Why the idea of an early round RB isn’t so ridiculous

Amid all the Marshawn Lynch speculation yesterday, the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport had a lot to say about Seattle’s plans at the running back position…

I find it hard to believe Seattle, somehow, is leaking information to the media on their plans for a draft that is five months away. The idea is quite ridiculous in fact. The scouts are out watching games every week, so is John Schneider. They’ll know players they like, sure. But it’s way too early to say with any certainty that a running back will be a first or second round target next April.

At yet I’ll concede it’s very easy to imagine John Schneider getting a Russell Wilson-level man-crush over Melvin Gordon and/or Todd Gurley.

Both players are very talented. Gordon runs like a gazelle, has great vision plus breakaway speed and he can be a home run hitter. With a greater role this year he’s been asked to do more blocking and he’s added good size too. He’s an athletic playmaker with a sturdy frame.

Gurley is a phenom. Yes he’s big and powerful — but he’s also a terrific athlete with incredible breakaway speed. People compare him to Lynch but it’s a poor comparison. Gurley is much more of a threat to take it the distance, he’s also bigger than Lynch. Yet he lacks that unique, unmatched quality to break tackles that will live and die with Beast Mode in this league.

Seattle’s running game would look very different subtracting Lynch and installing either of these two players. It doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Sometimes change can be a good thing, even if Lynch has been such a terrific acquisition for this team.

We have no idea where either player will fall in the draft — another reason why Rapoport’s speculation isn’t worth paying much attention to in late October. For me Gurley is possibly the first, second or third best player eligible for the 2015 draft along with Marcus Mariota and La’el Collins. I’m a convert after some skepticism entering the season. Trent Richardson went third overall. Will that scare teams off? Could Gurley provide a dynamic, instant playmaking quality to a team like Jacksonville, for example, that has recently spent first round picks at quarterback and left tackle?

It could happen. Or he could end up lasting a while — such is the feeling that you can find productive runners later on (DeMarco Murray, for example, is a third round pick).

We just don’t know.

However, I can see a scenario where the Seahawks do go early on a running back if one of these two dynamic players makes it to Seattle’s pick — and they fill some other needs in free agency.

The Seahawks have put a lot of emphasis on the running game. It’s part of the teams DNA. And it didn’t really get going until they put together a functional offensive line and traded for Lynch. Even with Pete Carroll highlighting the run and trying to make it the identity of the Seahawks — no team in 2010 were as poor as Seattle running the ball. Lynch was absolutely integral in establishing Carroll’s philosophy. The offense without him is still pretty unimaginable.

Moving on from Lynch will be the hardest thing this team has to do in terms of a pure football move. Forget all the other stuff — the apparent dysfunction with Carroll/Schneider and whatever else is being reported. Forget about it. From a pure talent perspective it will be a major turning point when the Seahawks say, “no more”. This will be, officially, the passing of the torch to Russell Wilson.

I think we know they’re comfortable with this. They’ll definitely pay Wilson a huge contract in 2015 and he’ll take on even more responsibility than before. He’s a successful, hard working individual and the type Carroll and co want at the forefront of this roster.

They’re also ready, it seems, to put young talent beneath him. Players who can follow Wilson. Players who walk into that locker room and admire him, respect him. Will work with him and for him. Will listen, learn and improve. Will be “all in”.

It seems clear that Percy Harvin and Lynch aren’t or weren’t willing to do that. Wilson’s coronation didn’t sit comfortably with the two other veteran stars on offense. One is gone, one is going.

Seattle will probably hope Paul Richardson can develop and be a young playmaker at receiver, learning with Wilson. Ditto Kevin Norwood. They already have two respectable veteran receivers in Doug Baldwin (paid this year) and Jermaine Kearse (paid next year?). They will probably identify a veteran to come in and help out (a big target at receiver or tight end) but that will probably be a carefully selected individual after the issues with Harvin.

