Sunday notes: Draft, Russell Wilson & more

— Aidan Hutchinson (DE, Michigan) could easily be the #2 overall pick in 2022, behind only Kayvon Thibodeaux. He was superb against Ohio State, capping off what has been a tremendous overall season. With a total dearth of quarterback options for the top-five and no clear offensive tackle worthy of a pick in that range, it’s perfectly plausible Hutchinson will be the second selection. He has size, the ability to win with quickness and power, a relentless motor and edge-sealing ability. He ticks every box.

— Team mate David Ojabo, with his Scottish roots, could also be a high selection. He lacks Hutchinson’s complete game and will require some refinement. Yet he has ideal size and quickness for an edge. Paired with Hutchinson, they’re an ideal combo. They complement each other well. Ojabo could be a dynamic edge at the next level — especially if paired with a quality book-end who absorbs as much attention as Hutchinson does at Michigan.

— Both players took turns to abuse Nicholas Petit-Frere, who had a torrid day. I’ve never been convinced he’s the top-echelon tackle many online pundits suggest. Yet evaluations seem to have been all over the place throughout this season. I don’t mean they’ve been inconsistent either. They’ve just been poor and ill-thought out with more group-think than usual. It’s impossible to watch Petit-Frere get beat like a drum yesterday and imagine spending a high pick on him.

— UCLA running back Zach Charbonnet is the best draft eligible runner for 2022. He does it all. He has great size, he finishes runs, he gains yards after contact, he’s a good pass-catcher, his pass-pro is reasonable. You can win with him at running back and I think he’s just above Kenneth Walker in the rankings. A name to remember for later in the draft is Florida’s Dameon Pierce. He’s been underused by the Gators but he has explosive power, the ability to make people miss in the open-field and he has great size.

— Also at UCLA — tight end Greg Dulcich is seriously underrated. I’m tempted to say so is quarterback Dorian Robinson-Thompson. He doesn’t have the same limitations as a lot of other draft eligible quarterbacks. There’s something there.

— Earlier this week, the Giants were connected to Russell Wilson again. Jonathan Jones, writing for CBS, suggested the Giants were perfectly placed to make a run at Wilson. The case is made that the Giants currently have the #5 and #7 picks and that would be an attractive package for a trade that would likely need to include a high 2023 pick too.

(Of course, the Seahawks could’ve already been in possession of the #6 pick too. The fact that they don’t should be a fireable offence on its own.)

The Giants are reportedly set to part ways with GM Dave Gettleman at the end of the season. They’ve already fired Jason Garrett as offensive coordinator.

Owner John Mara is highly unpopular and needs to make a move to curry favour with fans. Trading for a star quarterback could be a way to do that.

Other prospective suitors for Wilson will find it harder to make a deal.

Jalen Hurts is building a case for some faith in Philadelphia. They will have three first round picks this year and might prefer to build up their roster rather than trade the house for a veteran quarterback.

New Orleans would be an ideal fit but they don’t have the draft stock.

The Broncos, who will very likely make a big move for a quarterback, only have an extra second rounder to play with.

Therefore, the Giants could easily find themselves at the front of the line in talks.

Of course, my preference would be to see the Seahawks make a bold move themselves — trying to acquire Sean Payton to coach Wilson, as I wrote about here, rather than sending their franchise quarterback elsewhere. It’s not as ridiculous as you might think.

Back on to the Giants, Jones in his article quotes a NFL source suggesting the following:

“Zero doubt John Schneider has a plan [for when Wilson leaves]… The QBs (or lack thereof) in this draft makes things tricky. NYG makes sense with 2 top 10s.”

I’m not sure what constitutes a plan right now, short of making a subsequent move for Aaron Rodgers. There’s a firm belief Rodgers will move to the west coast after this season in a trade.

Jason La Canfora wondered out loud recently whether Seattle could show interest, saying Schneider and Rodgers have a relationship. Earlier in the year, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler touted something similar:

“One exec I talked to floated Seattle, just because John Schneider, the GM, has long-standing ties in Green Bay, and it’s clear he’s been unafraid to talk about Russell Wilson’s future with other teams as a potential trade. He talked to Cleveland a few years ago, has flirted with draft picks. Things were tenuous a few months ago; he talked to the Bears.”

Even so, the Broncos seem to be in the driving seat given their placing in the AFC. The Packers are hardly likely to want to send Rodgers to another NFC team.

The draft, as we’ve talked about a lot, offers nothing but agony. Despite continued chatter that ‘three’ QB’s could go in round one — this is a review of the class overall, not the quarterbacks available. It’s a bad draft for the first round and teams needing a QB will probably take a shot to nothing at the position. There isn’t a single QB worthy of a first round grade in this class and even round two is a push.

There are serious questions about the state of Carson Strong’s knee, not to mention his inability to avoid pressure and tendency to take sacks.

Kenny Pickett reportedly has sub-9-inch hands and has to wear gloves to grip the football.

Matt Corrall is 6-0 and 200lbs and plays in an offense that is set up for easy reads and mass-production. He’ll be on the same trajectory as Mason Rudolph, Brandon Weeden and all of those Oklahoma State quarterbacks who never amounted to much.

Malik Willis isn’t very good. He might be a great athlete but technically there are major issues, he hasn’t played well this year and he’s had too many turnovers.

Sam Howell is average. He’s just an average player.

Taking any of these quarterbacks in round one would be utter madness.

You’d be better off waiting until the middle rounds for Desmond Ridder or even taking a punt on UCLA’s Dorian Thompson-Robinson (if he turns pro) or Stanford’s Tanner McKee.

So unless the plan is to be bad at quarterback — trying to discover a reclamation project in a Mitchell Trubisky type or going for a boring, low-level starter like Teddy Bridgewater — it’s difficult to decipher what a plan would look like.

