Devin Funchess — the best big man in the draft, but is he gritty enough for Seattle?
Devin Funchess is a tough player to work out. He has great size and knows how to get open. At times he flashes good catching technique and he can box off defenders to make plays downfield and in the red zone. But there’s just something about him that makes you want to hold back.
If there’s one thing the Seahawks would probably like to add to this offense, it’s a hulking tight end/receiver mismatch that can work the seam, provide a safety net and just win with sheer size/speed. That rare player who draws a linebacker in coverage and just dominates (see: Gronk vs K.J. Wright).
It’s so difficult to judge these types of prospect. The Detroit Lions chose Eric Ebron with the #10 pick a year ago ahead of Odell Beckham Jr. Think about that for a moment. Detroit could have Megatron, Golden Tate and ODB. Instead they get Ebron — an athletic, mobile (and ultimately disappointing) tight end. Hey, he’s only a rookie. Time is on his side. But so far he looks like the next Jermaine Gresham or Brandon Pettigrew. Flashes in college but isn’t so special at the next level. The recent history of big WR/TE types taken in the first round is pretty sketchy.
Rob Gronkowski was a second rounder mainly due to injury problems (back). Look where Jimmy Graham, Jordan Cameron and Julius Thomas were taken. Or Antonio Gates for that matter. You almost need to search for the diamond in the rough. I think Seattle accepted that when they took Luke Willson in 2013. Look for the size, speed and potential — not so much the tape or production. That’s not to say the next big WR/TE drafted in the first round can’t succeed. That’s why you keep searching.
So you look at Funchess and you need to decide whether you can live with the flaws and accentuate the positives. Some teams will be all over the opportunity to work with a prospect with this skill set, others will feel very differently.
Here’s what Bob McGinn’s anonymous sources within the league said about him:
“He’s not unlike Jared Cook, who’s with the Rams,” one scout said. “Pretty talented kid. Will he be your split-out tight end-H-back or a bigger wideout? I lean more toward the mismatch at tight end. He’s going to be kind of a hybrid player.”
Here’s what I think teams will like:
He shows good footwork and quickness for a big target and finds ways to get open. Considering he’s listed at 6-5 and 230lbs, this is impressive. Fast forward to 0:41 in the video below:
Look at the replay from this touchdown play. That is just a perfectly executed double move — selling the safety with a wonderful head-nod to the right before cutting inside. He’s wide open in the end zone. Quick feet, understanding how to sell a fake. This is textbook coaching and execution. Having watched four 2014 games now, this isn’t the only example of Funchess using his head to sell a fake. He has ways to get open and doesn’t rely on speed.
Here he is battling possible first round pick Trae Waynes (CB, Michigan State) (all Vine’s in this thread courtesy of @JoeGoodberry — a recommended follow).
He doesn’t make the catch in the end, but look how he works to get open against a top-cornerback prospect. He darts to the outside before cutting inside. It’s not elite suddenness by any stretch, but he knows how to set the defender one way before working to the left. He’s fighting there and it’s a great effort. It’s a poor throw by the quarterback, but he still lays out to try and make the grab.
For the most part he high-points the football nicely and plucks it out of the air. He does flash solid catching technique (cupping the hands together, snagging it). He has the size to box off a defender and gain position — and it’s hard to overthrow him. Take a look:
There’s a further example in the video below at 0:33:
Watching the replays from the play in the video above, there’s never any doubt this was going to be a catch despite the 50-50 element of the deep throw. The cornerback can’t get around his big frame to play the ball. It’s exactly what Seattle has lacked for so long — a receiver or tight end who just wins through sheer size. Throw it up and go let him make a play. All Funchess has to do here is run the route, locate the football and the rest is history. He has position, he boxes off the defender. He makes it look easy.
He has a big catching radius due to his height and length. Russell Wilson has had issues with overthrows — it might just be part of an overly-conservative offense that preaches ball control and turnover differential. With Funchess you can deliberately overthrow and he’ll still go up and make a play.
Need someone to run the seam and make a difficult catch? He can do that too. Fast forward to 3:39 in the video below:
Despite the presence of four defenders, Funchess finds the soft spot. It’s another bad throw behind the receiver — but he still makes a tough catch under pressure. You can line him up anywhere — as a tight end, in the slot, out wide. You’d want to get him working against linebackers if possible but he can also work over nickel corners. In the red zone he can be effective too and he even showed some potential on screens and quick hitters. He’s not a big YAC guy obviously, but he can get you five yards on a shooter to the outside.
So what about the things that aren’t so appealing?
His whole career at Michigan just felt so underwhelming. Granted, he always played in a disappointing passing offense. The Wolverines were truly awful in 2014 and as the offense imploded, Funchess disappeared. You look at a player like Kelvin Benjamin and despite some of the mental lapses and bad drops at Florida State — he still had some beastly performances and big production. Would Funchess put up the big stats with Jameis Winston throwing the darts? Maybe. But he never took over a game like Benjamin at FSU and never played with the same level of intensity.
He’s very much a build-up speed receiver. When he gets moving he can accelerate and kick up a gear — but while his short-area quickness and footwork is impressive, he’s not quick to get into his breaks and he won’t separate on a go or post route.
Can he act as a conventional tight end? Perhaps most worrying for the Seahawks is he’s a terrible in-line blocker and shows little interest in the open-field to finish a block. You want to see more attitude here. You want him to line up at tight end because this is where he’ll really hurt teams — working the mismatch at the second level and down the seam. If he can’t execute the blocking duties can you even consider him at TE? You can take some of the pressure off by playing him in the slot (a lot of move-TE’s line up in the slot these days) — but he doesn’t have the short area quickness to stay there full time.
He lurches between circus-catcher and frustrating dropper. The stat sheet shows 20 drops in three seasons. He will make plenty of head-scratching decisions. There are also times where his effort, not just in blocking, is really sloppy.
Look at the interception at 4:03 below:
What is he doing here? It’s a half-baked attempt at a one-handed catch that ends up costing his team a turnover. It’s this kind of maddening play that turns you off Funchess. You know he’s capable of so much more — so what’s going through his mind as that ball leaves the quarterbacks hand?
There aren’t many human beings that can do what Devin Funchess can do and in many ways the positives outweigh the negatives. I can see why he gets a lot of first round attention and if the Seahawks want a big target who can make chunk plays and win over the middle — this is an option. But there are so many frustrating aspects to his game too. Will he be quite as effective downfield against faster DB’s? Will he dominate smaller opponents and continue to make tough grabs? Can he be a next-level dynamo in a way he never was in college — instead of another underwhelming move-TE like Jermaine Gresham (a superior athlete)? Does he have the potential to dominate like a Gronk or Graham and take over games — or is he going to be a 5-week-a-season wonder? McGinn’s scout says Jared Cook. Another player who promises so much but flatters to deceive.
His ability to get open with head movement and effort keeps me intrigued — even though I’m not convinced the Seahawks will think about drafting him early. The combine will be big for Funchess. If he shows difference making physical traits even if the forty isn’t great — he could be a big riser. But the only real reason I think Seattle would consider him is the size factor. If they can’t land a veteran receiver and if they don’t acquire a big move-TE like Jordan Cameron, Julius Thomas or Jermaine Gresham — Funchess can fill that role. There is a ‘Big Mike Williams’ vibe to his game. But the lack of blocking talent, the question marks about his ability to line up consistently at tight end and the boom-or-bust nature of his play might be a turn-off for a team that loves suddenness and grit.