And then there’s the running back position. The best way to soften the blow of Lynch’s departure would be to get a big time X-factor at the position. Go big. Potentially go get a Gurley or a Gordon. A young player who will know his place with the talent to be productive quickly. They could target later round RB’s but it becomes a bit of a crap shoot. If you believe Gurley or Gordon will be a star, why hesitate to keep the running game at the top?

They’ve shown they’re willing to draft runners early (see: Christine Michael). As for Michael and Robert Turbin — they’ll probably get an expanded role too. At USC Carroll loved to bring in 5-star recruits at running back and let them compete. An extra playmaker would be ideal — Turbin could end up being a Marcel Reece-style full back going forward (why not?) and there still appears to be some trust issues with Michael.

I get this is just some classic October spit-balling. I get that people won’t like it. Football fans constantly want to draft for the offensive or defensive line. Seattle has possible needs in both areas next year. And yet if they make some shrewd acquisitions in free agency you just never know. Maybe Rapoport’s hints at a big splash at running back could come true? I’m not saying it’d be right or that it’s what I want to happen. I’m just suggesting it could.

Tomorrow I’ll publish a ‘top-20’ prospects so far list. Expect a 1-2-3 of Mariota, Gurley and La’el Collins. Kentucky’s brilliant Bud Dupree will also be included.

54 Comments

  1. Mylegacy

    Rob, there is a lot of “talk’ about DaBeast being less than an ideal team player – however – we’ve all more or less known for the past year or so that Lynch was gone after this year to clear payroll space – as the Cap slowly tries to strangle us. Starting next year, the Cap will be getting a bit of help with the strangulation from Mr. Wilson’s soon to be $100 million withdrawal. In 2016 Russell’s withdrawals will seriously begin to impact the team’s financial flexibility.

    I’m not a fan of taking a running back too high next year. Murray was a 3rd round pick, as you noted – and – we’ll have quite a few picks so the team could pick two runners and let them compete with Michael and Turbin.

    To me, I just picture Russell with an actual professional quality OLine in front of him and I see an unbeatable offensive juggernaut. Take line men ( 2- O and 2 – D) with the first 4 rounds and then use the 6 or 8 picks we’ll have in addition to the first four rounds to take “special athletes” as needed.

    • Rob Staton

      I would counter slightly there Mylegacy. They’ve already put a lot of stock into this offensive line (2x round 1 plus a second rounder). Constantly pumping picks into the OL isn’t a solution, especially when it’s the same people making the decisions every time. Plus who do you replace? They might have to replace Carpenter, but Okung, Unger, Sweezy and Britt appear locked in. I’ll also maintain that Wilson is possibly the single hardest QB to block for in the NFL. He moves around so much — sometimes unnecessarily. Part of it is design, part of it’s the height. Trying to work out what he’s doing is very difficult.

      I’m not against waiting to draft RB’s — but Lynch is going to leave a huge hole. Enormous. Seattle can’t afford to just bring in average RB’s and hope it works out — because they’re so committed to the run. I feel like they need at least one stud in there, which they’ve had with Lynch. The RB spot is probably more central to Seattle’s offense than most other teams. San Fran are similar — and they spent a high pick this year on Carlos Hyde. Seattle might need to do something similar — but only if they can fill other needs in R2-4 or in free agency. Because the biggest off-season priority, in FA or the draft, will be improving the depth and quality of the defensive line IMO.

      • JeffC

        I guess the way I see it, which matters zero…is that if it’s a Gurley level of back sitting there, and there’s no one else at a true need position like pass rusher equally sitting there…then go ahead and pick the rb. But don’t use a high pick on another uber physical talent like CMike who doesn’t have the huge resume. And don’t pick Gurley if a high level pass rusher is sitting there that fits the Leo mold.

        I’d like to see more from CMike. Perhaps this Coleman injury has one bright spot to it, which gets CMike some reps. We need to know what we have before giving up on him. It seems that whenever CMike is inactive, Turbin plays like crap. When CMike is active, Turbin actually seems to play decent. Is that my imagination?