Furthermore — even if you have the #5 and #7 picks, who are you taking?

As noted earlier — it’s distinctly possible Kaybon Thibodeaux and Aidan Hutchinson will be gone. Derek Stingley will probably be gone. Who are the blue chip players you’re building around? A lot of people love Evan Neal but I need to see his combine. I’m not sure he’s better off shifting to guard.

It might make life interesting to have two high picks but you still need to be able to add good players.

I would argue if you trade Wilson you would probably also need to trade D.K. Metcalf too. Firstly, to get the kind of draft stock required to give you a shot to find quality starters in key areas (OL, DL). Secondly, why pay Metcalf a record-setting deal to have him be frustrated by the likelihood of inconsistent or poor quarterback play?

If nothing else this might give you a chance to address the O-line with Trevor Penning, Abraham Lucas and Bernhard Raimann all attractive options.

This is why the conversation about the future of this franchise carries so many layers and goes way beyond the limited talking points we usually hear on the matter.

— One final note — Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are important days for me this week. Thus, I’ve taken the incredibly rare decision not to stay up for Monday Night Football. As someone who prides himself on staying up until the early hours to watch every Seahawks game, I haven’t taken the decision lightly and probably agonised over it more than I should’ve done. I need to get my priorities right this week though. Therefore, there won’t be an instant reaction live stream after the game. I will watch it when I wake up on Tuesday morning and will write-up some thoughts straight after.

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122 Comments

  1. Peter

    Since I am down on the Hawks this year it’s been nice slowly getting back into watching draft prospects. With the future incertain and the hawks being decidely average or worse everywhere it’s been kind of interesting to consider BPA options.

    I don’t want to have to type this out too many times but if JS trades Wilson and then “has,” to trade for Rodgers if the packers don’t cut him and why would they, I might be only follwing the team via this blog.

    Whatever we think Wilson’s compensation may be surely Rodgers would be nearly the same and thus you’d be stuck with a crappy team.

  2. bmseattle

    It’s risky enough under normal circumstances to trade your elite QB for picks.
    The fact that this draft is historically bad just makes it even more questionable.

    Keeping Wison and pairing him with an exciting/progressive coach, and then trying to fill in holes around him seems like the surest bet.
    Sure would be easier to fill in those holes with the #6 pick to use or trade back a bit, though.

    Would getting Sean Payton cost picks, do you think?
    If so, what would you be willing to give up for him?

    • Big Mike

      Cha mentioned this week that no compensation would be necessary IF coming here was a step up. That would require at least partial responsibility for personnel in addition to head coaching duties since that’s his only responsibility in NO.

      • cha

        There’s a process to making that happen.

        Payton is under contract of course, and so he’d need permission to talk to the Seahawks about a promotion. Otherwise the Seahawks would be tampering. The Saints would have to be open to the idea. Not saying they would block him, that’s just the nuts and bolts of the situation.

        One factor that might help pave the way a bit – DC Dennis Allen might be ready for a promotion. He reportedly interviewed for the Eagles job last year, and has HC experience w the Raiders. Absent a big QB splash, they may want to focus on strengthening their core identity with defense.

        He had one reset year and since has kept the Saints in the top half of the league in scoring defense since. Average rank: 11th.

        • Rob Staton

          The interesting thing is the Saints’ willingness to ‘listen’ to offers for Payton in the past.

          In the post-Brees era, I would imagine that feeling is even stronger now.

          • bmseattle

            “offers” implies draft picks, right?

            Or is there something else I’m not thinking of that we could offer them.
            Money?
            Players?

            The Seahawks are not really in a position to offer much in the way of draft picks.
            Not only do we not have much to offer, but we need them to fill in multiple positions.

            I could be convinced that getting a good enough coach, like Payton, could potentially be worth punting another draft for… especially a bad draft like this one…. and also, especially, if Payton can coax better play out of Wilson.

            • cha

              It would be very interesting to see what the trade market is for a Payton-level coach. Gruden netted a massive haul in 2002 to go to TB – 2 first round picks, 2 seconds and $8million in cash.

              • GerryG

                Holy crap!

                I had completely forgotten the cost was that high.

      • Rokas

        Rob made a business decision, as these announcers would say:)

  3. Big Mike

    Any agonizing over staying up late to watch this shitshow of a team is more agonizing than is necessary Rob.
    Unless Rodgers comes here, which as you mentioned is highly unlikely since they’re an NFC team, the next several years will be an epic shitshow if RW is traded.
    Thanks as always for an entertaining read.

    • RugbyLock

      If they do trade RW it’s back to the 90’s!

    • AlaskaHawk

      Based on past history it will also be a shit show if he stays. Something has to change.

  4. Roy Batty

    I cringe at the thought of Carroll and Schneider being given high draft capital with a poor draft class to choose from.

    I can only imagine them turning two high firsts into 2 low firsts, many late seconds and thirds, all while picking mediocre reaches the entire time.

    If someone has a flawed pattern and that someone will not admit that they have a flawed pattern, then that pattern will surely continue.

  5. Happy Hawk

    Scouting Daniel Jones ( NYG) to see what the future of the Hawks looks like = not good.

  6. Rob Staton

    Seahawks defensive stats:

    4 interceptions in 10 games (2nd worst in the NFL)

    4018 yards conceded (5th worst in the NFL)

    17 sacks (3rd worst in the NFL)

    22.6% pressure percentage (9th worst in the NFL)

    4% sack percentage (worst in the NFL)

    122.2 rushing yards conceded per game (9th worst in the NFL)

    Abysmal.

    • bmseattle

      Remember how Hawkblogger posted pressure percentage stats after the first game of the season and was so optimistic?

      Ah…good times.

      • Roy Batty

        God that game was such a horrific tease.

        I honestly told my brother that this team seems to have the ability to score at will, on any given down, anywhere on the field.

