Why Mel Kiper’s Seahawks plan makes sense

Mel Kiper published his first 2023 mock draft (and you can see my reaction to it above). He has the Seahawks taking Will Levis at #5 then adding a defensive lineman at #20 — Tennessee’s Byron Young.

I think that’s way too early for Young, who I have as a day three pick on my soon-to-be published updated horizontal board. I also don’t think getting a 245lbs edge is necessarily the pressing need for Seattle. They need big, disruptive bodies up front and ideally a linebacker who can make more plays than the current crop.

Nevertheless, as a plan it makes a lot of sense and I want to explain why.

Firstly — it’s extremely plausible that the Bears will trade the #1 pick to the Colts in order to maintain a top-five pick themselves. This would likely take Will Anderson and Jalen Carter off the board, leaving the Seahawks to pick between a quarterback and the third best defensive lineman at #5.

I think there’s a considerable defensive drop-off after Anderson and Carter but I don’t think there’s a big difference between the top four quarterbacks.

Levis makes a lot of sense for two reasons — his experience in Seattle’s offense and the fact he’s nowhere near as bad as some people are making out.

It’s realistic to imagine he could start quite quickly for the Seahawks. He spent a year playing for Liam Coen at Kentucky — a Sean McVay disciple who acted as LA’s offensive coordinator this season (before recently agreeing to return to Kentucky).

Levis excelled in the offense and looked terrific within it. He likely knows all of the terminology used by Shane Waldron and it wouldn’t be a massive task to adjust to Seattle’s system. Unlike most college quarterbacks, he’s been playing in a pro-style offense. It’s a bonus that the offense he has played in is also Waldron’s.

For that reason, Levis is almost tailor-made for the Seahawks. If you really wanted to max-out the financial benefit of starting a quarterback on a cheap rookie contract, Levis gives you that opportunity. You could do what the Bengals have done — invest major resource into the trenches in the veteran market (Trey Hendrickson, D.J. Reader, O-line) and pad out your roster with proven quality.

Because you also have picks #20, #38, #53 and #84 — you would still have ample opportunity to add good, young defensive players.

Even Micah Parsons is highlighting the benefits…

Let’s also not forget — Mahomes and the Chiefs won their Super Bowl when he was on a rookie contract. They’ve been able to add talent (Joe Thuney, Orlando Brown, Frank Clark, Jordan Reid) due to the benefits of the rookie wage scale, before Mahomes’ deal kicks in to the max. The same can be said for the Eagles, who’ve turned their roster around very quickly.

In terms of installing phase two of a big rebuild — this is the kind of plan I imagine most people expected the Seahawks to go with 12 months ago.

Secondly, Levis continues to get a bad rap in the media but there’s a serious lack of context being expressed.

For any regular to the blog this is going over old ground so apologies — but it’s worth repeating.

Kentucky were not a good football team a year ago. They were, actually, quite dreadful at times. New offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello struggled. The offensive line lost Darian Kinnard and Luke Fortner and was completely unable to pass-protect. There were no weapons on offense and the star running back had to serve a suspension.

Just look, once again, at the ‘sacks per game’ stats for a collection of teams featuring big-name quarterbacks in 2022:

Oregon — 4 sacks in 12 games (0.33 per game)
Georgia — 7 sacks in 13 games (0.54 per game)
Washington — 7 sacks in 12 games (0.58 per game)
Ohio State — 8 sacks in 12 games (0.67 per game)
Florida — 12 sacks in 12 games (1.00 per game)
Alabama — 20 sacks in 12 games (1.67 per game)
Tennessee — 23 sacks in 12 games (1.92 per game)
Kentucky — 42 sacks in 12 games (3.50 per game)

Is it any surprise that the quarterbacks who were getting all the hype and praise — Michael Penix Jr, Bo Nix etc — were playing for teams who barely gave up any sacks?

Further to that, the Washington, Oregon, Tennessee and Ohio State offensive systems are spread open, hand-holding schemes with a history of mass-production. Three of the teams listed in the previous sentence had an arsenal of fantastic weapons. The likes of the Huskies and Ducks were playing in the PAC-12, not the SEC.

I would suggest that if you put Penix Jr behind center for Kentucky, he would’ve struggled in 2022. Ditto Hooker, Nix, C.J. Stroud and Bryce Young. I watched every game UK played and at no point was the situation conducive with success.

I wonder how Levis would’ve looked playing for Kalen DeBoer in the PAC-12? Or for Ohio State, sauntering through their BIG-10 schedule with Marvin Harrison Jr to throw to and an O-line featuring three top-50 picks?

Levis made Kentucky more competitive than they had any right to be. One of his best performances, as it happens, came against Georgia in a close loss.

This doesn’t excuse some of the clear issues within his game. I would also argue, however, that you cannot compare his situation to Stroud’s or Young’s and make an apples for apples comparison.

We’ve been speaking about PFF’s statistic this week that lists ‘turnover worthy plays’. As we can see, there’s not that much difference between Levis and every other top quarterback in college football. Perhaps his number of picks speaks to the impact his environment had on him, compared to the better environment experienced by other QB’s?

Turnover worthy plays (2022)

Dorian Thompson-Robinson — 19
CJ Stroud — 16
Drake Maye — 16
Max Duggan — 15
Will Levis — 13
Anthony Richardson — 13
Quinn Ewers — 12
Caleb Williams — 11
Bryce Young — 9
Bo Nix — 8
Michael Penix Jr — 8
Tanner McKee — 8
Hendon Hooker — 5

When you look at what he did in Seattle’s/McVay’s offense in 2021, you can clearly see what he is capable of:

Levis has a lot of potential. As much potential as any of the other quarterbacks in the draft. I think he can execute the system and provide X-factor ability with his athleticism and his arm. He’s a million miles away from a Joe Burrow level player but we need to accept you’re not likely to find another one of those for a long, long time.

On a contract that would be worth an average of $7.8m with a year-one cap-hit of $5.6m — you could begin to build a better roster. You could look at the trade market for a player like DeForest Buckner, as we discussed last week. You can pursue Da’Ron Payne, Dalvin Tomlinson and/or Javon Hargrave. On offense, there’s a chance Mecole Hardman reaches the market and you could maybe reinforce your O-line with an experienced guard.

Then at #20 — you can go and add a top defensive prospect.

That could be Keion White — the Georgia Tech defensive lineman who has none of the character or conditioning baggage of Jalen Carter, plays his heart out every game, has outstanding physical traits and is expected to be one of the stars of the combine and Senior Bowl.

It could be Drew Sanders — a big, physical, quick linebacker who constantly plays in attack mode and has shown an ability to rush the passer on third down, tallying 9.5 sacks in 2022.

It could be Calijah Kancey — the closest thing to Aaron Donald since Aaron Donald, with his sensational pass-rushing ability and outstanding physical profile. Kancey is finally getting some national media attention but as regulars know, we’ve been talking about him for a long time.

There’s depth on the D-line and the #20-60 range will provide options and value. It’s not #5 or bust for the defensive front seven in this class. It certainly will be at quarterback, short of a mid-round flier on Dorian Thompson-Robinson (who I like).

The alternative plan — based on Kiper’s mock — is probably to pay Geno Smith a handsome contract, then be forced to rely on draft picks to improve the defense. You might end up taking a chance on Tyree Wilson at #5.

The thing is — it’s funny how Wilson is celebrated for his physical traits and his inconsistent play, age and injury situation is forgotten. With Levis — the opposite is true. Hardly anyone talks about his positives or upside.

Which, incidentally, is exactly what happened with Mahomes, Josh Allen, DeShaun Watson and Justin Herbert during their pre-draft processes. A lot of focus on the issues, not enough focus on what they could be.

I’m glad Kiper brought this conversation to the table. His plan for the Seahawks makes sense and it’s something we should take seriously as a possibility throughout this process.

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322 Comments

  1. Grossmandg144

    I am starting to think Brock Huard is a channel subscriber😂. He talked about trading for Deforest Buckner on 710 yesterday after you and Jeff did on your live stream last week.

    • 206

      and now he’s trying to cover his ass by hating on Levis!! Just kidding but could be true?

      Brock and Salk should really have Rob on as a guest. Would be a great segment.

      • Spencer

        Yeah, Rob do you have a connection with Brock and Salk at all? You’ve been on with other shows on that station, but have you ever been on with them? Would you like to?

        • Rob Staton

          I’ve never been on Brock & Salk and would love to go on if asked but I’ve never had any contact from the show.

          • Sean-O

            Speaking of, did anyone listen to Lance Zierlein on the show recently? Good stuff. He didn’t seem to be the biggest Levis or Richardson fans at #5 though.

            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h__qk3mrGgg

  2. Matt

    Hawks *have* to capitalize on a rookie QB deal. They have to.

    • Big Mike

      💯

  3. hoggs41

    Its always interesting that free agency is before the draft. If Seattle doesnt sign Geno then teams know what they are doing at 5. Would a team then try to trade up to 3 to get ahead of them? If you sign Geno do you still draft Levis? If so he isnt starting until year 2. All interesting parts of this equation. Would absolutely love Drew Sanders at 20. Also Byron Young turns 25 in March so no thanks on that age.

  4. Jabroni-DC

    Also worth noting is where Kiper has some of our targeted DL going in his mock.

    #10 Calijah Kancey
    #12 Lukas Van Ness
    #19 Keion White

  5. hoggs41

    If we had two options which would people want the most?

    Option 1: Sign Drew Lock and draft Levis at 5 and let them compete for the starting job.

    Option 2: Sign Geno and draft Richardson at either 5 or 9 (trade back) and let them battle it out in year 2 or 3 as Geno would be for sure starting in year 1.

    • Cawww

      I would be super happy with either, but prefer Option 2. I think Levis could be really good, but to me Richardson is the one QB in this draft that has the chance to be special, and I want to be the team that takes that chance.

      • Scott

        Richardson has a much higher bust posibility than is generally recognized here. The number of QBs that have substantially raised their completion percentage against the better competition of the NFL is vanishingly small. He is still worth the risk, but he is perhaps the highest boom/bust prospect in the draft.

        • Rob Staton

          How many quarterbacks play about 12 games in college then turn pro?

          How many quarterbacks play about 12 games in college for a ground zero rebuilding team then turn pro?

          He’s no more the ‘biggest boom/bust prospect in the draft’ than Jalen Carter

          • AndrewMR

            How much more do you like Anthony Richardson than Trey Lance? What are the differences between then that give you confidence Richardson can make an impact more so than what we’ve seen from Trey Lance so far?

          • Scott

            I actually agree with you. Most QBs don’t come out after a tiny sample, bc it yields boom/bust results and teams are leery of spending a premium pick on a small sample size. Dwayne Haskins comes to mind.

            I personally would not draft Jalen Carter in R1 honestly. The conditioning and consistent effort red flags are sufficient to me to not draft him.

    • Jeffrey

      Option 1 for me. Still feels like ‘23 is part of the rebuild. Cut some high priced guys (Dissly,Diggs). Sign quality DT, IOL and LB. Develop #5 QB. 2024, SB run 😎.

  6. geoff u

    “Kentucky were not a good football team a year ago. They were, actually, quite dreadful at times…”

    And yet despite this, Will Levis got them to 7-4. That’s what great quarterbacks do. Win games with bad teams.

    A couple of things to point out though, their defense was pretty good, ranked 11th in points per game. Also, isn’t taking that many sacks on the quarterback as well? I haven’t watched enough to know, so I defer to your opinion on this Rob, but is that an area of concern? Making quick decisions and getting the ball out fast enough, or was the offense just that terrible?

    • Rob Staton

      His O-line is one of the worst I’ve ever seen

      • Big Mike

        Early in the year when I watched, his RT was giving up a couple of sacks and several more pressures per game. He was so bad he made Bradley Sowell look competent by comparison.

        • Rob Staton

          His RT was so bad they could’ve put Pete Carroll’s cardboard cut-out from a few years ago on the field instead of the tackle and he would’ve delivered better pass-pro

      • Roy Batty

        Brock admitting that Kentucky was atrocious, then glossed over it with stat-speak on turnovers. He talked about getting pounded week in, week out, and Levis having to play injured, then glossed over it with stat-speak.

        When you’re surrounded by inferior talent, sometimes you have to take risks. When you are getting pressured on the majority of your snaps, bad things happen.

        Sometimes people latch on to what they perceive as a final product and casually ignore the situation surrounding that product. Hell, even if Levis kills it at the combine, I still think Brock will stick to his current opinion.

        It’s a good thing there’s a guy like Schneider as GM. The man clearly has a nose for untapped potential at QB.

        On another note, I just listened to Bill Barnwell talk about paying QBs. At one point he asked the hosts if they paid Mahomes $100 million per year, would they still be OK with that. He was, and the hosts had no objections.

        Umm…what?

        • cha

          Sometimes people latch on to what they perceive as a final product and casually ignore the situation surrounding that product.

          My personal favorite is “average QB can win the Super Bowl” and listing Eli Manning, Trent Dilfer and the Bucs guy I can’t remember right now as a reason to invest heavily in Geno.

          And casually ignoring those guys played with elite defenses.

          • Roy Batty

            What I find confounding, dubious and downright hilarious is all this talk of “have to pay Geno” in order to win and it conveniently ignores the fact that Geno just won all those games ON A CHEAP CONTRACT.

