Before we get started, I was invited onto the Field Gulls podcast yesterday to discuss the combine. Check it out below. Plus if you missed it over the weekend, don’t forget to listen to the Seahawkers Podcast appearance from Sunday (click here).
Two quick notes before we get into the mock…
— This draft is going to provide much better value in rounds 2-3 than it is in round one. I’m using this projection to emphasise this. I suspect teams will be happy to trade out of the back-end of round one and might be willing to take relatively cheap deals to do so.
— The Seahawks trade down from #18 here and take an offensive linemen. However, this is on the basis they manage to accumulate extra picks in rounds 2-3. There are mixed reports doing the rounds. Jason La Canfora recently said he expects Earl Thomas to be traded, while Ian Rapoport is saying Thomas is staying in Seattle. If the Seahawks don’t trade Thomas (their only realistic chance to gain extra picks in rounds 2-3) I think it’s much more likely their first pick will end up being a running back, either in the late first round or early second round.
Updated first round mock draft
This mock draft contains several trades.
#1 Cleveland — Saquon Barkley (RB, Penn State)
#2 Cleveland (trade w/NYG) — Josh Allen (QB, Wyoming)
#3 Buffalo (trade w/Ind) — Sam Darnold (QB, USC)
#4 NY Giants (trade w/Cle, via Hou) — Quenton Nelson (G, Notre Dame)
#5 Arizona (trade w/Den) — Josh Rosen (QB, UCLA)
#6 NY Jets — Bradley Chubb (EDGE, NC State)
#7 Tampa Bay — Vita Vea (DT, Washington)
#8 Miami (trade w/Chi) — Baker Mayfield (QB, Oklahoma)
#9 San Francisco — Tremaine Edmunds (LB, Virginia Tech)
#10 Oakland — Denzel Ward (CB, Ohio State)
#11 Chicago (trade w/Mia) — Calvin Ridley (WR, Alabama)
#12 Cincinnati — Minkah Fitzpatrick (S, Alabama)
#13 Washington — Da’Ron Payne (DT, Alabama)
#14 Green Bay — Marcus Davenport (DE, UTSA)
#15 Denver (trade w/Ari) — Leighton Vander Esch (LB, Boise State)
#16 LA Rams (trade w/Bal) — Derwin James (S, Florida State)
#17 LA Chargers — Lamar Jackson (QB, Louisville)
#18 Atlanta (trade w/Sea) — Maurice Hurst (DT, Michigan)
#19 Dallas — Roquan Smith (LB, Georgia)
#20 Detroit — Rashaan Evans (LB, Alabama)
#21 Indianapolis (trade w/Buf) — Ronald Jones II (RB, USC)
#22 Indianapolis (trade w/Buf, via KC) — Mike McGlinchey (T, Notre Dame)
#23 Baltimore (trade w/LAR) — D.J. Moore (WR, Maryland)
#24 Carolina — Justin Reid (S, Stanford)
#25 NY Giants (trade w/NO) — Kerryon Johnson (RB, Auburn)
#26 Seattle (trade w/Atl) — Isaiah Wynn (G, Georgia)
#27 NY Jets (trade w/NO) — Billy Price (C, Ohio State)
#28 Pittsburgh — Harold Landry (DE, Boston College)
#29 Jacksonville — Tim Settle (DT, Virginia Tech)
#30 Minnesota — Taven Bryan (DT, Florida)
#31 Cincinnati (trade w/NE) — Will Hernandez (G, UTEP)
#32 Tampa Bay (trade w/Phi) — Derrius Guice (RB, LSU)
The trades…
Cleveland trades #4 & #33 to New York (Giants) for #2
Having taken Saquon Barkley with the top pick, the Browns make a deal to secure their preferred quarterback at #2.
Buffalo trades #21 & #22 & a 2019 pick to Indianapolis for #3
The Bills pull off a blockbuster move to go up and get Sam Darnold.
Arizona trades #15, #47 & a 2019 pick to Denver for #5
The Cardinals miss out on the top quarterbacks in free agency so make a big move, trading away their first picks in 2018 and 2019 plus a second rounder to land Josh Rosen.
Miami trades #11 & #73 to Chicago for #8
Adam Gase goes and gets his quarterback, with lingering doubts about Ryan Tannehill’s ability to stay healthy.
LA Rams trade #23, #87 & #195 to Baltimore for #16
The Rams are being aggressive and want to win now. They move up to get Derwin James and find a willing trade partner in Baltimore.
Atlanta trades #26, #90 and #200 to Seattle for #18
The Falcons want an interior defensive lineman and go up to get Maurice Hurst (Star Loutlelei was taken at #13 despite having a similar medical concern at the combine). The Seahawks want to move down and get a needed third round pick.
New York Giants trade #33 & #102 to Tennessee for #25
The Titans don’t like the look of the cornerback or linebacker options so take a deal to move down. The Giants trade up to get a lead runner in Kerryon Johnson.
New York Jets trade #37, #107 & #179 to New Orleans for #27
The Jets are after a center and move up to draft Billy Price.
Cincinnati trades #46 & #77 to New England for #31
The Bengals have to draft an offensive lineman early. Will Hernandez was one of the standout performers at the combine.
Denver trades #38 & #108 to Philadelphia for #32
The Buccs make a minor deal to move up four spots and select Derrius Guice before the end of the first round.
Tomorrow I’ll be publishing a seven-round mock draft for the Seahawks.
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The thing that scares me about us taking an offensive lineman is we will have another year of a below average running game. At #90 I don’t think a game changing RB would be available. I do like Wynn a lot though.
Noted in the blurb above the mock that this was based on seattle acquiring extra picks in R2-3 so they can get a RB.
Agree line and RB talent need to be improved. It’s a bit much to count on Carson and Prosise being injury free, especially Prosise but I do think Carson will be the workhorse and Hawks will look for a complementary pass catching third down back. Dion Lewis is young and even though James White was the primary ball catcher in NE Lewis can be an intriguing free agent complement at the right price. If not Chubb in the 2nd sounds good. Sounds is easy, getting a 2nd round pick to be able to nab him extremely tough not to say expensive (Earl/Sherm expensive).
Love the Wynn pick and the trade back.
Thats a ton of trades and real fun. I for sure could see Buffalo and Indy making a deal. I think that pick 25 should say Tenn and not NO but Im nit picking. I do believe that Seattle trades back no matter who is available.
Lets say they do sign a guy like Pugh in free agency and dont want to select a RB with there first pick. Is there a defensive player you guys like at 26 instead of Wynn?
Davenport or Vander Esch. Maybe another trade down and take Settle.
Both gone by 26 in Rob’s mock above.
Looking at the post-combine mock really hits home that it’s just doesn’t seem like that good of a class overall, QB will be fun with the star power but for first round talent, definitely seems lacking…
Good at Guard and RB, which works out pretty well for us. But yeah, pretty mediocre overall.