        Then the 2nd half of the Titans game happened.

      • Matthew

        I indulged and savored that first week win, and John Clayton’s “Hawks look like SB contenders” article because I sensed it was probably as good as this season may get. Glad I did. Was fun dreaming for a week.

    • Peter

      Like you said. Creating the reason why you are the number six pick in the draft….and then being the reason why you don’t get that pick: fireable offense.

      • bmseattle

        You’ve got it all wrong!

        Pete and John *knew* in advance that this draft would suck, and that a top 10 pick wouldn’t be worth it!
        These guys think 2 to 3 years in advance, dontcha know?

        • Big Mike

          And here I thought they were just desperate. Thanks for straightening me out on that.

        • Peter

          4d chess.

    • cha

      Remember when PC used, young hungry, talented players on defense and lived with mistakes?

      Those days are so long gone it is silly.

      I get that Alton Robinson and Darrell Taylor may not exactly be the next coming of Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett, but frequently running them out at half the snaps of Rasheem Green and Benson Mayowa? When your defense is putting up those kinds of numbers?

      That is a criminal level of neglect.

      • TJ

        In Carroll’s early days, he didn’t have “his guys.” Every roster spot and all playing time was open to whoever could earn it. That was evident in the quantity of roster moves. He was willing to replace anybody. It kept everyone hungry. Now, he seems to show too much preference for his long-timers and too little for the up-and-comers. Starting positions and playing time appear to be given, not earned.

  7. RIP Sonics

    Love Dameon Pierce. My favorite running-back to watch in this class. Homerun capability and great vision and balance.

    On DK, i think he will be happier with a quarterback that just throws it up to him and gives him more chances. He seemed to be making a dig about wilson trusting him to make catches after geno threw him the touchdown in the jags game. Not saying he is right, in fact he drops far more catchable balls than receivers he compares himself too. If we trade him it will be because we dont think he can solve the drops

    • Rob Staton

      DK can complain when he stops dropping straight-forward catches

      • Paul Cook

        The thing with DK is that I’m not even sure he “gets it” that his dropped balls should be a concern to him and any team that’s going to pony up the kind of cash he’ll be expecting. It’s not a slam dunk to me. I can name a bunch of WR’s on rookie contracts that I would gladly take over DK at the moment. Hell, Cooper Kupp doesn’t have near his physical attributes, yet I would target him over DK on a key third down every time now.

        • AlaskaHawk

          I don’t think there is a snowballs chance in hell that anyone will give him a premium contract. There are too many receivers out there that can catch the ball. He seems to be going backwards in his abilities.

      • Pavlos

        Exactly. I am more than fine with the Seahawks trading DK. He is an unreliable WR and hasn’t shown any signs of growth this year. Too bad but the tape doesn’t lie.

  8. Paul Cook

    With the Seahawks just about mathematically out of it, the Huskies in total disarray, and Oklahoma just not quite able to get over some final hump, the football season has just about completely lost its luster for me. I’m pretty much left with only the off season now, new coaches, recruiting, the draft, etc…

    The problem with the idea of trading RW to the Giants for their two first round picks and perhaps net year’s as well is that I would have to assured that at least one of those picks next spring was as close to a slam dunk at a premium position as there could be, if not both. I mean, I’m talking elite pass rusher, elite left tackle, or almost can’t miss shut down CB. I’m not sure that elite LT is there this year, and Thibo, Hutch, and Stingley could be gone by then. I’d hate to make such a trade if it came to that and then have to trade up a few spots to make sure you get one of “The Guys”.

    • bmseattle

      If that happened, I’d argue it would be smarter to trade back and try to recoup high picks for the 2023 draft.
      But then you are really making this a potentially lengthy rebuild.

  9. Big Mike

    Bengals beating the stealers 41-3 early 4th. So awesome 👌

    • Big Mike

      stealers getting beat like this is almost as satisfying as a Seahawks win.

  10. Starhawk29

    Rob, curious why you’re hitting Pickett for hand size. I always felt that was a bit of a red herring with QB prospects. For me with Pickett it’s about ball placement and mental consistency. What have you seen that suggests small hands will be the limiting factor in his career? I remember much being made of Teddy Bridgewaters hand size, and I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that’s not his problem.

    • Rob Staton

      I don’t think it’s a red herring. I do think it’s important. And if you have to wear gloves to grip the ball that’s an issue. How many QB’s do that other than Teddy Bridgewater?? And Bridgewater isn’t good.

      • Starhawk29

        I just looked up his hand size and only 8.25″? That’s tiny. Best I can tell, other than Teddy, the only guys with 9″ hands are Burrow and Tannehill. No one else seems to have such small hands. Would definitely be interesting to see if Pickett gets the opportunity to start.

  11. UkAlex6674

    We all lament the fact we didn’t draft Taylor. But how about why didn’t we make a play to sign Fournette?

    • BobbyK

      We didn’t need Fournette. We have ironman Chris Carson.

      • Big Mike

        Not to mention that workhorse Rashad Penny.

    • Ashish

      Just add to list of things JS/PC could have done to improve the team. When your coach dream to run the ball but neglect OL and RB ?

  12. swedenhawk

    so much for that whole Carroll returning to USC thing… or Riley coming to the Seahawks for that matter.

    • Paul Cook

      OMFG! Lincoln Riley to USC. Noooooo……Noooooo…. Did not see that coming. I thought maybe LSU or NFL but not USC. They scored big time. USC will be back to the top pretty quick under Riley IMO. I’ve always said that two schools could become elite again with the right coaching hire because of their tradition, money, and recruiting base, Texas and USC. He surely saw that. Wow.

      • Big Mike

        With the mess that is UW and Oregon being nothing more than a pretender, the conference needs USC to be very good.
        One other program that could re-emerge as elite with right hire Paul us Miami. Hope it doesn’t happen, but it could.