            • cha

              You really wanna toast somebody’s cookies?

              Tell them that Pete Carroll wasted a season of above average quarterback play for only $7m by not giving him a real defense to work with.

              Seriously. This defense is slightly better and they are an 11 or 12 win team.

              • Peter

                The quiet part outloud for the wilson-truthers and smith-aniacs.

                Whether the qb is making a ton of dough or your qb is making around a fifth of the safeties…..turns out this team can’t build a defense.

                Starting to feel like we’re running out of reasons (excuses,) why this team isn’t progressing.

                I wonder what the reason will be next year? Pete made the picks, if they suck,? JA just needs one more year and he’ll be ready? Desai leaves so it’s not enough time in the scheme? Just need a few consecutive drafts spent on dline and we’ll be right in it?

                • MaxInVan

                  I mean to be fair to the scheme, it appears Jamal Adams was a big part of what Seattle was trying to do on defense this season. Yes he has his flaws, but dude is a playmaker and would have made the team better. Availability is the best ability often and unfortunately Jamal Adams hasn’t done this in Seattle to this point. Maybe next year he will, but I don’t think its worth it to cut him this offseason.

                  A commenter mentioned that Carroll wasn’t able to take advantage of paying Geno only 7 million this season. This is true. But as a team, we still had a dead cap hit of 26 million this season as a result of the Russ trade (12% of our total cap). We were still committing 35 million towards QBs.

                  • DK

                    Adams is done, can’t stay healthy, is a safety who has to rush the passer and takes up too much cap space. He isn’t a playmaker, he was a blitzer from the wide edge who set the sack record for a DB so everyone thinks he is better than he is.

                    Rob has posted multiple links to show why so many teams that try to run the Vic Fangio defense without Fangio struggle. Ed Donatell got fired after one season in Minnesota because of the scheme not working.

                    Adams and Diggs need to be cuts with post June 1st designations and it will save the Hawks $24 million in cap space. They re-sign Ryan Neal and bring in a young safety and can put that saving towards fixing the D-line.

                  • Roy Batty

                    I think you kind of proved cha’s point with your $35 million to QBs comment.

                    $35 million minus $7 million leaves you $28 million to go out and get some FAs to pump up the defense.

                    They couldn’t, because it was tied up in QBs.

                  • Peter

                    Saying JA or player x is a big part of the scheme when they play less than a game is malpractice of coaching.

                    If you have Aaron Donald and they go down that’s one thing.

                    If you have a never healthy player who three (!!!) Seasons ago was sort of a weapon you can’t build like that.

                  • Moses Lake Brian

                    @MaxInVan
                    “dude is a playmaker and would have made the team better”

                    The dude made the other team better. He is horrible in coverage. When used as an extra rush LB, his rate of success versus the volume of chances he took was incredibly small and made the rest of the secondary have to work without help. Definitely a losing formula. He never should have been re-signed.

          • BK26

            Brad Johnson. I remember that Super Bowl (was a Bucs fan at the time; was young and swayed by the cool pewter and red). There were times where the defense had to score because the offense couldn’t. Derrick Brooks had 4 defensive TD’s himself that year.

      • geoff u

        Considering the amount of film and o-lines you’ve seen over the years: yikes.

        Another thing of interest is if Waldon is able to get some inside information on Levis, considering the connections to McVeigh / Liam Coen.

  7. Jabroni-DC

    If we got Levis & White in the 1st round I’d do a back flip. (into water off of a dock…sometime in summer.)

    Then all they have to do is pan out but that’s for down the road.

  8. Dregur

    Outside of QB, I think the player I want most on the Seahawks is Kancey as a 3-4 DE. If he ends up going into the top 10, I’d be really sad, I think he’s going to be a special player.

    • Seattle Person

      I don’t know if Kancey can be a 3-4 end. We’ll probably have to play him as a 5T in a 4-3 and then kick him inside on passing downs.

  9. Bballin

    I wonder if your Levis, Bryce, stroud. You might have your agent push for certain teams like Seahawks, lions, or others with better situations towards the top of the draft to take you.

    I mean does anyone want to go to the Texans or the colts depending on who the coach is.

    • Rob Staton

      If the Colts appoint Jeff Saturday… you might have a point

      Indy & Houston look like career killers

    • Peter

      I do think the musings of Florio and NIL money will change the draft in tge bear future.

      At some point why would a player go to the Texans who seem hellbent on being a pointless team?

      The colts are trending this way.

      And a few others if and when the top college players could stay, transfer, or make near enough the same money to not go play for career suicide like tge texans.

      • Jabroni-DC

        Burrow went to the perennial S-Show Bengals and had them in the Super Bowl in year 2. Incredible turnaround.

        • Peter

          Burrow played college just a smidgen before Florida, as an example, was allegedly offering 6-8 million for qbs to play there.

          And there will be players that want to get to the big stage.

          But every player? I don’t know moving forward.

  10. Raybones

    Swap out Drew Sanders for Young at pick 20 and this is a home run. I’m curious, Rob, if Mel had another QB, Stroud or Young at 5 ( even Richardson) how would you feel about this mock?

    • Rob Staton

      I like all four QB’s

  11. GrittyHawk

    I did the 7-day free trial of PFF just to browse around their proprietary stats. I still don’t understand or care for their “grades” but there are some interesting nuggets with Levis.

    We were talking about those “turnover-worthy plays” this week, and it’s pretty funny to see that C.J. Stroud actually has more TWP than Levis this year (16 vs. 13). I can’t seem to find fumble data, but just looking at interceptions, Stroud had only 6 picks out of those 16 TWP; Levis had 10 picks on 13 TWP. I know Rob has touched on this before, that many of Levis’ picks are not entirely his fault but it’s interesting to see that broken down statistically.

    Their relative pressure rates are pretty insane, too. Beyond just the raw sack totals, Levis was pressured on 37.8% of his dropbacks this year and had only 2.58 seconds to throw; Stroud was pressured only 23.4% of dropbacks and 2.92 seconds to throw. I have heard dozens of people say “Levis can’t function under pressure” but the statistics paint the opposite picture. When under pressure he had a 52% completion %, best of the top-4 QBs (Bryce Young was next best at 46%), and 9.2 Y/A, which was 2nd to Young (9.3) and waaay ahead of Stroud (5.7). Levis only had 4 TWP under pressure, while Stroud and Young each had 8.

    I find it interesting that 1) PFF’s grades for Levis are so bad when his underlying metrics are quite good and 2) no mainstream pundit cares to actually look into those underlying metrics but are more than happy to parrot a bunch of meaningless subjective number grades.

    • cha

      Oh snap.

      Home run, Gritty

      • GrittyHawk

        Stay tuned for tomorrow’s scathing rebuke of Myles Murphy lol.

        • MountainHawker

          Ooo looking forward to that. I haven’t been impressed with any of the Clemson defenders

    • geoff u

      Great info, thanks for posting this GrittyHawk

      • Big Mike

        You da man Gritty! Fantastic stuff.

    • Ben

      I did the same, but to look at possible draft gems. While I get some of what they’re grading, it definitely needs to be used with an eye on actual play.

      I noticed Kobie Turner listed as the same basic height and weight as Jalen Carter, but I found his 40 is faster. Not sure on other stats.
      Turner put up the 4th best PFF defense grade for interior defensive linemen where Jalen Carter placed 3rd.
      So I turned on Wake Forest defense vs Clemson offense (he’s #0): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVGgxpAns1Q

      I’m not near the talent evaluator Rob is, but he seems to compare well to Jalen Carter tape I’ve seen. Rob doesn’t list him at all, PFF has him at 98 on their draft simulator (which I assume is their draft board).

      We’re hearing a lot about Ika (graded #173), Bresee (#192), Mazi Smith (#74), Kancey (#6), etc., but according to PFF, Ojomo (#8) and Turner (#4) are getting badly overlooked. The combine could change things, but if not, perhaps they can be mid-late round sleepers to keep an eye on. Perhaps they even show up on the next horizontal board.

      • Big Mike

        Outstanding deep dig Ben.
        This place us da bomb.

    • Maxwell

      How accurate are twp though? Per example Cj stroud has a golden arm and is able to make pin point throws that if any other qb made it would in fact be an interception…but he throws it at the right velocity or arch and it evades the defender and drops right to his wide receiver. How is this stat even measured , I would take it with a grain of salt.

      • Ben

        I assume TWPs are where you hit the defender’s hands and he drops it. We saw this happen to Geno at least a few times this season and we understand those to be TWPs.

      • DriveByPoster

        Here’s the explanation of TWP (as previously provided by cha)
        https://youtu.be/SUubyoIOgZM

  12. Happy Hawk

    Love Levis! Love the KIper plan.

  13. Rob Staton

    Turnover worthy plays (2022):

    Dorian Thompson-Robinson — 19
    CJ Stroud — 16
    Drake Maye — 16
    Max Duggan — 15
    Will Levis — 13
    Anthony Richardson — 13
    Quinn Ewers — 12
    Caleb Williams — 11
    Bryce Young — 9
    Bo Nix — 8
    Michael Penix Jr — 8
    Tanner McKee — 8
    Hendon Hooker — 5

    Adding this to the article

    • Henry Taylor

      Very interesting, it suggests Levis’ high turnover rate was unlucky even when you don’t consider his turnstile line and lack of recievers.

      Also impressive to see Young keep his so low when, unlike most the guys around him, he plays in a real offence.

      • AlaskaHawk

        If only Hooker hadn’t blown out his knee. I still like him as a late round choice.

  14. BK26

    I find it…stupid that because Mel Kiper did a mock draft and gave Seattle a quarterback that Rob likes, that him and this community are getting dragged through the mud. It’s really really pathetic. Everything that I am seeing loops back to that. Because Kiper said something and it is too much for people to think on it.

    And Mel Kiper, the man who helped create all of this draft chaos that we eat up year in and year out, is getting dismissed for doing his job. He’s done it longer than anyone and is getting waved off because “it’s Mel Kiper.”

    What is wrong with people? Pathetic. Now I know where the ones with inappropriate comments or who have gotten butthurt have gone and why our community has been weeded out nicely. Their lawns can keep the weeds and dog turds.

    • Rob Staton

      What annoys me a little bit is when people like Kenneth Arthur, who I gave two hours of my time to record an extensive pre-draft podcast with last year, and previously spent a few years doing a podcast with for Field Gulls when he worked there, feels the need to refer to me as:

      ‘An obsessive Levis fan’ in his latest piece

      No, I just analyse players, judge them and offer opinions.

      I’m not an ‘obsessive fan’ of any player.

      I put in the work and form my own views.

      That kind of thing pisses me off. It’s just another way to paint someone as irrational just because they have a different opinion.

      • Mr Drucker in hooterville

        Rob, don’t forget the ‘futbol lover’ moniker.

      • Peter

        Two things:

        1. I’ve always enjoyed your back and forth.

        2. Obsessive fan? Wtf. I’ve read as I’m sure everyone else has a wide range of articles highlighting all the qb’s. Brought up a ton of great players.

        I’ll admit I obsess about players. Frank Ragnow, Grady Jarrett, Jarrad Davis, Nick Chubb, Darian Beavers. Sometimes I’m right and sometimes I’m wrong. Who cares. It’s basically for entertainment.

        What I don’t like is folks who won’t do a detailed mock and talk in vague terms leaving no skin in the game.

      • BK26

        That’s what finally triggered me to post this. Kenneth shocked me. Last year he was trying to show people how Walker was a good pick, with facts and tape. It’s slowly turned into: “your opinion is wrong, here is the correct one.” Every article.

        Then this last article? It ended up not being about Kiper. You didn’t have the same take as Jim Nagy. “Oh no Rob has his own opinion!” And this is someone how DID obsess over Grayson McCall. There was nothing football related in it.

        I just don’t get it. It’s irritating that there can be no discussion about anything anymore. We root for the same team but we can be worse than opposing team’s fans to each other?

        • Rob Staton

          I just read that article and thought ‘WTF’?

          So I interview Jim, he offers an opinion on Levis, and because I don’t immediately adopt that opinion myself and sink him in my mock, putting him at #2 — this implies something? That I’m a fan-boy or something? Despite most mock drafts having Levis firmly in the top-10?

          Maybe this kind of thing works for Kenny. I wish him well. He’s posted a few things over the last 12 months though that I think have been a bit of a let-down with the way he’s spoken about my views or this place.

      • cha

        So I went over and read the article.

        First off, 500 words in I and we still haven’t gotten to the bloody point. I wanted to get a red marker like a grade school teacher and scrawl “what are you trying to say here?” on the screen.

        Secondly, I could easily say that his bias is against Levis and is doing what Rob suggested, looking at his imperfections too closely and taking a Josh Allen comp way over the top. He found a source that seemingly confirmed his bias in Jim Nagy and is proceeding from a place of negativity against both Mel and Rob. Apparently, there is zero chance two smart people can have even the slightest difference of opinion at the highest levels of professional sports. I’ll at least grant him that he admitted a couple times that he could be wrong. But I do have to wonder if Mel had CJ Stroud going at #5 and Rob expressed a similar agreement – given that he rightly had very serious concerns up until the Georgia game – would he have written the same article the same way?