Elsewhere today…
Mel Kiper has put together a new mock draft, with the Seahawks taking Miami receiver Phillip Dorsett at #31.
Kiper: “Dorsett would offer Seattle something they simply don’t have on the roster right now, which is a player who can consistently create space with quickness in the passing game. The Seahawks are simply far too reliant on Russell Wilson’s ability to extend plays and allow wide receivers time to get open, and Dorsett is a Porsche in terms of acceleration and the ability to start fast and stop quickly.”
There are seven first round receivers in Kiper’s mock including Breshad Perriman (UCF) at #15 to San Francisco. Depending on what happens in free agency, the Seahawks might feel obliged to reach a little bit on a wide-out at #31 (especially if they see five already off the board when they’re on the clock). We saw it with Justin Britt a year ago — are you prepared to miss out altogether if you wait until #63 and nine or ten receivers are gone? That’s why it’s important to consider other projections. Whether you think seven first round wide outs is likely or not, Kiper has brought an interesting talking point to the discussion.
I like Dorsett — he has genuine speed and suddenness and should run the best forty time at the combine. He uses a second gear to separate and he can beat you downfield. Whether the Seahawks are looking for this type of receiver is another question. In Kiper’s projection they would have alternative options in the form of Funchess or Jaelen Strong if they wanted to go big. If they were willing to wait on a receiver, Eli Harold and Todd Gurley are both available.
Charles Davis has also published his first mock draft on NFL.com. He has the Seahawks taking Oklahoma defensive tackle Jordan Phillips. He’s a beast — the nearest thing to Dontari Poe in the last couple of years. For that reason I expect he’ll go early, assuming he passes the medical checks (he’s had back problems — a concern).
Lance Zierlein has put together a list of the fastest players expected to impress at the combine. SDB favorite Jalen Collins is named here. A source is quoted as saying he could run a 4.4. If that happens — he should be a top-20 pick. The guy has so much potential.
In the next few days I plan to do a piece on USC’s Nelson Agholor. In many ways he is Seahawky. Plays above his size, good catching technique, knows how to separate, some initial suddenness, established punt returner, good character. He’s not a big target by any means, but among the receiver options Seattle might consider early — he’s worth monitoring. And he can dunk:
Some general thoughts here. By the way, great piece Rob.
1. I finally agree with Mel Kiper. I just think WR Phillip Dorsett is such a freak athlete that Seattle may have to select him with their 1st pick to get their hands on him. You make a great comp Rob, with the whole Justin Britt thing last year. It very well may play out like that this year with the WRs.
2. Love Oklahoma DT Jordan Phillips
3. The whole WR/TE Devin Funchess debate. So, so appealing, but his apparent lack of grit is concerning. And not only are his pass blocking skills worrisome, but the will doesn’t appear to be there, and IMO that’s even more concerning,
4. Interesting that he has UCF WR Breshad Perriman going no. 15 overall to SF. Red, MJ, and I think Lou? have all been banging the table for him. He may be worth monitoring/looking into.
5. USC WR Nelson Agholor is an intriguing prospect. I like this kid. I know he’s from Tampa Bay, so was he a guy that Brennan Carroll may have missed out on recruiting wise? Is Agholor purely a slot receiver though?
This is off topic. Whatever happened to Miss St CB Will Redmond? Did he declare this year?
Redmond chose to return to school.
Damn.
Yeah, I agree… Redmond looks like a Maxwell clone.
Thanks, Rob for the discussion piece. Once again you poured your heart into your writing just so the rest of us can disagree with you.
Volume12 and I often agree and V12 summarized my thoughts pretty well.
I am not a Funchess fan because like Kiper I feel we need the quick, underneath receiver like Dorsett or Agholor. IMO, Funchess lacks the speed to win deep consistently and lacks the suddenness to win the short game. Defenders will ride him all over the field. since he is a liability in the running game, how many snaps would he get? Not enough to warrant a first round pick. ASJ went in the second round last year and he is a way better prospect than Funchess.
Call me greedy but I want Jordan Phillips and Phillip Dorsett. Seven receivers in the first round would be a lot. Last year we drafted five WR’s and one TE in the first round and that was a better year. Once again, I think the defensive line prospects will be the first off the board and teams will wait until round two before shopping for a WR. If it plays out that way, Dorsett in the second or even third round is not out of the question.
The piece is not designed to advocate taking Devin Funchess. It’s a breakdown of positives/negatives within his game. More than anything I think the Seahawks would love to add some genuine size to the WR/TE group — and that’s why they talked about V-Jax, Cameron, Thomas and Fleener. I’m just not sure whether Funchess fits their profile.
I would take phillip over dorsett without a thought. There’s only one player like phillip in this draft and that’s phillip. If you miss out on dorsett you can find a player like him in the mid rounds. I highly doubt 7 wr go in round one
12,
How long did it take you to finally agree with Mel Kiper? I think this may be a first for anyone to admit. Hell, even if I agree with him I don’t know if I would want to declare it publicly 🙂
LOL. Mel Kiper aka ‘The Hair.’ It cracks me up every year on draft day when Kiper’s ‘best available’ scrolls across the screen, and half the names are still sitting there 2 rounds later.
JS was on Brock and Salk this week and they asked him how do you find guys that love the game. His response was guys that finish the play, the ones who don’t take a play off. IMO I agree I do not think Devin Funchess plays with the grit needed to make it on this team. I would love to find a guy who plays reciever the way BB plays corner, someone who will just beat you up all game.
Seattle could go a number of directions with the first pick, but if they do indeed have 10 or 11 picks, a trade up would not surprise me. There is absolutely no way a team this loaded with talent has enough room on its roster for a bunch of developmental players.
There is something very appealing about Funchess. I love the size, speed, and all that he can bring. Concerned about the negative. I’m glad Carroll and Schneider are making the picks and not me. Seattle hasn’t had a big receiver who can overpower defenders maybe since Joe Jerevicious.
As competition focused as we are, I think we trade down if anything. There is still room for competition here. We could have two picks in each of rounds 2-6, which would be awesome.
JS recently made comments that they look for guys who want to be on the football field – character guys. High motor and high effort types. That should play into who we draft and sign in FA.
You do have to consider though J — the Seahawks are at a point now where 3/10 of the draft picks (if they don’t make any trades) are probably not going to make the team. The UDFA’s will come in and compete. You’re going to make additions in FA even if they aren’t high profile. The roster is pretty stacked already. The Seahawks have three extra picks going into this draft. How many do they actually need??
If you want to see how many they need, take a peek at the 2016 UFA list:
Russell Okung
Marshawn Lynch
Brandon Mebane
Zach Miller
Tony McDaniel
Bruce Irvin
Jon Ryan
Bobby Wagner
David King
Russell Wilson
Robert Turbin
Jeremy Lane
Patrick Lewis
J.R. Sweezy
Steven Terrell
Keavon Milton
Alvin Bailey
Derrick Coleman
Marcus Burley
Some of these guys are key and will be resigned (20 million+ additional cap):
Wilson
Wagner
The following are guys advanced in age, or being paid at a high level. Many of these need alternatives in 2015 or 16 (around 30m cap if retained):
Russell Okung
Marshawn Lynch
Brandon Mebane
Zach Miller
Tony McDaniel
Okung is a quality LT. But let’s assume that he’s not playing here for the 7m he’s getting in 2015.