      • AlaskaHawk

        We spend far too much time defending an offensive line that is average at best. I would like to see a line that opens up holes for the running backs instead of having them cut back away from the line. I would also like to see Russell Wilson drop back and get 4 seconds of zen meditative protection while he picks apart the defense. We have been lucky enough to get a scrambling QB and a running back that runs over people. But that won’t last. And it really doesn’t matter how many draft picks we spent on the line if those picks are injured or not playing well. Did you see RW get hit by two defenders while passing last week? He is lucky to still have his knees. I could go down the list of issues, let’s start with a LT and a LG. We need healthy quality players in those positions.

        • Rob Staton

          A worse offensive line last year helped us win a Super Bowl.

          Did I see Wilson get hit? Sure. I also saw several QB’s get hit including Manning. It happens in football.

          • CHawk Talker Eric

            I disagree. This line looks far worse than last season’s. Maybe PFF or some other guru site can provide stats to refute this, but there’s no denying they fail the eye test.

            • Rob Staton

              Can’t agree there Eric. For several weeks last year we had McQuistan and a rookie 7th rounder (Bowie) playing tackle. Do you remember the games against STL, Arizona, Tampa Bay? The line is vastly, vastly improved from that shambles. And they still won a Super Bowl.

            • DoubleJ

              Just looked up the stats on PFF

              2013 the OL was rated 27th — Sweezy best, McQuistan worst by a mile (-24.5 – wow)

              2014 as of Oct 8 (last consolidation of the OL ratings) the line was 8th — this would have been before the Unger injury and the Dallas, Rams, Carolina games so maybe that would have dropped a bit — but probably not enough to drop them anywhere near 27th,

              So they are probably grading out better (and not having McQuistan is a big help on the averages) but perhaps we are noticing them more because we are needing to rely on our offense more overall

              • Arias

                Well, I’m looking at the current cumulative PFF grades including the games since the 10/8 and it’s nowhere near that. Right the now the pass blocking is 19th and run blocking is 16th. So consider how poorly we’ve been playing over the last 3 weeks to drop that far.

                Also for 2013 I’m seeing Unger as the best with a +1.9 grade for the year.

          • AlaskaHawk

            I’ve had a hard time watching the Seahawks this year. Last year the offensive line had troubles and had a hard time scoring until we got into the playoffs . Arizona even beat us at home at the end of the season. But the line improved and by the Super Bowl was playing great.

            This year they have fallen back to square one, showing no improvement from last year. They are getting better (I think???) as the season rolls on. Hopefully they will regain Superbowl form. But it is hard to watch when we go back to where we started last year. And other teams are way above us at this time, including San Diego and Denver. I know PC is trying to make adjustments and get the rookies playing. I guess it still looks like preseason to me.

            Defensively I’m giving the team a pass because of injuries to Wagner and Maxwell. There is no way to compensate for those critical injuries. I won’t give the offensive line a pass for injuries because two of the players have been injured multiple times, and there should have been even more emphasis on backups during the preseason.

            • Rob Staton

              I don’t share that concern, Alaska. Injuries have hurt the defense. I don’t have any problem with the way this team has played on offense against Green Bay, San Diego, Denver, Washington, St. Louis or Carolina. The one bad offensive day where it was ugly — Dallas. Apart from that, pretty good I’d say.

          • DoubleJ

            Last years dominant defense papered over the limitations of the offense, including the line and the lack of a major playmaker WR. I get that PCJS see the line as a place to save money in spots, particularly at guard, and as you said, that line was good enough to win the Super Bowl last year.

            However, until the defense is that dominant again (and maybe that will occur next year with all the draft picks and another round of FA) the offensive line and its limitations will have more overall impact on the team’s performance than they had to last year. For me, that’s where the concern is — even if they truly are at same level as last year (which I’m not sure they are) that’s probably not enough for the team overall.

        • DoubleJ

          I hope we can improve our hit rate on our early round drafting of OL to help begin to upgrade the talent further

          We’ve already spent two first rounders, two second rounders and a third rounder (by my count) over the last four years on the OL, and ending up with the current manifestation of the line.