Franchise tag deadline today at 1pm. Not likely they use on Richardson at this point. Rams do place the tag on safety Lamarcus Joyner.
Rob, with Will Hernandez’s performance at the combine what made you think the Hawks would go Wynn over Hernandez? I tend to prefer a guy like Wynn from the SEC who went against better defenses week in and out, but I was just wondering your thoughts.
Also, Daniel Jeremiah just mocked Jessie Bates to Atlanta at 26.
Not Rob but I would also be torn on Wynn vs Hernandez vs Price. Feels like we need to get back to a road grading team and it feels like Hernandez may fit that bill a little more, but either of the three you have to feel good about it.
Just think they might prefer him but I personally like both.
Would like this to be honest. I think Wynn is the guy I’d want to take. Hernandez perhaps if we trade down out of first round. Pick up a RB later on, not sure who tho.
If not a RB or an OL with the first pick who do you like? I could see this as an option as well. We keep talking offense with the first pick but who if its defense?
Taven Bryan I would love but I think as you have said, running game is the priority. My hope would be that Carson asserts himself behind this line and we pick up John Kelly or someone of that sort on day 3. Mid round Dline and linebacker as well as a tight end. I think we should perhaps use a few round 5/7 picks to move up as far as we can if there remains some relative quality at the end of day 2.
It would be nice to see what this team could look like with a healthy Carson and Prosise for 16 games. That could be your Ingram/Kamara duo that worked so good for NO last year.
It’d be nice but the odds on Prosise lasting more than 2-3 weeks aren’t very good.
There terrible. Wishful thinking.
Every time we talk about Prosise I think about every wrestling coach I ever had from middle school through college…. “are you hurt, or injured” was always the question
and always wonder if CJ is just hurt but thinks he’s injured
I could see Prosise pulling a P-Rich and actually being effective in 2018.
On the flipside I could see him showing up to camp injured and getting cut.
It’s possible! Wouldn’t want to bet the season on it though.
Cha exactly! The odds of Prosise having an injury riddled season are very low I believe. I’m not a gambling man, Aussie Dooger could give us his take on the odds, he likes to go to Vegas.
Another thing we have to take into account with CJ is that he
has a massive amount to prove and his NFL career and lot’s of money riding on 2019. So even if he is hurt and not serious injured I imagine he’s going to play through it. Damn I sure hope so!
Go Hawks
Wait what year is it? I meant 2018 hahaha.
Thanks for the mention. I’m just starting to follow football again. In Winter Olympic years I devote so much time to that I fall way behind on the draft and personnel in general.
This time I did very good on the men’s curling but didn’t fare so well with women’s curling. Rachel Homan with a losing record…that’s almost incalculable odds. I never would have believed it a month ago.
I’m still a bit annoyed at how pathetic Eve Muirhead played in that bronze medal match. I’m sure that received quite a bit of attention on Rob’s side of the pond, since curling is funded heavily by the British Olympic committee. Muirhead’s final stone was awful in at least 6 of the 10 ends, including the disastrous final shot with hammer in the 10th.
Regarding Prosise, I think he’ll run with attitude and smarts this year, similar to that one season at Notre Dame. Mostly I still don’t know why you guys got rid of Alex Collins. He’s been a known quantity in Miami for a long time, since he went to South Plantation High not far away and was expected to be a Cane until Arkansas stole him.
*as Rob has said
Like the mock a lot. Makes a ton of sense for so many teams.
I know it hasn’t exactly been their MO, but I think they can’t afford to miss on the OL, and the surest bet of all in this draft is Wynn. Maybe his labrum surgery even pushes him down a few picks further into the top of R2. It would very much be like JS to take that risk if he thinks Wynn might last, especially if other fallback options like Price and Hernandez are still on the board.
Now how can we get one of those guys and Nick Chubb without trading Earl…?
I really like the reasoning and the pick of Wynn. I think though that the trade favors the Falcons. They should have given us their 4th instead of their 6th.
Nice mock. Awesome job projecting the trades for QB’s. Every year it seems like it happens and rarely do you see mocks that project it.
Rob, great mock. Well thought out and articulated. Thanks!
Quick Question:
With the Seahawk’s current 4th Round pick, will you rank the following (1,2,3) on who you personally believe to be the better choice.
1. Tre Flowers Safety Ok St.
2. Antonio Callaway WR Florida.
3. Dalton Shultz TE Stamford.
Fellow community, feel free to chime in here.
Hard to say w/o knowing who we drafted before. Tre Flowers will probably be a CB convert instead of a Safety. They are telling Shead they might be moving him back to safety, pending re-signing him of course and with Delano Hill, Tedric Thompson as new picks, combined with Thomas, and Shead, and Kam if he makes a comeback , and McDougald, if he’s resigned, and with the following players in play for DB:
Richard Sherman
Jeremy Lane (Probably Cut)
Neiko Thorpe
Shaquill Griffin
Alex Carter
DeAndre Elliott
Michael Tyson
RFA Justin Coleman
UFA Byron Maxwell
UFA DeShawn Shead
I wouldn’t be surprised if we didn’t draft a CB/S until the later rounds, so put Tre at the bottom of the list.
Callaway might go undrafted, and I don’t think he would pass their no violence against women test. And WR needs withstanding I think we can all agree a blocking is of paramount importance in order to get back to running like we want to run. So I’ll say
1. Dalton Schultz or Durham Smythe (TE)
2. Javon Wins or Jaleel Scott or Michael Gallup (WR)
3. I’d wait till 5th round to pick up a project cb/s
(1) Schultz (2) none of the above, look for more OL or DL help. Of course, a lot depends on what happens in free agency between now and the draft.
2, 1, 3 for me.
Callaway is unbelievably talented in a rather average WR class. If they believe they can keep him in line with strong leadership from Baldwin+Lockett, I pull the trigger any day in R4. Especially now that I think Chark has probably worked himself into the late R2-early R3 range.
Flowers looked like a Seattle CB body type out there and ran fast to boot. But ultimately, he would be a conversion project who will need a couple years to learn the technique anyway. Maybe a blank slate is a better starting point anyway than having to reverse old habits. It sure worked for Quil…
Schultz I put last because I feel there are other TE options that will still be there in the R5 range like Smythe, Herndon, and Dissly (whom I haven’t watched yet, but am going off Rob and others’ notes).
1. Schultz
2. Flowers
3. Other- I’m not considering Callaway in the 4th.
Callaway is talented. Someone will take the chance Earlier than I. But for me, he’s still 6th or 7th Rd.
I think Schultz might go R3. Of that group it’d be Schultz.
Thanks everyone who responded!
In the spirit of recouping draft picks, what about the idea of trading next years R1 for a 2nd this year + 2nd or 3rd next year as well. Get an extra draft pick in both drafts. Plus trading down from R1 this year would allow quite a bit of ammo in the top 100 this year, and give us an additional pick in the top 100 next year? Then we could get a Chub and Wynn, while grabbing a decent defensive player in 2019?