        • Paul Cook

          I hate USC. Not quite as much as Oregon, but not far beyond.

          Having said that. the Pac 12 is best when USC, UW, and Oregon are top teams, and Stanford and Utah are consistently good. Then you sprinkle in the Cinderella seasons from teams like WSU, UCLA, and whoever else you might want to mention.

          So Lincoln Riley to USC is great for the conference, and anyone who doesn’t think they are going to be back near the top of the Pac 12 and a national title contender in a few years is just kidding themselves. Riley will clean up in one of the 2-3 hottest recruiting bases in the country and not have as stiff of competition for such recruits as he had in the south and southeast at Oklahoma.

          USC has pretty much always gotten the lion’s share of top recruits when they have their program on the right course. Already one of the top RB’s in the country who was committed to Oklahoma is going to be following Riley to USC. More will follow. Football fans in Norman are holding their collective breaths now in fear of hearing the news that Caleb Williams will be entering the transfer portal soon and also following Riley to USC. We’ll have to wait and see how that plays out.

          As a UW fan, it’s going to be hard for the school, if not impossible, to create anywhere near the bang USC just did when UW announces their HC hire early this week. It’s almost not fair to the new guy, be it Matt Campbell, or DeBoer or whoever else it might be.

    • cha

      Adam Schefter
      @AdamSchefter
      ·
      1h
      Oklahoma has targeted Cardinals’ HC Kliff Kingsbury as one of the potential replacements for Lincoln Riley, league sources tell ESPN.

      Kingsbury has one year remaining on his contract after this season.

      • Big Mike

        I don’t buy Kingsbury leaving the Cards for one millisecond.

        • BobbyK

          How stupid would it be to leave an NFL job with a young franchise QB only to go back and coach college?

          • Paul Cook

            Yeah, recruiting is brutal at the college level. It never stops. Oklahoma is going to be entering the SEC along with Texas anytime between the 2023 and 2025 season.

            There are those who are speculating that one of the reasons why Riley left Oklahoma is that he saw the move to the SEC as something that was only going to make his job harder than it already was, both from a recruiting and on the field competitive standpoint. I can buy that as a reason. True, the university may stand to make more money being in the SEC, but the competition and expectations for success for the football program are a lot harder to achieve.

            I don’t buy the Kingsbury rumors either. But we’ll see. Maybe he’s one of those who just loves the college game more.

            • TomLPDX

              I think the SEC west is probably one of the toughest divisions to play in and adding tu and Oklahoma to it will make it even tougher (assuming tu gets it’s act together eventually).

              Mike Leach out of Miss State or Mike Elko (TAMU DC) are the ones to watch…

              Kingsbury would be foolish to leave AZ right now. He is exactly on the correct trajectory for a new NFL coach. If anything, he is trying to get Bidwell to give him a healthy extension.

  13. Leo

    Aidan Hutchinson had 15 pressures against Ohio State, the most in a game since PFF started tracking in 2014. I pray Hutchinson goes before the Jets pick…though considering our record with first rounders, JS would probably come up with some reason not to pick him anyway.

    • BobbyK

      That’s nothing compared to what Benson Mayowa brings to the table each week.

      • Christian Dietrich

        True, but how good is Bobby Wagner?

      • Big Mike

        🤣

        😥

      • cha

        I know you’re joking but Mayowa has 3 pressures on the season.

        Three!

        The Seahawks paid $7.6m and pushed $1.5m of void money out to 2024 to get him.

  14. JimQ

    I will admit, I look at individual player stats more than most over the college season (cfbstats.com & sports-reference.com) and I specifically look for statistics that show a player’s results that don’t seem to match the player’s rankings. There are many aspects of taking this approach. The major hurdle is often “level of competition” which can sometimes be mitigated IF the player puts up similar or better results against much higher levels of competition, as is thought of in Senior Bowl results.

    Additionally, smaller schools typically don’t get the media hype that larger schools enjoy, so good players aren’t as exposed as much in the medias. With this thought in mind, I have studied most of the mid-to-late round QB’s in hope of finding reasonable “sleepers” at QB. The QB’s I’m highlighting are just my studied opinion, but I’m not exactly an expert. I think these 3 QB’s are being somewhat “overlooked” currently (especially Zappe and to a slightly lesser degree with McCall).

    I have found 3 very interesting QB’s currently projected to go late day 2 and beyond.
    (#1) QB-Grayson McCall, Coastal Carolina, 6-3/200, currently ranked as a rd-3/4 pick.
    (#2) QB-Brennan Armstrong, Virginia, 6-2/215, currently ranked as a rd-4/5 pick.
    (#3) QB-Bailey Zappe, W. Kentucky. 6-1-5.8/215, currently ranked as a rd-5/6/7 pick.

    (#1) QB-Grayson McCall: Coastal Carolina. Low volume, 20.66-att/game, +accurate, +great YPA, AY/A #’s) Level of competition a slight negative but seems to have decent QB tools, & is VERY consistent, has an excellent long ball & has a really excellent 218.6-QBR, so far this season.
    *Main stats to know: Career completions = 71.4% on career average of 20.00 att/game = very efficient, protects ball well & is very good with the longer type passes.
    2021 season = 138/186/74.2%/2382-yds, 22-TD, *2-INT, *12.8-YPA, *14.7-AY/A, *218.6-QBR (*199.3 QBR for career) Career rushing: 195/827/4.2-YPC/11-TD’s – (runs well).
    He’s very accurate, uber efficient & has a very good long ball and works in a very balanced system. I’m not sure his level of competition has allowed him the opportunities required for instant NFL success, but the basics seem to be there. I see him as a Mac Jones type with a stronger arm. I wouldn’t be to upset with this pick at all, but I like (#3) even better.