        Thirdly, he conveniently omits all the comments Rob made about Kiper’s other picks that Rob doesn’t agree with. Particularly the ridiculous selection of the Tennesee Byron Young with much, much better talent on the board. Nope. We’ll just look at the one time Rob agrees with Mel and just so happens to think that is a smashing pick for the Seahawks and harp on that as an example of the crazy hysteria around mock drafts.

        Fourthly, Kenneth should know better. Even before the RW situation finally came to a head, Rob had dedicated a ton of time looking at potential QB options for the draft. He also conveniently chooses to (correctly) take a shot at Kiper for initially overrating the 2022 QB class, there is no mention that Rob was proved correct that Willis, Corral and Howell picks would go far later then Mel forecasted in his first mock – in the Seahawks’ first draft with a need for a QB! Nope. Let’s just cherrypick this one time that Mel and Rob agree as proof that Rob is obsessed with Levis.

        • cha

          And for the record, conveniently ignores that Kiper nailed Kenny Picket in his first mock, having him going at 18 to the Saints, two spots ahead of where he actually went.

      • Pack of K9s

        I find that hilarious because if there is a player I feel you are more a “fan” of it would be Anthony Richardson but even then I think you are a fan because you have accurately scouted him to the best of your abilities.

    • geoff u

      Is this mostly from Twitter? So glad I’m blissfully unaware of anything that goes on on there.

      • Glor

        Agreed, I have no idea of what they speak. lol, this is the only site I need

        • BK26

          Sadly no, other fan pages. I couldn’t deal with twitter.

          This is the only site worth checking on.

  15. God of Thunder

    #5 and #20 (and a late round pick) to move up for Levis.

    Otherwise, it might be Young or Wilson in spanking new fluorescent green next season.

    Who do it? I think I might for Levis. Stroud? Ehhh, probably not.

    • hoggs41

      I would rather stay put or trade back and take Richardson.

    • BobbyK

      Sure wish the Chargers could have beaten the Broncos in week 17!

      • Sea Mode

        Ikr

      • Peter

        I wish we had beat any of the nfc South, the raiders, and or the niners so we could be considered good -or- had Geno play like his last half all season instead of being in the space we are in….

        Not objectively good. Discussing the potential Seattle overpays geno “ken Griffen Jr level hero,” Smith a kings ransom.

  16. Shaun

    Give me a QB with our first pick, as having a rookie QB contract seems like a cheat code in if you hope to be able to build up to a top five team, talent wise.
    Additionally JS has never had the ammo to get a top tier rookie QB, and I feel the Seahawks realize what a gift the Denver pick enables them to do. I’m a Joe Nobody, I could absolutely be wrong, but I believe the Seahawks are more likely to trade UP from 5 than down from 5.

    Thanks for the great articles and videos Rob.

    • AlaskaHawk

      This was the year that the Seahawks should have spent tanking for the rebuild. Apparently, the script got sent to Denver by mistake.

  17. Palatypus

    Jon Schneider on KJRAM at the top of the hour.

  18. All I see is 12s

    Just noticed that Geno tweeted support for PC to be Coach of the Year. That’s all well and good but when you consider his other recent tweets that seemed pointed directly at the Seahawks front office, I think this sheds possible light on a PC/JS difference of opinion. As was pointed out on SDB, before the SF game there were conflicting stories about Smith’s future. Almost as if they were sourced by different elements in the Seahawks org. Then you had Rob’s amazing podcast with Jeff Simmons where he provided insights on the pushback that coaches were giving the front office on the Lock/Smith competition- with the coaches adamantly favoring Smith.
    To me, it is becoming clear that there is a clear difference of opinion on the future of this team between its most powerful elements. It will bring cause to wonder just how much roster control was ceded to JS in the meeting with Jody Allen last year. It also makes me wonder what the consequences of such a power struggle could be.

    • BobbyK

      Great point. I’ve wondered that as well.

      To me, it seems like Schneider got more control over the draft/roster last year. If so, thank goodness. It was long overdo.

      I certainly hope they give Lock a shot (he’s not getting big money anywhere) to show what he can do… audition for the rest of the NFL if you will. While the 5th overall pick can sit back and learn this upcoming season. I think that’s the best case scenario.

      If Lock has a great year, he could be a valuable trade asset. If he does better than any of us hope and wins us a Super Bowl (unlikely, I know) everyone wins. If he flops and our rookie replaces him mid-season, we all know this is the second of a probable 3-year rebuild anyways.

      I just hope it’s Schneider who is calling the shots on this draft.

      On another point that agrees with your post above: Does anyone remember Carroll being as adamant about the need for the front seven to get fixed? I know he’s always been generally honest about what they need in their post-season interview (I don’t think he meant to lie in ’18 with the Clowney fiasco and the great Mayowa experiment) and then go out and do it. But he seemed more adamant than ever this year… like he doesn’t have full control over everything anymore and wants to make his message about needing more difference making big bodies on the DL and front seven more public than ever. Thoughts?

      • All I see is 12s

        I agree totally. When he said “Genos our guy” and then goes on about the front seven, seemed more of a tell than he usually gives away.

    • Mr Drucker in hooterville

      Team JS here.

      • BobbyK

        I’m totally on board with Team JS. There’s no way any sane or competent GM would have paid what they did for Alan’s stylist. None. That was all a desperate Pete Carroll screwing this team over with his near-term vision.

        • All I see is 12s

          “Alan’s hair stylist…” am I missing a joke?

          • BobbyK

            Jamal has a personal guy named Alan who dresses him. Hahaha.

            • All I see is 12s

              Ah yes, I figured it was an Adams trade reference… I’m just too slow to put it together.

        • Peter

          I doubt this is right. JS talked about getting impact players like Adams was hard because they never drafted high enough.
          I hope the good drafting continues…

          But I really think people are way over the top on how poor, weak willed john never made any decisions until last year.

          A thought. Since it will be hard to replicate last years draft, not impossible with holes everywhere, but certainly not easy. Say they get a more normal 2-3 starters and contributors…then is that JS? Or would that be Pete’s fault?

          Just so I’ve got it:

          Pete drafted McDowell, penny, eskridge, collier, Blair, traded for Clowney, richardson, and JA….gave Bobby a huge contract then cut him, gave Diggs a huge contract, gave a very big contract to never healthy Dissly. Couldn’t retain Reed or clark.

          -but-

          John drafted metcalf (though he’s literally a rocked up freak Pete would love,) drafted tariq woolen ( a freak as well created in Pete’s lab), found Neal, drafted Bryant, found jackson, and crafted a low risk trade for Diggs…..but didn’t sign him of course to a huge contract .

          Darrel Taylor a Pete pick or John pick?
          K9?

          Nwosu? Great find by John, bad contract for only two years by Pete so they have to pay him or lose him?

          Fant was pretty good so John I suppose.
          Harris is cuttable so that’s probably Pete.
          Lock a John guy couldn’t beat out geno so that’s a wash.

          Cross and lucas. John obviously.

          Blythe, Pete.

          I’m obviously being a wise ass. Maybe it’s all John last year. Maybe it’s just this team sucked so bad that any rookies worth their salt could contribute like 2010 again.

          • Big Mike

            I’ll say this Peter, I think Adams was Carroll and JS’s later comments were him being a good soldier. Just my instinct I fully admit I could be wrong.

            • All I see is 12s

              To be clear, it’s not about Pete versus John. It’s about the suspicion that until last year Pete was over John. That is the say if Pete wanted something to happen it was John’s job to make it happen. I think that by in large Pete trusts John to do a good job and by and large he has. That doesn’t mean Pete didn’t pull the strings on key decisions Trying to make the team better in the present and potentially damaging the future.

            • Peter

              Right.

              But on the other side of the spectrum is stories where John wanted russ in tge second and it was Pete that had him hold off.

              It’s just weird for me because the picks that work and those that dont all seem like Pete’s type.

              Like they’ve never drafted good dline. Not since Pete’s college connections, mccloughan, ever.

              Things like that and their tenure together make me wonder how far off they really are from each other.

              I hope this off-season proves greater clarity.

              In order:

              No franchise tag for geno
              Cut or restructure diggs
              Cut and move on from Adams.

              If two of those three don’t happen. I’ll assume two things:

              1. Pete is still in control.

              2. Pc/js are in tandem and it’s officially hope and pray season that we get better until we go back to team sale talk.

  19. hoggs41

    A little off topic but was interested to get any pointers from Rob or the UK people on here. Ill be attending games at Fulham v Wolves (2/24) at Crystal Palace V Liverpool (2/25) and at Tottenham v Chelsea (2/26). Looking for places to go or any suggestions anyone might have.

    • UkAlex6674

      Do you mean pubs Hoggs?

    • Group Captain Mandrake

      Tottenham vs. Chelsea? Did you lose a bet? Sorry. Arsenal fan here, had to say it. That sounds like a really cool trip and you get to see some of the bigger clubs. And Tottenham.

    • MattyB

      Dishoom restaurant in Kings Cross (Indian food) (med cost) buzzy and good food
      Fallows restaurant West End again buzzy and even better food (not cheap)
      If you like walking then Hampstead Heath down to the viewing point of the city on Parilment Hill then onto Camden (good couple of hours) or Abbey Road (Beatles crossing) onto Primrose Hill viewing point of the city onto Camden (also a few hours)
      British Museum is a good afternoon
      Hang out in Shoreditch – food – shops – graffiti

      A few things with no idea of your likes

      Enjoy (unfortunate you have to watch Tottenham)

  20. redhawks

    Fantastic stuff as always. Question for you Rob – do we have any data on the “time before pressure” that would augment the point you are making about Kentucky giving up sacks? Obviously some sacks are QB holding on too long and I’m not suggesting that is the case here (and the numbers are so garish as to dismiss that argument), but it would be interesting to know if we can assess that Levis was provided objectively x amount of time less per pass play than the others….

    Thanks again for all you do for the community.

    • Rob Staton

      I don’t I’m afraid

    • GrittyHawk

      I’m not sure if you can infer from those statistics if a player has low time-to-throw because he gets the ball out quickly, or if his line just doesn’t give him a chance. I can offer a few other data points from PFF, though they are not well-defined and probably more than a little bit subjective.

      % of dropbacks where QB “has some responsibility” for the pressure:
      Levis: 23.4%
      Stroud: 19.5%
      Young: 32.4%
      Richardson: 19.4%

      Avg. time to throw on plays that resulted in a sack:
      Levis: 3.19 s
      Stroud: 3.19 s
      Young: 4.25 s
      Richardson: 4.05 s

      • redhawks

        Obv depends a lot of the details of how things are defined in the first one, but those 2 together do seem to imply this is NOT on Levis and he was indeed under siege in comparison… also shows how darn impressive Stroud was perhaps.

        I think this does answer my specific question quite well perhaps…

        • GrittyHawk

          Yup I think it’s directionally useful for sure. Levis absolutely was under siege as he was pressured on an absurd 38% of dropbacks, and blitzed on an even crazier 42% of dbs. I’m just not sure we can derive from these numbers if a QB had more time because of great blocking, or for someone like Richardson, does he have more time because he can evade pressure and/or escape the pocket to buy time. Some of it may also depend on scheme, concept, and situation. Are they shotgun or under center? Play action? RPO? Long developing deep routes? Is Levis getting pressured more because he is constantly in 3rd-and-long where he has to wait for receivers to get downfield and defenders are pinning their ears back and rushing?

          There are definitely limits on the usefulness of data, which is exactly why I love coming to SDB to have someone like Rob watch and analyze film to help answer all of those unresolved questions.

  21. Sea Mode

    He surely couldn’t be lured back as an assistant to Fangio again, could he…? (And I would honestly still have no idea whether or not I should be upset about it if it happened… 😂)

    Ian Rapoport
    @RapSheet
    ·10h

    #Seahawks associate head coach and defensive assistant Sean Desai and former #Broncos HC and long-time NFL DC Vic Fangio are both interviewing for the #Dolphins defensive coordinator job today, sources say.

  22. Sea Mode

    Lance really likes Kancey too. And some interesting comps if one prefers not to even try to compare anyone with A. Donald:

    Judge Mudge
    @mudge_judge
    ·17h

    Replying to @LanceZierlein
    Calijah Kancey has a wicked first step with power. I see some John Randle to his game

    Lance Zierlein
    @LanceZierlein
    ·17h

    That’s a really good call. My comp was going to be Ed Oliver, but I might use Randle. He’s strong and he’s just too much for guards if they are singled up. You literally have to gameplan to block him on passing downs.

    • BobbyK

      So a franchise QB at 5 and John Randle-lite sounds like we could party like the 2012 draft all over again! And still have two second round picks…

      • Old but Slow

        Kancey’s size might scare off some teams and make him available in the second round.

        • AlaskaHawk

          I don’t think Kancey will slip to the second round, but he may be there at #20.

          I love Kancey but I think people should be more flexible about what position he will play. Put him in the interior and he will be giving up 30-40 pounds in weight and will be double teamed more often. Put him on the edge and he will be in more of a one on one position.

          • 3LeftsIsRight

            At #20 I’m guessing one of the following will be available: DT – Calijah Kancey, TE – Michael Mayer, RB Bijan Robinson, LB – Drew Sanders, EDGE/DE – Keion White. This is a good problem for Seahawks to have… should take BPA.

  23. BobbyK

    Rob,

    This is random but what do you think of Jarrett Patterson in the 3rd? He’s been a C and G at a high level, dominant OL performance vs. Clemson of which he was a big part of.