The problem is we dont have a second next year either. You go into the draft with no 1st or 2nd. Basically like Houston this year.
Interesting read!
http://nfltraderumors.co/nfl-rumors-trades-free-agency-draft/
Earl Thomas to Dallas for a 2nd round pick and David Irving? That’s an interesting offer.
FWIW Dallas fans seem to be split on the idea of giving just a 3rd for Earl. About half of them think it’s too much and should be a 4th (30 years old, coming off injury, one year left on deal, going to be expensive), while the other half think a 3rd is fair (team leader, would make their whole D better, not going to find a FS like Earl in the 3rd round).
Just some comments I read over the weekend on bloggingtheboys.com though. Interesting to see how the other side feels about the rumors. I’m guessing that they all would think that’s too much. I tend to think that is more than Dallas would give up for Earl.
It sounds like you have Sherman and Earl mixed up. Earl will be 29 next year and not coming off injury. Sherman will be 30 coming off the injury.
Poor wording I guess. “Injury history” was maybe how many of them were phrasing it. Here’s the link:
https://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2018/3/5/17082780/report-seahawks-are-open-trade-earl-thomas-for-day-2-draft-picks-dallas-cowboys-free-agent-rumors
Interesting offer. Why don’t we keep things simple. JS calls Jerrah & offers ET3 for Zack Martin straight up. Who hangs up first?
David Irving is an UFA?
After the combine you have to think that Saquon going #1 to Cleveland is already done.
Saquon is great, but asumming they believe in one of the QBs I don’t see how they could risk losing them. I think they need to take a QB at 1, unless they are going to also acquire pick 2 from NY, or they really believe in Kizer.
According to Tony Pauline:
Andrew Norwell to the Giants a ‘done deal.’
Kirk Cousins to Minnesota ‘done deal.’
I get why Minnesota would want to add Cousins, but if they can’t keep their defensive core together (Barr, Kendricks, Hunter, etc.) it’s a bad move even though they’ve drafted very well under Speilman/Zimmer. Hope for their sake they front load the deal.
The $$ on Cousins to Minny will be interesting.
Personally I think it’s a dumb move on their part. I’d rather have Keenum.
Minnesota sports radio are saying it’s something like 3 years, $91 mil. Fully guaranteed.
30.3 Mil a year guaranteed. Wow.
The money in sports is absurd. I have a good career make better than average money. i’ll never see anything close to what he will make in 1 month in my LIFETIME.
I’d like to be just pretty good at my job- but still have 2.5 million direct deposited every month.
That would be ok with me.
That’s just s little more then I make a month as a Gigalo. I do it for the Ladies y’all!
To be fair, he’s probably one of the top 15 people in the World at his profession.
Not saying that the money isn’t obscene, but being “pretty good” is more like a middling CFL QB (making around $50-$80k), or an UDFA that ends up coaching HS football.
Relative to the elite, he’s pretty good. He’ll be paid like the best though, so I do get your point.
Keenum to Denver makes a ton of sense.
I like the move for Vikes, better to be committed to one than have questions on all three. Bradford (degenarative injury), I love Teddy but he is similar to Chris Carson for us (unproven over long haul), too important a position to go into a season that way. As per our style of play can also make a point that we can’t go into a season with Carson either. I see logic. Going back to Teddy, hope he does well somewhere.
Vikes have a roster to win immediately. Keenum bless his soul, he had a most memorable moment. Fans will never forget the iconic Icelandic Clap of NFC Championship Lore. I like guy, but that was probably his ceiling.
Cousins from what I have read is an extremely hard worker. The DeAngelo Hall comments from earlier today on ESPN I believe are interesting. Saying that they never felt he was committed to team. I see it as other way around. Snyder and Allen not being committed to him.
This good news for us! Giants 2nd #2 will not be a guard!
Billy Price had surgery today to repair his partially torn pectoral. 4-month estimated recovery time. Does this knock him out of the first round entirely?
With only on average 1.2 Guards drafted in the first round since ’93. My guess is yes it knocks him out of 1st round. Most likely still a 2nd Round Pick, and the 3rd is probably his floor.
He is supposed to be ready for camp still. I would guess that it doesn’t drop him much. I think early 2nd is a good bet.
I guess my issue would be lineman get so very little time in training camp to begin with much less losing some of that time to injury recover
Good point. We’ve been saying for years that it takes a year or two for a rookie to really “get it”. Might take Price more than that with time missed.
Possible. I still think he might find a home in the back end of R1.
Appreciate all the hard work you put in to make this blog. Some great content and I always look forward to the new uploads. For your mock draft I know this is not so much of a concern as the particular players are but I actually believe the Hawks would be able to get considerably more value trading down from #18-#26. Last year a similar Hawks/Falcons swap occurred but was 26 to 31 and resulted in pick #95 and #247 (gained). If a Hawks/Falcons switch is made again it would likely involve their 1st (#26) and 2nd (#58) to us in return for our (#18) and 5th (#141) possibly also a 7th rounder. Though they may not care as much about the value if there is low trade up interest and they need additional picks. Given John Schneider’s love for trading down and getting additional picks what do you feel is the likelihood Wynn or Hernandez drop to the mid-late 30’s. I feel this is more likely the range of where they’ll target a player unless they really want their guy at the current pick.
In 2013 Dallas moved down from #18 to #31 and only got a third round pick in return.
On one hand I could kiss you, trading down from #18 to #26 and picking up the #90 and #200? Yes! At #26 drafting Wynn (or Hernandez)?! YES, PLEASE!!
But the hypothetical that we keep Earl, don’t get a R2 or R3 in any player trades and so in turn with our first pick (at #18 or not) we take a RB really has me sweating. Improving the run blocking (and pass pro!) with a OLinemen like Wynn > getting any RB, even if it was a super star. Improved run blocking and pass pro (from Wynn) to go along with Carson, Davis, Prosise, Rawls, McKissic and a rookie (Penny?) or two? I mean, I could swallow it a bit easier if this was a super shallow draft at RB but it’s the opposite. So no matter what I really hope the highest we’d take a RB is Chubb with our 2nd pick.
Take a look at Austin Corbetts film and his bio he’s our guy no question!
The thing is Nathan, one offensive lineman isn’t going to suddenly turn the whole unit into a fantastic run blocking machine.
Mike Solari is already going to have to work with the four other guys. And O-line play isn’t often about individuals as it is the unit. I really like Wynn and Hernandez and would like to see them in Seattle but they alone are not going to be the difference between the line coming together and it not. Solari has a chance to make this group function and hopefully will take it.
The running back position has to be improved. They can’t rely on anyone at the moment. And when this team was at its best they had a runner who was tough, set the tone and they could trust.
Hopefully they can address both areas. But it might come at a cost.
>The thing is Nathan, one offensive lineman isn’t going to suddenly turn the whole unit into a fantastic run blocking machine.
