IOL getting driven back 5-6 yards a “win” work for the Seahawks. That’s pretty much the the most consistent trait of the C position for years.
I laughed at this
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Then I cried
Counting the sack Clark had in the Chiefs’ divisional round playoff win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, he’s now third on the NFL’s career postseason list with 13.5. With one sack in Super Bowl LVII against the Philadelphia Eagles on Feb. 12, he would tie Hall of Famer Bruce Smith for second place. He would tie the all-time leader, Willie McGinest, with 2.5 sacks. // It turned out great for Frank and Chiefs.
And we’ve been trying to replace him ever since
True. Hindsight but had Frank was retained we would not have gone thru Peacock’s trade disaster and in a much better shape roster wise. Hope Pete and JS realized and work to grow organically, duplicate success of 2022 draft.
Nothing like losing a guy who compares to HOF’ers….for, reasons?
It kind of sounded okay back then but their drafts and roster building sucked big time.
Do you remember the time when he punched an O-lineman and broke his jaw!?! He was proving his “violent hands” in his scouting report. When I think of anyone that plays in the trenches for the Hawks, I want the same nasty with a smidge less crazy.
I wonder if there is a correlation between people who think guards and centers getting driven back 6 yards and people who think Geno Smith was awesome, ignoring DB’s dropped so many of his turnover-worthy throws.
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/35584246/geno-smith-offers-optimistic-outlook-reaching-deal-seahawks
For better or worse, it appears the Hawks are showing Geno “respect.”
I was afraid of that….
“….no matter what check they write, it’ll never be your worth because your worth isn’t in money, it isn’t in monetary things.”
Cool, Geno. Come back for cheap, then. Think how much the whole city will respect you under those terms!
That line from Geno is utter cringe
Should knock a million off just for that
There’s also a video contained in that article with Mina Kimes saying the Seahawks would be “foolish” to move on from Smith
It feels like we’re living in bizarro world sometimes
The team is in the middle of a major rebuild. They are not close. Paying a fortune to Geno Smith to stick in the 7-to-9 win range and never actually achieve anything is not desirable. This should all be about how this team wins for the long term
By all means discuss retaining Geno Smith but the number of people spouting guff about ‘having to keep him’ instead of saying ‘he is a fine bridge QB but that comes with a certain price and no more’ is the only thing I see that is “foolish”
It’s as if serious thought isn’t being considered on this topic
I read the first half as Geno is going to come back with a bit of “home town discount”… in my head no more than $20m apy.
I then read the end of it and think, oh shit he is getting $30m…
Just remember though, no matter what check they write, it’ll never be his worth because his worth isn’t in money, it isn’t in monetary things.
🤮
I thought we got rid of our corny qb last year lol. Next thing you know genos gonna come up with a catch phrase…. Let’s ride
That’s just him saying he knows it’s a business but cares about his teammates (hopefully).
Means his pride is bruised
That’s not how I read it TBH
Last year Mina Kimes did begged the seahawks, specifically John on air that they should draft Malik Willis. I dont know if she meant to pick him with the 9th pick or not. But she was dead wrong on Willis so far.
Ever since she got more on her plate with espn, I think her seahawks analysis is a bit off. I dont take her analysis seriously as I have in the past.
That Mina Kimes clip is from 6 weeks ago. You can see the Christmas tree in it.
She has since backpedaled a bit, advocating for a bridge contact that doesn’t break the bank and has options after two years and drafting a QB this year.
I’m not hung up so much on the “$30 million a year” chatter. I’m watching for how much the guarantees are. You can guarantee $30-35 million on a 3-year $90 million contract and it would have a workable cap hit in year one and an affordable out after 2 years. The year one cap hit and the affordable out after year 3 are the first two keys to a Geno contract for me.
The third hope for the contract is that if Geno continues to play well next year and Seattle drafts a “project QB” like Anthony Richardson, then Geno’s contract wouldn’t block a potential trade like Kansas City did with Alex Smith.
Comment on the Torrence vs. Young clip: “dang Torrence don’t look so good so you slide to the Hawks at 20.”
….there is watching a play and then there is understanding what is happening. Or just reading what the author is saying and blindly believing it.
Thanks, Rob. Great work.
Again.
I thought Will McDonald was the best 3-4 player this week. He could compete with Mafe at OLB and juice up the pass rush.
Hard to say about the ILBs but Dayan Henley is a possibility.
ILB Alex Singleton from Denver looks like a nice bargain FA who could help against the run.
Several nose tackles showed promise this week. I suspect one will be a day 3 pick to back up Al Woods.
Cameron Young and Keion White looked like possible 5-tech DEs that could be in play at 20.