    (#2) QB-Brennan Armstrong, Virginia, High volume with 45.5-att/game, & he’s fairly accurate. Level of competition a slight negative but seems to have decent QB skills. maybe he’s really just a B/U but his stats aren’t too bad compared to volume. Armstrong is a “slinger” and may be very much a system guy.
    *Main stats to know: Averaged 404.4 passing yards/game on 45.5 Att/game, 151.2 career-QBR
    2021 season: 297/455/65.3%/4044-yds, 30-TD, 9-INT, 8.9-YPA, 9.3-AY/A, 157.7-QBR,
    Career rushing stats: 231/889/3.8-ypc/7-TD’s. Seems like a “gun slinger” type of QB with some abilities in both pass and run games. Still a little “raw”, potential = a big maybe? My least favorite among these 3 QB’s, but maybe a late Rd-7/UDFA, as a B/U-QB – pick?, if he’s around late or goes as an UDFA.

    (#3) QB-Bailey Zappe, W. Kentucky, A very high-volume passer, 48.45 Att/game, currently leads FBS in passing yards & TD’s while remaining consistently accurate with many, many ++ QB traits. Level of competition is a slight negative, but he is a VERY high volume, accurate, poised & reasonably mobile passer,

    *Main stats to know: A graduate SR this year after 10,004 yds passing at HBC (FCS) over his first 3-seasons + 4 games during his 4-th year (2020) due to Covid. His 2021 stats of 4640 yds & 48-TD’s currently leads FBS by a bunch over — every other QB.
    2021: 382/533/71,7%/*4640-yds, *48-TD, 9-INT, 8.7-YPA, 9.7-AY/A, *171.1-QBR
    2017-2020 HBC (FCS) passing: Zappe eclipsed the 10,000-yard mark for his FCS career at HBU, Zappe completed 900-of-1,477 passes (60.9%) for 10,004 yards, with 78 touchdowns and 39-INT at HBC.
    Career rushing: 229/221/1.0-ypc/4-TD’s, he’s a pass 1-st. QB & only runs IF necessary. Has a real shot at multiple NCAA records for both total passing yards and total TD’s. Zappe has performed VERY well against ALL of the better teams he’s faced throughout his career & was very good even in losses to some much higher ranked teams.

    This QB has my attention! All scouting report (IMO, films confirm this) I’ve seen indicates that he is GREAT at pre & post snap reads, commands the LOS & adjusts as necessary and takes what the defense offers. Also, he is poised, very accurate, throws a nice catchable pass with good zip & anticipates WR’s moves before they make them. Zappe followed his OC (now head coach at WKU) from HBC to WKU along with his buddy WR-Jerreth Sterns -&- has played QB in a very similar offense for OVER 4 years. He’s from Texas & has played QB since the age of 5, he styles his game after Drew Brees & is very experienced. Air raid system QB’s don’t typically put up *9.7-AY/A* on average so that just makes him a very experienced and effective passer that isn’t -JUST- a dink and dunker. Zappe could very well be an “outlier” in this situation. IMO If he’s properly coached & used, he could be great in a controlled & “balanced offense”.

    I’ve studied all the films I can find and I haven’t seen ANY real negatives in his performances. Some are critical of his arm strength. I don’t see that at all on film so I think it’s just an opinion that is questionable. I think he also has the “IT” factor going for him as he has been very consistent & is very much a leader. Zappe will be at the Senior bowl and likely in the post season so y’all will see what I’m talking about, UNTIL then, I recommend “checking him out”. Please don’t assume he’s only your typical air raid QB, because he’s not -just- that, IMO.

    Could Zappe be a “sleeper” Seahawk Rd-3 (or so) pick like RW? They are both graduated 5-th year guys with high QBR’s that played for two schools, they have that much in common at least. -IF- RW leaves, -OR- maybe the Seahawks still draft him and sit him behind RW for the future while he learns the Seahawks offense with RW as a mentor?

    Other WKU players to keep an eye on thru the draft process:
    WR-Jerreth Sterns, 5-9/195; 2021: In 11-games = 123 for 1511,12.3-ypc,12-TD’s, (He’s Zappe’s go to guy!) Likely a Rd-6 or 7-ish pick possibility as well as the player below.
    EDGE-De’Angelo Malone, 6-4/245 – a hybrid LB/DE type edge rusher.
    2021: 11-games, 72-tkls, 12.0-TFL, 5-sacks, 3-PBU, 6-QBH, 3-FF; Career: 29 sacks/53.5-TFL/1-INT/6-PBU plus 1-FR (for TD) & 7-FF’s, he wouldn’t be a bad late Rd. pick.

    In addition to any game tapes available to study for Zappe – Also See (among others):
    https://nfldraftlounge.com/bailey-zappe-nfl-draft/
    https://thedraftnetwork.com/articles/bailey-zappe-wku-fau-2022-nfl-draft-stock

    UPDATE: Zappe 11/27/21 game vs: Marshall, 25/48/52.1%/328-yds/4-TD’s, 0-INT.
    his updated career #’s after the 53-21 blow out win over Marshall with his 4 passing TD’s & 0-INT’s.bringing his total number of passing TD’s. to 52 this year & his passing total is 4,968-yds (so far). He has the Conference USA playoffs and a likely bowl game still ahead. Future headlines could very well read “Rams get ZAPPED” by Seahawks – that sounds pretty good to me.

    • Peter

      Very interested to see what Zappe does at the senior bowl. I think round three, for me feels high. But with the QB play so bad for this draft i could easily see him move up.

      In a different world where Seattle wasn’t average or bad at every positional group outside of maybe WR, Zappe would be the kind of 4th round pick I’d love for seattle to make to get rid of Smith.