Oh I know, but we have more depth of talent at RB on the roster than OG, and it sounds like while both OG and RB are deep this year in the draft, RB is deeper. And I’m not saying taking Corbett or Teller in the mid rounds can’t be a good decision. But I don’t love the value of RB’s in the 1st round. If our OL is still a mess, adding RoJo isn’t likely to help all THAT much. Look at Collins behind our OL compared to behind the Ravens. And again, I want high quality OL pieces not just for the run game, but to pass pro for Russ. Our interior OL with Wynn/Hernandez, Britt and a second year Pocic (hopefully 325lbs of pure muscle by week 1) with Solari and an adjusted scheme…that excites me due to the possible run blocking & pass pro improvements more than if we added the next Jamaal Charles.
>Mike Solari is already going to have to work with the four other guys. And O-line play isn’t often about individuals as it is the unit. I really like Wynn and Hernandez and would like to see them in Seattle but they alone are not going to be the difference between the line coming together and it not. Solari has a chance to make this group function and hopefully will take it.
I get that but on the individual level, Brown is good, Britt should be pretty solid, hopefully Pocic is 325lbs of pure muscle, and who knows what happens at RT. But if you remove Aboushi/Glow/Joeckel from our OL and instead plug in Wynn or Hernandez…that could very possibly make a legit difference in ’18.
>The running back position has to be improved. They can’t rely on anyone at the moment. And when this team was at its best they had a runner who was tough, set the tone and they could trust.
Oh absolutely. My question is what’s the value difference between taking Rojo R1 and say Teller or Corbett round 4, compared to taking Wynn or Hernandez R1 and Penny in R4. An OLinemen is on the field 100% of the time. Good OL is way more rare in the NFL. OL is more valuable and more likely for you to want to invest a second contract in. I believe OLinemen are also hurt less than RB’s. And as I said, while our RB corp isn’t secure and legit, it feels nice to have Carson seemingly ready to be our RB1 again with a solid group of contributing backups behind him who with better run blocking can look better in ’18 than they have so far.
>Hopefully they can address both areas. But it might come at a cost.
Totally. But if you ask me if I want to draft a pro-bowl RB in the first round of a deep RB class or a pro-bowl OG when we have a big need at OG to fill, I will go OL every time. Pass up on Jamaal Charles 2.0 and try to find Kareem Hunt 2.0 (late R3) or Jordan Howard 2.0 (R5) or Alvin Kamara 2.0 (R3) or one of the other many legit RB’s found in the second or even third day of the draft. But how many legit, pro-bowl OG’s are being found day two and day three?
And TBH, priority #1 has to be protecting Russ. He can’t keep getting hit and sacked so much. If that means getting Wynn R1 and getting our RB in R4 then so be it. He’s 29 years old and one of the most abused QB’s in the league. Rojo would be cool but he can’t save him from getting hurt cause Roos is starting at LG and he got turnstiles by Aaron Donald for the 4th time in a row.
Wtf?
Do you want Marshawn back or Carp back?
Give me Beast every day.
Lets go get our bellcow and build around him.
Dont f*** around with this one… I don’t want to be disappointed in Penny and happy with Hernandez.
I want to be happy witb Chubb and disappointed in somebody else.
I WILL NOT WATCH ANOTHER S*** RB CORPS
The OL was solid last year at times. You saw the talent, the lanes opened, there was just no-one healthy to hit the holes. Those guys have alsp never been healthy.
We have such a disgustingly injury prone RB group. 0 fully healthy seasons between them, I believe.
I need a new toy in the backfield
Could you imagine the pitchforks if we went OL again?
One guard will not fix a broken run game. It only enhances a succesful one imo
Not even Marshawn could run behind this line. We need to build our Oline not only for running, but for pass pro as well. We have Brown who is legit, Britt is above average, and if we bring in a left guard that is at least capable over there, then we do not have to worry about the left side of our line. Russel can grow more, and any running back will be able to do enough to keep the chains moving.
How many drives stalled last year because of O-line penalties. How many drives broke down because of pressure or sacks on Wilson. This has to stop and least get to a manageable rate. I my opinion a stud left guard will do more for this team than any other stud at any other position we could get.
>Not even Marshawn could run behind this line.
You hush that nonsense up RIGHT NOW!!! (jk)
I think building an offensive line comes more from consistency amd confidence on eachother and the QB and scheme, than from adding pieces.
I think Solari is going to come out here and see what he has in all these guys before he goes and decides to blow it all up AGAIN!
A top running back would pay greater dividends because By Definition, I feel a great running back is able to create something from nothing (think Barry Sanders) whereas a guard can only make holes if the RB can hit them, or if he trusts his tackle and synchronise with his center.
It is therefore an inherently limited position.
Marshawn could run behind this line. Hey — Chris Carson was running behind this line before his injury.
Rawls and Lacy were horrendous. Lacy was just a waste of time and energy but Rawls wasn’t reading things well at all. They also never got into a flow because of all the injuries.
Can the O-line improve? Absolutely. No doubt. But the running back position is devoid of talent and/or reliability and needs addressing. ‘One more’ high pick at LG alone won’t change the fortunes of the O-line in the same way Brown, Pocic and Ifedi haven’t. It’s up to Solari to get the guys working. And it’s up to Seattle to get better at RB too. If they can get a Hernandez or Wynn alongside that — bonus.
Absolutely right on. Lacy needed to talk to his feet, tell them to get his a** up the field.
Those numbers on Carson running behind this line are a little skewed. He ran for an average of 3.5 yards per game against Indianapolis with a long of 11. So he had 11 runs for 31 yards or 2.8 yard average. Against Tennessee he ran for 3.1. His long in that game was 7 yards, so he had 10 runs for 27 yards which is 2.7 yards per. Against San Fran he ran for 4.7 and looked pretty good in that game with a long of 16. Against Green Bay he ran for 6.9 yards per but had a long for 30 which means that he had 5 other runs for 9 yards. I couldn’t fond how many yards he had after contact, but considering the Seahawks were near last in league in that statistic, it is safe to assume it was fairly high.
I understand not wanting to throw more draft picks at the problem. I even agree that makes sense. However, I come from the school of thought that you build your lines first and then the rest of the team. The game is won in the trenches. Getting a powerful fast running back is not going to solve our problems. Teams will continue to stack the box and stop the run or get pressure on Russel Wilson. If you really want the run game to go you need to get a better Oline. Maybe Solari can fix it with what we got. There is some talent to work with. But a Hernandez, Wynn, or Price, if they perform up to what they are projected to, will be one of the biggest difference makers we could make to the team. I believe substantially more than any running back in this draft. I could be wrong, in which case I will gladly apologize and admit it if I am proven to be.
On Carson, I don’t think it’s fair to separate the good runs to bring down the average. He ran well, had some success. Was just getting going before the injury. We’ll never know what he could’ve gone on to achieve sadly.
