Thursday notes: Thoughts on Awuzie & Witherspoon

It’s not surprising the Seahawks brought in Witherspoon for a visit. He’s one of two projected early round cornerbacks with the wingspan Seattle has exclusively preferred. He had a terrific combine and he’s a smart guy — he plans to become a doctor after football.

I suspect there’s at least some possibility however, that the Seahawks sat him down and played clips like this…

…and asked what the heck was going on.

The Seahawks, with their extreme focus on defending the run, are not going to draft a player who defends his side of the field like this. There are times where Witherspoon appears to actively avoid contact. At the very least he needs to hold position, force the ball carrier back inside and hold down his side of the field. Just get in the way.

If he plays in the NFL the way he did at Colorado, teams will design plays to attack his side. They’ll exploit the WR screen game. They will go after him over and over again.

It’s a shame because his coverage skills are exceptional. He is a terrific cover corner. I’ve said a few times — he defended John Ross better than any other corner I’ve watched from this class.

Teams need to look him in the eye and see if there’s any dog in there. Can he at the very least avoid being a liability as a tackler or run defender? That’s the key and could’ve been the tone of the meeting.

I just wish we could say with any confidence this a problem that can be rectified. You need to see it to believe it.

This was disheartening to read. Awuzie is a terrific player and fully warrants a place in the top-20. He wasn’t getting much hype. It was a bit of a gut punch to see this report just a couple of days after we talked about him being an option for Seattle.

It’s possibly one of the reasons why the Seahawks are looking at Jourdan Lewis, as discussed yesterday. The slot cornerback position seems to be a key target. Lewis doesn’t have Awuzie’s physical profile but he’s incredibly gritty, competitive and has terrific coverage and run-defending skills. Don’t underestimate his stock either — he’s worthy of a place in the top-50.

If players like Awuzie are starting to rise, others will begin to fall. That isn’t necessarily a great thing for Seattle though. For example, there appears to be some concern about Marshon Lattimore at the moment. If he dropped deep into the 20’s, why would the Seahawks halt the fall? Especially given the concerns are injury related and he doesn’t have the kind of length Seattle wants.

I suspect there’s a chance Corey Davis and Mike Williams will go a lot later than many are projecting. It seems unlikely though that Seattle would go receiver with their first pick. The quarterbacks might drop and a player like Ryan Ramcyzk might fit a positional need but are the Seahawks going to draft an injured tackle without a complete physical profile?

The good news about this class is there will likely be a good option, even in the worst case scenario. Even if some of the prospective top targets are off the board (Awuzie, Melifonwu, Adoree’, King) there’s always another option (Lewis, Watt, Bowser, Budda).

One way or another the Seahawks should be able to add a corner (outside, big nickel or slot) and a pass rusher with their first two picks if that’s the direction they want to go in.

Finally, here are the 22 players set to attend the draft this year:

234 Comments

  1. Trevor

    Agree completely about Witherspoon. He and King are the ideal Hawks outside corners physically but Witherspoon’s apparent unwillingness to play the run has to be a huge red flag. King on the other hand is more than willing and why one is being projected in the 1st and the other in rd #2 or later.

    From a purely WR pass coverage standpoint I think Witherspoon is at the top of the class but that is only 1/2 the game and when you watch clips like you show above I can’t see a team as tough mentally and coaching staff so focused on stopping the run ever taking Witherspoon. It is too bad because his talent is off the charts.

  2. Nick

    Two years ago, JS said he wanted us to be the “bullies” again. Drafting Witherspoon would be a complete deviation from this stated goal. Simply put, the Seahawks defense isn’t as scary and intimidating as it once was. We saw that last year.

    That’s why I think if they’re going to look for some big hitters (albeit maybe not in their first round pick). Maye, Awuzie, Peppers, Baker are such brutal tacklers…I know Obi has good tape, but his strength in tackling does not come from his “pop”. His technique is sound, but he doesn’t have that killer mentality that Peppers and Maye certainly have in droves.

    It’s something I worry about with Jackson too. Is he going to be physical enough at the next level?

    • Dale Roberts

      Good comments. I asked the question a month ago “Who in this draft most represents the bully factor JS said we need to regain”? The group’s answer was Jarrard Davis. The question now is which safety or slot corner fits that description. Would they take Davis with the first pick?

  3. Volume12

    Trev, our boy, W.Kentucky WR Taywan Taylor is in Seattle today. 😉

    • Trevor

      That is Awesome news! He just seems like a Hawks WR. Big time production, leader and huge chip on his shoulder. Would love to see him as one of the day #3 picks

      • Trevor

        Meant Rd #3 pick

    • DLep

      Love Taylor, would be a great pick.

    • C-Dog

      Nice.

  4. Matt

    It’s really too bad about Witherspoon. That was almost embarrassing. Nothing to do with effort; just looks like a total unwillingness to take a hit.

    I’m really thinking 26 is going to be Bowser or Watt. I just think the good CB options (both perimeter and nickel) will be off the board. I really like Jourdan Lewis, but his off field issues are serious and I just don’t think there’s any chance he is picked in the top 50 as a result (trial in July).

    All that said, I’d be thrilled with Watt or Bowser. I think both can become dynamic players on this defense.

    • DC

      If Obi, King, Humphrey, Baker, Awuzie, Jackson & Conley are all gone… Who will be there? Someone special no matter how it gets sliced up.

      • Matt

        Yep, I’m just expecting the DBs they want won’t be there.

        • DC

          I have to work hard this time of year to avoid tunnel vision on guys that I really like. In reality, my top goal is another championship and the specific player we pick is more for entertainment’s sake. I’m a dawg and a Pac12 homer so the idea of adding a Baker or Awuzie really floats my boat. But if we pick Davis Webb and then go on to win the SB I’d manage somehow.

          • Volume12

            There’s a great chance that USC CB Adoree’ Jackson will be there and end up the pick.

            • Trevor

              +1

            • mishima

              Adoree’ Jackson, Budda Baker, Jabrill Peppers.

              • Misfit74

                I wouldn’t complain. I favor Peppers the least because of the SS projections I keep seeing. Just how good is he in constant coverage?

    • Ishmael

      It’s pathetic. He just doesn’t want it at all.

  5. Nathan_12thMan

    >he plans to become a doctor after football.

    I wonder if this could be a red flag for the Seahawks. We seem to love grit and a love of the game, not just a love of what the game provides (money, fame, stepping stone, etc). Can a link be drawn between an intelligent player who is using his physical gifts to make millions (playing football) with plans to retire and become a doctor, and his potentially conscious decision to avoid tackling and run defending?

    On a separate but related note, I wonder what PCJS would say if his answer to their questioning was: “Look, I know it looks bad, but I did it on purpose. What’s better, 3 years of great tape in which I stayed healthy therefore I was always on the field, or, me going 100% and at the risk of my health and ability to stay on the field (for free, not being paid a dime) and risking my future draft stock to tackle running backs?”

    “If you draft me you will be paying me, and when you pay me I will put my body on the line to help the team win, every single play. I will 1 on 1 tackle Fournette if he comes to my side of the field running the ball. But I wasn’t going to risk my health, risk missing games games and risk hurting my draft stock (due to injuries & missed games) to tackle running backs in college while not being compensated.”

    I wonder what PCJS would say to that. Would they hate that he didn’t compete? With so many HC/GM’s saying they want to see players do everything all the time…pro-days (why? Didn’t you see them do the same stuff during the combine?) and senior-bowls (why? good place to get hurt and significantly hurt your draft stock) I would think most HC/GM’s wouldn’t like it.

    • Ishmael

      Can you honestly see PCJS going for a guy who said he deliberately didn’t compete? That’s totally anathema to the program they’ve built. What’s to stop him shutting down when he does get paid, or only showing up in contract year? Players not getting paid in college is disgraceful, but with the system being what it is at the moment then Carroll and Schneider are going to want to see guys showing up.

    • Volume12

      IMHO Witherspoon’s visit is what DT Chris Jones visit was last year. They wanna get inside his head.

      • Trevor

        You could be right Vol. I think they like to do a lot of work on what makes guys tick and maybe Witherspoon is on one end of the spectrum and they want to know why.

        Jones had a great rookie season though 🙂

        • Ishmael

          Can’t know that he would have played that well in Seattle though. Different players requires different coaching/schemes etc. etc. I know you know that, but still worth mentioning.

      • DLep

        Yeah and I wish they would have taken Jones! Though I still think Ifedi can be a solid player and using their first was the only way they were going to get Jones.

    • EranUngar

      I assume the same logic applies to “I am not tackling in practice because I want to be healthy to play on Sunday” followed by “I do not tackle unless the game is on the line because the big money in in the 2nd contract”,,,,

      If you have healthy self preservation instincts and look to minimize present risks to further your long term objectives you could have a very successful career in various fields. Combat military service, firefighting or Football are not among them.