          Cable deserves credit for developing those late round guys like Sweezy, Bowie, etc… but those misses on some of the earlier rounders have hurt…

  2. Mark

    The most Lynch-like RB I’ve seen is Josh Robinson (the Bowling Ball.) I think he keeps a wide base and has good balance like Lynch. It also doesn’t hurt that he’s 200lb and may run in the low 4.3s. Not sure if he’ll declare for the draft this year, but I’m keeping an eye open.

    • Mark

      I stat-ed the wrong Josh Robinson. The Miss St. RB is 215 lbs. and more high 4.4s. Still a productive runner so far.

    • Rob Staton

      Terrific player.

  3. chris

    rob, does gurley kinda remind you of steven jackson?

    • Mark

      I am not close to an expert, but Jackson was the first player I thought of with Gurley.

    • Rob Staton

      More of a home run hitter, less physical I’d say.

    • JeffC

      Reminds me of OJ Anderson when he was young.

  4. CC

    If the Seahawks don’t make the playoffs and have a sub 20 first round pick, I would be looking at the D line for a pick. Danny Shelton is big, athletic and can move. That is exactly the type of big body we need up front. I would look there before I went RB in the first round.

    • Rob Staton

      I’m not opposed to another big man, but I think they need a more natural three tech. Shelton looks like a one tech to me.

  5. Cysco

    The Seahawks taking a RB early? I just don’t see it. They just drafted Michael two years ago. If there were a generational RB available, ok, consider it, but Gordon and Gurley are not generational talents. I’d be hard pressed to look at tape of Gordon, Gurley and Michael and point at the first two as obviously better. If anything, you look at Michael’s highlight reel and it looks like Michael has the athletic and game breaking edge over the other two. If the team has a hard time trusting a second year RB with Michael’s potential, how would they possibly trust a rookie?

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gwYnowJN-8

    I am by no means an offensive line expert, but I have a hard time watching our squad and thinking “these guys are good.” Wilson seems to be under constant pressure. The running game seems to be an exercise in constantly running into a solid wall. I live in Dallas and get to watch all the Cowboys games. Via the eye test, that offensive line is significantly better. Maybe it’s scheme. Maybe it’s QB mobility. All I know is Demarco Murray is on pace to set a rushing record. Demarco Murray. (as I type this he just busted a 51-yd run through a truck-size hole)

    I don’t care who the RB is on the Seahawks, no RB is going to consistently put up 100-yd games behind this offensive line. For a team that wants the run to be their identity, that sounds like a problem. That said, I don’t know how you fix it. Is the issue players? Is it scheme? is it coaching? I don’t know. What I do know is that You could put Gurley, Gordon, Lynch, Michael or Herschel Walker in his prime behind this line and I wouldn’t expect a different result.

  6. Kelly Orr

    I do not see Seattle taking a RB in the first round at all. I think the trust issues with Christine Michael are slowly going away. I was surprised against the panthers to see him in there for like 6 or 7 plays. Not sure how much cap room we have atm. But getting rid of Harvin and after this year the cap will increase by another 10 million. Tough cuts at the end of this year I see being Jermaine Kearse, Malcom Smith, Cliff Avril, Carpenter and possibly K.J. Wright. I could also see Seattle asking Okung to take a pay cut. Bobby Wagner and Russell must get resigned. I would love to see this team find a way to keep K.J. Wright and Lynch both. But I would much rather see Lynch back than K.J. to be honest. Like you said in the article. Lynch is such a special player do you really not try to find a way to get him what he wants to stay in Seattle. I believe it is only another 2 or 3 million more he is asking for. Perhaps we will also have more dead money freed up to help as well. http://overthecap.com/salary-cap-space/ says we will have 33 million in cap space take 20 mil for Russell thats 13 million left. Probably 7 million per year for Wagner. Then you have 6 million left. Then give an extra 2 million to Lynch and add another 4 mill per year for K.J. Then with cutting Avril and Okung restructuring hopefully we will have another 11 mil or so to play with. If I am calculating everything correctly that is.