      • TomLPDX

        I’ll be looking forward to the C-USA conf championship with UTSA this Friday. Hope it is on one of the cable networks. I’m a TX kid and follow all the TX teams (not just my Aggies). The UTSA team is only 10 years old and playing good football (except for last weekend when they lost to North Texas). Should be a good game. Meep Meep! 🙂

        • JimQ

          C-USA conf. championship is on at 4:00-PM (PST) on Direct TV channel 221- CBSSNHD in the Western Washington area. Looking forward to watching this game. Perhaps Zappe will set some bigtime records? There are several other NFL prospects to watch on both sides. Should be a pretty good game, neither of these teams will be easy to beat & I suspect this will be a pretty high scoring game.

          • TomLPDX

            This is my favorite weekend for college football. The best of each conference going for the championships. I expect most games will be competitive and good play. I need to check my cable provider for CBS sports network so I can watch.

  15. AlaskaHawk

    Nice to see Green Bay Packers beating up on the LA Rams. Take it out on our division rivals!

    • cha

      They have a patchwork OL holding Miller, Donald and Floyd off the stat sheet through 3 quarters.

      Miller has one TFL. That’s it.

      • Troy

        Having a QB like Rodgers that doesn’t unnecessarily hold onto the ball and take drive killing sacks doesn’t hurt either.

        • Big Mike

          Stafford is still a Lion it would seem. He’s thrown a pick 6 in 3 straight games.

        • Big Mike

          I wonder if Rodgers has an offense that is designed for quick reads with any number of short and intermediate options to throw to?

  16. Sea Mode

    Loooool Cousins…

    https://twitter.com/dieter/status/1465111962656776196

  17. Sea Mode

    Mike Reiss
    @MikeReiss
    ·1h

    From @ESPNStatsInfo: The Patriots have 3 straight wins by 20 points with the same rookie starting QB in Mac Jones. The only other team/rookie QB to have that all-time was the Seahawks with Russell Wilson in 2012 (Week 14-16).

    • Rob Staton

      They should be a lesson for Carroll (but won’t be)

      Belichick lets McDaniels run the offense and it is SO well schemed. They don’t have ANY stars on offense. They have drafted and signed well. More than anything though, they are so well schemed. Imagine that offensive personnel in Seattle and what it would look like.

      Meanwhile Belichick is the ultimate game-to-game planner. He doesn’t have a pre-selected mantra and insist on trying to do the same thing week in week out. They adjust accordingly for the opponent and attack weaknesses, while trying to identify and limit threats for the opponent.

      Believe it or not — they can run a screen pass.

      They are a year removed from Brady’s departure and with no extra draft stock they have built a team capable of competing at the top end.

      If Carroll was willing to be an overseer, appoint a top-class offensive coordinator, be more open-minded about the need for detailed, opponent-specific game plans and finding ways to ATTACK opponents — rather than basically trying to ‘keep it tight’ for three quarters and then ‘finish’ — imagine what that would be like.

      Watching red zone today was painful. Seeing teams make the most of their best players, gather sacks and takeaways, run the ball effectively, scheme receivers open.

      And tomorrow it’ll be back to this impossibly awful Seahawks season with nothing more than hope that things change rapidly in the off-season.

      • Big Mike

        “Belive it or not – they can run a screen pass.”
        Plenty of high school teams can too. That professional organization can’t is sad.

        Don’t forget Belichick also ceded control of the draft this last offseason and they had their best draft in a long time. He’s now focused on the D and game planning while McDaniels guides an offense with rook and together they’re right in the thick of everything.

        • Paul Cook

          Scheme and coaching aside, it appears that I underestimated Mac Jones the last draft cycle. He’s better than I thought he’d be.

      • Andrew M

        I have a feeling that if Belichick was ever gifted the LOB personnel he would have schemed very similar to Carroll: keep it simple and beat the talent. But as soon as those players aged out of relevance he would trade them and adopt a new scheme. If Belichick was saddled with the 2020 Seahawks roster he would have been looking at a team that dominated offensively, and McDaniels probably could have evolved the scheme as the season progressed, instead of running into a brick wall in week 8 and never looking for an answer. Like most Hawks fans I am haunted by that Super Bowl loss, but as a football fan I want to see just what the Patriots can do this year. Right now Belichick should be coach of the year.

  18. vanhawksfan

    Rob,

    It is so painful to watch the line play in Ravens/Browns and not think back to the last four drafts where you have identified the right players, mostly playing for Baltimore, that the Seahawks could/should have had.

    The arrogance and neglect of the lines is so painful. They are the foundation of any winning team, beyond the QB. It is so bizarre to watch how bad the lines, running backs and defensive backfield have become in light of their importance to Pete’s “philosophy”. I guess that, like any bad relationship, consistent bad choices are a result of denial and a lack of self reflection, be it a person or an organization.

    I love your writing. It is the most intelligent prose that I find in this sphere.

    Thank you.

    • Spencer Duncan

      Joel Bitonio was a SDB and especially Rob favourite.

      • Big Mike

        yes he was

  19. Justaguy

    Kayvon Thibodeauxin Jacksonville… Just pucked in my mouth

  20. Mike

    If the hawks do trade russ.

    Garrett Wilson would be fun. So good at high pointing the ball.

    The russ trade better be massive: like all of the eagles first round picks this year plus more.

    Desmond ridder looks like there could be something there in a mid round pick

    • Mike

      Also Bobby Wagner can’t be here next year at that salary. He has to be cut, he’s not a difference maker any more

  21. MattyB

    are you suggesting there are only x3 worthwhile picks in the up and coming draft
    with #5 and #7 surely there would still be talented around? – and maybe if seattle are re-building then dont we go back to just pick the most talented guys available

    • Rob Staton

      I’m not saying there are only three worthwhile picks.

      I’m saying the options in the top-10 currently don’t appear very attractive.

      Take last year for example. Throughout the process there was a warranted belief that Lawrence, Chase, Pitts, Sewell, Parsons, Waddle and Smith were legit. A lot of people loved Surtain. We identified Horn very early in the process. And then you had the other QB’s — Wilson, Lance, Fields, Jones etc.