      • williambryan

        It’s an interesting question because PC and JS are both so modern and forward thinking while at the same time they are so rooted in the old school. Having followed Carroll so closely, reading his book, seeing his speaking events, I’m inclined to believe that he would be intrigued with Witherspoon. Maybe thinking he could get the most out of him.

        Regarding the part about throwing football into the same sentence as combat and firefighting… I don’t think it fits under that blanket at all. its cliche to mention that Deion didn’t want to tackle and his point when that’s brought up is that he was paid to cover people and to get interceptions. Things he did extremely well and that was enough. I agree with that. When a kicker is on the field he is not asked to tackle anyone. Sometimes the situation arises when it’s required and most of the time they fail miserably. theres also arguments to be made for one trick ponies all over the field, who bring their own strengths but at the same time liabilities. Point being that if he is good enough to lock down top tier WR’s then being a liability in the run game is a tradeoff that is acceptable to me. Maybe it’s not as acceptable to the Seahawks but I don’t know.

    • Dale Roberts

      I was going to say that being smart wasn’t a bad thing, Steve Largent went on to become a congressman. Then I realized that being a congressman and being smart have very little in common.

      • DavidM2

        unless you’re Steve Largent…

  6. Volume12

    That CB Adrian Colbert from Miami that Seattle brought in? Wow. What a sleeper.

    He compares himself to Richard Sherman.

    Highly recommend watching his tape vs ND. Great stuff.

    • Volume12

      These DBs from ‘The U’ can actually tackle. They do not shy away from contact.

      • nichansen01

        A canes fan commented a few days earlier about how Colbert was one to watch for.

        • Volume12

          Yeah its 1 game, but so far I’m very excited by what I saw. One of only a handful of bigger CBs that made me sit up in my seat.

          Now I’m gonna watch the W. Virginia game.

          • RWIII

            If Melifonwu or Kevin King are off the board when Seattle picks in the first round they might trade down. I think they might trade down. There might some hidden gems in rounds 3/4/5.

      • Ishmael

        Who’s the DB coach down there? He’s doing a good job. I wonder if we will see more and more young DBs going to where the better position coaches are, going to guys who will actually put them in a position to succeed.

        • Volume12

          Mike Rumph

          • Volume12

            *former 1st round pick and won a BCS national championship

          • Ishmael

            Interesting, just went and had a look. Bigger CB (6’2″, 205) who came out of The U, won the national championship as a senior, got taken by the Niners in the late first round of the 2002 draft. Strong tackling and poor coverage saw him moved to safety. Got injured, bounced around the league a bit before washing out. So he’s been there, done that, knows what it takes to make it in the NFL, knows what the kids will need. Definitely a coach to keep an eye on, cheers.

            • Ishmael

              Ha too quick for me!

        • Awsi Dooger

          Rumph technically coaches the cornerbacks only. A guy named Banda coaches the safeties. Rumph was overrated as a collegian, caught up in the hoopla around Ed Reed and other great players on that 2001 team. I was shocked he was a first round pick. Rumph is now very well praised as position coach but many Canes fans are all over him due to recruiting failures. Two touted defensive backs he recruited slipped away to the hated Gators in the final days this February.

          Yes, I mentioned Adrian Colbert here. I didn’t realize Seattle brought him in. Smart move. He was injured and didn’t play much but the wow moments were considerable given minutes played. Transfer from Texas who has played safety and cornerback. Today I looked at his vertical and broad jump numbers. Not awful but worse than I would have expected — 33 and 9’9″. I was very surprised that Miami’s stiff and overly muscular safety Jamal Carter was better in both areas. Carter is not draftable, IMO.

          But every year at least a couple of guys off the Canes roster perform significantly better in the pros than their college reputation allowed. It’s just a matter of pinpointing the correct ones. Note that Bill Belichick was the only head coach who left the NFL owner’s meeting to attend the Canes pro day a couple of weeks ago. He spent most of the time talking to defensive line coach Craig Kuligowski, who is very highly regarded and joined Miami only last season after being on the Missouri staff. So Kuligowski logically would have info and opinions on the Canes players as well as Missouri guys like Charles Harris. Miami also has a sleeper lithe defensive end named Al-Quadin Muhammad who had has off the field problems including multiple suspensions but is a natural tenacious edge rusher when he’s actually out there. Muhammad plays far above his test scores. In fact, he was much better in 2015 than teammate Chad Thomas, who may be a top pick next year.

          Colorado looked intimidated at Michigan. I watched that game and was annoyed I didn’t bet on the Wolverines. But the spread was very high. That Colorado program is upstart so the gap between the top players and overall roster level is huge, far greater than a typical team that would advance to a conference title game. They also haven’t developed a physical identity or nastiness, or any understanding that one is necessary. Last season it was mostly a handful of unusually talented players by recent Colorado standards who would make plays all over the field and rescue matters. If Witherspoon had been ingrained on a more rugged roster with high standards I doubt those plays would have been so pathetic. Still, since they are so inept you have to investigate thoroughly as opposed to assumption alone.

          • Ishmael

            Interesting stuff, thanks for posting.

      • Trevor

        He and Corn Elder are both dogs

  7. DC

    Thought on Sherman from this morning. He will be in Seattle this year. Next year? I could see him in silver & black. Oakland is a team that has history making this type of trade and they will be in position to challenge the Pats for AFC supremacy. They are also rapidly becoming the Seahawks south. Sherman’s experience would be very valuable. Seattle most likely gets a late first round pick.

    That’s what the crystal ball shows. It also shows a February Hawks game in Minneapolis.

    • Deryck

      First round pick for a 30 year old corner next year? Honestly I don’t think that will happen. Maybe a second rounder. They’re having a hard enough time getting a 1st and 3rd/4th this season. Is a team really that attached to their 4th round pick to not get Sherman? I doubt it. More likely they see someone likely past his peak (albeit still playing extremely well).

    • Volume12

      If they traded him this year and got a pick in return in the 1st round, I don’t even think they would use that said pick on a CB.

    • BobbyK

      Raiders aren’t going to have that kind of money because Carr and Mack will be getting their mega-deals.

  8. KD

    I was watching that Stanford game just minutes before this blog post was made and was wondering “Is this what Rob was talking about with regards to Witherspoon’s tackling?” Plays like that and the whiffed tackles are really hard to get past.

  9. cha

    Part of hosting Witherspoon, and showing those awful clips and asking for an explanation is discerning his mindset, and how he could possibly fit on the Seahawks defense personality-wise.

    The first time he pulls a move like that in practice, Sherman, Thomas and Kam will be all over him. In this case a Sherman outburst would be warranted. You can’t bring that weak mess to the LOB.

    So the question is, is this an ingrained habit/trait or is there a whole lot to work with and just an effort adjustment in this area needed?

    In a rich class I’m inclined to move him way down the board if I’m the Hawks but I trust their judgement if they do decide to draft him.

  10. Volume12

    Interesting. SF brought in Seattle RFA Garry Gilliam today for a visit.

    • Trevor

      Funny thing is I have watched tape of all the Hawks games from last year this off season focusing on OL because it has almost become my obsession to figure out WTF is up with our OL.

      Gilliam was absolutely awful prior to getting benched. His technique and compete level were worse than year #.

      The last 5 games of the season including playoffs after he go benched I would argue he was our best OL including Britt and Glowinski. He has talent I just question his compete level and toughness and whether he is a good fit as a RT in Cables scheme.

      • vrtkolman

        The same thing happened the year before too. Maybe he’s just a streaky player. Regardless it would be hard to care that much if he was gone.

      • Dale Roberts

        He said the difference over the last five games was that he tried to stop thinking and just play. They told him to stop thinking and get more aggressive. It worked. I don’t know what the Hawks think but losing a guy who knows the system and could still succeed would seem foolish. I guess it depends on what SF offers.

        • Coleslaw

          I’m with ya, he’s not flashy and you don’t want him to start, but he’s the best swing tackle we’re gonna find for the price.

          • Hawk Eye

            O line needs depth, players that can compete to start or replace an injured player.
            I think Gilliam is worth the tender if he can play like the last 5 games
            and would hate to see him to to Sf and play well

  11. Knights who say Ni

    Just an FYI
    per Rotoworld..

    Garry Gilliam – T – Seahawks

    Seahawks restricted free agent OT Garry Gilliam visited the 49ers on Thursday.
    A former UDFA, Gilliam was tendered at the original-round/$1.797 million level. That means the Seahawks will receive no compensation if Gilliam signs an offer sheet with the 49ers and they decide not to match. Gilliam has started 29 games over the past two seasons, but generally struggled. He would be a body for the rebuilding 49ers.

  12. Misfit74

    I’d be stunned if Corey Davis made it to 26. I believe he is a top-10 overall player in this draft. If he somehow fell to 26 I’d be thrilled if he became a Seahawk.

    I think the Lattimore stuff is posturing, disinformation. He’s a top 10 lock. What a steal he would be at 26 also!