Lynch is clearly a core player. But also at the decline age. He’s also being paid a vast sum. He is worth 8m in 2014. But look at how many very good RBs are still playing on rookie deals even today. Would we lose a lot of sleep if we had a Le’veon Bell instead of Lynch? He isn’t the same style as Lynch. But he’d still give us an elite rushing attack. At a small fraction of the cost.
Mebane will be 31. McDaniel over 30. Each will command a couple million and likely be at a point where their productivity declines.
These 5 guys each make over 2m and more. Getting rookie replacements this year, to groom for next year has a LOT of value. It would mean letting these guys go (garnering comp picks) with guys a year in the program.
The following are players that are good, not great players. All due their second contracts. Lots of savings to be had here. In the Seahawk model, these are the kinds of contracts/players that you have to reload after the rookie deals expire.
(Around 12m cap)
Bruce Irvin
Robert Turbin
Jeremy Lane
J.R. Sweezy
Alvin Bailey
Marcus Burley
If you look at this list, probably half of these names have to go. Which means replacing them after this next year. Realistically, it’s not remotely possible to reload half of these guys in just one draft. The 2015 and 2016 drafts are going to have to be aimed at plowing these players under with cheaper alternatives. Honestly, I’d consider every one of these player’s positions to be a position of need. Pick any of the best available options at any of these positions so that we can succeed them effectively, and resign whichever positions we simply cannot manage to predraft for.
And remember, the 2016 UFA period begins BEFORE the 2016 draft. So in reality, the only opportunity to ensure a smooth succession is in fact this draft class. Seattle will need to have a good handle on which UFAs they must retain and which we can limp on without while bringing a 2nd year player up to speed.
It’s a mistake to think of this draft class as merely making the team based on this years’ starting roster. Many of these guys won’t be here after this season because of the realities of our mature roster. These are the kinds of guys and talents we have to be perpetually paying rookie dollars for. They subsidize the elite contracts for the core guys we have or will retain.
Miller and McDaniel may be released this offseason.
Irvin Will likely have his 5th year option used on him.
Bailey Will actually be RFA (Original tender) as will Coleman
Burley will be ERFA (league min)
Are you really including King, Milton, Terrel and Lewis as Free Agents that need to be replaced?
That makes 10 of our 19 FAs for next year and I have not gotten to the certain extensions of
Wilson, Wagner.
The almost certain extension of
Sweezey and Ryan
The likely Extension (in my mind) of
Okung
The offer on the table for Lynch (he either retires or plays 2015 and likely beyond)
The big losses in next years FA will likely be
Lane, Mebane, and Turbin.
Everyone else will either likely be under contract in 2016, or will be gone by the season start this year.
I could see us keeping Lane around.
I think making a lot of draft picks – i.e. the churn – is as much of a part of the Seahawks identity as running the football and stingy D is. Its more than just a strategy, it has become a fundamental character trait. Its like saying, when Lynch leaves, we should switch things up and try to emulate the Broncos. Not going to happen. We might not trade down, but I would bet against any trade up. Possibly a trade into the mid-rounds at most.
Remember that this is not just about accumulating depth. PCJS firmly believe that the best way to win the lotto is to hoard tickets. That the best way to get a star player is to get as many players capable of being stars as possible. i.e. through hoarding picks. Can’t say it hasn’t worked so far.
As far as 3/10 of the picks not making it – last year it was four of nine. (Pinkins, Small, Scott and Staten). 2013 six out of eleven didn’t make the team. (Seymour, Smith, Powell, Ware, Williams, Harper). 2012 it was three of ten. (Guy, Toomer, Howard). It is fair to say that the Hawks are comfortable with punting almost half their draft class – so long as the remaining guys pay off.
Exactly right, J. PCJS largely view the draft much like many recent studies have indicated it is- a lottery.
They’re not necessarily trying to find 10 guys who can fill out a roster. It’s not a question of “how are we going to fit 10 guys on this roster?”. Realistically, they’re trying to find 1 or 2 real difference makers. An elite player or two. If a few other guys can hang in the league for a few years, and be serviceable at low cost, great. A lot of really good studies done recently show that one of the best ways to do that is to have lots of tickets for the lottery. Do your homework, find guys who show potential and flash stardom, and then get as many shots at those guys as possible. Hope that some of them pan out.
Let the other teams find “their guy” who is “can’t miss” and trade up for him. Usually those teams over estimate their own scouting ability relative to the rest of the league (” if this guy is so great, why are they giving up the chance to draft him?”. Over time, the best strategy is more picks.
Quality not quantity though. Trading down to have 12 picks isn’t always the best solution. Case in point — were they better off trading down last year from #32? Or would they have found a better long term option staying put and taking Joel Bitonio?
I guess we’ll see on that one. If we’re looking at it from year 1 – then yeah it was a bad choice because Bitonio certainly looks like a stud so far. But, down the line maybe Richardson comes back strong and has a bigger long-term impact, plus whatever we get from Marsh could factor in as well.
I’m not one to question this front office given what they’ve achieved — but I think there’s a danger sometimes of valuing quantity and taking as many of ‘your’ guys as possible versus looking at the board, taking the best guy and building. Seattle has had a couple of iffy drafts where they haven’t hit as much. Part of that is down to players just not getting the same opportunities as the 2010-12 groups. But they’ve not had the same hit rate. I want to see them use the picks they have unless, as with Richardson last year, the guy they were going to take at #32 is still there a few picks later. Even then I’d wonder if it’s worth the risk. 10 picks is a lot already.
Absolutely agree, but it seems the early round guys aren’t the ones he worries about losing. To me, it appears that Schneider likes to draft from the later rounds forward. Looking at the picks, he seems to identify talent that he covets that will be available late in the draft and then work forward. So I think having more late picks is more valuable to him than a lot of other GMs. If he felt he was risking a player he truly wanted I don’t think the trade would happen, besides not having that extra 4th round pick means another risk anyway. He probably wouldn’t want to risk losing a player he may want even more.
Quality over quantity – I really hope that is the theme for this year’s draft. No trading down, no project players in the first 4 rounds. I really think we are in a position where we need to get a couple of guys who show enough their rookie year to be considered ‘hits’. Getting solid production out of guys while they are on their rookie contracts is a big reason of why we have been so successful.
Obviously I think they are better off taking Bitonio. Particularly now that we are faced with losing Carpenter or paying him north of 3m a year to retain him. The spectre of paying 6m+ for our OGs looms ominously on our cap.
But had they stayed put, they were still taking Richardson. The trading down didn’t affect their ability to get Bitonio because he was never the intended pick.
In that particular case, the trade down was incidental. We would have resulted in the same pick regardless.
Generally, if you are a prospect that hits right away — the likelihood that you’re going to decline significantly is very very low. Most very good to even great players, are basically plain to see pretty much right out of the gate. It’s true that some players need an extended period of time to become good. But it doesn’t generally work the other way around. You can always find isolated examples of that. But those are outliers.