      So you could legitimately talk through a variety of potential options in the top-10 that you can build a case for.

      Right now, for me, you’re looking at a top-10 with Thibodeaux, Hutchinson, Stingley and Hamilton. That’s pretty much it — and Hamilton is a safety and Stingley has some supposed character issues. There isn’t a single QB worthy of the top-10. Not one. A lot of people like Evan Neal but I am unsold.

      I love Jordan Davis but he’s a two-down athletic nose. The rest of the players I really like include small-school offensive tackles (who we need to see test to properly project) and another safety.

      This is the absolute worst year to pick in the top-10 unless you have a top-3 pick. It doesn’t mean by April picks #5 and #7 won’t be more attractive because we’ll have testing data. But I can’t say to any Seahawks fan, as someone who covers the draft closely, that trading Wilson for #5 and #7 is a good idea. If you could guarantee me Thibodeaux and/or Hutchinson we’d have a different conversation. If Evan Neal is legit and you could get him and one of Thibodeaux/Hutchinson, likewise. But even then, you need a plan at quarterback that isn’t ‘Jacob Eason’ or ‘Mitchell Trubisky’.

  22. Roy Batty

    Something baffles me more than anything else with the fan base this year.

    The Cult of Rashaad Penny.

    There are still fans out there calling for the Hawks to sign him to a 1-year, vet minimum deal in 2022.

    They still claim he is a good runner who just needs a chance.

    I guess 4 years and just under $10 million wasn’t enough of a chance.

    • Ok

      I myself have been in this cult.
      When Rashaad was drafted the highest need was rb.
      I had watched Chubb highlights, by way of watching Gurley highlights…so Chubb was ideal, but at the time, I was excited for Penny. Something, something return game.
      There are several large red flags with that pick: the conference/scheme he played in, and most damning imo, he is allegedly very immature.
      I wanted the hawks to draft CEH, but would have been stoked on Taylor.
      Now on to why I’ve been in the cult:
      The current roster is such a mess, the ‘schemes’, the coaching, the identity…tragic. It wasn’t difficult for me to envision a scenario where Penny plays for, say, Kyle/McVay, and just runs it up.
      The same could be said for Brooks. The Ravens, whom some of us pine for their drafts, picked Queen, right after our pick. Queen and Brooks have both struggled, but one of them plays behind an actual NFL level DL.
      Blah blah blah, I thought the player, although problematic, was being held back by systems.
      This last game tho. I could be wrong, but he just doesn’t seem to want to play.

      • Roy Batty

        Ability, scheme and drive are meaningless when it comes to Penny.

        He cannot stay healthy. The one major injury has been surpassed by an infinite number of nagging injuries. People calling for more snaps to see what he can do ignore the fact that he hasn’t been able to practice anywhere near as much as the other RB’s. Him getting into the flow of an actual game is nearly impossible.

    • Big Mike

      Did these same people call for another year of Prosise. If so, how did that work out? Is he still in the NFL? Will Penny be in 2 or 3 more years?

  23. Sea Mode

    Well, apparently as it stands now, we have the 3rd easiest remaining schedule per PFF. Sure hope it doesn’t prop up PC again like last year.

    And if we win tonight, we are only one game out of a wildcard spot! Don’t people see it doesn’t matter, even if we do by some miracle scrape into the wildcard game…?

    • Mick

      It would be terrible to reach the playoffs, another year to hide the awful roster construction behind undeserved results. I’m not happy when we lose but I’d much rather we rebuild as soon as possible.

      • Paul Cook

        I’d love to make the playoffs. It would be great to see us win all or all but one of our remaining games. Some excitement around this team would be nice. It’s better than seeing them lose.

  24. cha

    Deebo Samuel only had 1 catch for 12 yards yesterday.

    But he had 6 runs for 66 yards and 2 touchdowns.

    The Seahawks have a stable of broken down running backs along with a stable of thoroughbred wide receivers and a TE with the body of a WR in Gerald Everett. Why can’t they get them involved at all in the running game?

    • Peter

      **** this is meant for mild gallows humor****

      Cha,

      We have officially entered the door titled “sene-cat?” Let’s discuss.

      If the Adams trade wasn’t fireable then wanting to play alleged smashmouth football and screwing up both trenches AND literally being unable to field a running attack that might not be better than worst in the league when the season is over….that should be fireable.

    • Roy Batty

      Because the jet sweep is reserved for Eskridge and game-breaker Penny Hart, thereby telegraffing it to the defense each and every time.

      Eskridge or Hart in motion?

      Jet sweep.

      • Jordan

        Eskridge’s role to this point, and I’m not sure it is any fault of his own, has essentially been crash test dummy.

        • Roy Batty

          Insane how one hit can possibly derail a career.

          Such is the NFL.

    • Gross MaToast

      DK Metcalf in the backfield like Cordarell Patterson would be interesting until he was broken.

  25. IHeartTacoma

    Thanks for the notes on Hutchinson and Ojaba from Michigan.
    That Michigan – Ohio State game was classic. Full house, focused crowd, lousy weather, and lots of action. I heard that David Ojabo’s parents were there and it was the first college game they’d attended. Good start.
    I dig those Ohio State receivers too.

  26. Big Mike

    Greg Olsen just on with Cowherd and said many of the same things about the Hawks we’ve been saying. “Need to take the training wheels off the offensive coordinator”. “Need to try to outscore other teams because of the weapons they have……….that’s what we did last year for the first half of the season and then when the defense got better we dialed it back.”
    Someone may be able to post it here.

    • Rob Staton

      https://youtu.be/C6r5HPMwKJk

      • Big Mike

        Thanks Rob.
        Worth a listen folks. This isn’t a Twitter guy or some random fan, this is an NFL TE, possible HOFer and a guy that was on the team last year.