    I view J. Lewis as more of a 2nd round player. I don’t feel he’d be a good value at 26, but a trade down might work. The guys at NDT Scouting talked a lot about him on their recent podcast and pointed out some issues he has, but as a slot guy perhaps they are lessened. Awuzie has me excited. So does A. Jackson. I’ve almost resigned myself that Obi will be gone.

    I can’t wait for the draft to arrive!

    • Rob Staton

      I think Corey Davis is overrated. For me his ceiling might be 20’s. He’s basically a Jordan Matthews/Alshon Jeffrey level player. Same with Mike Williams. Matthews and Jeffrey went in R2.

      There have been consistent concerns about injuries with Lattimore since the combine.

      • Misfit74

        I think Alshon is a very good player, but doesn’t have the route running and movement skills Davis does. Matthews is a ‘big ‘slot player who can’t win outside with any consistency, while Davis can play anywhere on the field, and is certainly not one of the many’ slot-only’ types in this draft. I think Davis is closer to AJ Green than Matthews or Jeffery. He may not be Amari Cooper as a prospect but has a lot of Antonio Brown / Cooper to his game. I’m very excited about Davis (clearly, lol). I think he’ll surprise a lot of people.

  13. BobbyK

    The NFL only invites guys they are pretty sure are going to be drafted in the first round. Sure, there’s always the exception, but for the most part they are pretty spot on with who gets taken early.

    That said, 22 guys are scheduled to attend and we know the Hawks pick #26. Assuming those 22 are gone, here are four additional guys we’ve talked about, which means one of them would have to be available at 26:

    Obi
    Watt
    Lamp
    Christian McCaffrey (we know he’ll be long gone)

    The Seahawks will have a great option available. And we haven’t even gotten to guys like Budda Baker, who’d make a fine pick, too.

    • Rob Staton

      The NFL has actually actively selected players for day two in recent years. And on their list there are some genuine R2 guys like McDowell and Kizer IMO. Hard to read anything from the list. After all, Jarran Reed was invited a year ago and wasn’t alone in the green room on day two.

      • BobbyK

        I don’t think any of the guys invited last year were actively selected because they were second round locks or probables. 19 of the 25 players invited were first round picks. That’s pretty good. Most of those guys remaining went early in the second round. Reed was the last one available when the Seahawks took him at #49. That did shock most people. Pretty much everyone had him mocked as a mid-first round pick.

        • Rob Staton

          Maybe not selected with an expectation for R2 — but there were a handful of guys with a good chance of going in R2. I think it’d be easy to assume this years list will all go early but in reality there’s a chance some will last into R2.

        • Ishmael

          They’ll want a few guys who will slip for the tv drama.

    • Misfit74

      I’d be happy with Obi or Lamp at 26. I think Watt isn’t developed enough for a clear first round grade, but certainly has the traits. McCaffrey is redundant with Prosise and Seattle generally likes their backs around 220lbs. I think McCaffrey would be awesome in Seattle, though. I don’t see it as likely, however.

      • HawkTalker #1

        I’d take OBI but pass on Lamp.

    • Dale Roberts

      Jarrard Davis seems to be getting lost in the shuffle. Not sure why.

      • HawkTalker #1

        I’d be thrilled to death if Seattle found what may have become lost. Monster pick.

      • peter

        Injury concerns. Not a pass rush specialist. Didn’t have much of an off season due to healing.

        If he falls to 58 Seattle should run not walk to the podium for him. Easily one of my favorites in the draft. Complete footballer with plus athleticism on display at his pro-day. I know the thought is them going more 4-2-5 and that’s probably the case but the 4-3 under has worked pretty well exept they usually can’t field more then 2 awesome LB’s at a time (wright/wagner…first world problems!) If they could get there hands on Davis based on watching a bit of tape I think you could field 3 Lb’s tha tcould stop the run and cover the short passing game.

        It’s been somehting I’ve been thinking about quite a bit lately. is the 4-2-5 or big nickel what Seattle wants to do? Or is it a form of the function in not having a Bruce IRvin who had the speed to run with TE’s and drop back into coverage as well as rush the passer.

        • Misfit74

          It wouldn’t be 4-2-5 if 3 LBs are on the field, unless one of the 4 “down linemen” is a rush LB/EDGE player, making him not one of the 5 coverage players. That 5th DB is going to be a CB or S by trade.

          • peter

            I was guessing the switch in schemes comes from being able to find nickels more than three lbs that can do all the responsibilities. They used to drop Irvin as,much as rush him. I just feel in this draft there are maybe 2 lbs that could pull that off. Cunningham and davis

        • Robert

          Very good question! My guess is Lane would have played closer to 50% of the snaps instead of ~70% if we add a better 3rd LB. KJ back to SAM is a possibility, if we land a great WILL. I wonder what criteria they are looking for in a slot DB? I strongly believe they want an upgrade over Lame’s play last year! Better run support and more punishment for route runners over the middle surely must be high priorities!

          • HI Hawk

            Asked and answered previously, playing with 5 DBs is about necessity more than choice. The league is playing more and more 3+ WR sets, so there’s no way a defense can stay in a base 4-3 or 3-4 and cover all that speed. Defense’s have to be able to threaten to play either man or zone at least, and K.J. Wright is good – but I don’t want him trying to man-up on a WR.

  14. Rowlandice

    After much discussion here – does anyone think the Hawks would take Bolles over Obi, King or other DB’s who might fit well at N/S or CB2?

    • Rob Staton

      Yes, quite possibly.

      But Bolles will be long gone.

      • Rowlandice

        I think Bolles will be gone too. I’ve posted previous that I hope they go defense with their first 3 picks and then add depth where needed. IF Bolles is there along with Obi and King, I’d prefer they take King.

    • Misfit74

      Yes. I think Bolles would be a slam dunk, especially given the rarity of starter caliber LTs (or even RTs) in this draft and how high you usually must draft quality LTs. Also considering that Seattle has cultivated DBs historically round 4 and later, I think they’re very confident in that approach.

    • Stephen H. Pitell

      In my deservedly humble opinion, if Bolles is as good as Rob says, or even better as judged by Pete/John?Cable, then imagine Bolles at LT, Joeckel at LG, Britt at Center makes running left dangerous, and protection for Wilson increases significantly.

      For that alone, I wouldn’t wager against it. However, the defense has been living on starvation rations of draft capital. I saw something here or FieldGulls today which is amazing. Very few draft picks in the first three rounds has gone to the defense over the last 4 years.

      Since Pete is considered a defensive major, his offensive coordinator and or assistant head coach Cable might need some more help in talent evaluation. There’s this guy online named Rob Staton who kills it. Maybe they should hire him and get him off the public internet where he is telegraphing all the Hawks moves.

      • Misfit74

        Hey, if Daniel Jeremiah can go from Move the Sticks podcast to Eagles scouting department to NFL Network, Rob can work the Seahawks front office undoubtedly!

        • Rob Staton

          I’d settle for five minutes on Seattle radio before the draft!

          • peter

            I seriously think there has to be a tipping point for you at some point. I’ve been nerding out on this blog since 60-100 comments in a week felt active. Now you regularly eclipse that daily during draft season and the regular football season.

            Added to that every year you have highlighted increasingly more players that rise right after you talk about them. it used to be one or two, or three, and this year, it honestly feels like most. Even non seahawks candidates like Njoku.

            Anyways sir keep it up. It’s got to happen at some point, plus with the podcasts and your radio background, and that here in the states most people are obsessed with and English accent.

    • HawkTalker #1

      Yes, statistically it is possible.

  15. Allen K.

    I have absolute faith that at least 5 teams are going to blow their picks in the first round. Maybe a couple more. I don’t think there is any reason for Seattle to trade down from the 1st Rnd as I think there will be several solid/legit 1st Rnd players to drop in their lap. To include CB and Safety.

    • Stephen H. Pitell

      Seems that way doesn’t it? Especially given QB, RB, and WR reaches. Please, make it so….

      • Misfit74

        I’m counting on some of the edge players being over drafted helping us to land one of ‘our guys’ at 26. Of Barnett, Harris, McKinley, T. Williams, Rivers, Willis, Watt, McDowell, et al, hopefully some that maybe shouldn’t go round 1 and before 26 do.

  16. EP

    Completely unrelated but after watching a video on Jimmy Graham, really hope he has a year in 2017. Great guy, would love for him to be a focal point of the offence and have 1000+ yards and 14 TDs. A man can only hope.

    • 503Hawk

      He is such a weapon. I have to believe that not all the blame lies with Bevell. Part is the O-line needs to give Russ some time and windows to throw through, and part lies with Russ himself.
      If Jimmy stays healthy and is a legitimate part of the offense he will rightfully have an All Pro year.

    • DLep

      There is no reason why Jimmy cannot be a dominant force, I think if he isn’t that is more a failure of the team/coaching staff than on Jimmy himself. I don’t understand why they don’t consistently scheme to get him the ball, he is instant mismatch.