IDK, but the first round of this class really lacks quality IMO.
–Current roster players that **could be** replaced by the draft: This is my simplistic way of looking at the draft from the bottom up. You can make your own list by looking at the Seahawks roster on their website. You can add or delete specific players on my list if you think they are a lock to stay or go, but that still will leave a whole lot of players that could be replaced by the 10 (or 11) picks in the upcoming draft. I have to think there are …at least…10 guys here that could be replaced directly or by adding better players above them at their positions, thus creating a domino effect in the right way. Obviously a lot of these guy will be staying around, but there are over 50 players on this list, surely 10-11 of them can and should be upgraded through the draft or FA.
–LB-Bradford, LB-Kelly, LB-Morgan, LB-M. Smith, LB-Taylor, LB-Farwell,
–DT-Cohen, DT-D. Smith, DT-Staten, DT-McDaniel(?), DT-K. Williams(?), DT-J. Williams(injury ?’s).
–OG-Davis, OC-Lewis, OL-Milton, OG/C-Schilling, OC-Wheeler, OG-Isles, OG-Nowak, OG-Renfrow, OL-Jeanpierre, OT-Scott,
–DE-Schofield(?), DE-Dobbs, DE-King, DE-Pericak, DE-Robinson, DE-Warmsley,
–WR-Walters, WR-McNeil, WR-Gilreath, WR-Kearse(?), WR-Lockette(?).
–TE-Allen, TE-Moeaki,TE-Miller(?), TE-McCoy(?).
–FS-Terrell, FS-Zimmer, SS-Johnson(?),
–CB-Maxwell, CB-Burley(?).
–RB-Bronson, FB-Coleman(?).
–QB-Archer(?). QB-Jackson(?).
Total by position:
6-LB, 6-DT, 10-OL, 6-TE, 6-DE, 5-WR, 4-TE, 3-FS/SS, 2-CB, 2-RB/FB, 2-QB.
I just noticed in the Nelson Agholor video, but his vertical is ridiculous! He’s almost up and over that kid’s head! And his hands look like they touch his knees.
We know they love a big-time vertical jump. Agholor’s skinny and that’s an issue. He’s a hard one to work out in terms of overall role. But he’s a nice kick returner, good character. Might be some interest there.
… and Agholor is a USC guy. So, Pete is going to know all about him.
it seems they don’t mind skinny, either
I really like agholor at the end of the second. I think he would be a great 3rd or 4th wr and returner.
I think agholor would be a perfect role player for the hawks. He could be a great 3rd or 4th wr option and great returner.
Maybe this is just me, but USC WR Nelson Agholor reminds me of a poor man’s version of Denver WR Emmanuel Sanders.
That’s a good comparison
That’s interesting. He reminds me of Eddie Royal.
I really like Funchess. I think the fact that he didn’t take over many games is more due to the fact that Devin Gardner isn’t a good QB. If you look at his hands I think most of his drops can be fixed by just working with an NFL WR coach.
We definitely need the most impact full player in R1.
WR feels to be our biggest need, but will value match that #31 pick?
If PC/JS feel DGB is worth the investment, then pull the trigger!!! Love IT!
(But we won’t see those meetings and have that intel. So let’s put him aside.)
I want that #31 pick to add Explosiveness to our offense.
Philip Dorsett may be the fastest in the draft. If Brennan Carroll, who’s now on the staff from Miami who knows Dorsett, if he is the REAL deal, then grab him at #31. He would fill 3 spots, WR/PR/KR…
Otherwise, we need one of the speed WR guys: Dorsett, Lockett, Crowder, Goodley
And a Big Tall WR to match with Chris Matthews and our TE’s to create height mismatches.
With Brennan Carroll from Miami on board, I wonder if we grab Clive Walford, the 6-4 TE from Miami.
With Dorsett and Clive Walford, we would be 2/3rd’s the way there!
Can’t Wait! Go Hawks!
If another big, tall WR is what we want, for my money, Jordan Taylor of Rice is a better prospect than Funchess. Taylor had three seasons with 800 yards, a better YPC, and undoubtedly had worse talent around him at Rice than Funchess had a Michigan. Most of the mocks show Taylor going in the late rounds. He would make a nice bookend for Chris Matthews if that is what we want to do.
Taylor is getting a bit overrated though. This is a guy who wasn’t even invited to the combine. Had a nice game against TAMU in 2013, has shown the ability to high point. But he’s sluggish, has no suddenness getting into his breaks. It’s hard to imagine him winning that often in the league and everything will be contested. Funchess is quicker and he has 20lbs on Taylor. If we’re pinning our hopes on Matthews and a guy like Taylor on offense next year — ouch.
Chris Matthews wasn’t invited to the combine either and went undrafted. All three of them run in the 4.55 range. Funchess is heavier but Matthews and Taylor look like clones of one another. If Taylor is overrated, perhaps it is because Matthews just went off with four receptions for 109 yards in the Super Bowl against two to the NFL’s top CB’s. The NFL is such a copycat league. Maybe the word is out about Taylor. Damn!
Why not both? We’ve got 11 picks. The offense is crying out for talented depth. Not a lot I can find about Taylor but at 6″5, 210, he looks super fast and smooth and seems to have had some production.
Here is the tape:
http://draftbreakdown.com/video/jordan-taylor-vs-texas-am-2013/
IMO, WR-Phillip Dorsett is JAG (although a really fast one) as a returner: Just because he is fast & has been tried at KR, doesn’t mean he is a legit returner, stats say he’s not a very good kick returner at all. As a pure WR pick however, he may very well be well worth the #31.
2014: 1 punt return for -6 yds, 8 KO returns for 118-yds, 14.50/avg. No TD’s.
2013: 9 punt returns for 57-yds, 6.33/avg, 2 KO returns for 28-yds, 14.00/avg. No TD’s.
2012: 15 punt returns for 85-yds, 5.67/avg, 11 KO returns for 251-yds, 22.82/avg. No TD’s.
2011: 4 KO returns for 82-yds, 20.50/avg. No TD’s.
I would hope that the Seahawks select a WR for the passing game (Dorsett, Smith, DGB, etc) in rounds 1 or 2 as well as one of the top 3 on the below list as their 2-nd WR in Rd-3. Failing that, I’d hope for at least a RB-Marcus Murphy pick in Rd-7/UDFA to replace Walters on the roster plus more of a developmental pick of a tall WR in the later rounds.
The Seahawks need a Punt returner badly, possibilities include:
WR-Tyler Lockett, 21/401, 19.14/avg, 2-TD’s, rank: Rd-3/4, also prolific WR #’s, 4-yrs at punt/KO ret. Also #5 in receiving in FBS. My ideal Round 3 pick.
WR-Ty Montgomery, 12/238, 19.83/avg, 2-TD’s, rank: Rd-2/3, medical ?’s. 1-yr at Punt ret., 4 at KO ret.
WR-Nelson Agholor, 19/197, 10.37/avg, 0-TD, Rank: Rd-2/3 prolific WR #’s 2-yrs Punt ret, 3-yrs KO ret.