        • Big Mike

          Starts at 8:45

    • 12th chuck

      if it hasn’t happened by now, I’m not so sure it will until pc is gone

      • Big Mike

        Sadly, I agree 100%

  27. Blitzy the Clown

    I have family ties to UCLA so I’ve always been partial to the Bruins. Which means I might want to see more in a Bruin prospect than may actually be there.

    But I’m gratified to read that you are as bullish on Charbonnet and Dulcich. Also, I’ve waited a few seasons for DTR to reach his potential, and I don’t think he’s quite there yet, which means I think he has room to improve. One thing I think he’s improved on considerably is his decision making.

    I’m fairly certain Charbonnet and Dulcich are destined to be starters in the NFL. Not so sure about DTR, but I would definitely take a mid round flier on him.

  28. cha

    Josh Johnson and Gavin Heslop elevated from the PS for the game tonight.

    • Magmatizer

      This is around the time of year the Hawks give snaps to the RBs deep on the depth chart. I liked the look of Johnson in preseason, at least. Hopefully there is a spark to be had there for the offense.

    • Ashish

      Another mistake by our GM/PC is dropping Pierre Desir. He is doing okay.

      • TomLPDX

        Honestly! I never saw him as anything other than a backup and his game ending “interception” yesterday was a toss-up pass that anyone, even Pierre, could have caught to end the game.

  29. TomLPDX

    Is Collins in the lineup tonight or is he hurt?

    • cha

      Inactives haven’t posted yet, he was ‘limited’ all week in practice but wasn’t listed on the final injury report as out, doubtful or questionable.

  30. Jace

    What are your thoughts on Breece Hall? I see you didn’t even mention his name among the top backs in this class.

  31. 206

    So, if the hawks win this game lots of people are going to say “they are only 1 game out of the playoffs”. While true, would you rather them win and keep the “Hope” going, or lose and further solidify what most of us we feeling? I’m trending towards a loss…

    • TomLPDX

      I’m always going to root for the Hawks. No tanking allowed. I’ve been following this team since the beginning and will always hope for a win.

      • BobbyK

        I won’t root for a loss either. The only way I’d ever do that is if there was a QB guaranteed to go #1, who actually deserved to go #1, and we had a chance to get him by losing. That’s it.

        I’m really not looking forward to the game tonight though. I used to look forward to Seahawks games. Now it’s as if I just endure them. That’s what happen when your decision makers draft crappy and don’t invest in the LOS properly. It’s no fun watching your team get pushed around by other bullies more times than not. But at least we have Jamal Adams (sarcasm).

        • Big Mike

          Gonzaga plays at 7:00. It’s against a cupcake but I’ll switch over anyway.

          • TomLPDX

            Going for the sure win, huh? Party pooper!

    • cha

      Always want the Seahawks to win.

      But when they continually “choose to lose” with horrendous in-game management and snap distributions, I cannot look anyone in the eye and say this team is competitive they just need this or that to take the next step.

  32. cha

    Inactive tonight

    Jacob Eason
    Rashaad Penny
    Travis Homer
    Nigel Warrior
    Dakoda Shepley
    Damien Lewis
    Robert Nkemdiche

    • TomLPDX

      Thanks Curtis. So Alex is our RB1 with Dallas as RB2 backed up by Josh Johnson as RB3. Alrighty then! Good luck DeeJay!

  33. BobbyK

    Predictions for tonight:

    1. Pete Carroll wastes a time out at a stupid moment.

    2. Pete Carroll challenges a play he basically has no hope to win (loss of another time out).

    3. Russell Wilson takes a needless sack.

    4. Needing 1 inch on 3rd down, Seahawks throw a 40 yard pass.

    5. Punt on the next play inside Football Team 5 yard line.

    5. Defense almost gets a safety early in the drive, but end up giving up a 20 play, 95 yard scoring drive that takes up 12 minutes of clock.

    6. At some point, Seahawks go 3 and out on consecutive drives. Several times.

    7. Jamal Adams does something to make us hate him even more.

    • TomLPDX

      HaHa!!! I can’t argue against any of these, especially #1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 5 and 6! For #7, I think Jamal will do something, several times, that will make us hate him even more!

      Russ will make an incredible throw to Tyler for a score. That’s it.

    • bmseattle

      I wonder what the odds in Vegas that all those things happen, is?
      I’ll take the bet.

    • cha

      8. Alton Robinson gets about 18 snaps. Benson Mayowa and Rasheem Green get 45.

      9. MNF puts up at least one absolutely ridiculous graphic. Russell Wilson in a pilgrim hat eating Thanksgiving leftovers or some such nonsense.

      10. Landon Collins and/or Jamal Adams will get some nice shine from the announcing crew even though they’re playing like lead anchors.

      11. The Seahawks will be moving well on offense, then try a trick play and it will kill a drive.

      12. Someone on the Seahawks will have one great play and then get benched or ignored for the rest of the game. Take your pick: DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, Dee Eskridge, Alton Robinson, Darrell Taylor.

      13. The Seahawks will call a draw play on third and long.

      14. Bobby Wagner will get a graphic on how many consecutive years of 100+ tackles he has. Bonus points if on the next play he gets blocked out of the play or misses a tackle.

      • TomLPDX

        #13 is guaranteed!

        • pdway

          ha….oldtime Hawks fans know that one has been etched in stone in the playbook since the days of jack patera….

  34. TomLPDX

    Florio just reminded me in his latest post that tonight is Russ’s 33rd birthday and that a win is paramount to keep our hopes alive this season.

    I have a sneaky feeling that we win tonight and by a good margin…yes, I’m dreaming again…but it could happen…I’m saying there is a chance!

  35. MikeinSammamish

    Trade Wilson for an offensive line. It will be great to get a return on the QB before he jumps ship for greener pastures.

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