‘The game is won in the trenches’ is a bit of cliche to be fair. Seattle certainly didn’t win a Super Bowl in the trenches per se. They won because they had a legendary running back and a sensational defense led by a generational secondary. The Patriots win consistently because of their QB, Aaron Rodgers won a SB behind one of the worst offensive lines in the last 10 years as did the Steelers. Denver’s O-line wasn’t anything to write home about (but they admittedly won their SB because of an insanely good D-line and pass rush). I guess the point is, there are different ways to win.
It’s also worth pointing out again — Seattle’s early picks so far haven’t solved any problems. Pocic, Brown, Britt, Ifedi. Early picks that people wanted to see spent on the OL. Even when they had Okung and Carp, people complained about the OL. I’m not convinced ‘just one more’ early pick is going to be the difference now. And I speak as someone who has constantly celebrated Hernandez, Wynn, Price and others. Solari’s still going to need to bring the incumbents together and form a cohesive unit. Solari will have the most impact on the OL ultimately.
No need to apologise about anything either — discussion is healthy and good. I’m not against an early pick on the O-line. I’m very supportive of it. But not at the expense of the RB position. The Seahawks are not going to rectify their running game by ‘getting by’ at RB and spending another high pick on the OL. That’s what they’ve been doing for two years now and the results are clear.
You make good points about the SB’s other teams have won without good O-line’s, but in those cases there was always a phenomenal talent to offset the O-line. Also it’s worth pointing out that Brady lost two SB’s because of a really good Giants defensive line and their ability to get pressure on Brady. The Seahawks would have won that SuperBowl as well if Avril did not go out wiht a concussion in my opinion. I guess I am just saying the easier way to win continually is to have the better trenches.
I understand not wanting to keep throwing picks at the problem, but I am still of the opinion that Cable was banging the table for his guys and they just did not perform. I could be wrong.
You also make a very valid point about Solari having the most impact. I agree and hopefully he will be better at spotting talent than, hopefully Cable, was. I sure hope it’s just not a FO downfall, but as you have pointed out in the past, there is a shortage of good O-line prospects.
By your mock draft and slotting us Wynn I can tell you are not against going O-line early. I am not against going RB early either, I just lean in a different direction on how to fix the running game. I still hold out hope for Carson, and think with proper blocking up front Davis, and McKissic can perform well too. However, maybe you and the others who want the high profile RB are right. Who knows, I just love being a fan of the Seahawks right now and hope they can continue this run a while longer.
Well, I highly doubt Penny lasts until round four. I think he’s a top-75 prospect. I think out RB situation is pretty hopeless personally, with a total reliance on Chris Carson who’s played four games and had limited playing time in both college and the NFL. That has to change in 2018 as an absolute priority.
I’m not accusing you of this specifically Nathan but too often there’s a thought process that the only way to cure an O-line is to have highly drafted or expensive players filling every hole or that it’ll be the cure-all to problems. Mike Solari has to get this unit playing together. They spent high picks on this group — Ifedi, Britt, Brown, Pocic. It didn’t create a brilliant line. To me it’s the perfect illustration that it’s not just about the high picks, it’s about putting a group together that can function as one. And while yes, it’d be nice to get Wynn or Hernandez, it cannot be at the expense of the RB position. They can no longer just muddle on there. If they can improve both areas, great. But first and foremost they need a guy in their backfield. If they have a pick in R2 it can work nicely for them in terms of value and targeting both areas. If not, they might have to trade down once or twice to position themselves to get their RB and find a different guy (veteran or rookie) to plug in at LG.
I’ll also say — I’m pretty sure next week they’ll be signing a veteran RB hedge. And the reaction will be — that means they won’t draft a RB early. On the contrary, I think they’ll be absolutely determined this year to avoid the nonsense they experienced in 2017 with a bunch of hopeless, ineffective RB’s. I could see a veteran and two rookies coming in. They’re going to fight to get this right IMO. As I said though, if there was a chance to get one of the top eight backs and also get one of Wynn/Hernandez, that would be very nice.
Kerryon Johnson and Braden Smith??????
F*** it lets go straight up 2014 draft philosophy
The great thing is Kerryon, Chubb and Ronald Jones II run their asses off.
And they’re all really talented too.
Honestly, Guice might not be your flavor, but to me, he’s PC’s guy all day.
Runs like Rawls, no?
He does run a bit like Rawls it’s true. That also comes with pitfalls. He can be a bit reckless. One thing they really lack at RB right now is reliability. I’m not sure Guice is going to be reliable, for a few reasons. He’s also not particularly explosive which is something they’ve looked for.
Chubb on the other hand is very reliable. Ronald Jones II is reliable and, in my opinion, destined to be a star. Kerryon is underrated — tough, physical, leads the offense, grinder.
It seems always to be that the FO failed in selecting these players to some fans. Not accusing Nathan of this.
RB has to be the priority. Fans have absorbed the idea that you shouldnt draft RBs high, in some cases. And I might actually acuse Nathan of this, but not in a way that I am immune to or anything.
That narrative has been drilled in for so long that, despite 3 back to back genuine gems in Zeke, Leo, and ‘Quon, we ignore the obvious; that talented RBs deserve to go early and can transform your culture.
RB is so important to culture too. Defenses HATE to face a good RB. You spend all week prepping to stop that guy. And the QB benefits. The defense benefits. You play with attitude.
Look at the Jags with Fournette or the Cowboys with Zeke and look how they quickly transformed their fortunes.
RB is such an important position.
Rob, I’ve honestly been contemplating a hypothetical all weekend.
How would you react if Seattle took Nick Chubb straight up at 18?
If they did it. It would give me so much confidence in him and this culture that I would be unconcerned.
Better make sure they get ‘Qeem though
I’m not sure how I would react to be honest. I try and avoid reacting too much one way or another. I’d probably just do a piece trying to work out or explain why it happened. I can see Chubb being their first pick but not at #18.
Yeah, I agree with your post above about Guice as well.
A trade down or two has to come for a RB.
I can’t really get excited beyond those top 4 behind Barkley.
Wadley underwhelmed at the combine, I don’t know if Rolls Royce ever got a clean truck in college, Penny is a butcher of an RB, but might be a safe choice actually if only as a fallback.
If we get Isaiah Wynn and Nick Chubb I’d be happy. Hopefully we can also pick up Ito smith late, I’m a real fan of his running style very shady-esque. He was my favorite combine snub. He’s small at 5’9” 201 lbs but he has great agility and a nice second gear.
Isiah Wynn
Nick Chubb
BJ Hill
Shaquem Griffin
Insert cb
Darren Carrington
Durham smythe
Ito smith
It’s a draft that’d make me happy
Any draft class with Wynn, Chubb and Smythe looks damn fine. Throw in us getting Griffin and I am extremely happy. It’s nice that we all seem to be pretty much on the same page with seeing the value positions in each round. OG is either R1 or R3-ish. RB is R2 and near the end of the draft. TE is R5-6. And then with the rest of our picks grabbing a corner, DLinemen and WR makes sense. Though I could also see possibly taking advantage of this fast safety group (for a FS better than Tedric), along with a QB2, punter and kicker at some point in the draft.