      Now after that mini rant, I do think a lot of the issues getting him the ball had to do with bad protection. Either not having time for a route to develop or having to keep him in to help block when a more stable protection would allow him to go out on a route more frequently. Hopefully the protection improves and if it does I think we will see Jimmy have an even bigger year than last year – he was solid in catches and yards but he really should have more touchdowns.

      • Robert

        An improved running game this year would open up some nice Play-Action for jimmy!

    • nichansen01

      This could be the year he really breaks out.

    • Robert

      Maybe this is the year Bevil comes up with a red zone play or two for Jimmy!

      • Ishmael

        Maybe it’s the year when Wilson stops being awful in the red zone?

  17. Leonard

    Just a thought on the CB wingspan problem. It might be that the Hawks have a minimum wingspan. It could also be that they only have a minimum arm length and guys with long arms tend to have large wingspans. Maybe that explains the Seahawks only picking corners with certain wingspans. Maybe it doesn’t matter as much that this draft class has oddly short wingspans if the arm lengths are good. I have no idea if either scenario is true.

    • Rob Staton

      Maybe. Or it could be they actually value wingspan higher and it’s a coincidence a 77.5 inch wingspan frequently comes with +32 inch arms

  18. JamesColorado

    There are many clips of Witherspoon Pounding people in 2016 plus he had 50 plus tackles in 2015. Unfortunately for him there were few opportunities to tackle early on with very few balls caught due to stellar coverage. Check the second half and I think you’ll be more comfortable. Plus he’s an Ass! I like that part. lol

  19. Ground_Hawk

    Mock Draft with different options:

    26- O. Melifonwu (S/Big Nickel)/ J. Willis (DE) w/ possibly a slight trade back
    56- T. Bowser (DE/OLB)/ C. Worsley (DT)
    90- D. Hall (DE)/ I. Asiata (G)
    102- S. Griffin (CB)/ E. Vanderdoes (DT)
    106- E. Wilson (LB)/ D. Jones (FS)

    What do you all think?

    • Ground_Hawk

      *Wormsley @ 56

    • LeoSharp

      Would absolutely love those options i’d personally go with

      26- O. Melifonwu (S/Big Nickel/CB)
      56- C. Worsley (DT)
      90- I. Asiata (G/C)
      102- E. Vanderdoes (DT)
      106- D. Jones (FS)

      If the team realistically see Obi as an outside corner, they could pass on another high ranked corner altogether. That would really open up the options later in the draft

      • jujus

        Skipping the edge rusher is incredibly short sighted. Especially with LEO in your name.

        • HawkTalker #1

          Ouch

        • Ground_Hawk

          I think they’ll add a DE also. However, having only 7 picks this year is the only real draw back of the draft, for Seattle. If they could manage to add DE Samson Ebukam in the 6th that would be great, but he’ll probably go in the 5th round to a team who rolls the dice on his athleticism. I think that since they have no picks in the 4th and 5th rounds, Seattle will probably draft an edge rusher with their 2nd round pick, or one of there 3rds.

        • LeoSharp

          Wormley has worked mainly as a disruptive base end and interior pass rusher. A mix between Michael Bennett and Red Bryant. Reducing the snaps for Bennett on earlier downs is something I think would increase the longevity of Bennett’s’ effectiveness. Getting Frank Clark working more as an edge rusher in 3rd down situation instead of having Cassius Marsh on the field would also improve the 3rd Down defense.
          Personally I don’t see Bowser lasting until pick 56 so I didn’t think it would be appropriate to pick him.
          I’d rather bring in a group of Late round/UDFA and bank on athletic upside than take a a guy who has a physical profile I’m not impressed with earlier in the draft. Nonathletic edge rushers/players who lack length don’t tend to succeed in the NFL. I see a lot of those types of players after the top 50 picks which isn’t very appealing.

          • peter

            I agree with almost all of this. I think as you do that Wormley could bring tremendous value by subbing out Bennett as well as being on the field with him.

            As for more traditional edge rushers none of them of note have me excited. Jordan Willis has fantastic numbers but his tape is so meh. I know Seattle spoke to Carrol Phillips briefly but again there isn’t much there to get too excited about. I know fans are a bit stoked on Samson Ebukam but I think he may be UDFA just because of how the league tends to view EWU vs how fans from the northwest know a ton about that team.

      • Ground_Hawk

        The interior of the DL would be loaded!

  20. Josh emmett

    I was snooping around 3sigma and has anyone heard much or watched Samson Ebukam from eastern Washington?!! That dude is an athletic freak. He is pretty much Bruce Irvin except his short area quickness is a smidge slower then Irvin. Why no hype on this dude!!? His sparq numbers are better then Watt, Reddick, and Bowser. Thoughts?

    • CharlieTheUnicorn

      EWU is the reason. Small town college…. under the radar.

    • Jujus

      We have mentioned him before in comments after his pro day. The behind the steel curtain has a great write up on his hand usage

  21. Misfit74

    I’m starting to think Fanspeak’s draft Sim needs a WAY better A. I….

    26: R1P26
    OT GARETT BOLLES
    UTAH
    58: R2P26
    CB CHIDOBE AWUZIE
    COLORADO
    90: R3P26
    WR CHRIS GODWIN
    PENNSYLVANIA STATE
    102: R3P38
    CB KEVIN KING
    WASHINGTON
    106: R3P42
    OT JERMAINE ELUEMUNOR
    TEXAS A&M

    • Dale Roberts

      You have to tweak the big board so that doesn’t happen.

    • Cameron

      What big board were you using?

      • Greg Haugsven

        That fan speak simulator is a disaster. I once got Jonathan Allen at 58

      • Misfit74

        That one was Kyle Crabbs, NDT.

        • Cameron

          Here’s a mock with CBS’ big board. A fair amount more realistic imo.

          26: R1P26
          S OBI MELIFONWU
          CONNECTICUT
          58: R2P26
          EDGE JORDAN WILLIS
          KANSAS STATE
          90: R3P26
          G NICO SIRAGUSA
          SAN DIEGO STATE
          102: R3P38
          WR TAYWAN TAYLOR
          WESTERN KENTUCKY
          106: R3P42
          CB SHAQUILL GRIFFIN
          UCF
          210: R6P26
          DL STEVIE TU’IKOLOVATU
          SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
          226: R7P8
          RB AARON JONES
          TEXAS-EL PASO

        • RealRhino2

          Worth noting that Crabbs at NDT is NOT trying to predict where players will be drafted. His rankings reflect how he thinks the players rank as prospects, regardless of what he thinks teams will do.

          So if you are looking to simulate a draft that will be as realistic as possible (e.g., QBs and OTs get pushed up the board even if they aren’t as good as prospects as their S and TE counterparts), his is probably not the one to use.

          • Misfit74

            Right, I wanted to use a board where it was a big board rather than a projection. To me that’s what a big board is! Even still, turned out worse than expected, for the non-Seahawk teams, anyway. 😉

            • Overtime

              I prefer the Composite board. It has more players and combines and averages the others.

    • HawkTalker #1

      Ha, you think?

  22. CharlieTheUnicorn

    If the Browns take anyone other than the DE Myles Garrett……

    • Cameron

      Browns gonna, uhhh Brown

      • CharlieTheUnicorn

        They just crapped the bed again

  23. Dale Roberts

    Yesterday Rob made a comment about suddenness and Adoree. The concept of suddenness sparked my interest. What is it? Rob felt that it was something you just have to see, unmeasurable but obvious. The common sentiment about Steve Largent was that he was extraordinarily quick out of his breaks thereby creating separation. He’s a hall-of-famer but no one would have accused him of being a twitchy athlete. Is that suddenness?

    I found this version of suddenness buried in a description of the 60-yard shuttle. “The long shuttle is much like the short shuttle, but the larger distances means higher speeds. The result is that it is a test of a player’s ability to start and stop with suddenness”.

    From NFL.com “The man’s burst from stop to start is phenomenal. I’ve never seen anyone like him. Amplifying that unparalleled suddenness, (Le’veon) Bell offers the ability to cut laterally at the last split-second as if he’s bending the laws of physics”, Davis raved.

    Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman gushed about Odell Beckham that he “displayed easy separation and rare suddenness against the league’s best cornerbacks”. Mike Mayock raved “I haven’t seen a young receiver like this explode this way without much practice time in my entire life.”

    “Explosive burst and plays with suddenness,” NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein wrote in his draft profile (of Duke Johnson). “Elusive in tight quarters. Has lightning in his feet. Has hips and feet to stop and start without stalling.

    So there is an anecdotal description of “suddenness”. I’ll describe suddenness as instant acceleration, immediate deceleration, and sharp lateral movement at speed. I also wonder if suddenness is enhanced by the lack of telegraphed intentions. If you don’t see it coming does it look more sudden even if it’s not quicker?