    • Rob Staton

      I have him in R4 on my horizontal board

  24. Martin

    Outside of Flowers and Mingo any other Wide Receivers you like. I ave heard some talk about, and watched some highlights for Parker Washington from Penn State. Have you any thoughts on him Rob? As always thanks for all the work you do!

    • Rob Staton

      I haven’t watched him, apologies

      • Martin

        I really like Hyatt too. And if he is available in the top of the second I would be very tempted. But I am loving some of the defensive lineman that I would take over him if they were still available. Like Mazi Smith, White, B Young (alabama), or Drew Sanders. I really think this draft is about building up the front seven. And adding skill when they are BPA.
        Levis, or Richardson are the only 2 qb’s I am high on.
        I really want them to get bigger, faster, stronger, and much more physical in the front seven. I want that defense that just wears on the opposing offense. Get back to that stat from back when after playing us the teams lost the following game.

        On the FA side I am hoping to get D. Payne and or send a 5th to the colts for Buckner.

    • Trevor

      Not Rob but I like both Tennessee WRs (Cedric Tillman and Jalin Hyatt) in the 2nd round range.

    • Rob4q

      Trey Palmer of Nebraska looks interesting…

    • Roy Batty

      The kid is built like an RB.

  25. Trevor

    You can win an SB with an Elite Defense and Average QB. Or you can win an SB with and elite QB and average defense.

    You cannot win and SB with Average QB and Average Defense. This sums up my agreement as to why the Hawks should not sign Geno to a big $ deal.

    • Big Mike

      And you especially can’t win a Super Bowl with a shit defense and a slightly above average quarterback and that’s what we had this most recent season.
      Agree. No big money for Geno.

    • Jabroni-DC

      I’m proud of Geno for his play this season. It’d be great for him to get rewarded (somewhere). It would be especially great if it netted Seattle a 3rd round comp pick in 2023. I’m all for him being a Hawk in 2023 but in the $12-15M neighborhood for one or two seasons. Gut feeling is that our ceiling with Geno is the Minnesota Vikings if that makes any sense.

      I’m counting on selecting a QB at #5 if one of the Big 4 is available.

      • Jabroni-DC

        Make that a 2024 comp pick. I’m losing track of the years.

    • KD

      I think too many people (casual fans, Seahawk twitter) look at all the passing yards and think that is the measure of an elite QB. Looking at the leaders in passing yards you see names like Mahomes, Herbert, Borrow, etc. OK. Those guys are big time players, two of whom are about to go head to head to be in the SB. But there are other names peppered about in there over the past few years like Goff, Cousins, Carr, Watson and others. Personally, I wouldn’t put a ton of faith in any of those guys to lead the Seahawks deep into the playoffs because all those passing yards are worth a bucket of piss if you are one and done in the playoffs every year.

      Let’s just take a look at Russell Wilson’s regular season stat line from 2013:
      -63.1 completion %
      -3,357 yards
      -26/9 TD/Int ratio
      -101.2 Rating

      Nothing spectacular. No big time numbers there. What you had was a QB who was efficient and took care of the ball (and a 3rd round rookie contract, I might add). A running game that could control the clock and tempo of the game, and a defense that led the NFL in PPG allowed for three years in a row.

      Trevor just summed up all that pretty succinctly, though I agree more with Big Mike’s sentiments about the defense. Paying $30m to a QB who is of the same caliber as Goff, Cousins and others at the expense of the defense is nuts.

      • CHaquesFan

        You’re diminishing Wilson’s role a lot especially without adding the 539 rushing yards he had

    • UkAlex6674

      Trevor this is an excellent summary!

  26. pdway

    This is all such great content. Usually when your team loses in the playoffs, it is just sad quietsville until the other/better teams in the league finish out the playoffs and SB – – but these articles are keeping things real interesting. Much appreciated.

  27. Zezinhom400

    Saw somewhere that Nagy felt Levis was among the most gifted physically amongst all the QB’s, like Allen, but a pretty dramatic fall-off vs Allen in his ability to improvise when things break down. Exactly what makes Allen so special. And that this was a concern in several NFL circles. Nagy’s a pretty savvy evaluator and I was under the impression he was someone you also respect. Didn’t give you pause? To be honest, made me even more concerned about Levis being a Zach Wilson instead of a Josh Allen.

    • Rob Staton

      I’d recommend my interview with Jim, which is where that line came from

      • zezinho

        Thanks Rob, I did listen to the Nagy interview. Very interesting indeed. A couple of things before continuing:

        1. I’ve subscribed to your Youtube channel and also have become a Patron. You and I don’t always agree, especially on Levis at #2 overall or #5 for Seattle, but wanted to support your effort since I read your work and know it isn’t free to produce. Also wanted to acknowledge the significant effort you’re putting into your blog and other products.
        2. Nice props from Nagy!!, who I love to hear bc of his insider knowledge of the ‘Hawks. For anyone who didn’t hear the interview, Nagy complimented Rob for being knowledgeable of the game and for asking real football questions

        Now to continue: when Nagy said what he said about Levis, would have been interesting to hear his response to a couple of follow-up questions (although I realize you had alot of other questions to fit into the interview), bc he clearly does not think Levis has shown (yet) that he’s a Josh Allen comp, and in fact suggested that neither do others in NFL circles. Based on that observation, would have been additive to hear Nagy’s responses to these follow-up questions:
        – So if Allen went at #7 and Levis isn’t yet a comparable QB, where do teams have Levis on their draft boards?
        – Where do you have Levis on your board?
        – If you were drafting for Seattle, would you take him at #5? Or #20? Or #37?
        – The other QB you mentioned who like Levis had Allen-level traits head and shoulders above the others, was Anthony Richardson. Do you/NFL circles have similar concerns about his improvisational abilities as you mentioned with Levis, or is he closer to being an Allen comp?

        Perhaps you’ll have another chance to talk to Nagy, would love to hear his answers to those questions.

        Thanks for your patience in hearing me out, since we don’t agree on Levis and on Seattle draft strategy for 2023, know it’s tiresome for you.

  28. KD

    Rob, a question about how you construct mocks: Do you ever consider the GMs of other teams and their history when constructing a mock. Reason I ask is because some teams have had a history of odd picks and reaches where some are more predictable.

    In the past, we could always count on Al Davis to take whoever had the best 40 time at the combine. If Matt Millen were a GM now, just pencil in a WR and forget it. More recently, the Jets have kept up with the BPA trend regardless of draft spot for the most part, and you can always count on the Ravens to be very patient and wait for a talented player to fall to them for great value. Do you take these histories into account or is it a matter of trying to logically fit the best talent with the biggest need, or other factors?

    • Rob Staton

      I try and take everything into account — scheme, preferences, history, need, talent

  29. Palatypus

    I got my tripod and memory card in the mail today for next week’s Senior Bowl practices.

    Should I just set the aspect to full and mount my phone horizontally? The last photography class I took was in 1989 with…film.

    • Seattle Person

      I know nothing about photography but some players I’ll be interested to see.

      -J L Skinner
      – Sydney Brown
      – Keion White
      – Karl Brooks
      – Andre Carter
      – Roschon Johnson
      – Jammie Robinson
      – Julius Brents
      – Byron Young (Alabama)
      – Henry To’oTo’o
      – John Michael Schmitz
      – Warren McClendon Jr (As a guard)
      – Chris Rodriguez
      – Rashee Rice
      – Charlie Jones (I don’t know if he is going to the Senior Bowl. I wanted to see if his speed/skills translated to more athletic DBs)

      • Peter

        “Some.” Haha.

        You’re putting platypus to work out here!

        • Seattle Person

          I’m just naturally curious!

  30. Ashish

    Good article on off-season- defense
    https://www.hawkblogger.com/2023/01/2023-seahawks-roster-outlook-defense-how-to-upgrade-front-seven.html

    • Palatypus

      Hawkblogger forgot to mention that Alton Robinson and Tyreke Smith are still under contract. It’s understandable because they were on IR all year and were completely invisible.

      • jed

        Good call that reinforces his point. Hopefully, they are both healthy next year.

        That article and another on that site about the offense were both written by Jeff Simmons. The same guy who is on lots of Rob’s YouTube live chats.

    • cha

      Nice breakdown but the article misses a couple key points on the safeties

      * Diggs contract is guaranteed 5 days after the SB so the June 1 cut isn’t in play
      * Adams is owed $2.56 guaranteed salary for 2023…OTC doesn’t record it since it hasn’t vested yet. So the June 1 cut benefit is $8.44m not $11m unfortunately.

      • hoggs41

        You can cut Diggs before his salary is guaranteed and make him a June 1st cut. You just dont get the benefit until June 1st.

        • cha

          His salary becomes guaranteed Feb 17. The earliest you can June 1 cut a player is in March.

          So no.

          It’s a straight up cut or find a trade partner that will take $9.9m guaranteed salary for Diggs.

  31. Artur

    I didn’t know who seaside Joe was but I’m a fan. He just roasted you bitch boy. It’s hilarious how he highlighted how no one can mention will Levi’s without adding the caviat “he kind of sucks”. Rofl look at your post you even had to show highlights from 2021 to justify his shit play in 2022 little bitch. You invested so much mental space into a 24 year old trash prospect. You got suckered.

    Go block more comments you fucking trash ape British cunt.

    • Rob Staton

      Clearing this comment so people can see what I have to put up with on a weekly basis

      • UkAlex6674

        That is absolutely outrageous!

      • bv eburg

        That’s horrendous Rob. Sorry you have to deal with that garbage. I can’t imagine if he acts like this over a game how he must act when life gets hard (work, health, family, money, etc.).

      • Rob Staton

        Meanwhile, on YouTube…

        “marklamoreL.ac replied: “Rob Staton congrats on you POS accent. go watch soccer”

        I never feel more British than when Seahawks fans disagree with me on something

        • 509haystacker

          Wow… I can’t believe that’s what you put up with and yet you still have the fortitude to keep doing it even with all that those kind of people (angry, mean, one sided, hates the world) slamming you. Mad mad mad props rob. Your children will be amazed when they grow up to know that their dad is the kind of person that takes it on the chin and keeps rolling because you know they are just trolls. Also, they make fun of you for your accent?? You’re more knowledgeable of our American college/pro football than I’d say 40-45% of actual football fans. Again mad props to you rob!!

          • Hawkcrazy

            Rob is more knowledgeable of American college/pro football than 98%+ of fans. Most fans only follow one team Rob is knowlegeable about the needs of all the pro teams and his knowledge of college and the draft is unparallelled for a fan. The fact he is British has nothing to do with football knowledge.

          • DriveByPoster

            //they make fun of you for your accent??//
            Well he does have a terrible northern accent instead of a proper English accent like what us down here on the south coast have.:D

      • Peter

        Full disclosure:

        Rob your site has single handedly kept me interested in the team ove te last five years.

        I low key like the draft more than the games.

        It sort of hurts my heart that someone would not just attack you like this but I kind of feel for what kind of person would live like this. I legitimately think this person is unwell.

      • Old but Slow

        Like all bullies, there is a weakness and inadequacy that creates a need to strike out at those seen as betters.
        Because there is nothing of substance, just vitriol, there will be no real satisfaction except the number of reactions he gets. So perhaps I am rewarding him. Sad.

      • geoff u

        Has it always been like this? Or is it getting worse?

        I’ve been reading this blog, contributing sporadically, for over a decade. You do amazing work and the best part about this site is, you look at just about every possible angle and scenario, as unbiased as a human can be. There really is no other place like this, except perhaps back in the day when John Morgan was running field goals.

        • Rob Staton

          It’s been like this since 2020

          • Glor

            wow.. absolutely bizarre…

            I’m glad you keep the ban button handy, these people deserve to be in a loony bin.

            Fortunately you know that all of us sane people love the work you do for us and the community!

          • BruceN

            I suspect these are related to COVID lockdowns. Some people have gone off the deep end being locked down and dealing with COVID mental side effects. Many sites do not allow posting because some keyboard Warriors have gone postal and are having meltdowns and posting these offensive garbage. Sorry you have to go thru this. I hope these are the 1% and remaining 99% of the community are civil and nice. Thank you for doing what you are doing and providing the best interactive content for Seahawk fans. I don’t spend as much time on the site as I like to due to my schedule. But the site is one of the best, if not THE best.

            • CHaquesFan

              The perennial pnw gray certainly doesn’t help lol

      • Scot

        I’d like to echo most the readers here about how sad it is you have to put up with comments like this.
        If they had actually read your content, vrs just picking the lone pieces of arcticles they want to vent about.
        Why so many can’t come out with intelligent debate is embarrassing.
        You have been very consistent on your views of all the QBs.
        All the negatives & possitives about all 4.
        When asked about who you would prefer at #5 if a QB is taken you have always replied you would be fine with any of the 4 with our #5 pick.
        Not to forget your openness about being fine with a Defensive player as well.
        The only thing you are mainly hoping; is they atleast consider the QB position.
        This has been purely open & unbiased opinion & write ups on how to possibly improve our roster.
        Sad some can’t enjoy it; I personally find it refreshing & am very thankful for all you do for this community.
        Amazing fortitude, followed up with unparalleled content.
        Not just the best place for Seahawks football, but complete draft content & player analysis period.
        Hang in the Rob, you are appreciated for all you do.