Everyone was comparing Julius Brent’s to Tariq but there were several possible Day 3 CBs with length. I’m sure one will end up a Day 3 pick to compete with Michael Jackson and Tre Brown.
Skinner showed decent speed. I even read one scout mentioning him as a possible “big nickel” which piqued my interest as a possible way to get him on the field as well as being a core ST.
Wonder what happened to Macdonald last year? Had quite the dip downward. Battling injury? Who knows.
Will be interesting to see where he goes.
I trust you in your observation. I’m still just stick on what gets him going moving forward.
Here’s a weird random thought. I think if Rob has to keep typing Adetomiwa Adebawore he might get mad guitar skills.
Darius Rush was a CB I was watching coming in. They didn’t throw at him much his senior year. He has Seattle size but I wasn’t sure about the speed and whether his shutdown reputation was deserved.
He generated a lot of positive buzz this week for his coverage and it looks like his speed is excellent. He will get drafted way too early to be a Seahawk now.
I will be watching Musgrave in the game today. Seattle has 3 TEs on the roster for 2023 and they all played well in 2022 so I don’t expect them to draft a TE.
Regarding your te comment… I’m not sure I’d write off that position just yet. There’s some fantastic talent at te in this draft and Dissly is hurt. And all 3 of our current te’s are only signed for one more year.
I think you can get a really good TE in the 2nd round. I also think it’s wise to get a talented one.
Rob, where do you see Avila and Schmitz go? Do you think one of them is worth our first 2nd round pick?
I think they could both go R2. Not sure if I covet either for Seattle though
Ive been watching “Steve Smith Sr.’s Cut to it” podcast on youtube. He talks about DK on a few episodes. He doesnt think DK is a number 1 (says Lockett is a #1) because he cant run more than 3 routes. And teams take away his go route this year. Says DK body is too big to do other more intricate routes.
Do you think the seahawks should be looking to draft a wr with the #20 pick? Have him be the number 3 this year and eventually be a number 1 once Lockett hangs it up.
Steve Smith is entertaining and does provide great analysis on wr. He rags on Chase Claypool. Doesnt like Quentin Johnson so much.
The data on WRs being productive at age 30 is not good at all. Tyler Lockett turned 30 last year and played great. But, I fear we are on borrowed time with Tyler so this would be a good time to get out in front of that need )and we need a #3 receiver anyway) so I’m sure WR is on John Schneider’s list depending on how the draft falls.
JS is high on Dareke Young’s potential and the team played Cade Johnson at the end of the season but some competition will help bring out the best and you can’t count on Dee Eskridge for that.
We should also acknowledge the source here – Steve Smith was a smaller WR and has always been outspoken about the smaller guys not getting any respect. He never likes the bigger WR’s so of course he says Lockett is our #1.
I think we have two really good WR’s and Lockett may be able to play for a few more years at a high level. He rarely takes big hits and seems like the type who can still get open. And DK is a pretty awesome WR when you look at what he can do, not at what he doesn’t do well!
Hopefully they can find more depth at the WR position. It’s hard to put much faith in Goodwin making it through a whole season, but he’s still fast and talented. This next season will be make or break for Eskridge as far as being an NFL WR – either he gets stronger and adapts to the speed of the league or he’ll be done. Dareke Young, Cade Johnson and even a draft pick or free agent could all offer some hope as well. But they need more at WR for sure…
I think they should go QB then WR. Only because the Seahawks Twitter f’ers will lose their minds and hopefully find a new team to follow. Also let Geno walk and fire Adams and Diggs. Blasphemy!
I know Shrine Bowl is generally lower competition, but wondering if with so much draft capital we take a looke at a couple guys from that game. Sounds like BJ Thompson and Caleb Murphy really impressed there. Murphy specifically really interests me. Not much useful tape out there as hes from a D2 school, but to win the award for best DE of the year (which in recent years is basically just reserved for top 5 picks) says a lot and backs up his absurd stats. Think both will test well and rise as the process goes on.
I’d say the Shrine Bowl is a totally different level. Watching the 1v1’s was painful at times. They lured a handful of names but the standard was so poor
Unless you have the NFL network you can’t watch the game anyway! Put it on a major channel and it will garner more interest.
Ideally all the Geno chatter is just a sign of an amicable relationship that has been conducted in a friendly, professional matter, and nothing more.
I still don’t see anything happening before FA. Schneider has the picks and now has bit more cap room to go after a vet DT and/LBs. I can’t see him splurging all that money on Geno, unless they’re really crafty with the numbers and are able to spread the guaranteed portion over 3 years to lessen the hits. A situation not unlike Carr.
If JS can get Geno for a $15m gura tee with a lot of in incentives that Geno believes he can achieve, than fine. Otherwise Lock and #5pick plus a journeyman
This is where I’m at. I’m fine with Lock and a rookie and spending the money elsewhere.