    The last note on suddenness is the information on this year’s winner of the 60-yard shuttle.
    60-Yard Shuttle: Shelton Gibson (10.71 seconds) by Tyler Brooke of Fansided:

    “The 60-yard shuttle isn’t the most popular drill for fans and scouts, but don’t tell West Virginia’s Shelton Gibson that, because he crushed the rest of the competition in the drill. Gibson showed off his long-distance speed in the 60-yard shuttle, clocking in at 10.71 seconds. The next closest performance didn’t come close, with Christian McCaffrey clocking in at 11.03 seconds.

    Although Gibson isn’t the biggest name at the wide receiver position in this draft, he put his name on the map in September when he dropped 171 yards and two touchdowns on just six receptions against Youngstown State. He finished the season with 43 catches for 951 yards and eight touchdowns. Gibson didn’t have the best 40-yard dash (4.5 seconds) or vertical jump (32 inches), but he graded out really well in the agility drills, and he’s hoping that those will help him improve his draft stock heading into the draft in April”.

    Finally, this article by Keith Meyers is a nice, short primer on what each combine test measures.
    Interestingly the vertical jump, which I assumed was a measure of explosion, actually tests for coordination. Who knew?
    http://12thmanrising.com/2017/02/27/nfl-combine-events-explained/

    Now all we have to do is draft an Odell Beckham that hits like a train, thinks like Einstein, and leads like Patton. Easy schmeezy.

    • BradCanuck

      Love this.

  24. Michael

    Glad to see that Obi isn’t attending the draft. Hopefully that’s indicative of where the league thinks he’ll be drafted.

    • Misfit74

      31 of the league, anyway 😉

  25. Forty20

    If we are locked into the thought that we are willing to fudge the 32″ arm length for our Slot CB/Buffalo/Big Nickel, Jabrill Peppers becomes really intriguing for mine.

    Here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pW4HK4HXEi0) is an excellent breakdown from Brett Kollman (ex-NFL Network employee) where he revisits the tape of Peppers with a better understanding of the role Michigan asked him to play. Jabrill Peppers actually tweeted at Kollman in regards to the breakdown “thank you for taking the time to actually understand what my role was better than these “experts”.”

    Ostensibly, Peppers was asked to be an ‘edge protector’ whereby he used his speed to beat the TE or Tackle and take away the outside option for the RB and funnel them back into the teeth of the defensive line. In coverage he was usually asked to play zone either lined up between the LOS and the slot or further outside with an outside leverage alignment to deliberately bracket the route inside with Linebacker or Safety help.

    Peppers would be among the best defensive backs in this draft when it comes to run support and he has plenty of experience blitzing the QB. Additionally, he would be behind only Adoree Jackson when it comes to value on special teams and he can even take snaps at running back. He may lack the arm length Seattle usually covets but there is no denying he is a special athlete.

    If Kollman’s posit is correct and Peppers stepped into the linebacking role to essentially ‘take one for the team’ and give the Wolverines the speed they needed in their front seven then that shows incredible character in my books. Seattle’s defence has always valued discipline while also becoming a home for some of the game’s biggest characters and Peppers probably checks both those boxes.

    • Bigten

      Peppers and kupp are my two favorite personalities for Seattle from watching interviews. With tradavious white being 3rd. Would love to get all three. I think they all are going to be special pros.

      • Bigten

        *awuzie is actually second to peppers, but feel we would have to choose between peppers and him. And I feel less confident with awuzie being available at 26 than I do peppers.

    • Rob Staton

      I think Peppers will be long gone by #26

    • Ishmael

      Go listen to Peppers on the Move the Sticks podcast an episode or so ago. Peppers confirms pretty much everything Kollman suggests. That he was played out of position due to injuries, and that he took it on for the team. I’d be thrilled if he lasted to 26.

  26. Bigten

    Peppers not attending the draft?

  27. RWIII

    Volume 12. I just went to NFL.COM to get a scouting report on Adrian Colbert. Guess what I found out? Nothing!

    The only thing I found out was that they didn’t even have a scouting report on Colbert. My conclusion is this is just more proof that John Schneider will turn over EVERY stone. Seattle is lucky to have a General Manager that is willing to go the extra mile.

    Two years ago half the employees at ESPN 710 never even heard of Frank Clark. And yet Clark was John Schneider’s first pick in that draft. Everyone on this forum knew about Frank Clark. But very few at ESPN 710 knew about him.

    • Cameron

      Adrian Colbert at the U pro day

      6′ 1/2″ 200 lbs
      4.49
      1.52 (10y)
      10 reps bench
      33.5″ vert
      9’9″ broad
      4.31 20 yard shuttle
      7.24 3 cone

    • CharlieTheUnicorn

      I think people were aware of Frank Clark, but also knew about his off the field problems and assumed Seattle would not draft a guy with that in the past. That was why there was a ruckus locally when he got drafted. I was not keen on the pick, due to the off the field stuff….. but he has so far proven to be a model citizen as a Seattle Seahawk.

      • Jujus

        The pearl clutchers of the PNW had no fathomable idea who frank clark was. He was being black balled by the nfl itself during the combine, and im still surprised they invited him at all.

        The majority of PNW lives in an echo chamber where any contrary idea has no valid arguement or reason possible to even be evaluated and investigated. That is why the media is still lightyears behind the draft analysts of the seahawks universe online.

        Hence why they are still talking about drafting a Olinemen multiple times in rd 1-3.

  28. RWIII

    Guys what do you think about this senario. If Seattle trades Lynch to Oakland maybe they can swap picks. For example instead of receiving a 7th round pick. Maybe swap Oakland’s 1st round pick with Seattle’s. Maybe also in the second round. Having the 24th pick instead of the 26th pick could be HUGE This might make ALL the difference in the world.

    • HawkTalker #1

      Yes that has already been suggested and I take it a heart beat

      • lil'stink

        +1. Oakland picks right in front of Houston. If people think Houston is going to draft a QB, and Mahomes is still on the board, it would be huge if we wanted to trade down.

      • House

        Swapping #24 for #26/Lynch would be the equivalent of a 4-5th rd pick. Not bad!

        If we do move Sherman to OAK, I’m thinking SEA receives #24/129 for Sherman/Lynch.

        I was reading an article earlier that proposed a 3-team trade for Sherman…
        NE receives Sherman and #33, CLE receives Garappolo and SEA receives #12 and 4th rd pick in ’18.

        I’m not a huge proponent for trading Sherman, but if we do trade him, I hope it’s worth it for us…

    • CharlieTheUnicorn

      I think the more likely scenario would be a 6th and 7th round pick swapped…. Seattle up a few spots and Oakland down a few (roughly). It was mentioned 2.5 million could be returned to Seattle under a particular scenario, but they might forgo it for a “payoff” ie draft pick. 7th rounder is mentioned several times, but I think Lynch is more valuable to the Raiders than most guys….. PR, style, swag, etc etc etc

  29. Ocotillo25

    What’s the deal with not inviting Alabama LB Reuben Foster to the draft? Is it that he has slipped out of the 1st round or is it something character-related, considering his combine fiasco?

    • Ocotillo25

      Rob hasn’t talked much about him, but if he somehow slipped to #26, should they take him? They took another unexpected Alabama player last year… Seems redundant to me, with Wagner entrenched as the MLB signal caller, but what a talent to pass up.

      • nichansen01

        He is a top 15 lock. Probably wasnt invited because of the combine stuff

        • Misfit74

          No doubt, he is a top-10 overall player in this draft. Probably just a storyline to avoid, PR wise.

        • Misfit74

          Nice to see they invited my brocrush, Corey Davis.

        • Rob Staton

          Not sure on Foster in top-15. Seems he is falling a bit.

          • HI Hawk

            Injury prone player during his Alabama career. I still think he goes top-20, but I would prefer Davis if I was in the market. Also, he may have declined the invitation. Many players prefer to enjoy the draft with their family.

    • Old but Slow

      Was he not invited? Or, did he refuse an invitation?

      • Ocotillo25

        I’d bet there was a 5-minute phone call and a mutual agreement not to show. PR stuff, as stated above

        • RealRhino2

          Seems weird to me. Sounds like he got into a shouting match/argument with a medical staffer. Big deal. You’d almost think that’d make them want him more. Give them some filler material, short interview, his side of the story, etc.

  30. lil'stink

    http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-mock-draft-garoppolo-to-browns-sherman-to-patriots-in-wild-three-way-trade/

    This trade is a little far fetched as I don’t think Cleveland gives up that much. But the part about Sherman going to NE and Jimmy G going to Cleveland is interesting. What could we get back from Clevelannd? #33, Shon Coleman, and swap our native 3rd for theirs?

    • RealRhino2

      Yeah, that sounds dumb. NFL writers have just worked themselves all into a tizzy thinking the Browns just HAVE to have Garropollo and will give up the world to get him.

      So the Browns give up #12, #33, AND a conditional 4th for Jimmy G.? I bet they wouldn’t give up #12 all by itself. And why should they?