    • Tyler

      Imagine talking to someone this way because they think a player is good at football… God, people are the worst.

      • CL

        I was a little triggered while first reading this, but I think I’m more feeling sorry now.

        Sorry for Rob that he has to deal with kind of bs every week, and sorry for Artur because I think you have serious mental health problems if you react like this.

    • 206

      Big tough guy behind the keyboard!! So impressive!! Piss off Art

      • Peter

        I know right. It’s astounding that you could talk like this in the safety of your keyboard. Cause obviously you could never say shit like this in the real world.

    • JAFreeman

      Wow. Just wow. So completely unnecessary, meant to deliberately hurt, beyond civilized behavior, even for the internet.

    • Group Captain Mandrake

      Wow. You sound like a really fun person. Do you talk to everyone this way, or just from behind your keyboard. You do know it’s possible to disagree with someone and still be civil, right? Or maybe you don’t.

      Sorry you have to deal with this garbage Rob.

    • Matt

      Outside of this blog – I’m very much beginning to despise this fanbase. I’ve never seen so many cliques and “the in crowd” self-assigning expertise to each other.

      I won’t name names; but you have “Roster Construction Experts,” “Salary Cap Specialists,” “Film experts,” etc. it’s bordering on hilarious, really.

      I’ve tried to interact with these folks in good faith and everything inevitably leads to the horde jumping in and piling on. It usually culminates with “you just can’t handle being wrong!”

      I don’t think it’s quite this bad with other teams. I don’t know what makes this fanbase so unique in that regard – perhaps it’s a Seattle “passive aggressive” thing that’s amplified via social media which promotes such behavior.

      I don’t know. It’s pathetic. And quite frankly – outside of this place; I have almost no joy watching or discussing the Seahawks. That’s maybe what bothers me the most – the on-field product is not very fun and it’s only amplified by a zombie-like fanbase that just follows the hive mind.

      Last thing I’ll say – bad form by KA. Apparently nothing is sacred anymore. I didn’t quite think he was so petty and I guess I just come from a world where you don’t pile on friends/acquaintances in such a petty, cheap way.

      • Ben

        To be fair, the internet is like this in general. All teams have these people in their fanbase. The Seahawks aren’t special in that regard.

        It’s definitely just sad and pathetic how people treat others.

        • Glor

          this

          • Big Mike

            Yeah Matt, go to a website called The Slipper Still Fits. It’s a Gonzaga basketball site with a comments section. It may be worse than what I see with this fanbase though more subtle. But it’s very cliquish and the “in” people are sideways asshats.

      • 509 Chris

        I think you’re on to something. It’s absolutely the passive aggressive culture in the northwest. I noticed it more when I got older and left. For example on the east coast if you invite someone to do something that they don’t want to do, they’ll say no I’m not into that. I’ve noticed in Washington people have this weird politeness and won’t ever come out and say no to you. They’ll say something like oh ya that sounds fun, I’ll have to try to do that. It leads to this pent up anger that people will take out somewhere they think theyre anonymous. I noticed a similar thing in Salt Lake. The culture is very friendly to your face. People feel like they always have to be nice, so when they’re calling into customer service at a business or something they let out this pent up rage. I ran the sales team for a company in Utah and we had the absolute worst customer service experiences in the company in that market. I realize I could be grasping at straws this is just something I’ve noticed living in different places.

    • Mr. Anderson

      People are really losing their minds. To stoop this low over a football conversation is just insane to me. Sorry you have to put up with these immature children Rob, but thank you for the awesome content.

    • MountainHawker

      I wonder what his comment will be after the Hawks take Levis

    • Huggie Hawk

      As a lifelong Hawks fan who sadly knows the names Dan McGwire and Kelly Stouffer, I can unequivocally state that this nut bag troll “Artur” is not a real Hawks fan. Someone born yesterday and gifted a Hawks onesie from their Hawk-loving uncle is more of a Hawks fan than this internet excrement. Anyhow sorry you have to put up with such nonsense Rob, keep up the great work.

    • BruceN

      What is wrong with you? Are you off your meds or mad at the world? You can disagree with Rob and respond with any logic why he is wrong. But to use such language you come across as a petulant child. Or a mentally ill person desperately in need of his medication.

  32. braden

    If the Seahawks cut/trade/restructure contracts Quandre Diggs and Jamal Adams, which I think they should, to create more cap space. How do you feel about taking Brain Branch at #20? He seems like a great athlete with great, flexible skills that could really improve the Seahawks defense with sure tackling and versatile abilities. Jamal Adams is basically always injured anyways, so it doesn’t seem unreasonable to cut him, especially since Ryan Neal has been a great replacement with decent depth at the position. Quandre Diggs is also getting older. Doing this also allows us more cap room for Daaron Payne or other defensive free agents. Please let know what you think of this idea.

    • Rob Staton

      I really like Branch but I don’t think he’ll be there at #20 and I’d rather see premium defensive picks spent up front

      • braden

        Thank you for your thoughts. Where do you think we should draft a safety or do you think we should draft a safety at all? I remember you liking the idea of JL Skinner

        • Rob Staton

          I’m open to the R2 options but I also think Ryan Neal and a mid or late rounder might be serviceable

  33. Mr drucker in hooterville

    I am thinking we need to consider the possibility of no QB in R1 for Seattle. Then what?

    Hooker? MCKee? Haener?

    • Huso Liszt

      I’d ride the table with a small wager on Stetson Bennett in the 4th or 5th round. To my mind he is the Purdy+ of the draft. He rises to the occasion for the win, and that has to be appealing to JS/PC after the second half of this season.

      • Peter

        DTR

        • Dave

          +1

  34. LovedOur2022season

    It would be interesting to do a side by side of Levis vs Drew Lock. Similar size, similar profile coming out and Lock is already on the team. If Geno wants too much, what could you do with a Drew Lock after 1 year of learning this offense, plus all of 2022 and 2023 draft picks and a small(ish) contract.

    • Rob Staton

      There are three problems here though:

      1. Lock isn’t signed in Seattle and who knows what it’ll cost to keep him? So making that comp might be a waste of time if he isn’t coming back.

      2. If you keep him you might end up in same place as Geno Smith — he signs a prove-it deal, does well but ultimately you’re then left staring at a possible huge contract, defeating the point.

      3. He’s already played in the NFL in Denver so how do you compare a player who has done that vs someone coming into the league.

    • geoff u

      You can’t really look quarterbacks that way. All these quarberbacks have the same size:

      Drew Lock
      Will Levis
      Joe Burrow
      Josh Rosen

      So should we pick up Josh Rosen assuming we can turn him into Joe Burrow? The profile is just the framework, but speaks little of their actual ability to use it on the field.

    • BobbyK

      My preferred outcome is to sign Lock to a “prove it” deal and draft Anthony Richardson. We get a cheap QB with potential and Richardson has a year to develop before taking the reigns.

      If Lock is awesome, good for him and us. If he’s not, a rookie QB can get a few starts under his belt going into 2024.

      • AlaskaHawk

        Are you all done with Geno Smith? Because I think he will still be hanging around Seattle looking for a contract. Just a gut feeling but I don’t think he will be getting other lucrative offers,

  35. Ishmael

    Absolutely cringe to make a name for yourself by tearing down others, unfortunately it’s the Kenneth Arthur special, just have to look at his obsessive campaigning against Cam Newton. All you really need to know about him is the overnight decline of Field Gulls from the day he took over from Danny Kelly. Not someone worth listening to.

    I’d still rather any of the four quarterbacks than Tyree Wilson, it would be such a pea-hearted pick

    • Rob Staton

      The funny thing is reading the comments to that article

      People posting that they made a comment suggesting something — then I or others disagreed — thus, we exist in an echo-chamber

      Because of course… if someone suggests something that doesn’t receive universal approval, clearly it’s everyone else who has the problem. It’s not possible that the idea was simply challengeable…

      • Ishmael

        Honestly, I shouldn’t have said anything. Just feeds into something I loathe, the cult of personality that develops around writers and personalities – the competition, the tribalism, the pettiness of it all.

        I read your work because I respect the work you put in, your track record, and your very good eye. It makes the draft more enjoyable than it would be otherwise. Anyone who gets angry about a mock draft seriously needs to go outside and re-evaluate their life.

        Other floating draft thought, I’ll be surprised if Kancey slides out of the top 10 or so, from the little I’ve watched. 70% of Aaron Donald is still absolutely worth taking someone in that sort of range, the upside is just too high not to have a crack – especially in a draft like this which honestly looks pretty flat. Similar reason why Bijan Robinson will go higher than most people will like, he’s simply too talented in a fairly mediocre draft to slide too far.

      • BK26

        I just, I dunno. I think maybe he got mad that he’s banged the drum for McCall for a long, long time. You mention Levis ahead of everyone else and then over a year Levis got recognition that he earned. Maybe its sour grapes that McCall was never going to be picked where he thought he deserved and Nagy mentioning one minute thing about Levis was all Kenneth needed to that…he…won? Just bitter that your analysis turned out to be right.

        And Fieldgulls was a haven under Danny.

    • Starhawk29

      Look, I disagree with Kenneth on this one too, but let’s not get carried away. Kenneth’s game is sarcastic wit and pop culture references complemented (generally, not always) by information and data. He says some things that are dumb, but he also does a good job of covering multiple sides of the story and challenging popular narratives.

      I agree he has a tendency to find someone and pick on them, and he has been making a lot of statements about QBs in this class without watching enough tape of them. He’ll openly tell you he’s biased, yet when I’ve challenged him on his site, he’s been willing to reconsider and challenge his own opinion. That’s something I will always respect; I see it as one of the most valuable skills humans can have. An example was when he discussed Hooker as a 1st round QB. I pointed out the flaws in Hooker’s game, and he appreciated that reconsidered. He’s also changed his opinion more on Richardson as he’s watched tape.

      This is all to say that I genuinely don’t think Kenneth holds ill will towards this site or most people in general. He’s mostly just an “in your face sarcastic bastard” that you can’t let get under your skin. He’s that buddy of yours that always knows the most dickish thing to say but is funny enough to compensate and a deep enough thinker to be interesting. I’ve had a few friends like that, and they help keep things interesting. Let’s not hate the bastard for that.

      • Sean

        Yes. Let’s not collectively get into a SDB vs. Seaside Joe rivalry. That is dumb, and frankly I read both blogs and almost no other blogs because neither SDB nor Seaside Joe are that petty. Both have good comment sections where one can learn something about football and the Seahawks and not the kind of abusive and idiotic comments found on almost all other blogs.

        Come on, we’re just talking about OPINIONS here. Rob really likes Levis and Seaside really likes McCall. So what? Let’s listen to why, discuss, and politely debate and consider. That’s what make these places worth spending time on.

        • Rob Staton

          That’s fine. But let’s be clear, I’ve never made any reference to anything written by Kenneth, or his opinions, but in this latest article I got called out for… having an opinion on Will Levis. Which felt like a low blow (and unnecessary)

          • Starhawk29

            Unfortunately Rob, I think one of the downsides of being early to a prospect is that you become the “Levis Guy.” I agree Kenneth hit a bit below the belt, and I have no issue with you calling him out for it. Yet your name is now unfortunately tied to Levis, as you were the one to “break” him as a top pick. Discussing Levis in relation to the Seahawks is difficult without mentioning you, your work, and your arguments. Especially, in my mind, as there is some crossover in readers. You are the expert in this regard for our fanbase, the Levis guru.

            Kenneth has made his arguments on why Levis isn’t a 1st round pick. I have no idea how much film he’s watched of him, but he’s clearly stated his points. In some ways, that article is a refutation of your piece you just put out, but done in the style Kenneth writes in. Notably, Kenneth does not write in typical journalistic fashion, but writes in a style more akin to a personal essay. He prefers to describe feelings, use anecdotes and pop culture references, and occasionally sprinkle in some factual analysis. It is an entertaining style to read, but one that does a poor job of critical analysis on quantitative values.

            Again, I do not agree with Kenneth, nor do I like what he said in reference to you. But he references your work frequently (often positively, I might add) as he does with other ‘Hawks writers. It’s part of his schtick. Not discussing your view point on the matter would be ignoring the pachyderm in the room.

            • Rob Staton

              I just found it disappointing

              Don’t feel like I’ve ‘called anyone out’ as simply expressed disappointment in what was an unnecessary and strange comment — that I essentially didn’t immediately change my opinion because of something Jim Nagy said and as consequence, irrational fandom was implied

              • Starhawk29

                I was disappointed too. And I wasn’t implying you did call him out, merely that you’d be within your rights to do so.

  36. UkAlex6674

    Yep. I am now more convinced that we will go QB at 5 if one is available. The rookie contract is the key to this..

  37. Rob Staton

    Classic DJ tweet here:

    https://twitter.com/MoveTheSticks/status/1618494424241278976

    It’s a few days until the Senior Bowl and he’s only just watching Keion White because Mel Kiper put him at #19 in his first mock draft

    He published a mock last week on NFL.com and hasn’t even watched enough tape to know about White

    • cha

      At least give a hat tip to Kiper

    • Peter

      “Sign me up”….good grief.

      I’ve already watched games of most senior bowl invites.

      He should just donate via livestream or patreon and get up to speed.

      It makes me want to join Twitter just to send him your horizontal board from mid college season.