I would list a CB but I feel it’s a ‘crapshoot’ this year. I am more keen on seeing us trying to convert a safety to cb again this year.
Dude, I love this draft.
Appreciate it, if we skip the CB pick, I hope we could grab Chubb, Rolls Royce and Ito Smith. Royce will be gone but it would retool the rb competition. We could carry extra RB’s for when Prosise returns to the magical land of the IR.
I love the first two picks. The rest are meh for me, although I LOVE Quem Griffen
Man Ito Smith has some fun highlights, imagine how terrible it would be to have just tried to tackle Nick Chubb 15 times and them you have to chase down that guy! I mean wow, if he can fake people out that well on an NFL level he could be great. Can’t wait to see his pro day, hopefully he is in the 4.3s
I can’t wait, he has great agility. I’m hoping he runs in the 4.3s and would give us a great committee with Chubb, Carson, Ito, Prosise.
I think we take Austin Corbett 2nd round & Da Shawn Hand 3rd round both players have tremendous upside, can dominate, fill immediate needs, and performed well at combine.
I like Hand in the 3rd. Seems like a Hawky pick.
I think that Corbett in the 2nd seems early. He was 17th in TEF for linemen, so it would be a bit outside the Hawks wheelhouse in that regard.
—-RB/OL with 1-st two picks —-or—-OL/RB with 1-st two picks?
Per Rob’s most recent trade projection of #18 to Atlanta for 26, 90 & 200. Which combination of RB/OL would be the best @ #26/#90 for the Seahawks, assuming no further trades? IMO-Jones or Johnson combined with one of Smith/Teller/Parker/Miller is the most likely and logical. Alternatively, they could possibly combine Wynn/Hernandez with Samuels/Kelly/Freeman, et. al.
Per the current rankings at nfldraftscout.com 3/05/2018. (Obviously subject to changes.)
RB-Darius Guice(36),
RB-Ronald Jones(43),
RB-Kerryon Johnson(47),
RB-Sony Michel(52),
RB-Rashaad Penny(69),
RB=Nick Chubb(79).
——————————–
OG-Isaiah Wynn(27),
OG-Will Hernandez(28),
OG-Braden Smith(85),
OG-Wyatt Teller(107),
OT-Brandon Parker(108),
OT-Kolton Miller(137).
Corbett is a stud better prospect than all of the RB’s except Barkley. Hand was a 5 star recruit who benched press 225 40 times as a sophomore, he’s slipping because he lacks sacks & needs work.
Austin Corbett, right? The guy who was a 2nd team all-mountain West Tackle at Nevada? That needs to move to Guard, which he has never played?
I don’t know anything about the guy, other than the consensus seems to be that he’s about the 15th best OL in the draft. What makes you think he’s a better prospect than every RB except the best college RB in years?
Same logic that Vikes used to select Cousins, if that is the case, is why I will never be convinced that Browns will pass on the QB of their choice. I may be wrong, and they may be willing to play Russian Roulette and think that the QB that they have decided is their choice will be there at #4. The only way I see them passing up a QB at #1 is if they have decided that Lamar Jackson or Mason Rudolph is their future (or even DeShone Kizer or McCarron).
If they are all in on Darnold (my pick), Allen, Mayfield or Rosen I would not play around and try to get creative (greedy).
Even if Barkley, a player I love, turns into Walter Payton or Barry Sanders (or Jim Brown for that matter) he’s not worth more than a Franchise QB. If neither of the 4 top QB’s are your cup of tea then by all means.
You may strike out and pick a bust, or a Stafford (Franchise QB, but not top 5 elite) and pass on a Zeke, Gurley or Fournette, but that is a risk you have to take in my humble opinion.
If Hawks were in same position, it would be an awesome couple of months debating this (QB’s not Barkely). Some would be all over Barkley, as the running game is as vital or if not the most vital position to Seahawks formula as opposed to other teams. Even so, unless Pete and JS chose Lamar, I would hope they would go with a QB. RB’s can be had in later rounds.
Don’t you feel like QB is more of a crapshoot this year though? Who knows if any/some/all of them are busts. It’s pretty obvious that Barkley is in a class by himself. They have the picks to move up if they really feel like it. They might have 5 guys in their war room who want 5 different QB’s, but they’re all going to want Barkley.
As a Blazer fan, I can tell you drafting for position over skill doesn’t always work out. I’m looking at you Sam Bowie and Greg Oden
don’t forget picking Michael Thompson instead of Larry Bird
talk about snake bit…
In defense of that pick, there were 4 other teams that passed on Larry Legend. You’re right though… Larry, Jordan and Durant would have made my fandom as a Blazer fan a much different experience.
As long as we keep Earl I think we trade completely out of round 1 to mid 2nd. I’m hoping Guards stay on board and we keep trading back with them. Lots of different kinds of players will go in 2nd filling lots of needs for teams hopefully teams will get distracted by them resulting in interior lineman being pushed back on draft boards, our biggest needs are G, DE, we can get RB, LB & TE mid to late rounds if we keep a some players on cheap no risks contracts.
I think we can realistically improve every area of our team except TE
Daniel Jerrimiah just mocked Will Hernandez to the Hawks. Makes a ton of sense really.
Yay, not a DB!
They’re learning!
Hi Super Nintendo Chalmers!
Perhaps, but not at number 18.
I like Will Hernandez. But the Seahawks will be losing Michael Bennett, CLiff Avril and Sheldon Richardson. I am thinking the defensive line is going to need some help.
Thankfully the D-line is the one area aside from corner the Seahawks have successfully been able to add players over the years.
Austin Corbett is our guy, Daniel Jeremiah never gets our pick right. Corbett & Dashawn Hand (Bennet’s replacement at Elephant DE)
Corbett looks so “meh” on tape to me. And Hand struggles to be a factor. I would steer clear of both players.
+1
Will be VERY interested in Rob’s 7 round mock draft tomorrow.
I was just thinking the same thing.
I would really like to see two versions. One trading ET trade and getting more picks, and one keeping ET and trading down heavily for more picks.
I know John Schneider will do everything in his power to move down. But it all depends on what someone is willing to offer him.
My guess is that Schneider will find a trading partner. It always seems like their is a team that has to have a certain player. Last year the Falcons just had to have Takk McKinley. They paid a huge price for that pick. Including the Atlanta trade Schneider was able to trade down three times.
BTW: If Atlanta trades for Bennet. I don’t think they would trade up with Seattle.
A fair assessment. Obviously if that happens, we’ll have a different projection.
I think you could be right, but then again this is the NFL draft. Crazy stuff happens here.
Multiple teams rumored to be interested in Bennet. Lane should get us a fourth.