  31. Coleslaw

    1. Cleveland (1-15) Myles Garrett
    2. San Francisco (2-14) Jonathan Allen
    3. Chicago (3-13) Solomon Thomas
    4. Jacksonville (3-13) Leonard Fournette
    5. Tennessee – from Los Angeles (4-12) Malik Hooker
    6. New York Jets (5-11) Mitch Trubisky
    7. San Diego (5-11) Jamal Adams
    8. Carolina (6-10) Christian McCaffrey
    9. Cincinnati (6-9-1) Reuben Foster
    10.Buffalo (7-9) Marshon Lattimore
    11. New Orleans (7-9) Kevin King
    12. Cleveland – from Philadelphia (7-9) Deshaun Watson
    13. Arizona (7-8-1) John Ross
    14. Philadelphia (8-8) O.J. Howard
    15. Indianapolis (8-8) Garrett Bolles
    16. Baltimore (8-8) Haason Reddick
    17. Washington (8-7-1) Obi Melifonwu
    18. Tennessee (9-7) Adoree’ Jackson
    19. Tampa Bay (9-7) Forrest Lamp
    20. Denver (9-7) Ryan Ramczyk
    21. Detroit* (9-7) Jarrad Davis
    22. Miami* (10-6) Jabrill Peppers
    23. New York Giants* (11-5) David Njoku
    24. Arizona – from Oakland (12-4) Pat Mahomes
    25. Houston* (9-7) Deshone Kizer
    26. Seattle* (10-5-1) Budda Baker
    27. Kansas City* (12-4) Charles Harris
    28. Dallas* (13-3) Marlon Humphrey
    29. Green Bay* (10-6) Chidobe Awuzie
    30. Pittsburgh* (11-5) Tre’davious White
    31. Atlanta* (11-5) Takk McKinley
    32. New Orleans* (7-9) T.J. Watt

    Seahawks Picks:
    1. Budda Baker
    2. Chris Wormley
    3. Nico Siragusa
    3. Vince Biegel
    3. Brian Allen
    6. Samaje Perine
    7. Malachi Dupre
    People rising people falling, Budda, Awuzie, Watt, Humphrey all available

    • Coleslaw

      Rob, this made me wonder, who do you prefer between Budda and Awuzie?

    • peter

      I like that. Pretty cool way you set that up and included some surprising fast risers Like Allen. Which I could see from Seattle a team that rarely cares about draft value and JS has stated he’s not that enamored with the drop off in talent in the third round. Maybe they would feel that an extra comp pick is as easily spent on Brian Allen there as it is anywhere.

      Also, RB forgotten but I think Seattle may give a chance to Perrine. Big and strong. Not the fastest, but holds himself like a grown man, played through a bunch of noise over the last few years, and can give it a good shot like Spencer Ware before him.

      • HI Hawk

        Spencer Ware was described in camp during his rookie year as a poor man’s Beast Mode. I see Kareem Hunt as the same player, I would be thrilled to replace Alex Collins on the depth chart with him.

    • Kenny Sloth

      Malachi Dupre is a 3rd rounder imo

      • Coleslaw

        Definitely should be higher than 7th, I just can’t find late round WR rankings so I keep putting my guys haha

    • HawkTalker #1

      Short on CBs?

      • peter

        Brian Allen plus hope that the players on the roster currently step up? Desir, thorpe

      • Coleslaw

        I’m pretty convinced the FO is ready to go with the guys they have outside

        • Del tre

          I would hope not, we saw how gambling on the secondary worked out in 2015 amd 2016, time to reinvest

          • HI Hawk

            Reinvesting for the future is going to happen. But I think Coleslaw is saying what Rob and others have been saying for a few weeks now. Lane is the likely starter no matter how high a CB is drafted this year. Thorpe, Desir, and Elliott will get to compete, as will the rookies they bring in, but I wouldn’t expect a newcomer to pick up the scheme and technique right away.

  32. Misfit74

    Players that could or should be drafted in round 1 for us to have a good chance at Obi/King/A.Jackson/Awuzie, etc:

    Ramcyzk, Lamp, Bolles, Robinson*
    C. Harris*, T. McKinley*, Barnett, McDowell*, Charlton
    Foster, Reddick
    Mike Williams, Ross, Davis
    Howard, Njoku
    Lattimore, Conley, Humphrey
    Cook, McCaffrey, Fournette
    Hooker, Adams, Peppers*
    Trubisky, Watson

    *fringe top-26 / fringe 1st-rounder

    Alternates who could go top-25:

    Tr. White, Tankersley, Baker
    Engram
    TJ. Watt
    Z. Cunningham, J. Davis

    I think despite my intense focus on a few players Rob has made strong cases for or that I really like, there are going to be some excellent choices there at 26. Rejoice!

    • Misfit74

      I didn’t even include the top 2 most obvious 1st rounders, Garrett and Thomas!

    • Misfit74

      Left off J. Allen, too.

      (/wants edit button)

    • Misfit74

      That list is 25 strong counting the three I omitted and if you remove all the *fringe guys. I think we have a good shot.

    • peter

      At times I’m with you. Rob has outlined over this draft season an exhaustive and comprehensive plan and reason to draft a Nickel Corner. And I agree with his position and even most of the players he’s noted: Awuzie, Jackson, Lewis,and of course Obi.

      Which by they way if he’s there even maybe just slightly above anyone else even Bolles, I would draft Obi.

      But all that said, I still hold out a bit of hope that Seattle considers drafting someone like Njoku. The offense to me needs a real weapons upgrade. Graham is near the end of his contract, has been great, but really will he even get another contract? Baldwin, without injury, may one day surpass Largent and Engram (bobby) as the best WR for the team. Lockett and Richardson? I love both but the injuries are a real concern. Vannett? who knows. Willson JAG. And of course Kearse, who regressed to a miserable catch rate and was a liability in the redzone and needs to be replaced post haste.

      In another direction, I wonder how Seattle views Cunningham and Davis. Two players that have been forgotten this draft season. Both have incredibly explosive numbers when compared to Seattle’s existing and past LB prospects. Both have the skills to cover, hold at the point of attack and for Cunningham when you look at his TFL’s you have to wonder how well he would rush from the SAM if that was his main duty?

      • Misfit74

        +1.

        I think the current WR group is problematic. I hope we add a quality one this draft. C. Davis, Godwin are my two guys there, but depth is going to be available throughout the draft.

        While I hope we extend Graham, another elite prospect would really plan for the future and TE is one of the longest developing positions. I just wonder if our staff would be creative enough fielding two studs at the position.

  33. C-Dog

    33: R2P1
    CB JOURDAN LEWIS
    MICHIGAN

    58: R2P26
    DL CHRIS WORMLEY
    MICHIGAN

    90: R3P26
    G ISAAC ASIATA
    UTAH

    102: R3P38
    EDGE CARROLL PHILLIPS
    ILLIONIS

    106: R3P42
    S SHALOM LUANI
    WASHINGTON ST.

    108: R4P1
    WR TAYWAN TAYLOR
    WESTERN KENTUCKY

    210: R6P26
    CB ADRIAN COLBERT
    MIAMI

    226: R7P8
    TE DARRELL DANIELS
    WASHINGTON

    R7P26
    QB JEROD EVANS
    VIRGINIA TECH

    Pete Carroll loved watching that scrappy fundamental sound 2016 Michigan defense. Seattle trades back to pick 33, and picks up Jourdan Lewis who will step right into that nickel corner spot, might even back up ET. The double down on Wolverines taking Chris Wormley, who John Schneider will say that they could have easily taken at 33, and were pleasantly surprised he was still there.

    Round 3, they address OL with Asaita, add more pass rush LEO/SAM/OTTO with Phillips, they take athletic safety Luani, and with Cleveland’s pick at the top of R4, they take WR Taiwan Taylor.

    R6 they finally address big outside with Miami’s blazing fast Colbert, and in R7 they take athletic UW TE Daniels, and with Oakland’s pick from the Marshawn trade, they take athletic diamond in the rough QB Jerod Evans.

    UDFA’s include DT Josh Tupou, LB Joe Mathis, CB Treston Decoud, S Nate Gerry, RB De’Angelo Henderson, WR Chad Williams, and K Nick Weiler

    • nichansen01

      Jourdan Lewis is going to be available late second. I would target Wormly first in that trade down.

      • Rob Staton

        Lewis could easily go top-50

      • peter

        I agree with this switch. Lewis I expect a fall into the late 2nd. An upcoming trial regardless of outcome is not something I think many teams are going to reach for with a nickel Corner. The trend may be there but not as many teams as of yet are transitioning to that end (4-2-5). Lewis is talented but again is a bit small to be an outside corner and is a good but not extreme athlete.

        His tape is good but he’s also very grabby. It’s something that Seattle could work on and of course they care less than most teams. He racks up a good deal of PI calls and on tape I have watched (specifically Wisconsin) I felt he committed some obvious PI’s instead of getting his head turned around on the ball or a hand up on the ball before grabbing the WR arms. He is great assisting in and getting his own tackles, holding his spot, and he appears to have the field speed to keep up with most plays.