    • Glor

      I have a feeling you, as a hobby, put more time into watching college games/tape and player evaluations than most of these guys that write about the draft as full time gigs. You seems to really enjoy it, some people just do enough to get by as it’s a job and not something they actually truly enjoy enough to put that extra time and effort into something. Much easier to parrot than to produce.

  38. JJ

    Listened to kiper/mcshay podcast and I think kiper reads the blog.

    • Sea Mode

      More likely it just means he actually watches the tape, like Rob.

      • glor

        He’d be a fool to not read the blog, would make his life easier 😉

  39. Blitzy the Clown

    What mock hellscape is this? Seriously wtf is going on?

    It’s not plausible. It’s not desirable. It’s not logical. WTF man

    https://touchdownwire.usatoday.com/lists/2023-nfl-mock-draft-jalen-carter-bryce-young-c-j-stroud/

    • Rob Staton

      🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

    • Ashish

      There was another site hawks taking CB saying they need for struggling secondary. Didn’t even bother to spend a second. Just pathetic.

    • GrittyHawk

      Herndon Hooker at #13 lmaooooooooo

      • cha

        That was my favorite too.

        He’s 25, he probably won’t play until 2024 and he’ll be 26. And then he has to learn how to be an NFL QB from scratch.

        Editor Doub, what happened to you? You used to be such a voice of reason in the old seahawks.net days.

    • Roy Batty

      Click, meet Bait.

    • Matt

      We trade everything for Jalen Carter?? JFC Doug Farrar…

      He sees a lot of Aaron Donald…

      This makes Jeremiah’s draft look amazing…and that’s saying something.

    • Palatypus

      Marriage had changed my old friend Doug.

    • glor

      Holy crap.. lol
      I mean it’s funny 😉

  40. Madmark

    What I need to know what defense will the Seahawks be playing? Will it be 3-4 or 4-3 because this would change the front 7 in this draft. Which one will they play this year Rob?

    • Scot04

      According to Pete the are sticking with the same defensive scheme.

    • 206

      I wish they would go back to the old scheme to be honest. Although that hasn’t worked since the legion of boom either. But, other teams have added some wrinkles and have kept the scheme in general relevant.

      • PatrickH

        Well, the Seahawks actually mostly ran that old scheme in the playoff game against the 49ers, and Shanahan destroyed it with the intermediate dig/crossing routes designed to beat it. The Seahawks defense did manage to hold up (barely) in the first half thanks to bad executions by Brock Purdy. Unless the Seahawks can get newer versions of Michael Bennett, Chris Clemons, and Cliff Avril, that old scheme is not going to work.

        The Fangio scheme can still work but the Seahawks need DLinemen who can play two-gap well. Currently only Al Wood can do it, the rest are one-gap guys. The Seahawks need younger and more athletic versions of Al Wood. In the college national championship game, I did notice that Jalen Carter had some snaps two-gapping and seemed to play well in those snaps.

  41. Rob4q

    Man, Panthers and Texans are just completely dysfunctional organizations…just not sure what these teams will do from one day to the next! And nothing against Frank Reich getting another shot, but Steve Wilks did a tremendous job after Rhule was fired. What a mess…

    I do believe that Derek Carr will now be headed to Carolina in a trade soon!

    • 206

      Discouraging time to be a Carolina fan. Who can say they think Derek Carr is the man at this point.

    • Mr. Drucker in hooterville

      I understand their thinking: experienced and offensive minded coach who has worked with QBs Was Reich the right choice? IDK, but it makes sense to me. This screams of them takiing a QB in the draft.

    • DC1234

      7 or 8 final teams in the divisional round are offensive minded head coach. Final four are all offensive minded.

      Teams are following the trend of hiring offensive head coach.

      I get the Frank Reich hire.

      • Big Mike

        Ditto

  42. PatrickH

    I wonder, if the Seahawks re-sign Geno and also draft a QB at #5, would it be better to draft Richardson instead of Levis? Given Levis’ age, it seems a waste of his time to sit behind Geno, yet I don’t think Levis in his rookie season is going to be better than Geno. It seems more justifiable to have Richardson sit behind Geno given his youth and inexperience.

    • Mr Drucker in hooterville

      I’d rather Levis/Richardson sit behind a $7M QB.

    • geoff u

      You take the best quarterback, regardless of age. Now we don’t know who the front office thinks that is, they could very well think Richardson is better. However, if they’re both graded about the same, then yes, what you’re saying could be a factor. With Geno starting next year, you might be willing to swing for the fence more with Richardson, due to his upside and being able to sit him for a year.

    • Roy Batty

      If he truly is a franchise QB, he will cruise well into his 30’s, so I never worried the age concerns.

      That means you have a franchise pillar for 10 years.

  43. IDHhawk

    Good news and bad news. Bad news; NFL draft media has been terrible so far. Good news; Rob has been pumping out quality articles at record pace 🤘

    Glad to see Mel Kiper at least put some decent thought into his mock. Here’s my own crack at a mock.

    1/5 – Anthony Richardson (alternative: Bryce Young)
    1/20 – Keion White
    2/37 – Andre Carter (He’ll probably go lower than he should, because he played for Army)
    2/51 – Parker Washington (alternative: best available WR, TE or RB. Should be a good one available)
    3/83 – Demarvion Overshown

    Some alternatives for Andre Carter or Keion White could be a trade for Deforest Buckner. I think a second rounder could do it, if Indy is really looking for more draft capital, pending a trade up.

    Also, Parker Washington really reminds me of Deebo Samuels. There are a lot of other good receivers in this class though, and I think the second round would be a good spot to target one. They’ll probably fall a bit, because of the D-Line depth. But I’d also gladly accept a good TE (Darnell Washington?) or RB (Zach Charbonnet, Kenny McIntosh, Jahmyr Gibbs). Let me know what y’all think!

  44. Clutch

    I have been reading your stuff for several years and like your content. Thanks for all you do.
    As a fan that has been following this team since 1976 I come with my own ideas on what I think we are looking for.
    I guess I have a different opinion of Levis than you, which is fine. I think his arm strength is phenomenal but his accuracy is really not even close to elite. Now one could say Josh Allen had the same issue but Josh Allen in Wyoming which I am sure had worse players than any SEC team was just far more productive. I think Levis is in a spot where getting compared to Allen is a double edge sword. People think he has that kind of potential and he has the physical tools to be close to Allen. The flip side of that is that people expect him to ball out like Allen when he reaches the pros.
    I do not expect the Seahawks to take Levis. I do think Carter might be the only person John would want with a pick at 5. I also think that if Chicago traded with Houston they would be in a much better spot to build around the pieces they already have, and still get who they want. With AZ having capital in DL and not necessarily on the edge it is more possible they take Anderson than Carter and Indy wants a QB. If Chicago trades down again from #2 and gets even more picks and still be in a position to get who they want I could see them moving to 5. If they like Carter then I think Seattle moves back off of 5. I agree with you that we need a interior D lineman and Carter is off the board we will get them in the late first early second range. If we sign Geno I expect this to happen.
    Rob, how would you feel about us trading down and taking someone like Johnston from TCU and get the best wr in the class? We could gain another second day pick from someone like Carolina and use 20 for someone like Ika or this kid from Georgia Tech. Then in early 2nd we could go after Kancey and Sanders with possibly Carolina’s second pick. I do not know if Carolina would give us both 9 and 39 to get a QB but it is possible right?

    • Rob Staton

      I’d be very surprised if Carter was the only person JS would take at five. Very, very surprised.

      I think trading down just to take a WR3, as much as that is a need, would be massively underwhelming.

      • Matt

        I’ll go a step further – having been burned badly, I could see JS saying “love Carter…but someone else can take that chance.”

      • Clutch

        That is one way to look at it. Or we could say we are trading down to get the best WR in the draft that would put Lockett in the slot. If he is a legit first round talent that could change our offense. For arguments sake let’s say that we trade down and take Bijan. Not a necessary need just like WR but is the best player at their position and possibly best player in draft. If Seattle does a BPA draft like last year and they think a certain player is the best they have seen come into the draft in a long time then I can see them doing this and getting more picks either this year or next.
        I am not saying any of this would happen but am curious on your take of trading down to take a talent they think is elite in a position we don’t necessarily “need”. What players in this draft do you see fitting that description?

        I did not mean to apply Carter is the only person JS would take at five. It was a hypothetical as I have no way of knowing what he is going to do right?

        • Ben

          We run so many 2+ TE and 2 RB sets that it feels like we’re reaching in the 1st round if we grab a WR. We definitely have snaps available in the interior D and O line on either side though. Emphasis on D since that was the bigger issue.

  45. Trevor

    First try at a Mock this year.

    Pre- Senior Bowl 2023 Mock Draft and Day 1-2 Hawks Picks

    1. Chicago Bears – CJ Stroud (QB/ Ohio St) Bears decide to reset the QB clock and trade Justin Fields to Carolina then draft Stroud who a much more talented passer.

    2. Houston Texans – Bryce Young (QB /Alabama) The Texans need a leader and new face of the franchise and opt for the most NFL ready QB in the draft despite the concerns over size.

    3. Arizona Cardinals – Will Anderson (Edge / Alabama) Cardinals get their pick of defensive talent and get an elite prospect off the edge.

    4. Indianapolis Colts – Will Levis (QB/ Kentucky) Protype modern day QB and an ideal guy to come in and start early for Indy

    5. Seattle Seahawks (from Denver) Anthony Richardson (QB/ Flordia) Hawks twitter blows up as JS gets his QB of the future and passes on Jalen Carter. Richardson is a combination of Cam Newton / Lamar Jackson and could be the next NFL superstar if developed properly.

    6. Detroit Lions (from LA Rams) Jalen Carter (DT/ Georgia) The Lions need to add talent on defense and Carter falls into their lap. Carter in the middle with Hutchinson off the edge could be lethal.

    7. Las Vegas – Bijan Robonson (RB/ Texas) Vegas shocks draft pundits and takes perhaps the most talented player in the draft. After signing Tom Brady they get him an elite runner and pass catching RB who would be perfect match for Brady’s skill set.

    8. Atlanta Falcons – Tyree Wilson (DL / Tex Tech) Wilson is a physical specimen and the Falcons need to find a potential difference maker on defense.

    9. Chicago Bears (Trade / Carolina) Myles Murphy (Edge / Clemson) the Bears need to add talent on defense and Murphy despite being over rated has the physical profile to be special if he can put it all together.

    10. Philadelphia Eagles (from New Orleans) Micheal Mayer (TE/ND) The rich get richer as the Eagles get Hurts an elite all around TE and one of the top 3 players in the draft.
    11. Tennessee Titans – Quinton Johnson (WR/ TCU) The Titans need to find offensive weapons. Johnson is a freak with massive upside.

    12. Houston Texans (from Cleveland)- Jaxson Smith-Njigba (WR /Ohio St.) The Texans look at his 2022 tape where he looked better than Olave and Wilson, both of whom were up for offensive rookie of the year.

    13. New York Jets – Paris Johnson Jr (OT/Ohio St) Johnson is over rated and might be the second best OT on his team last years as Rob has pointed out. That being said he has the ideal LT profile and will likely test well. The Jets need to find a LT of the future.

    14. New England Patriots – Brian Branch (DB/ Alb) The ideal chess piece for BB in the secondary. Branch is smart, physical and athletic. Pats get a future All Pro.

    15. Green Bay Packers – Jordan Addison (WR/ USC) The Packers trade Rodgers to the Jets and decide to get Jordan Love another offensive weapon. I am not a big fan of Addison but if he can run in the 4.45 range this seems like the right range for him.

    16. Washington Commanders -Christian Gonzales (CB/ Oregon) Wash needs help ion the secondary and Gonzales is the best CB in the draft IMO.

    17. Pittsburgh Steelers – Joey Porter Jr (CB/ Penn St) The fit just makes too much sense.

    18. Detroit Lions – Devon Witherspoon (CB / Illinois) Stole this one from Rob.

    19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Peter Skoronski (OL / Northwestern) The Bucs need help all over the roster and decide to add to the OL with a guy who will kick inside.

    20. Seattle Seahawks – Kalijah Kancey (DT / Pitt) The Hawks have been looking for a guy who can rush the passer from the interior since the departure of Michael Bennett. His arm length could end up being an issue for Seattle but I hope not because he has the chance to be special if used properly. His motor is the best in this draft class IMO and the Hawks have missed a guy like that.

    21. Los Angeles Chargers – Zay Flowers (WR/ BC) with Kenan Allen a likely cap casualty the Chargers need to get Herbert some weapons and Flowers is incredible. The next star WR in the making.
    22. Baltimore Ravens – Bryan Breese (DL / Clemson) the Ravens could be getting a steal here if Breese is healthy and can put it all together.

    23. Minnesota Vikings – Cam Smith (CB / South Carolina) -long and competitive CB that fills a big need for the Vikings who are dreadful on the back end.

    24. Jacksonville Jaguars – Josh Downs (WR/ NC) The Jags keep adding weapons for Trevor Lawerence

    25. New York Giants- Dalton Kincad (TE / Utah) Quality pass catching TE with great physical profile. Giants need weapons on offense and get one.