WR-Jameson Crowder, 22/280, 12.73/avg, 2-TD’s, rank: Rd-5-ish, 4-yrs at punt/KO ret
WR-Andre Debose, 23/323, 14.04/avg, 1-TD, rank: Rd7/UDFA, 4-yrs at punt/KO ret
WR-Jamarcus Nelson, 26/277, 10.65/avg, 0-TD’s, rank: Rd-7/UDFA, 4-yrs at punt/KO ret., 160-lbs?
RB-Marcus Murphy, 27/281, 10.41/avg, 1-TD, Rank: Rd-7/UDFA, 4-yrs as a punt/KO specialist, he’s a real Swiss army knife & has decent yards per carry as a RB.
WR-Christion Jones, 19/152, 8.00/avg, 0-TD’s, Rank: Rd-7/UDFA, 4-yrs at punt/KO ret
http://www.cfbstats.com
His lack of interest/effort blocking was painfully evident…but in the red zone this guy would be a boon! You throw a jump ball up to Funchess in the end zone instead of a slant to Lockett on the last play of the Super Bowl and we might have a different outcome!
I was thinking that he’d be sure to come up with an inside slant, too…but remember the old saying about the problem with Generals: they’re always fighting the last war. Like it or not, SB49 is over, and there’s probably no point in drafting to correct the problem of one bad result (from a bad call?) that almost certainly won’t come around again.
P.S.: Had they thrown a jump ball to Matthews (who wasn’t even in the game) instead, we might have had a different outcome, too.
Who is this Jacoby Glenn kid? All I know is he’s a CB from UCF, who had a pretty good year statistically, has some really intriguing length, and may be a fast riser. I think I remember seeing one mock draft that had him going no. 10 overall to the Rams.
You know anything about UCF CB Jacoby Glenn, Rob?
Only that he had seven picks last season.
Yeah, I thought I remembered seeing that he had a good year. He’s an interesting guy, yeah?
Rob, do we have 10 picks this draft? 1-7, minus a 6th for Burley, plus a 6th from Harvin (after he gets cut), and then 3 comp picks (tate, mcdonald, browner)? Am I missing another comp pick (WT3, Breno?)
Schneider suggested 10 and that’s how it would play out — 3 comp picks.
I don’t understand why we wouldn’t get a 4th comp pick. It is a max of 4.
I think Schneider is mistaken on that one. He didn’t sound particularly sure about it. At any rate, I’d expect 4 comp picks.
Intentionally mistaken? 😛 You’d think he would know exactly what to expect.
Seven picks plus three picks is ten. Over the Caps projects a fourth for Tate (should be a third, IMO) a fifth for Browner, a sixth for McDonald and a sixth for Breno.
So we’d have one first, one second, one third, two fourths, two fifths, three sixths, one seventh. I’d love to trade into the second and pick up another third. At least two picks in each of rounds 2-6 and we could do some work.
I would like the Seahawks to get large tight ends. I mean really large 280-300# guys that can block like the other linemen. Someone who runs 5 yards downfield, turns and makes a catch – and they are so large that the defender can’t get their arms around them to deflect the ball. I enjoyed Gilliam (?) catching the pass in the superbowl. I would like to see more of that.
First pick though – yes I would go defensive line or an explosive wide receiver like Dorsett.
Not sure many teams would have that much trouble defending a 300lbs TE!
Jesse James goes 6’7″ 260#.
Love the name. Is there any tape posted on Jesse James?
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yg7nTsBWZNg
Like I said, 6’7″ 260# supposedly runs the 40yd in 4.6.
I like Williams and Walford. But James is my top TE in this draft.
His stock is rising though.
He a guy I’m really hoping we pick up. Love the way he runs for contact. The kind of TE DBs hate to tackle. Not sure where he’ll go but if he’s there at 3 I’d be stoked. Might not last that long though.
Love me some Jesse James!!!!
I’d need to see James make some tough grabs through contact to see if he has what Williams has. James’ highlight video looks like a Luke Willson highlight video, we don’t need another Luke Willson.
Luke Willson didn’t have a highlight video. He was, quite literally, a shot in the dark – a pick based entirely on SPARQ and size..
James has 2 inches and 20lbs on Willson. I’m quessing his SPARQ will be commensurate or even better.
Excerpts from the Nittany Lions’ website re James:
“Tight end Jesse James has the size, skill set and football IQ of a player that presents a mismatch on every snap when he lines up. The 6-7 Nittany Lion has quietly emerged as one of the Big Ten’s top tight ends and has had two tremendously productive campaigns for the Blue and White.
Sporting News named James first-team preseason All-Big Ten heading into his junior season. He started all 12 games last season and has made 18 career starts, tied for fourth-highest on the squad.
His tremendous physical attributes, strength and receiver-like traits make him a challenging matchup for opposing defenses, and he has consistently demonstrated the ability to catch the ball in traffic and gain significant yards after the catch.
The former South Allegheny High School all-state player brings a fierce work-ethic to the practice field and the strength and conditioning program, adding 10 pounds of muscle since last season.
James is director of marketing for Penn State’s Uplifting Athletes chapter, which has raised more than $825,000 for kidney cancer patients, their families and research.”
I’m talking about Luke Willson, the pro. Catching balls on the run is his forte and that is what I see from James in the link that was provided. I don’t care what his school’s website says about him and how nice he is. SPARQ does not translate to catching the ball in traffic and holding on when being blasted. I didn’t say he has no future or that he isn’t the next Gronk, I just asked to see more. Maxx Williams does not have his athleticism, yet he catches tough contested balls and holds on when getting hit. James could be better, but to feel comfortable passing up Williams in order to draft James later, I’d like to know he has that “particular set of skills” first. We don’t need two Luke Willsons, is all I’m saying.
I get what you mean. And I agree about Williams. But the more I looked into JJ, the more I like him.
Not sure these will show you what you want, but the first is a better highlight reel. Actually shows him blocking some. No tough catches, but some tough yac:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tu8d7k9BLdA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hARNyQzcEwY
Strength
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7VcSQl1jc0
This is his HS recruiting video. It’s pretty fun to watch as he’s a man among boys. He also played DE and there’s footage of it. Check out around the 3 minute mark – he rushes the QB from the right side, causes an INT while leveling the QB, then flattens some poor schmuck on the return.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hARNyQzcEwY
I like Jake Hauerman as a replacement for Miller. Team captain, good size and athleticism, focused on blocking in college. Not sure if I’d want him before the third though.
Alaska, if your looking for a blocking TE, I’ve mentioned him before, but Cam Clear out of Texas A&M, who goes 6’5, 273 lbs., with an extremely low body fat % is a guy of interest.
Now he’s a day 3, possibly a round 5 type prospect, but the blocking TEs tend to go later anyways.
I like the idea of going miami kids in round 1, 2 and maybe 3. Phillip Dorsett , Clive Walford and maybe the corner too! I think they fit the seahawks needs and they all fit the players they look for. Also first time commenter long time reader. Go Hawks
Nice to have you on board Tom!
Would Sheard or Paea be a possibility with or without Suh?
Draftwise would like to see WR, TE, CB and 2 OL with first 5 picks.
Want CB or WR to have return skills.
If they can afford Suh they can afford Sheard. Great player and fit.
What are the chances they can get shead on a prove it deal if he doesn’t get what he wants from anyone?
Unlikely I’d say. He will get paid.