Teams will just wait for Lane to be released, or if someone really, really wants him, they send us a R7.
+1
I think Seahawks want picks. This draft should be real exciting kinda like a poker game, lots of strategy & hoarse trading. Lots of teams to trade with to get our players and build up draft capital for 2019.
If Bennett is getting traded, would an improved pass rush or improved run game be the #1 area to address?
Since it’s a deep RB class and RB’s are usually easier to find in the mid rounds as opposed to pass rushers, wouldn’t it be better to take a DE with the first pick and RB in the 3rd round or so?
They’ve got quite a good track record of adding defensive line talent without spending R1 picks.
My only counterpoint to this is I’m not really sold on any of the early pass rush talent. I’m not saying there aren’t some great gets but I think the mid round value of Josh sweat or pad rush hybrid of Lorenzo Carter is still pretty solid.
Gonna list some free agent ruining backs I’d want in Seattle.
Jeremy Hill- will be cheap, only 25 with not a lot of work. Change of scenery and hope he turns it around.
Carlos Hyde- nuff said.
Isaiah Crowell- had a bad year but it’s the browns .. look at Rubin.
Rex Burkhead- I could just see him being Russells new favorite toy. The prosise/McCaffrey role.
Alfred Morris- Carson insurance and possibly a starter. Would be good to have a big duo like him and Carson.
Orleans Darkwa- Quality Carson backup.
Jonathan Stewart- beast.
Damien Williams- depth, looked pretty good in Miami but just pretty good.
Zach Zenner- idk too much about him but I picked him up in fantasy a few years ago in the championship and he went off for 2 TDs and won it for me so I had to throw him in there.
Lots of options!
For the most part theyre older backs, the hawks tried signing B grade talent last year, they got hosed. I think they take 2 backs, one early and then a guy who falls a bit (my guess is Royce or Scarborough). But hey if ive gotta choose I’d go with Alfred Morris, he’d be an underrated back coming in, maybe pairing him with Russell will bring him back to his former greatness? I think he’s the perfect hedge bet.
For the most part they’re in their prime! It’s just a hedge signing, you still draft 2 backs
No thanks on any of them except maybe Hyde on a 1-2 year deal for maybe $3-4 million per
I’m not even that into hyde. for me Hyde is about where I would reasonable project a healthy Carson to produce. I get the concept of a hedge but I’d rather see an early rb and a later player even if it was Warren in a full back role.
It all depends on price of course. I’m interested in Hyde or Stewart, but wouldn’t give either any real guaranteed money.
I would add Troy Niklas, TE to that list.
Next years D-Line class is INSANE.
The Clemson quartet or Christian Wilkins, Dexter Lawrence, Clelin Ferrell and Austin Bryant.
The legendary Ed Oliver of Houston.
Bosa jr. (Nick Bosa) from Ohio State.
Rashan Gary, the athletic FREAK from Michigan.
Raekwon Davis, the 6-7 incredible hulk from Alabama.
Marlon Davidson from Auburn and Joe Jackson from Miami could be first rounders.
Zach Allen from Boston College, talked about as being the better player than Harold Landry.
WOW. Looks like an awesome class.
Raekwon Davis is my draft crush for next year…
Wynn is the BEST offensive line prospect in this years draft. I honestly think he is better than Nelson. The man doesn’t give up ground, he is just immovable. Incredible, Wynn would be a slam dunk pick in my opinion.
Reuniting Wynn with Chubb sounds good, or Freeman or Jones III or Johnson. I don’t know how they will make it happen exactly but I fully expect the first two picks to be Guard and Running Back. Trade back then trade up to make it happen?
I agree if they can get Wynn he is so incredibly consistent they almost have to. He is exactly the type of OL this team has not had in the PC / JS era and sorely lack. Draft him and plug him in at LG for the next 10 years.
He’s not better than Nelson but the gap is a lot smaller than mocked
Is sheldon richardson gone? I am not sure.
My seven round mock:
1 (after trade down) : Isiah Wynn, OG, Georgia
3: (from Bennet Trade) : Ade Aruna, DL, Tulane
3: (from trade down) : Nick Chubb, RB, Georgia
4: Shaquem Griffen, LB, UCF
5. Dalton Schultz, TE, Standford
5. Levi Wallace, CB, Alabama
5. Allen Lazard, WR, Iowa State
7. Cedrick Wilson, WR, Boise State
7. Peter Kalambayi, LB, Stanford
7. PJ Hall, DT, Sam Houston State
NOTES:
Bennett gets traded, so that the seahawks have the cap space to sign Sheldon Richardson. With the pick from the trade, the seahawks will likely target a similar player to Bennet. It’s about getting younger and cheaper at that position. A common candidate for the replacement is DeShawn Hand, but I actually like Ade Aruna better. Ade Aruna is going to rise big time after his combine. Raw but tantalizing prospect.
It really feels like that Quil-Quem reunion will happen in round 4, doesn’t it?
Dalton Schultz is your blocking tight end. Allen Lazard can help replace Jimmy Graham’s TD production. Levi Wallace is a smart and athletic quarter with 32 inch arms that seems like a slam dunk pick for seattle in the fifth.
Kalambayi and Wilson are major sleepers, I don’t know where Wilson will go but we could fall like Kenny Lawler. PJ Hall is the classic Bowling Ball DT that is worth a look at the end of the draft.
“When you wish upon a star…”
Won’t get anything higher than a fourth for Bennett and Chubb won’t last past mid second round. Other than that, I like your choices.
I really like that group of players!
Wow, this is a wild draft, love it!
If it came down to Wynn or Hernandez I might lean towards Wynn because I saw Wynn play in a lot of big games against big time schools and excel Hernandez look tremendous at the combine but the thing that kinda brothers me is that his college team last year did not win a single game last year I could be 100% wrong about this t if you were sitting on a fence with both these guys you can find a tape with Wynn against Alabama
I’m maybe just slightly Wynn over the field.
But I think when I rank the online prospects hernandez just based on the few scraps of info we have about solari , seems more his type for lg.
I know this is grown worthy but I’d take Wynn for scheme versatility. He’s a player that excelled against the best at LT if he ever had to sub in for brown.
Rob, what are your thoughts on Jessie Bates after combine? DJ has him as 26th pick to Falcons. That is the first mock I saw with him in first round.
Bates has a ton of talent but not convinced he goes quite that early.
The more i watch of Penny, the less i see him as an option for the Hawks, runs too upright, he isn’t 240 and 6’4 so he isn’t going to run through anybody. I mean he runs more upright than Royce Freeman even, Royce has some bend when he runs, Penny stands straight up. Its one of the problems i have with the Hawks selecting Johnson round 1, but at least he knows when to put his shoulders down (plus he has a stiff arm).
Chubb always has his head down kinda like Marshawn did. But he doesn’t work the open field the same way Marshawn does.
Thats not to say he cant develop more in that area though.
Cant wait until draft day!