    • Kelly Orr

      Actually this is Russell Okung’s big money year. Over the Cap shows his salary shrings from 11.2 million to 7.2 so he will essentially alread take a pay cut.

    • Kelly Orr

      But this being a draft blog I would hope Seattle has a sense of urgency after seeing the team this year to go out and get a Big Target for Russell Wilson. 6’4″ or taller. Then focus on another pass rushing DE and a DT that can get consistent push up the middle in pass Rushing situation.

    • Kelly Orr

      But this being a draft blog I would hope Seattle has a sense of urgency after seeing the team this year to go out and get a Big Target for Russell Wilson. 6’4″ or taller. Then focus on another pass rushing DE and a DT that can get consistent push up the middle in pass Rushing situations.

    • JeffC

      You would have to think that they’ll structure RW’s deal to not be a full 20 mill cap hit the first year so there may be more money.

  7. Hay stacker509

    Off topic but after watching the redskins and cowboys game I soooo wished we would have drafted brashaun breeland… That guy can flat out play and hit!!

  8. Ed C.

    Wilson is our team.

    Okung Unger Avril Miller Carpenter Lynch all probably gone next year.

    We need Dline and Oline.

    DT DE OT OG should be our picks.

    • Michael M.

      Okung would need to be cut since he has a year left on his deal, and his cap hit is actually smaller next season. I don’t see that happening. Who would replace him on the blindside? Say you’re very lucky and have a good option fall to us down in the 20’s or 30’s… He’s gonna make about 2 or 3 million, so Okung gets cut for a net savings of 4 or 5 million bucks of cap room. Now all you have to worry about is his development, learning of the system, and difference in overall physical ability between a departed #6 overall pick and his own skill set that allowed him to last into the bottom half of the round.

      Unless Okung has yet another major injury this year, I would be shocked to see the team move on in 2015.

    • Rob Staton

      Okung and Unger will be here next year.

  9. Dumbquestions

    Hmmm. Gurley and Gordon look pretty ordinary to me. Down on first contact most of the time, not much explosion. Cysco’s right – Michael’s tape is better, even if he hasn’t lived up to it yet.

    I get Rob’s point about fans preferring linemen, but you know, maybe there’s a reason: linemen are useful. And while it’s true that Okung and Carp are recent first-rounders, it’s equally true that the O-line hasn’t been blowing people off the blocks lately. JS took recent shots with Jordan Hill (a contributor), Jesse Williams (not so much) and Cassius Marsh (still hoping).

    Lynch is a transcendent player (my personal fave on the team) and a head case. I suspect you can have one head case in that locker room, not more – and only as long as the head case performs. I understand why he’s indifferent to PC’s philosophy, because philosophy is all it is. Slogans are nice – they might have abstract value, but they don’t win games. Slogans didn’t win the division and the Super Bowl. They didn’t win national titles at USC. Win forever is a motto – and even if PC believes in it, the motto doesn’t break tackles.

    Lynch wants to play, that’s all. He wants the ball. He should want it. I hope he sticks because I like him, but also because they have no one like him. If he pouts and refuses to accept his role, that’s different – and it’s a problem. Wins will cure it, just like everything else.

  10. dean

    It wouldn’t shock me if they did. It won’t be because of talent but only because Michael doesn’t have it between the ears. I’m not saying that is the case but if they take a guy high that would be my guess. I think his tape is as good as anyone I’ve seen in a while. If Michael can get it together mentally, I think he is going to be a star.

  11. Cysco

    I would love to know what the “trust issue” is with Michael. Is it a fumbling issue? Is it his blocking ability? Does he not hit the right running lanes?

    When he is out there he looks good. He’s shown the ability to turn negative plays into 0-1 yard gains. He’s shown a quick first step and we all know he’s the fastest RB we have on the roster. From what I’ve seen most every fan would love to see him with an expanded role. So what don’t we know about him? What would make the Seahawks essentially give up on their first pick from two years ago?