Now you’re speaking my language… I, like everyone else, would LOVE to see Suh added to this defense, but Sheard should be a lot less expensive and give the team options when it comes time to decide on Irvin’s long-term fate. Besides, he and a healthy Cassius Marsh could immediately help cut back on Avril & Bennett’s snaps, hopefully keeping them fresher for late game situations. Bennett and Hill are a nice combo for pass rush situations, so I don’t see Suh as necessary in those packages at all and adding Sheard and keeping McDaniel or Williams would seem a more cost effective way to bring the defensive line back up to 2013 standards.
I like Sheard, a lot. He was one of my favorites in 2011.
But I don’t like him better than Irvin, nor would I pay him more.
See this is the problem discussing FA acquisitions and their cost/benefit. Suh will cost much more than Sheard, but he brings something vital to the team that they currently do not have. Sheard is a fantastic player. But I’m not sure he’s better than Irvin, especially for MORE money than Irvin. Not to mention we already have in Irvin what Sheard would bring.
I look at edge rushers like I would look at the two guard positions in basketball. Yeah you generally only have two on the court (field) at any given time, but they’re going full tilt all the time so they need rest… All three would allow that full court press or as Arkansas’ Coach Richardson called it “40 minutes of hell”. We had 60 minutes of hell on Manning in SB 48 with Clemons, Avril, and Irvin… we had nothing left in the tank in the 4th in SB 49 (Avril’s concussion exacerbated the problem) and Brady carved us up.
Losing Lane had a big influence on the game, Brady had an easier time completing passes. I think if either Lane or Avril were still in the game that New England wouldn’t have had their comeback.
No doubt Lane’s injury had an impact, as did Hill’s. I’m not saying it was the only reason, just that constant pressure for a full 60 minutes results in mistakes (like we saw early from Brady). Bennett was about to take his face off so he chucked a gimme to Lane. Pressure eventually causes mistakes. Adding Sheard to the rotation would keep everyone fresh and the frequency of pressure on opposing QBs would increase substantially.
Theoretically, everyone is going full tilt on every play.
PC’s defensive scheme is designed to make edge rushers more productive (and efficient) by way of a pocket-collapsing 3T.
Forget Avril. Plug Suh into SEA’s front 4 for the SB and tell me if Brady would think of that game as 60 minutes of hell. As it was, Bennett made life miserable for Brady all by himself. I can only imagine what a force multiplier Suh would be for him.
I agree w u CHawk. Plug in Suh and see what happens next year!
Mebane is a great player, but coming off hamstring surgery at 30?
Worth $5.5 million?
McDaniel worth $3.5 million?
I say we cut these 2 and get Suh.
If he does want to be here, try to get a 3 year deal at $40 million. We can do that!
Then nail the draft on offense!!
I doubt he would sign a 3-year deal. He’s 28, and his best option is to sign a longer contract that will secure the rest of his career.
I fully expect he will get an offer similar to Watt – 6yrs/$100mm. I don’t think he’s worth as much as Watt, but what I think won’t stop him from getting paid.
SEA can offer him that kind of contract – it’s actually to their benefit to sign a longer deal so they can spread out the cap hit and backload the contract to make Suh affordable in 2015 and 2016. They can always restructure his deal down the road to make the later seasons fit under the cap.
You are right. Longer would be better… If we had him signed up for 5-6 years, that would be crazy, and the cap space just keeps rising, so he becomes more affordable %-wise as we go…
I’d take him as a wide receiver first. He doesn’t look like he’s just got straight line speed, I think he’s got quickness about him that would be wasted as a tight end on this team. Field Gulls has an article right now where Funchess himself talks about running a low 4.3 forty. I don’t imagine he’ll repeat that at the combine but I think it’s clear he’s more athletic than we believe.
I like the notion of moving up in the second to grab one of the remaining top level prospects. A result where we get some combination of Collins, Harold, Odighizuwa, Gurley, Funchess, Dorsett, DGB or Sambrailo between the bottom of the first and top of the second would be fantastic. It wouldn’t be that expensive either since we’ve got so many picks.
As a huge Michigan fan who can count the # of games I’ve missed on one hand over the past 25 years, will note the Funchess is intriguing to the Hawks in that he helps create mismatches. He has a skill set + size/speed not currently on the roster. While Devin is a intriguing talent, Wolverine fans haven’t seen in Ann Arbor since Braylon Edwards – his drops, lack of in-line blocking and perceived lack of care drove fans nuts. He mentioned after a mid season lose to Rutgers that he didn’t care if the team won or lost. I imagine the statement was taken out of context, but can’t imagine a Seahawk making any sort of comment. I think Devin could be coached up to a pro bowl level, but too much risk for round 1.
Rob – we need to see a feature article on Breshad Perriman. I guess Mel stole my thunder talking about him. If I had to put $ on a first round pick for the Hawks not named Gurley, he would be it. He is 6’3″ with big hands, broad shoulders, natural hand catcher with 4.4 speed and ability for stretch plays as well as RAC ability unlike anyone currently on the Hawks roster.
That’s important to consider.
And I think it’s particularly telling, when Schneider alluded to watching players finish. Or more accurately the lack of finish. The whole ‘Is football important to you’ discussion. If I had to guess, that is probably something that has been dominating inside their draft meeting rooms and in his interview, kind of popped into his head immediately. Like it was something fresh on his mind.
My guess is, that kind of lack of finish really would drop Funchess down. It’s definitely a trait that should drop Jordan Phillips down. He has lack of finish issues galore. Great physical prospect. But if intensity and finish are something of a litmus test for Seahawky — then it’s probably worth considering that some of these prospects are not high on Seattle’s boards, like they are for most draftniks.
Thanks Jon – I really like the look of Funchess, but I haven’t watched enough to make any sort of call on his ability or talent, so this is great info.
Drops and concentration are his issue though. Awesome talent who literally looks big. I don’t know how to describe that vibe but demaryius Thomas has it where the measurables are same as several other players but they just carry it differently. I just watched the Ecu vs Ucf cut up at draft breakdown again and its basically In order: Quick route, awesome deep catch, solid deep catch, good recovery from crappy throw, drop/pass defended, generalized defensive pass interference/mugging that yields a drop, one stupid drop that has him by himself with green grass that he drops for no good reason, and finally an amazing catch on a hail Mary that has as much to do with luck then anything else.
I’m over simplifying to be sure but point is I’m intrigued. If a WR coach could get him to look all his passes in or bring the ball in when in stride he’d be a terror. Goodish routes, works back to the QB, already gets his hands up and out for catches, obvious game speed at different levels of the field. Maybe shooting him up to 15 is a bit much but he’s to my eye a more put together player in the same vein as Sammie Coates.
I will do a piece on Perriman soon. Good physical talent but the drops will drive you crazy.
The one in the ecu tape is just a classic forehead slapped, where he has the ball fir . 5 seconds and bobbles it out by himself in an automatic TD…ughh
Rob, I would like to see your thoughts on most of the 2-3 round WR talent. I’m personally a fan of Hardy, Lockett, and Dorsett.
Also what do you think of the idea of the Hawks drafting Amer Abdullah or Duke Johnson to be a spark plug on offence? I can see them taking a quick screen or a read option from Wilson on a 3rd-10 and using that speed.