Also agree. Can we pass the motion already!!
I don’t think he’s on the senior bowl roster, but has any else had the chance to check out Tyler Scott from Cincinnati? He gives me big time Tyler Lockett vibes when I watch him. Very quick and shifty, uses nice subtle moves in and out of his breaks to get defenders to commit, and he looks like he has 4.3 speed. Really under talked about in my opinion.
Hey Rob. I have a question regarding if Sean Desia gets hired as a DC. Will we get a 3rd round comp pick?
Has to be hired as HC or GM.
Rob, the work you have put in on the the player evaluations are sensational!
Off topic but the money for Gino is insane!
The Hawks need to let Gino test the market. The numbers we are hearing is $30 M +.
Why would you pay a player that much money if no other team would pay him anywhere near that much?
My hard stance on Gino is simply say thanks and goodbye.
Resign Lock for 2-3 years and draft QB at 5.
This is a make or break off season for the Hawks. JS can redeem himself with an awesome draft and free agency signings or join Pete when he finally goes.
Back to the Geno Smith debate….Gee Scott was on Brock and Salk yesterday and while I don’t think much of his insight, he did highlight something the mainstream media ignores. He said that Geno is not the type of QB that is going to lead to an increase in ticket sales and that no other fanbase has said “Yup, Geno is our franchise QB, let’s go get him.”
Yet most fans seem to think Seattle will pay him at least 35 mill per year “because he deserves it.” Then they mindlessly say that QBs are always in such demand that he’ll definitely get paid, but can never list specific teams that would pursue Geno and no fanbase is clamoring for him.
I think they also mentioned Jimmy Garappolo as a comp since he is also a 32-year old FA who won’t put fans in the seats. Will Jimmy G get $30 million+? I doubt it.
But Geno is loved by one fan base…Seattle. Nobody ever cheered for Russ like they did for Geno last year. And Geno is very highly respected in the locker room. You have to make Geno a fair market offer (whatever that is) or risk backlash on a lot of fronts.
This has several sides and angles to it.
If the Seahawks purely want to sell tickets and jerseys, who is out there and available among veteran players that has a real Q score right now? Nobody is going to buy tickets just to see Geno, Carr, Andy Dalton. So there really isn’t value in chasing that.
Maybe Lamar Jackson? But at what cost? A couple of top picks and a Deshaun Watson type contract?
If that’s your main factor, it’s hard to argue against Anthony Richardson. He won’t sell you tickets or jerseys in 2023, but by the end of 2024 he could be the hottest-selling jersey in the NFL.
Winning sells tickets. The belief that your team can win the Championship is a pretty good selling point.
Build toward that.
Indeed.
I can’t tell you the difference in the stadium between Week One when Denver came and Week 14 when Carolina came.
Very palpable lack of energy. Very little excitement. The stadium wasn’t full and there were plenty of Panthers jerseys there in the crowd.
Every time the D got stops on first and second down, the crowd came alive for a 3rd and 7. Then quickly died when the Panthers would run for 11. By the fourth quarter the crowd had had it.
It was the first Seahawks game I’ve ever left early.
The whole ticket sales argument isn’t a good one. I think what Gee meant when he was talking about that was they need a difference maker at QB and shouldn’t be content in settling and overpaying Geno when no one else is going to pursue him. He has always been on the players’ sides and it seemed like he was trying to be careful in not throwing Geno under the bus..
Even when people see three QBs go inside the top 5, no one ever suggests Will Anderson. Why? He seems like a real steal. Is he not worth picking? Highly rated before the draft,
He has been suggested as an option a lot, but the assumption is that he likely won’t be there when the Seahawks pick. The Bears or Cardinals will probably want him, Carter or Tyree Wilson. And he seems like much more of a sure thing than the other two.
If none of the big 4 QBs are there, I think they sprint to the podium to take Anderson. They may do so even if he and Bryce Young are left.
I thought Olusegun Oluwatimi had a very good first drive.
Opening holes for the runner, helping push the pile on a first down run, and he had a couple good pass protections.
Every team has a true leader usually on offense and another on defense. I am wondering out loud who is the Hawks leader now. Who are we building this roster around?
https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1621963129050505216?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet
Schotty to OC for the Cowboys. Yeah, Dallas. That’ll fix your issues. 🤷🏽 Good luck to all involved.
I read that Jerry wants Mike calling the plays, so not sure what Schottys going to do. Jerra also said he wants to keep Zeke, and Pollard is a free agent.
He’s got a huge man crush on Zeke. I love that he just continues to insure that this franchise will win jack shit nothing until he dies. Live long and continue being a moron Jerruh.