        I just wonder what you get with him at the next level? Is he going to grow in his craft or will he rely too heavily on grabbing/holding as the athletes get better?

        • nichansen01

          I just have to ask. Why would you draft a small averagely athletic corner with major baggage in the top 50?

          • Kenny Sloth

            Tape, bro

          • Kenny Sloth

            ewis was not at the apartment when police arrived, but spoke to them via telephone and met with officers a few miles from the apartment shortly thereafter. Lewis was not arrested, and the woman did not receive any medical attention for injuries.

            “There were no visible apparent signs of injury, but she is claiming that assault occurred,” Lige said. “Assault can occur without apparent injury. It wasn’t clear if an assault had occurred, so officers released him at the scene.”

            Lewis, however, posted a tweet Wednesday afternoon about a half hour after the charges were released, writing, “It’s sad that somebody would want to control you so bad they would ruin your life over it.”

            They’re doing their research. He could be a really good DB.

            • peter

              His tape is good but not great. Review the Wisconsin game per example. The first two plays he’s directly involved are grown inducing pass interference.

              Also Kenny, dude still has court. Let’s not shadow the edges in What happened. Let’s let the info come clear and then decide. Tweeting what he did is the same bull that bullies everywhere say to not take accountability.

              • Kenny Sloth

                Just wish people did more research before making sweeping opinions

              • Kenny Sloth

                He’s a bully, tho right?

                Not a respectful competitive guy with a crazy ex gf.

                Obviously he had the sense to leave a toxic environment. Watch the kid for real. Compare to Joe Mixon (who I think is an absolute idiot).

                So many assumptions in what you two are saying.

                • peter

                  Dude you just assumed his ex was crazy. Come on man. And that is the same bleep abusive people say, do. Blame the other person. Not saying he did anything but let’s not call his girlfriend crazy and pretend jerks don’t blame the victim. You like the player so you’re thinking positive. Me, I see a little slot corner with so so technique and scrappiness.

                  Also I’m not talking about mixon. That dude is a moron.

                  And I can’t speak for anyone but the tape I watched he’s good, he’s bad, and he’s somewhere in between.

                  • RealRhino2

                    I’ll say this about blaming the victim, what abusive people say, etc. My years of working around that field have shown me that what you say abusive people say is pretty much also exactly what innocent people say.

                  • Kenny Sloth

                    Your point is well taken, but you can’t teach dog.

                    He’s got more and more to prove.

                  • peter

                    Cant agree with both of you Kenny and rhino more. I like lewis and most here no I’m on the cynical side of prospect viewing. Lewis has skills for sure. Also his ex may be crazy. I don’t know. I just wish people would lay off Twitter when real things happen to them in life in the moment.

                    Just breath. And for lewis let the process play itself out.

        • C-Dog

          IMO, those are probably very coachable fixes for the best secondary HC in the league. What you might likely get is a scrappy, heady, determined player with solid if not outstanding athleticism not afraid to mix it up and get his nose dirty on the team that the HC kinda signaled might be transitioning more to 4-2-5.

          While I, myself, might be much more inclined to take the big athletic Wormley first, it feels more like Seattle is going to address the secondary with it’s first pick, even if they don’t ultimately trade Sherman. I kinda feel like Lewis might be the guy they are looking at if Obi, King, Jackson, Awuzie, etc are off the board at pick 26.

  34. Trevor

    Dream last night.

    Hawks vs Raiders in SB.

    Hawks up 24-20 with 3 seconds left in game. Raiders have ball on the Hawks 1 yd line after a PI call in end zone. Mike B slips a block and stuffs Beast Mode in backfield. Hawks win and all the analysts say the Raiders should have thrown the ball because a run was too predictable.

    • michigan12th

      LOL

    • Kenny Sloth

      Wtffff that is so funny

  35. Mark Souza

    “DA Draft Buzz April 12: Chidobe Awuzie moving up boards- in play for the Titans at 18 — This was disheartening to read. Awuzie is a terrific player and fully warrants a place in the top-20. He wasn’t getting much hype. It was a bit of a gut punch to see this report.”

    Don’t worry, Rob. There are now about 70 players in the top twenty of the draft. 45 of them are going to be available to us at #26

    • Coleslaw

      Let’s be fair. There was a question mark at the end of that tweet. Nobody said he’s going top 20 or if he’s even a target for Tennessee. They just said what we say about tons of guys, “is he an option for us at 26?”
      I feel like that tweet got taken out of context on this blog

  36. swisshawk

    I’m a student and have some assignments to do before the draft therefore I don’t have as much time to prepare myself as I would like. For that reason I would like to ask you a question:

    Has anyone time to do a DB big board of all the names mentioned and perhaps in play for the hawks. My suggestion for categories would be prospects who have/are; 32 arms+wing/32 arms/S/CB/NCB with some notes what are their exceptional aspects (character, good run supporter, aggressiv,…).

    I would really appriciate it and thankfully the draft is only 2 weeks away 🙂

    • Ed

      While Rob can do that in his sleep, the man has a newborn, a wife and a job. And of course many articles more before the draft. That has Vol12 written all over it. We will be waiting Vol12.

      I will continue to hope the Hawks get 3 DB with first 5 picks. 1 slot (Jackson/Baker/Griffin) 1 outside (King/Tankersley/Douglas) and 1 safety (Obi/Evans/Luani/Maye)

    • Kenny Sloth

      Top 100 below.
      Planning on extending it latwr

      • Ed

        Nice Kenny. Got a DB breakdown that fit Hawks criteria?

        • Kenny Sloth

          Not really.

          I’d do a horizontal board for that

      • swisshawk

        Nice ranking, thanks kenny

  37. Kenny Sloth

    1. Myles Garrett DE
    Solomon Thomas DE
    Leonard Fournette RB
    Malik Hooker FS
    5. Jamal Adams S
    Jonathan Allen DE*
    Mitch Trubisky QB
    Derek Barnett DE
    Dalvin Cook RB**
    10. OJ Howard TE
    Reuben Foster LB**
    Haason Reddick DE
    Marshon Lattimore CB*
    Garrett Bolles T
    15. Jabrill Peppers ???
    John Ross III WR
    Marlon Humphrey DB
    Zach Cunningham LB
    Ryan Ramczyk OL
    20. Kevin King CB
    Jarrad Davis LB
    Deshaun Watson QB
    Malik McDowell DT**
    Takk McKinley DE
    25. Christian McCaffrey RB
    26. Obi Melifonwu DB (totally not on purpose!!!)
    David Njoku TE
    TreDavious White CB
    Forrest Lamp OG
    30. Chidobe Awuzie CB
    Dion Dawkins OL
    32. Budda Baker DB
    Charles Harris DE
    Mike Williams WR
    35. Adoree Jackson WEAPON
    TJ Watt LB
    Evan Engram WEAPON
    Ahkello Witherspoon CB
    Pat Mahomes QB
    40. Caleb Brantley DT
    Gareon Conley CB
    Corey Davis WR
    Justin Evans DB
    Tim Williams LB
    45. Quincy Wilson CB
    Josh Jones S
    Curtis Samuel WEAPON
    Cam Robinson OL
    Alvin Kamara RB
    50. Carl Lawson DE
    Cordrea Tankersley CB
    Taylor Moton OL
    Jordan Willis DE
    Marcus Williams FS
    55. Dan Feeney OG
    56. Daeshon Hall DE (again, luck of the draw)
    Davis Webb QB
    Isaac Asiata OG
    Gerald Everett TE
    60. Tyus Bowser LB
    Deshone Kizer QB
    Marcus Maye S
    Cooper Kupp WR
    DeMarcus Walker DE
    65. D’Onta Foreman RB
    Montravius Adams DT
    Zay Jones WR
    Jourdan Lewis DE
    70. Chris Wormley DT
    Carroll Phillips LB
    Fabian Moreau CB
    Bucky Hodges TE
    Jake Butt TE
    75. Carlos Watkins DT
    Malachi Dupre WR
    Desmond King CB
    Rasul Douglas CB
    Wayne Gallman RB
    80. Brian McNichols RB
    Jordan Leggett TE
    Cam Sutton CB
    Raekwon McMillan LB
    Chris Godwin WR
    85. Charles Walker DE
    Damore’ea Stringefellow WR
    Jaleel Johnson DT
    Samaje Perine RB
    Will Holden OT
    90. Kendell Beckwith
    Antonio Garcia OL
    Jarron Jones DT
    Davon Godchaux DT
    JuJu Smith-Schuster WR
    95. Ethan Pocic C
    Elijah Qualls DT
    Tarrell Basham DE
    Vincent Taylor DT
    Dorian Johnson OL
    100. Brian Hill RB

    Tons of talent in this top 100
    I don’t expect the draft to fall this way, but it’s how I rate players for our scheme, not including athletic limitors.