I would like to see the offence get faster. No one describes our offense to be fast like the defense. We can be physical and fast.
I’m beginning to think we will never see CMike do anything more in a Seahawk uniform. Be it his maturity or fumble issue I just think we will let him go for a 4th or 5the round pick at some point. I hope I am wrong though.
I’m not a huge fan of Adbullah or Johnson for Seattle — I think both are change of pace types. Seattle has depth at RB and really only needs to go after this position if they lose one of Turbin or Michael (for whatever reason) or if Lynch retires. On the WR’s — I really like the depth. Agholor, Hardy, Lockett, Dorsett and others too. I don’t think you can get a #1 in that range, but you can add a contributor.
Just re watched the Utah vs. Michigan tape again, man what a frustrating player to watch. First catch on the reel finds a sweet spot through three defenders for a great catch, the very next play that’s shown my personal favorite for late round LOB pick Eric Rowe blows up Funchess for a drop that might have been hard to bring in but he has his hands on it.
The perspective for me is the guy can not block to save his life, doesn’t even really bother to try. This is probably a young man’s problem but just simply doesn’t realize that he has the superior physical tools on basically every other player on the field. I’m not being hyperbolic here but I literally can not recall him making a catch when it’s obvious he’s going to get hit, so there’s that.
I just wish he would put more fight into his efforts and this god forbid wouldn’t happen in Seattle in part to all the close games but he truly phones it in when the game gets out of reach for Michigan. I just can’t see him as a hawk unless like every draft he’s one of those odd drops that falls to the third or so, which I doubt will happen.
Don’t think that there’s much chance that Seattle selects Funchess. Schneider was just on the radio the past couple of days talking about what he looks for in “Seahawk” players. A big emphasis for him is to see players play to the whistle and always give 100% effort. Just don’t see that in Funchess.
If you want a small school version of Fuchness check out Wes Saxton from Southern Alabama. This guy is more receiver than TE always lined up in slot 6’4 235. He kind of reminds me of Charles Clay from Miami. As for Fuchness I think he is more receiver than TE I would not touch him in first unless he ran maybe 4.49-4.53 for if he is WR he is going to need to get some separation. Also think CB in this draft are a little under rated watched film on Peters and PJ Williams these guys have some alpha dog in them. Also from the tapes on draft breakdown it looks like Gunter from Miami is more a zone guy it seems like he plays safety 25 percent of the time.
A Marcus Peters article on USA Today – http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/draft/2015/02/11/marcus-peters-washington-nfl-draft-combine/23259443/
He’s at least saying all the right things. I loved his game at UW and if his background checks out I think he will be drafted in the teens. If he falls to 31, I would take him in a heartbeat.
Interesting read.
Johnny Manziel said all the right things last year as well….
Love Peters the player, but I’d be VERY cautious.
When thinking about the Seahawks TE position, what was missing in 2014?
A solid all around TE, in the mold of Miller. A TE that is a willing blocker. Seattle has a “move” TE already on the roster with Willson. Taking a TE in the first two rounds would be not picking for “value”.
A guy who fits the bill “value” wise and should be available in the 3rd round, TE Nick Boyle from Delaware.
Save the 1st and 2nd round picks for impact players that will contribute, such as a WR, DT or LB.
Now that Kiper picked WR Dorsett at #31 for Seattle, no way they take him 😛
They did enquire about Cameron, Thomas and Fleener though — hunting that a move TE, or at least a dynamic big target, was needed.
With Zach Miller not guaranteed to be here next year (2015), we only have left at TE:
Luke Willson – 6-5, 4.5/40 Speed and ok blocker…
Tony Moeaki – 6-3, 4.69/40 Free Agent, injury concerns… Talented
Cooper Helfet – 6-3, 4.63/40 Has made some catches…
Anthony McCoy – Free Agent, hurt last 2 years…
If we let Zach Miller go, 6-5, 4.72/40, coming off of injury and to save cap space $2.39 million.
Then we definitely need at very least 1 new drafted TE. Add maybe a 2nd, or some UDFA to compete to make this TE corp more solid. Maxx Williams is a very SOLID well rounded guy, but in the first at #31 is to high, and he won’t make it to #62… I wonder about Clive Walford from Miami, given that Brennan Carroll just joined the staff, as he will know all about him.
Would Clive Walford make it to Round 3-4?? Then he’d be nice. Then Jesse James/Ben Koyack/Tyler Kroft are all available too.
Do we need 1 or 2 drafted TE’s???
I think Walford will make it into that range. I think one TE will be enough if they don’t go after it in FA.
Was just reading a fantastic article from Danny Kelly over at Fieldgulls and he broke down some of the John Schneider interview. Very interesting perspective.
“We don’t look at this thing like, ‘What is your No. 1 need or No. 2 need?'” Schneider continued. “We’re looking at this thing like, ‘How do we improve every position on a daily basis?’ Then what does that look like a month from now or a year from now, and that’s how we’re doing it at the receiver position. That goes for every position.”
When I read that quote, I see a team that comes up with a strategy to improve in every single way possible: superior coaching, a competitive, positive atmosphere designed to bring out the best in the players, state of the art nutrition programs, psychological programs, strength and conditioning.
Then there’s this one.
“We’re going through it right now, we’re watching players that don’t finish plays – what does that mean?
There’s a certain lack of intensity to them, and those players can’t make it here. They will get passed over..
You can get tricked by the speed, or the athleticism, or the upside, and I mean, we’ve done that plenty of times here”.
When we look at the draft, we should be looking for players who can make the team better. Whether it’s an upgrade for the 8th best player on the team or the 53rd, the team will turn over every rock to “Win Forever” and stay “Forever Young”. I’ve had to adjust my paradigm based on the fact that the organization sees things differently than any other organization I’ve ever seen and this is a good thing. It’s a competitive advantage and I’m very excited to see what type of talent is added to this team.
Well, we can count out Funchess now.
Go back and think of all the players we’ve nerded out on here in the last few months there is sadly a pretty good chunk of them where a pundit, coach, or even one of the more keen observers on tho blog has said “yeah he’s a great talent but I’ve noticed so and so doesn’t finish or gives up when X happens.” Definitely Funchess…its definitely something I try to look for is do they make a concerted effort to run down ball carriers? Do they block? Do the arm tackle? Do they look listless when their team is down? And Do they shrug off a bad play,catch,run, tackle, get beat deep, etc and come back strong?
In fact as much as I love the strange sideshow that is the combine after getting stoked on stats and comparing ten yd splits and verts I love to look fir these factors before I get too excited on a prospect.
As a WR, Funchess could have an immediate and powerful impact on this offense. He’s BMW with more speed. Did you all see how many times he ran past DBs? He’s not a TE, he’s not a “tweener”, he’s a huge WR in the NFL. Luke Willson would cut off his left nut to have Funchess’ body control and hands in traffic. If Matthews’ Super Bowl performance was a coming out party and not a fluke, the WR position would be stocked for a good long while with Richardson, Funchess, Matthews, Baldwin, and competition winners (hopefully Norwood, maybe Kearse). A small guy can’t do what a big guy can for Wilson. He needs that “bail-out” guy. In the past Miller has been that guy because he could rely on him to use his body to shield out defenders. Seperation is great, but against a lot of these zone defenses, there just won’t be any – no matter how quick a guy is.