Although, if this draft is about competitive attitude and toughness the obvious choice is Johnson, cant turn off his tape because he’s so relentless.
Jesus 6’4 240 would be massive for a running back 😛
As for Penny i really like him, not in my top 5 but i like the way he seems to do it all well. He runs with vision and a good burst, he catches well, is a willing blocker. Its also really hard to argue with that production.
That said im not convinced he’d be a great back for Seattle, for the same reason Im not too keen on Freeman. He had things too easy in college so i have my concerns he’d struggle once the lanes get smaller and close faster.
I like penny but and this is strange to say….not where he probably gets drafted for seattle. In that if he was some draft gem sleeper you could have in the fourth round of love that but I think he’s a very late second round pick it very early third and I do have a few concerns about him.
Namely whereas a player like hernandez can shine at every turn, penny’s has a bit of difficulty in the lead up to the draft with the senior bowl and he’s not amazinf my explosive like some other players are. And sdsu runs a very classic power running scheme complete with a fulback on a high percentage of runs and currently Seattle does not utilize a fullback often do I wonder how he is sifting through tragic on his own.
I would not be upset if we drafted Hernandez after his game against Arizona was really good my question is when was the last time he played in a huge game .Mr Wynn played in many big games and did well. but once again I could be wrong
Ok, maybe this has come up but I’ll venture to say that the Seahawks are going to sign a veteran Offensive linemen. The new offensive line coach was from New York. There are 2 decent linemen that are free agents from the Giants. Pugh and Richburg. I say day one of free agency solari gets one of his guys to throw into the mix and in the meantime the hawks add a competent nfl starter. Not joeckel. A competent starter. Then I like the hawks trading with Atlanta back to 26. Then I think they trade further back into the second 2nd picking up another 3rd as well as 90 from Atlanta for trading #18 for #26. I like Kerryon Johnson at the beginning of the 2nd round. If I they had an early 2nd round pick and 2 third round picks who would you target?
If there’s any way we can add Wynn, Jones, Settle, Griffin, & Kyzir White, I would be ecstatic.
no way unless we trade earl and bennett
If Norwell moves to New York, Carolina would need OL talent as well. Same goes for Denver. So, IMO, there is a really good chance for Justin Reid still being on the board until late 1st. If he is, we should take him.
If he’s not, Hawks will keep downtrading as long as either Wynn, Hernandez or RJ3 are on the board.
I guess, we will take a RB in this case first, because RJ3 is too good to pass. Austin Corbett is just the Patriot-like football-IQ solution the OL needs. He may last to round 3, maybe even 4.
My preferred RB would be Royce Freeman. We need a seasoned authority, a competitive locker room guy, who can turn arpund a positional group half time. I think, he does this better than the whole big-ego feature runners. Also, I like his situational awareness.
If that materializes and we would have an additional pick, I would take Hayden Hurst in R2. But only,if we pass on Troy Niklas in FA. Will Dissly or Ryan Izzo in R6, TE solved.
Shaqeem Griffin will go 3rd at highest. I cannot see many teams putting him higher on their boards. LB depth solved. If he is available, take him. If not, Nyles Morgan of Notre Dame could be the steal of the draft.
WR… We need kind of the intermediate scheme runner Kearse was, Braxton Berrios is a very good option for this in R6 or 7.
DE and DT, there are so many guys on equal footing… Impossible to say.
Secondary… No CB worth taking. With Justin Reid taken, I would take Siran Neal in R5 or 6. Swiss army knife type of guy, having played CB, S, WR and even LB. Not too athletic, but a settled guy already having a family.
they are going to take a cb. I’m not sure if there’s a draft where they didnt? Is there? Also there are a select handful of 5th round level cbs that are basically prototypes for Carroll to work with and the team has no idea how well shead comes back, sheads role when he comes back, if sherman comes back, if Tyson plays nickel, and let’s be real here bmax is a feel good player, but he’s got some real limitations.
What are your thoughts on the Hawks pulling another move from left field, regarding the Oline? Drafting history doesnt leave me with a lot of confidence they will make the “smart” move.
The thought that scares me the most is our history of drafting Oline has been surprising at best, and down right atrocious at worst. It scares me because it leads me to think we are going to do something crazy in the draft and end up no better than we are now. I will never forget Nick Saban’s face when Carp’s name was called. He was floored. Now, Carp turned out to be servicable for a few years, but it could also be argues that he was the best Oline we’ve drafted…he’d be in there with Britt. Im scared the Hawks will have somebody like Hernandez staring them in the face ready to be called, and they’ll call another dang DL and announce he is the new starting RG. Ok, thats a little far fetched, but you get the point.
I dont want them to get cute and try and make a “steal” on a guy to develop. Take a guy that is solid NOW. Unfortunately, JS/PC’s history does not bode well here. I’m REALLY hoping that Cable was the primary driving factor there and Solari will help refocus the drafting strategy.
In fairness Okung has had a good career, Carp has too especially compared to some of the 2011 linemen drafted. Britt has been worth the pick with hindsight and Sweezy was a successful project. Jury still out on Pocic and Ifedi.
Okung is actually the reason I have hope the trend reverses somewhat. If I remember my timeline correctly, Okung was drafted before Cable came on, is that right?
Fair point on Carp compared to others in his class. I think the lasting impression of him for me will always be Saban’s face on draft night. Sweezy was a job well done. As far as projects go, he is the highlight story.
I guess my desire for the Hawks is to get away from the “Jack of all trades, King of none” type players, save the projects for backups and depth, and draft a guy that is/can be ready this year to play his natural position. I realize that isn’t the way of PC/JS, but I can dream.
Thanks for such great coverage, Rob! I geek out over the draft and combine every year and love having a solid, reliable place to go for Hawks coverage.
Hey — Saban let Alvin Kamara walk out of Alabama 🙂
Saban seemingly preferred Kenyon Drake and TJ Yeldon.
Touche
Sorry to dash your hopes but this if from JS combine press conference:
He said Solari is “open-minded” like Cable to taking on conversion projects and that if they find a guy who they think he can work with and accentuate his strengths, “we will definitely go for that.” He did mention it didn’t necessarily have to be a DLiner though… 😉
Well, that just completely ruined a perfectly good Weds for me, so thanks for that! 😉
Lucky for seattle and solari however there are some actual olinemen in this draft that they can target that may not be the finished project but give you something to work with.
I’m sure there are a handful of sloppy tackles that would make good guards as well as centers who are built like guards of they could take for he instruction.
What is the current record for first round trades?
For those who are worried about another bust at offensive linemen – here is something to think about. Maybe the problem isn’t the linemen, maybe it is the zone blocking scheme. I don’t know how many times I’ve watched a play and thought “I just want each linemen to block somebody. Just block one guy!!!”
If they all blocked one player instead of standing around guarding an imaginary spot = it would be so much better. That is where a new coach would be an asset.
Our Running back room right now: Carson, Prosise, McKissic
That’s it.