    If the Seahawks went RB in the first couple rounds I’d be more disappointed than with Harvin being shipped off.

  12. AlaskaHawk

    Just finished watching the game again. The next team goal should be to play one entire half the way they played the last 4 minutes. Job well done.

    I’ve been thinking over the question of how early we should take a running back. Considering we need a big sure handed receiver, help on the offensive line, and I would add another killer linebacker, I don’t think we will pick a running back before the 4th pick. There have been many productive running backs picked in the third round or later. Even some UDFA like Foster.

    • Rob Staton

      And yet the best two running backs we’ve had in our two Super Bowl runs were both first rounders (Alexander, Lynch). There’s no right or wrong answer here, which is the point of the article really. Let’s not rule anything out.

      For me the biggest need by a country mile is D-line and a big target. But the moment Lynch departs, I would include RB too. It’s vital for Seattle’s philosophy to have a very good RB.

  13. oz

    I like the RB from Nebraska for the Hawks. He had a monster game this past week-end. Great return specialist.
    Just heard Lynch is being traded to the Raiders.

    • Colin

      False.

  14. Colin

    I really don’t understand the sentiment of “draft two OL and two DL”. That’s not how you fix a problem. We drafted two OL in 2011, remember? It didn’t fix anything. Take the BPA and keep upgrading. For all we know Alvin Bailey may be a very good LT in the NFL. This isn’t to say don’t invest in the OL/DL, but just saying “oh go get two of each. We’ll be set for years” is just ridiculous thinking.

  15. Ed

    I totally agree on BPA, but within that you definitely have priorities. Okung and Unger are always hurt. Time to move on. We have no inside pass rush. Our back 7, Wilson and for the most part our WR are set. We NEED better line play on both sides.

    • Colin

      Time to move on? You move on when the contract expires, why do you want to create an unnecessary hole? That’s not how you get better. If you want to move on from Okung after 2015, do so. If you want to move on from Max Unger when his contract expires, do so. You don’t “move on” from a player just to move on; you do so because you have a better alternative.

      • Ed

        You can’t always wait. Teams always move on before contracts expire if it can clear space to get younger and possibly better. Why keep paying 10-20 milliion for 2 guys that miss at least half of every season. Maybe Bailey will be our left tackle and maybe tackle of the future.

  16. Tony

    I’m all for drafting a RB early if lynch goes. I think we always should draft a couple bodies for both lines. I’m actually good with our o-line. Okung is hurt, torn labrum is no joke either. Carp has looked good in run game. Britt has flashed as a rookie. Carp has been much improved and hopefully stays healthy. Unger will come back. Sweezy has been great so far. It’s still a relatively young group. We don’t need a high pick on oline.

    I would rather see a DT pass rusher, another CB, and a redzone threat.

    Rob do you think that maxwells injury possibly makes him affordable to resign? Or do yousee him leaving and simon being the next man up?

    • Arias

      Calling Sweezy ‘great’ so far sounds like a vast overreaction. He has played much better over the last 2-3 games, I’ll give him that. He played pretty poorly in pass pro against Denver and Washington, giving up a sack in the latter. He gave up 5 QB pressures on pass plays against Denver. He’s been pretty average in his run blocking. Inconsistent from game to game, not horrible but hardly outstanding.

      But I’m not so worried about his run blocking as his ability to pass protect, which I’d really like to see him tighten up.

      Carpenter has played far better than Sweezy. His pass protection is far from elite but he’s at least been consistently decent from game to game. He only had one truly miserable game against Dallas and he wasn’t at his best at St Louis either but still 1000x better than anything we’ve seen from him in years past, which isn’t saying much.

      • Tony

        I can agree with you on sweezys pass pro being not as strong as his run game. But I like his nastiness, and have seen him open some big lanes, even if the run never amounted to much. As a guy we got in the 7th rd and being a DE in college, I’m impressed with his improvements. And I can’t remember him missing time for injuries. He’s been very durable on a line constantly fighting injuries. He’s certainly no all-pro/pro bowl player. But I think he’ll be a guy who sticks around for awhile as a solid starter.