Question remains, is it a lack of effort or lack of confidence in his QB? He was extremely competitive going over the middle, jumping high and even if he didn’t catch it, he put his body on the line every time. He never alligator armed a pass, not once… I see the lack of “want-to” in his blocking, but you see that from every receiver when they aren’t expecting a run to come their way. We see it in Seahawks receivers all the time, they don’t expect a run to come that far but Beast Mode breaks it and all of a sudden they ratchet up the effort on the blocking (except Lockette – that guy lives for contact).
So, who does Funchess replace? He doesn’t return kicks, so he can’t replace Walters. He doesn’t have any short area suddenness, so he isn’t going to replace Richardson or Baldwin. He doesn’t block inline, so he isn’t going to replace Miller. He isn’t a special teams ace, so I don’t see him replacing Lockette. That leaves only Kearse. We have to tender Kearse before the draft if we expect to keep him. I don’t see us retooling this offense around Funchess like he was Kelvin Benjamin. Even the Panthers realize they have too much of their offense running through Benjamin and need complementary pieces. So, he isn’t going to get 75 catches and 1,000 yards. We have too much talent for one guy to get that. I just don’t see a WR joining our team and pushing the veterans aside in the first year. Whomever, we draft is going to have to contribute on special teams and work their way into the lineup.
It feels the Seahawks know now that they need to revamp and expand their abilities in the passing game.
Bringing in Brennan Carroll from Miami, a talent scout and TE/WR Coach hopefully is part of adapting our passing game in this off season.
Hopefully we draft at least 2 “BIGS”, 1 TE/ 1 WR, and another dynamic WR/PR/KR, to arm up this offense and make it scary beyond RW and Lynch.
I know our philosophy will always be under PC to run first, but that doesn’t mean we can’t spend resources on WR and TE Weapons to make us also very passing dominate!
I hope they learn how much RW needs BIGS in the game for mismatches…It makes it look easy!
I know they want and are going to PAY RW, but hey reward him with some BIG catching and speedy threatening weapons to make his life easier.
I hope the offense of the Seahawks embraces a more dynamic and diverse route tree next year, and more consistently uses their TE’s in EVERY game… (why ZERO targets to TE’s in the SB? We had 3 and outs)
No one has ever said that the Seahawks would retool around Funchess. Given the weakness of the WR’s which is redzone and jumpballs he could offer Wilson something that he currently doesn’t have at his disposal.
No one assumes that Funchess is going to get 75 / 1,000 yards. Knowing how this offense works and the lack of opportunites for the WR’s compared to other teams Funchess or any other WR on the roster has to make the best use of their opportunities.
Who’s to say that Funchess can’t be a special teams guy? Why can’t he run down on kick offs and punts? Matthews has done it. Even if he hasn’t done it in college doesn’t mean that he is incapable of doing it.
It’s early but a couple of things strike me at this point:
1) It’s becoming clear that it is unlikely that Maxwell will be back and CB has to be a targeted area for the Seahawks
I think Tharold Simon showed a lot of promise during the regular season but was horrendous in the playoffs after returning from injury. That being said, this was basically his rookie season and the Seahawks have excelled at developing corners.
Nevertheless, they will need at least depth after losing Browner, Thurmond in previous years.
2) There’s a hole at the DT position that will need to be addressed
Kevin Williams may not return and Mebane (because of the injury) is still a question mark in my mind (and with a 5+M cap figure). Thus, there’s no question in my mind that Suh is a serious (albeit complicated) target in FA. He’s a special, dominant player in his prime that makes the Seahawks significantly better at that position and opportunities like this don’t happen often for elite teams. As long as Suh is serious, this could be a real possibility.
3) The Wilson deal seems likely to provide cap flexibility
I would be surprised if a cap friendly deal doesn’t get done here. Moreover, a deal where Wilson doesn’t make almost twice as much as anybody else sends an important signal to the team.
4) All of the above in addition to the glaring need for a #1 type WR will make for a very interesting but promising offseason.
I could see a,creative cap friendly deal. I could see long years guaranteed. I could see,and do expect to see a uniqueness to Wilsons contract.
But the idea that in some unknown universe where Wilson doesn’t make twice as much as the vast preponderance of the team is silly and everyone needs to stop with the rhetoric. Seriously what message does Wikson send by taking less money?
1. THE CBA has a hand in controlling contract escalators. Do you really think the union will let a pro bowl superbowl winning QB simply take less money so the next young and up coming Qb looking for a contract that players team can say well “Wilson took less you should to.”
2. How does it benefit Wilson to make less money? seriously? Brady has been getting paid forever and you know what they never worry about keeping any band together they just get after it and win. Green bay has been a force for a long time. Detroit will lose Suh to whomever and they have a pretty loaded team. In fact Footballs great this way, you have 32 teams and you’re just as likely to pay huge dollars to your Qb and win it all as you are to pay huge dollars and lose. The only wrinkle in all of it was that the Seahawks were able to win it all and not pay, since all the rest of the teams not paying big bucks to their QB have something in common they are not winning the big one and are no where near it.
As far as the whole JS interview goes. Did he really say anything that we didn’t already know? Seattle looks for guys who are gritty, high motor/high effort, personalities that will either mesh in the locker room or stand out, and of course high football IQ. Obviously they love athletic, sparqy guys, but look for a combination of all the things. Easier said than done though, right?
I gleaned very little from it — and that’s fine. The one person you don’t want revealing information is the GM. The most interesting thing IMO was the stuff about a unique deal for Wilson. But even then, there aren’t many ways to structure a deal to benefit the team when you’re paying someone +$100m.
Rob, I hope your ok with me using this video, since you plan on doing a piece on him. But, this is for all the USC WR Nelson Agholor fans, me included. Steadily developing a bit of a ‘man crush’ on this guy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnZN_dmq23I
Notice the double move at the 1:19 mark. That is nasty.
Then at the 3:30 mark I think, he pulls a triple move! Sells it exquisitely.
This seems like a kid who you never have to worry about going all out or giving 110% on every play. There appears to be nothing he can’t do, route wise.
Makes numerous eye-opening red-line grabs, sacrifices his body over the middle, highpoints the ball somewhat, aggressively goes after it in traffic, makes guys miss in the open field and in tight spaces, fights for extra yardage, catches over the shoulder throws in the corner of the end zone, and yes, an electric punt returner. Very impressed with this guy.
And while he does appear to be a little bit skinny, he looks like he’s one of those guys that just has lean, sinewy type muscle. Can’t wait for you to break this guy down Rob.
Agholor’s not skinny. I think this is from 2013.
http://athlonsports.com/sites/athlonsports.com/files/NelsonAgholor.jpg
Agholor is a product of and true believer in PC’s “always compete” philosophy. I’ve watched a lot of Trojan FB the past 2 seasons and I’ve never seen him take a play off or make a poor effort.
He’s one of those guys I’d love to see SEA take in R2-3.
He looks like he’s added some good weight over the years. But a 6’1, 192 lb. WR is on the lean side. I was just pointing that out, it wouldn’t be a huge concern for me personally.
Agholor is what, a 20 year old kid? And IMO he’s one of the most NFL ready receivers in this class. That’s very exciting,