    26. Dallas Cowboys – Jalin Hyatt (WR / Ten) Cowboys get their burner to go with Lamb.

    27. Buffalo Bills – Luke Musgrave (TE Oregon St) The Bills add an elite offensive talent for Josh Allen.

    28. Cincinnati Bengals – Dewand Jones (OT/ Ohio St) – stole this one from Rob and it makes a ton of sense.

    29. Denver Broncos (from SF via MIA) – Keion White (DL /Georgia Tech) Incredible physical profile and a good scheme fit.

    30. Kansas City Chiefs – Darnell Wright (OT / Tennessee) Very under rated OT and likely the best pass blocker in the draft. Chiefs will need to keep Mahomes healthy.

    31. Philadelphia Eagles – Jahmyr Gibbs (RB / Alabama) Adding Gibbs and Mayer to the Eagles offense is almost not fair.

    38. Seattle – Drew Sanders (LB / Arkansas) Sanders is a long athletic LB with pass rush ability and makes a ton of sense for the Hawks

    53. Seattle – Siaki Ika (NT / Baylor) Hawks get a big physical run stuffer who has great quickness for his size. Needs to be more consistent.

    84. Seattle – Cody Mauch (OL / ND St) Athletic and phycial OT who would kick inside and play Guard for the Hawks. Really anxious to see Mauch at the Senior Bowl.

    • BobbyK

      I really hope there’s a way we could get both Kancey and Ika.

      Kancey is at his best rushing the passer. Ika’s size means he’s a monster and should anchor on the run. When you’re playing the bullies (49ers) you need that physical force that is Ika but you need that disruptor in passing situation, too.

      When the Seahawks defense was legendary – Bennett and Avril both played in well under 60% of snaps that Super Bowl winning season. I think Avril was just over 51%.

      You need bodies, quality bodies to be great. Right now they’ve got a bunch of bodies but they mostly suck.

      This might mean Carter is a fit, but I don’t think so. If he can’t be in shape, that’s drops him down a lot for me. That says something about him that I want nothing to do with.

      A draft getting both Kancey and Ika would be terrific. Sure, it’s a big investment… but there needs to be a gigantic investment in the DL/DT situation, too. I actually think they’re okay at EDGE with Taylor, Robinson, Mafe, and Nwosu. That’d be okay if they could get help in the interior.

      • jujus

        I still think they need to take a shot on a Edge.

        Drew sanders at LB would be solid and then a flyer on an edge type – which im not sure what body they want… the 4.3 edge or the 3.4 edge

      • Trevor

        I agree Bobby DT needs to be the priority over edge but adding a big 270-280 edge like White would be ideal.

    • Zxvo3

      If not Siaki Ika, I would actually prefer Keeanu Benton with pick 53. Big, 6’5 300 lbs, with long arms. I think he’s underrated and could be a disruptive player in the future.

  46. Gaux Hawks

    Serious question: can Dallas trade for Aaron Rodgers? If so, that would blow the top off!!

    • Big Mike

      Dak’s cap hit next year is 45 mil. Not happening.

  47. andymuhs

    We so need an interior dt that is versatile. Draw doubles, good against the run and can get 8 plus sacks every year. We haven’t had that since Michael Bennett and without it we are never going to beat top tier talent. Anthony Richardson and Calijah Kancey are my votes for first round. Find our Aaron Donald lite

  48. andymuhs

    I just read your post Trevor. Realized I said the same thing, hopefully we are right!

    • Trevor

      Hope so too. Just hope Kancey’s arm length is not a deal breaker for the Hawks. Love his get off and motor. The Hawks need a guy who plays with that kind of energy IMO.

      • AndyMuhs

        After this last draft there is hope again. If we can’t ever create pressure from the inside we aren’t winning any Super Bowls
        Also a good center and well rounded linebackers would be great too. Pretty blown away how so many of my Hawk friends love Jordyn Brooks and are ok with Barton

  49. Blitzy the Clown

    Someone really should check on DJ

    Daniel Jeremiah
    @MoveTheSticks

    My TE order as of JAN-26
    1) Dalton Kincaid (Utah)
    2) Darnell Washington (UGA)
    3) Michael Mayer (ND)
    4) Luke Musgrave (Oregon St)
    5) Sam LaPorta (Iowa)

    As of today, 6 TE’s in my top 50
    Excellent class!
    11:50 AM · Jan 26, 2023

    • Rob Staton

      I don’t get that at all

  50. Ben

    Here’s an interesting list of highly graded, big college, but low-rated on Big Boards, players at different positions (or just names I’m not seeing mentioned), rankings listed are for draft eligible players only and include small school players.

    QB – Tanner Morgan from Minnesota, 6’2 215, Tied #5 PFF rating, #4 rated running QB.
    WR – Puca Nucua from BYU, 6’2 205, #1 rated receiver
    WR – Xavier Hutchinson Iowa State, 6’3 205, #2 rated receiver
    RB – Eric Gray Oklahoma, 5’10 211, #5 rated RB
    TE – Brevyn Spann-Ford Minnesota, 6’7 270, #3 rated TE, #4 receiving TE and #2 run-blocking TE
    C – Brett Neilon USC, 6’2 295, #2 rated C, #1 pass-blocking C, #2 run-blocking C
    G – Beaux Limmer Arkansas, 6’5 300, #5 rated G, #18 pass-blocking, #7 run-blocking
    T – Alex Palczewski Illinois, 6’6 315, #6 rated T, #11 pass-blocking, #9 run-blocking
    CB – Mekhi Blackmon USC, 6’0 175, #2 rated CB, #2 in coverage behind Witherspoon, barely about him in Run defense at 79.4
    S – Darius Joiner Duke, 6’2 200, #3 rated S, #1 run defense S, #2 pass-rushing S, rated about #40 in Coverage
    S – Kaevon Merriweather, 6’0 212, #4 rated S, #44 run defense, low in pass-rushing, #4 in coverage
    LB – Ivan Pace Jr, 6’0 235, #1 rated LB, #3 run defense, #1 pass-rushing LB played the edge also, #47 in coverage
    LB – Jack Campbell Iowa, 6’5 246, #2 rated LB, #11 run defense, low pass-rushing (65 rating), #1 in coverage
    DT – Kobie Turner Wake Forest, 6’3 290, #2 rated DT, #1 run defense, #4 pass-rushing
    DT – Moro Ojomo Texas, 6’3 281, #5 rated DT, #1 run defense, #9 pass-rushing
    NT – Keondre Coburn Texas, 6’2 343, rates above Ika overall, barely below Mazi, but better pass-rushing than Mazi Smith. NT’s aren’t separated, so no rankings…
    Edge – Laiatu Latu UCLA, 6’4 265, #6 rated Edge, bad run defense, #5 pass rushing

    • Matt

      Love Gray, Spann-Ford and Jack Campbell on this list.

      • Ben

        I guess Campbell is more of a known quantity as he’s #49 on PFF’s big board and he’s a unanimous All-American selection… But interesting nonetheless to see how he’s rated in PFF.

        I wish PFF’s page did better about providing more detailed information about their college stats, 40-time, etc. Sadly, they don’t offer a searchable/historical database from what I can tell, or I’d be doing more digging.

    • Ben

      Correction, Ojomo is #2 against Run Defense for interior d-linemen, I put #1 for he and Turner…

      • Mr drucker in hooterville

        Checkout Daiyan Henley, LB, WSU

        • Dave

          I’m a Husky and I like Henley. He runs, hits and is always around the ball. Where does he project to go?

          • Ben

            Henley is listed at 200 overall for LB (among all) and grades at 73.3.

            He’s ranked 65 on their draft board.

  51. JJ

    Has anyone heard anything about end of year meeting with Schneider, Carroll and Allen?

    • TomLPDX

      Crickets

    • BobbyK

      Seattle media doesn’t generally report that stuff. Imagine if a QB of another franchise in a big market got drunk and belittled cops how the New York, Dallas, etc. media would go crazy. Seahawks writers? Crickets. Then celebrate his greatness. Seattle media prefer to tell us we’re all so stupid for speculating that Russell Wilson will ever get traded that we shouldn’t have an opinion for proposing such stupid things. They don’t care about digging in to find stuff we’d like to know.

  52. cha

    Tom Pelissero
    @TomPelissero
    ·
    9m
    #Cowboys DC Dan Quinn informed interested teams that he is staying in Dallas, per sources.

    Quinn was a top candidate for the #Cardinals’ head coaching job and also interviewed with the #Colts and #Broncos. But his heart is in Dallas and he wants to win a Super Bowl there.

    • TomLPDX

      I guess he didn’t get the job he wanted.

      • Big Mike

        100% agree Tom. If he really wants to win a Super Bowl, Dallas is nearly the last place he should be. 27 years and counting without even a NFCCG appearance let alone Super Bowl appearance, let alone Super Bowl win. Bwa ha ha ha.

        Maybe he knows something we don’t and Jerruh is gonna kick off (likely his liver will give out). Dallas ain’t winning shit til he’s gone.

        • James Z

          Concur… Dallas, rotting form the top down, but oh so sweet to see the posterior of Da Boys and even against the almost equally despised (though talented!) Niners.

      • ShowMeYourHawk

        Perhaps he’s happy to wait until the slew of HC gigs open up next season. Rams, Raiders, Chargers, Browns, Bucs, Cowboys…. and even the Seahawks are all possibilities. All those are better options (well, maybe not Cleveland) than Indy, Arizona or Houston.

  53. MoBo

    What are JS and PC goals for next season will be? Good to hear PC not talking about how close they are like usual but if you look at the roster and our cap you can’t say anything like that.
    With our draft picks and 10M Incentives for the season we have like 10.5M cap remaining.

    What we don’t have: QB, C, LB (1,5x)
    What we have:
    – A defensive system not working
    Players you signed last season for that system (Woods, Mone, Jefferson)
    Other costly mistakes from the past (Peacock, Diggs, Dissly, Jackson)
    + Young, cheap and good OT, CB, RB.
    2 Top WR.
    2 OLB with 9,5 sacks and 3 young guys to throw in (Robinson, Smith, Mafe).

    Do they think they can resign Geno, draft some young players and be a contender in 2024? We have 10M to play with in Offseason for a starting QB, C and 2 LB only to fill the holes in our roster. Can you draft BPA if you have those holes?

    Yes they can create money:
    Cut your starting IDL: +8M from cutting just Harris (or less if you restructure him) to +17M if you cut them all?
    Cut your starting safeties for 8/10 or 18M (both).
    Cut your starting RG for 6M.

    Will our FO be honest to make a good chunk of those moves? Will they start a total rebuild on defense and would the money be enough to fulfill all the needs? Can you rely on rookies stepping in and be a contender next season?

    If not the question I am asking myself is: What is the benefit of resigning Geno at all? For the next season it doesn’t matter if they sign him for 20M APY and a first year cap of 8M or for 30M APY and a first year cap of 11M. But in 2024 his cap hit would be around 26 – 38M. Sure you can lower the cap by putting in some void years but they almost never do this. Isn’t his money better spend elsewehre? Cutting or trading him would be money wasted for what?
    If PC wants to stay until 2025, isn’t his best shot to win a Superbowl to capitalize from a good last draft hitting the Jackpot on otherwise expensive positions (OT, CB and maybe DE/OLB), make a clean reset on the defensive line, strenghten the trenches on offense and defense and throw in young guys this year and see if they can develop into the right direction especially at QB. And finally use the money you have in 2024 or 2025 to bring in the missing pieces and some premium players? Am I’m totally naive to think it is this easy?

  54. bmseattle

    Sorry to be a bit off topic, but asking for help for any tech savvy SDB readers.

    I just updated my android phone, and now I can’t log onto SDB when I’m not at home on my own wifi.
    *No other sites* seem effected in this way… just SDB.

    Anyone have any ideas or suggestions?
    I’m using my old sim card, if that matters at all.

    • Palatypus

      Who is your provider? My first thought is that this is the kind of thing that happens when you kill net neutrality.

    • Palatypus

      Or, it could be that the security software is blocking all sites with flash. Sometimes I see a message about flash not being supported on the banner at the top of the page. Does anybody use flash anymore?

      • bmseattle

        @Palatypus

        Is that something I can address in my settings?

        • bmseattle

          it’s Xfinity

          • Palatypus

            I don’t think you can get Xfinity in Florida.

        • Palatypus

          I’m thinking that the software might just not like a lot of processes when there is less bandwidth.

    • ShowMeYourHawk

      Don’t have an Android (iPhone) but I have the same issue. The blog only loads for me in the presence of Wi-Fi. If I’m trying to use 5G, the site lags and times out.

      • bmseattle

        I remember this happened with my last android, but somewhere along the line, I was able to access the site away from wifi.
        Now with my new phone, the issue has returned.
        It’s just so weird that it’s *only* SDB.
        No other site I try to access has that issue.

        • Palatypus

          Have you tried it with Brave?

          • bmseattle

            I haven’t, no.
            What about it makes you think it might work?
            The ad blocking?

            • Palatypus

              It does more than that, but yes.

              • James Z

                I have Brave, Tor, and Safari. I switch around when there’s an ‘issue’.

            • bmseattle

              I’ll give it a try tomorrow at work.
              thanks for the suggestion.

              • bmseattle

                Tried Brave today.
                Seems cool, but didn’t solve the SDB problem.
                Oh well…guess I’ll just have to catch up on the action here when I get home.