        I think carps been good as well. Injuries have stalled his progress a bit, but if his health stays good i ccould see him being a pro bowl level talent. Like all our lineman tho, run blocking is the key, with pass pro being less important. I believe our run blocking is solid and the hope that good health and improved continuity will help our pass pro.

        • Arias

          Carp a pro bowl talent? I’d really be shocked. He’s in the best shape of his life right now playing his best football in his 4th year in the league, I really don’t see much more upside in him and a lot of downside if he slacks off his off season conditioning in future non-contract years. Yes he’s playing well compared to his past injury plagued seasons. But even at his near peak right now it wouldn’t be fair to say he’s been any better than average when compared to other starting guards in the league.

          And he’s just not in the same stratosphere as pro bowl caliber guards like Marshal Yanda and Josh Sitton, or even rookies like Joel Bitonio or Zack Martin. Those two have pro bowl potential and if the season ended today they’d bee shoo-ins. Carp not so much.

          You’re right about Sweezy’s durability. I really do respect that about him, plus he’s dirt cheap on a UDFA rookie contract. I’d be disappointed if he didn’t continue to develop and improve his game, I don’t get the sense he’s near his ceiling like I do with Carp. I expect him to continue improving through this year and next from having only played the position for two and a half seasons. I’d agree that both guards have been solid in run blocking, but there’s still a ton of room for improvement. This is an average at best run blocking team at the moment.

    • Rob Staton

      I think they could go next man up. Although Maxwell’s injury and play may give off the impression of ‘system player’ to other teams instead of must-have CB. It’s an intriguing situation, mostly because Seattle is clearly backing itself to find cornerbacks to develop. The big issue here would’ve been if he’d made loads of big plays with teams staying away from Sherman. His injury has denied that opportunity so far, we’ll see what happens when he returns.

  17. Clayton

    Let’s wait maybe a year or two (depending on when he declares) for Jarvion Franklin, Western Michigan.

  18. kyle

    I agree with the line help on both sides. But as we have all said, we need a true number one receiver. What are the possibilities of going after dez Bryant? You think we would have a shot? Or are the hawks not even close in that category?
    Also drafting a running back high isn’t the worst thing in the world, but it all depends on who we acquire this free agency, ie d line interior rush help.

    • Rob Staton

      Dallas would be crazy to let Bryant depart.

  19. no frickin clue

    So the elephant in the room here is, if you’re going to use a high pick on an RB (and I agree that the physical RB is the identity of the team), then what does this say about Christine Michael? I assume he’s not seeing the field very much for one of two reasons, maybe both. One, the coaches don’t trust him with the playbook. Two, the coaches don’t trust him with pass protection. One, both, or neither?

  20. Jim Q

    Perhaps an alternative RB pick that MAY be available later in round 1 or beyond?

    RB-Ameer Abdullah, Senior, Nebraska, 5′-9″/195.
    2014 season so far:
    180/1249 yds, 17-TD’s, 6.9/ypc, Of his 8 games so far = 4 games with 200+ yds, 2 games with 100+ yds, 1 game with 54, + 13 rec/169 yds, 13.0/ypc, 2 TD;s

    2013 season: 281/1690 yds, 9=TD’s, 6.0/ypc, + 26 rec/232 yds, 8.9/ypc, 2-TD’s.
    2012 season: 226/1137 yds, 8-TD;s, 5.0/ypc + 24 rec/178 yds, 7.4/ypc, 2-TD;s.

    See also: http://nflmocks.com/2014/10/27/ameer-abdullah-nebraska-rb-first-round-pick/

    • oz

      Didn’t Abdullah have something like 400 all purpose yards his last outing? He is a very good return specialist. something the Hawks could certainly use. I don’t think he will go in the first as he will be gone by the end of the second round.

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