    • Kenny Sloth

      * = injury concerns
      ** = red flags

      • Kenny Sloth

        No Joe Mixon, Dede Westbrook, Amarah Darboh

        Fight me

        • RealRhino2

          You’re crazy!!! You’ve got one player three spots too high and another guy seven spots too low! I can’t remember who right now, or why, but this is the internet and I want to yell about something!!!

          • Kenny Sloth

            Right?

            Wormley is one who is probably too low.

            Dorian Johnson, Vincent Taylor, too.

          • Jujus

            you could have shortened that paragraph to the almighty scream of “REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE”

      • icb12

        I think you’re missing some * and ** in there.

        • Kenny Sloth

          A few yeah. Just threw this together this morning.

    • nichansen01

      I don’t think Derek Barnett is top 10.

      • Kenny Sloth

        You think too much 😉

    • Matt B.

      Does get a little iffy there at the end in terms of prospects that I like, but overall, point well taken that there are a lot of interesting prospects throughout the top 100.

    • Misfit74

      You guys are going to pay for your utter disdain of Corey Davis! 😉

  38. Knights who say Ni

    Per Rotoworld

    ESPN’s Jordan Raanan reports, in addition to the Giants, the Seahawks and Eagles have expressed interest in free agent DT Jared Odrick.
    The Eagles’ interest may have come before the trade for DT Timmy Jernigan. Odrick’s market has been really quiet since he was released by the Jaguars in February. He initially visited the Patriots, but nothing materialized there. Look for Odrick to land a contract probably after draft weekend.

  39. Totem_Hawk

    In fairness to Witherspoon that play against Stanford looks like his responsibility is outside contain i.e. under no circumstances let the player beat you outside and go down the sideline (as there is no help there).

    • Del tre

      He also gets juked and on the next play he is supposed to blow up the O linemen? Where is his clear angle to take that tackle? Maybe his tackling instincts need a lot of work because he was never in position to make the tackl on either play.

  40. Vista

    Garry Gilliam visited the 49ers and it sounds like they gave him an offer that he refused. I am curious if Gilliam is going to have a so it on the team going forward.

    • Jujus

      fingers crossed. Last year we all were ready to drop Britt for nothing and now he is our best guy.

      • Josh emmett

        Some people were ready to drop Britt for nothing, not everyone. As Seahawks fans most people are too used to the PC/JS way of drafting and finding guys that can contribute immediately but in reality most players(especially on the Oline) need a couple years to get their shit together. Not to mention the nfc west has been chalked full of monsters on the Dline. I think the Hawks young oline will be the class of the league in a year, they are going to come out decidedly better this year and will be a position group of strength for the Hawks in a year in my humble opinion.

  41. Lord Snow

    Marshawn now a raider…

    • Hawks22Fun

      It’s official! “Beast Mode” is back!

      Curious what we got…I’d like to swap up picks…Our 6th for their 5th?

      • Lord Snow

        I’m hoping it’s their 24th for our 26th…

        • Hawks22Fun

          That would be very appealing Lord Snow!

          I mean, he is ‘Beast Mode’, and helped us to 2 SB’s!!!

  42. CHawk Talker Eric

    Lynch and OAK have agreed to terms. Looks like some sort of trade with SEA is inevitable at this point.

    • KingRajesh

      I believe this is an unfortunate issue that we have to deal with: Marshawn (and how he was treated with the kid gloves by the Seahawks) was the genesis of the problems that might now cost us Richard Sherman.

      He was a good RB for us… but does that outweigh the damage that his antics and the lack of a precedent-setting disciplinary response by Pete did to the core of the defense, and to Pete’s philosophy of winning forever? Especially if when it cost us 2 games of Kam Chancellor which set back our 2015 campaign, and might now cause Richard Sherman to need to be traded? I wouldn’t be so sure.

      • Tien

        Sure, Marshawn acted like a diva at times but he also gave the Seahawks our toughness and identity and was as critical as any player in helping this team win its first SB!! Regardless of how much Pete preaches about and tries to treat every player the same, we and the players all know that special players get special treatment. Marshawn was definitely SPECIAL so I’m doubt many players were surprised that he was treated differently or were put out by it. Every team has drama and though I wish Kam hadn’t held out and Sherman didn’t act like such a jerk last season, I still haven’t seen enough to believe that this means that the Seahawks culture that helped us win the SB has been destroyed. Who knows if Sherman will be traded but even if he is, it’d be a setback but we’d survive, albeit with a defense not quite as good but potentially also with young talented draft picks to build for the future. For me, Earl is the most critical piece of our D and as long as he’s healthy and can play at a high level, we can make do with other deficiencies in the D. At the end of the day, I’m still very grateful for these last 5 or 6 years of Beastmode and he’ll always be one of my favorite Hawks players!

  43. Rowdy

    Lynch signed with Raiders but still need to trade for his rights? How many times has this happened?

    • cha

      Agreed to terms. Not signed.

      • Misfit74

        Rumored has it as a 6th

        • Jason

          Where are you getting the rumor that is a 6th?

  44. Misfit74

    [“According to the New York Post, a fourth-round pick is “about as much” as the Jets can hope for in exchange for DE Sheldon Richardson.

    This jibes with what has been reported, especially since the Eagles acquired DT Timmy Jernigan by merely exchanging third-round picks with the Ravens. One possible hangup is Richardson’s contract-year status and word he’s seeking a $100 million extension, laughable considering his off-field past and down 2016 season. A fourth- or fifth-rounder may be all that’s offered, and GM Mike Maccagnan will have to weigh whether it’s enough.
    Source: Rotoworld, via New York Post Apr 14 – 9:51 AM”]

    Future pick, 1 yr deal, or simple going to be too damn expensive to satisfy contract demands?

    • Hawks22Fun

      Talented player, but unless JS/PC want him for a year, then let him hit FA for a COMP pick the next year, he seems too pricey and a head case!

    • cha

      Hawks would have to cut someone or sign him to an extension to fit under the 2017 cap, but might be worth exploring.

      How about a 2018 3rd rounder? He re-establishes value with a dynamite 2017 season for the Hawks and earns the Hawks a 2019 3rd round comp pick when he gets big $ from some other team in 2018 FA.

  45. MontanaMike

    I believe the Seahawks are receiving a 6th rounder for Lynch. The salary cap relief will be huge.

    • cha

      Source on the 6th?

      An no, there is no cap relief. He’s off the books as a retired player.

    • JimQ

      Oakland has pick #208 in the 6-th round. In a normal negotiation the Seahawks would ask for a 5-th, the Raiders would offer a 7-th and a compromise 6-th could very well be the result. IMO

  46. MontanaMike

    Man you guys wrote all that before i finished 1 sentence!

  47. Volume12

    So according to Davis Hsu, Seattle’s top 2 ranked players are Stanford O-lineman Solomon Thomas and ‘Bama TE OJ Howard.

    They may try to move up in the 1st for a D-lineman. ‘Bama’s Jon Allen. Their ‘fallback’ may be Michigan’s Taco Charlton. And they seem to like Charlotte DT Larry Ogunjobi.

    Marlon Humphrey is their #1 CB.

    They have a 1st round grade on Florida CB Quincy Wilson.

    Apparently they feel like there’s a huge cliff for the DL, but not for CBs. So that explains the interest in guys like Ahkello Witherspoon and Jourdan Lewis.

    • Volume12

      *D-lineman

      • Volume12

        So, D-line and CB may be the 1st two picks. Or vice versa depending on the board.

        Watch for a DT in round 3 and a DT in UDFA.

        Their going to take a big safety to possibly fill a hybrid LB role.

        An athletic, basketball type TE later in the draft.

        An explosive, productive WR.

        Nickel/slot corner will for sure be taken somewhere. Either early and a big corner later or again, vice versa.

        Personally? I’m expecting an O-lineman to be a day 3 pick.

        And this extra pick their getting for Marshawn? I’m starting to think its going to be spent on a freakish, highly versatile, kick & punt returner. Or their 7th could be spent on one instead.

        Priority UDFAs? QB, OL, FB, DT.

        • Volume12

          Should say this last post is my own outlook on my mock draft I’ll be posting soon.

          • DC

            Grover Stewart is growing on me as a 3rd round possibility. Supposing Seattle is moving toward a 4-2-5 it’s going to be even more critical that the LBs & buffalo/nickel stay clean. Stewart is a VMAC visitor & a mountain. We saw toward the end of last season some bigger DTs brought in so there is some precedent.

  48. Misfit74

    http://insidethepylon.com/nfl/2017-nfl-draft/2017/04/05/chidobe-awuzie-blitzing-ability/

    Article today on Awuzie and his blitzing ability.

  49. Misfit74

    Who are everyone’s favorite Offensive Tackles, specifically non round one types?

    Guys I’m warming to who I think can potentially play LT, who won’t require a 1st round investment:

    Taylor Moton – really a lot to like here
    Jermaine Eluemunor – vines for arms, huge upside
    .
    Davenport – seems very raw, but traits are there

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