      • 805Hawk

        I have the same problem. It’s been this way on each iteration of iPhone that I’ve used (I’m now on an iPhone 13 Pro). It’s the weirdest and often most frustrating thing. I want my SDB everywhere I go! I didn’t think to try a different browser, so I’ll try that. It’s only SDB that I have an issue with when there’s no WiFi. Strange.

    • Ashish

      I remember having that issue like 2 or 3 years back. Behavior is very weird, all other sites work except SDB. I will say try different browser if that works.

  55. Thomas

    So Brock Huard doesn’t like Levis.

    I guess the only thing I’d say is that I do wonder if being hit so many times will affect him. Are there any comparisons Rob of high drafted quarterbacks who were sacked as much?

    Still, I’d take him ahead of Young and either of the defenders. I slightly prefer Richardson. Fine with Levis at 5.

    • Palatypus

      You mean, getting hit over the head with a clipboard by Peyton Manning?

  56. KD

    Latest mock by Walterfootball published yesterday is pretty decent.
    https://walterfootball.com/draft2023.php

    I don’t agree with some of his rankings or some of his picks for the hawks, but overall it’s way better than the crap i see from so many other sites. Just one of the reasons WF is one of my go-to sites, and one of the few guys who at least gets most picks within a reasonable range.

    Quick list of Seattle picks:
    5.) Jalen Carter
    20.) Tuli Tuipuluto
    37.) Jarret Patterson
    52.) Zay Flowers
    83.) Habukkuk Baldonaldo

  57. Rob Staton

    Updated horizontal board tomorrow

    Found a handful of guys I’ve not talked about that I really like…

    • ShowMeYourHawk

      Nice! Been eagerly awaiting this for a few weeks.

      Thanks for your efforts, Rob!

    • Zxvo3

      👍👍👍

    • Big Mike

      Sweet

    • Palatypus

      And in 8 days, 14 hours, 30 minutes, and 20 seconds he will change it.

      19 seconds…
      18 seconds…
      17 seconds…

      • Hawktalker#1

        Yep. Gotta be stoned to think these are written in stone. 😉

    • Hawktalker#1

      Sweet. REALLY looking forward to it!!!

      Thoughts on Deuce Vaughn as a late round pick?

      • AlaskaHawk

        I’m probably the only one who prefers you publish the board on Monday so I have something to look at over the week.

        Too much going on with the NFL playoffs on Sunday and the inevitable pre and post analysis.

  58. Mick

    Wanted to share this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h__qk3mrGgg

    • Matt

      Something seems off with Brock lately. Admittedly haven’t listened much to the show since it came back but every time I do, Brock seems like a different guy from years ago.

      • Mick

        Don’t know much about them. I just found interesting the point that we can get a starter at DT in late rounds. That’s a case of not going for Jalen Carter at 5 for me.

      • DC1234

        I listen to Brock and Salk often. Im a fan of Brock. He seems to be the same to me.

        He is not a fan of Levis. He could be right, could be wrong. Its all projections.

        • clbradley17

          Brock & Salk with Lance Zierlein. Zierlein is the 2nd expert to back up Rob on a player in the last few days. First it was Mel Kiper about Levis being a very good QB for Seattle to pick at 5, and having no offensive line at Kentucky. The Seahawks pick is at 18 min. in.
          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxWRfoaxQHI&t=1082s

          Now it’s Zierlein talking about how good a prospect LB Drew Sanders is.
          Great work Rob. Excellent content and always way ahead of the curve.

        • Matt

          My comment isn’t on his player preferences – his demeanor and general tenor seems very different than it was before.

          • DC1234

            I dont know if his demeanor has changed or not. To be honest, idk.

            I get the impression Brock and Salk are less of a homer or seahawks apologist as before. 710 sports to me is for fans that want to hear the surface level, positive Seahawks spin news. Nothing wrong with that. Just not my preference.

            I like KJR 93.3 a bit better. Especially with Hugh Millon MMQB because he goes more indepth with what happened on Sunday and goes over actual plays. And they are more critical of the Seahawks. Especially Hugh ragging on Jamal Adams (deservingly so) for years. Probably cause they are not the seahawks flagship station.

            Maybe Mike Salk wants to have different opinions and views on his station. So Brock’s demeanor is a bit different.

          • Dregur

            The only difference I’ve found is he’s a bit more sarcastic then I remember him being. But other than that, I find him just fine.

  59. UkAlex6674

    Bobby I’m with you on getting both of those.

    Remember when the Panthers got a couple of hogmollies in the same draft?! (Short and Loutei I think).

  60. Sea Mode

    His McVay is always spot on… 😂

    https://mobile.twitter.com/JoeyMulinaro/status/1618263017770340352

    • clbradley17

      Thanks Sea Mode. Tony is great, 2nd only to Rob in my opinion on the draft. He used to have his own show/podcast which stopped a year ago, as did his work with the Eagles Journey to the Draft podcast. Now he works with giants.com, the section is about halfway down under Draft Season.

      https://www.giants.com/podcasts/

  61. Sea Mode

    Pauline interviews Nagy

    https://mobile.twitter.com/TonyPauline/status/1618729373137510406

    • clbradley17

      Meant to reply to Sea Mode here about Tony Pauline earlier. Must have been half asleep.

  62. Palatypus

    Ian Rapoport reported that the Carolina Panthers have hired Frank Reich to be their new head coach.

    https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1618755997568303104?s=20&t=lEed3L4RDFGwbqDRhPCLug

    Do you think Carolina is going to make a big trade up for a quarterback?

    Well, what do we know about our friend Frank Reich?

    *Played for the Maryland Terrapins backing up his college roommate Boomer Esiason.

    *Played QB for the Bills and Backed up Jim Kelly. Barely lost Super Bowl XXV and mounted the biggest comeback (until recently) in NFL playoff history to the Warren Moon-led Houston Oilers.

    * Was a coaching intern under Jim Caldwell in Indianapolis when Tony Dungy retired and was eventually promoted to receivers coach. Left for Arizona to assume that position under Ken Whisenhunt, the former offensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Stealers. Helped Whisenhunt lead Arizona to the Super Bowl. After being fired, Reich later joined Whisenhunt in San Diego. Then Whisenhunt was hired as head coach of the Tennessee Titans, but Reich did not follow and became the offensive coordinator of the Chargers. He got fired from the Chargers and took the same position with the Eagles, helping to lead them to a Super Bowl victory in 2017. He then returned to Indianapolis as head coach and made the playoff twice.

    As Wikipedia noted, “Following (Andrew) Luck’s unexpected retirement ahead of the 2019 season, Reich’s Indianapolis tenure became noted for quarterback instability, with the team starting (Jacoby) Brissett in 2019, Philip Rivers in 2020, Carson Wentz in 2021, and Matt Ryan and Sam Ehlinger in 2022. After a disappointing 3–5–1 start to the 2022 season, Reich was fired on November 7.”

    • Mick

      I’m not a big fan of Reich but I hope he desperately wants Geno Smith and offers him Russ Wilson money. This would solve everyone’s problems in a great way.

    • Rob Staton

      Do you think Carolina is going to make a big trade up for a quarterback?

      Yes

    • cha

      He is also definitely not an alien.

      https://youtu.be/8-SGJtUUu2g

      • Palatypus

        So, how many Aliens for Chicago’s pick? They’re going to need more than four.

  63. Hoggs41

    Pubs yes. Or anything else in the areas that seem like they could be fun.

    • Palatypus

      In Mobile? One of the sponsors is a nearby sports bar that serves great gumbo. They serve it free on game day at one of the tailgating pavilions. Never been there though.

      Battleship park is a must-see for tourists and nearby Felix’s Fish Camp might be the restaurant in the state of Alabama. Try the soup sampler with crab chowder, shrimp gumbo with andouille sausage, and turtle soup served with a side of sherry. Those little white flecks in the turtle soup? Those are the whites of quail eggs. They also have a very large whiskey bar and it is rumored that a lot of NFL coaches meet up there.

      Moe’s BBQ on Dauphin street is a place you’ll want to hit, and they are having a charity event on Thursday where you can meet some players. They have another location closer to the Senior Bowl but I haven’t been to it.

      As far as downtown goes, I would recommend The Blind Mule. They have a nice little enclosed patio restaurant and upstairs they have a stage for bands that reminds me of the old Storeroom Tavern in Seattle. My friend Noah, a truck driver from Kentucky recommended it.

      • Palatypus

        Oh, and nearest the Senior Bowl, go to Mods Pizza. Artisan style. Very fast. And there is a Cava bar next door.

  64. cha

    https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/news/2023-nfl-mock-draft-panthers-orchestrate-three-team-trade-take-bryce-young-at-no-1-seahawks-move-up-for-qb/

    No idea if Josh Edwards has any chops, but food for thought. Jalen Carter at 5 and Anthony Richardson at 15.

    That might be too much risk even for me.

    • Trevor

      That would be the ultimate high risk / high reward strategy. Two of the highest upside players in the draft but also the riskiest and the strategy itself would be risky. Still interesting idea and I would not completely rule it out. Still thing Richardson goes earlier than that though.

    • Mick

      Again Will Anderson goes to Cardinals. What a surprise would it be if they went for Carter at 3. I’d be on board with taking Anderson at 5 if Stroud, Levis and Richardson are gone.

      • Big Mike

        Agree Mick

  65. Blitzy the Clown

    Kyle Youmans
    @Kyle_Youmans

    Some @seniorbowl names to watch from
    @TheDraftShow Ep2:

    Edge
    -Andre Carter II, Army

    WR
    -Rashee Rice, SMU
    -Jonathan Mingo, Ole Miss

    TE
    -Luke Musgrave, OrSt

    OL
    -Matthew Bergeron, Syracuse
    -Cody Mauch, NDSU
    -Jaelyn Duncan, Maryland
    -Byron Young, Bama

    DT
    -Keeanu Benton, Wisc

    8:37 AM · Jan 27, 2023

    Looking good in Mobile Palatypus. I’m envious

    *think Kyle meant to put Byron Young with Benton

    • Hawk Finn

      “*think Kyle meant to put Byron Young with Benton”

      Not if Tom Cable has anything to say about it

  66. Leo

    I’ve started looking forward to Rob’s horizontal draft boards like they’re movie releases lmao. I know I’ll spend an hour that day playing with the draft simulators and dreaming. Appreciate ya Rob!

  67. Seattle Person

    Hey Rob,

    I am not seeing a lot of buzz about Darnell Wright. He’s probably the best RT in the draft. I know you put him in the top 15 in your mock draft but you also put Abe Lucas in the first round last season. My point is what if Wright never picks up stem? Abe Lucas had good tape, a good Senior Bowl, and a pretty good Combine. What if Wright drops?

    I would love to snatch him up at #20 or #37. I’m just spit-balling here but I haven’t seen Wright mocked in the first round or haven’t read/watch many talk about him.

    • Rob Staton

      Where would we play him though?

      • Seattle Person

        Well that’s the rub isn’t it? It won’t maximize his talents but it probably makes the Online better. A right side of Abe Lucas and Darnell Wright is pretty formidable. I have no idea how he looks at RG. But it makes sense if the Hawks do believe in BPA. Especially if he lasts in the 2nd. It probably doesn’t make as much sense in the first. I still have a hard time understanding why there isn’t more praise for Wright

        • Rob Staton

          For me, it wouldn’t make much sense drafting a right tackle convert that early when we don’t how he can handle the position. There are just too many other needs to do that at #20 or #38

          • cha

            Feels like it might be that ‘smartest guy in the room’ thing we’ve been dreading the last few years.

          • Seattle Person

            I mostly agree. I do hope to see Wright get some guard reps at the Senior Bowl just to put it out there.

  68. Robert Las Vegas

    For some reason this off season John and Pete have both brought up the San Francisco 49ers. Let’s talk about the niners did you know that the 49ers did not beat a mobile quarter all year!! Look at their schedule they avoided Kyler twice this year.they lost to Justin Fields, Marcus Mariota, Patrick mahomes and there Achilles tendon Russ Wilson. Fact geno,dax tua , Herbert, baker, Stafford, colt McCoy. Tom Brady, and of course Andy Dalton do any of these guys consider mobile Quarterbacks? Just saying

  69. JJ

    Rob,

    Just listened to a seahawkcentric podcast talking about the offseason. The main point was to tag Geno and look to sign a starting LB for $15 mil. No thoughts on the cap or how you actually fill out the rest of roster. Makes me appreciate the time and effort you put into your articles. Just want to say thanks.

    • Rob Staton

      🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

    • Trevor

      That’s the thing that sets Rob apart from the rest. Not only football knowledge and the ability to evaluate talent but the logical and rational thinking about all the other comments that go into the draft / team construction.

      It has kind of spoiled me because when I read most of the other stuff out there I am thinking what the hell is this drivel.

  70. JimQ

    The website below has an interesting analysis off many of the Senior Bowl’s participants. Starting with the QB position, the QB below has apparently garnered some genuine real interest by many NFL scouts. Should be interesting to see how he does in the Senior Bowl game. —- Small School record holder QB-Tyson Bagent —-
    Might be a day-3 Suprise?

    https://thedraftnetwork.com/senior-bowl-2023-tyson-bagent-interview2/
    (See many other participants information & interviews on this website as well.)

  71. carl

    lookin gat Seahawk free agents, there does not
    seem to be any better than replacement. and
    Seahawks lack of comp picks speaks to string
    of weak drafts

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