Seahawks Draft Blog

Draft notes from week three of the college football season

September 23, 2026 / / 0 Comments

Trinidad Chambliss shows why he is currently QB1

The point I’ve kept repeating during the early stages of the college football season is draft media are hopelessly building up and overrating the quarterback class.

For example, Todd McShay had LaNorris Sellers as the ninth best player on his big board last week, with Sam Leavitt at #20. Neither player is remotely close to being a first round prospect at this stage. A fifth of the players in the top-50 were quarterbacks — yet the chance of players like Demond Williams and Jayden Maiava going in that range are remote.

You can easily say the same about Arch Manning — universally projected in the top-five by most draft pundits and regularly talked about as a possible first overall pick — the reality is quite different (we’ll come back to Arch later).

The one player who is playing well enough to warrant some hype is Ole Miss’ Trinidad Chambliss. His rapid rise over the last 12 months has been highly impressive. He’s gone from small school prospect to backing up Austin Simmons, getting an opportunity to start when Simmons was injured, excelling to the point he won the starter’s gig full time and he hasn’t looked back.

With every game he gets a little bit better. He excelled during the playoffs last year, almost dragging Ole Miss to the College Football Playoff final.

This year the progress has continued. He is making passes all of the other ‘big name’ draft eligible quarterbacks can only dream of. You’re seeing throws with anticipation, timing and zero hesitation. He’s creative, he’s making plays over the middle of the field and he’s delivering complex, layered throws. He has a good arm. He’s a playmaking machine — and it culminated in Ole Miss beating Lane Kiffin’s LSU on Saturday in what is probably an all-time win for the school.

This was a masterclass performance.

I’m going to post some clips in a moment but a few key drives and plays stood out. For example, with one minute to go in the first half — LSU has just scored to fight their way back into the game. Chambliss responded with a quick-fire drive of his own, ending with a touchdown pass with just five seconds to go.

He was consistently strong on third downs. It’s been put to me by people far more experienced than I am that this is one of the key things to look out for when scouting quarterbacks. One veteran evaluator told me he won’t even scout a quarterback fully until he’s watched every third down throw they’ve ever made, to determine whether it’s worth watching anything else. He would’ve enjoyed Chambliss’ tape on Saturday.

There was one play where he had a panicked scramble and looked for sure like he was going to be sacked for a big loss. Half the LSU defense was chasing him down. Instead he managed to extend just enough, then threw a crazy little flip-pass to a team-mate, who was able to scamper for a first down. It was classic peak-Russell Wilson escapism and playmaking:

He scored a brilliant scrambling touchdown to give Ole Miss the lead late in the game. He had a lot to do to get around the edge and out-run the defense. But he did it. It capped an excellent, high pressure drive after LSU had come roaring back in the game and threatened to steal it.

Let’s look at some clips.

On this first throw — you have to deliver this on time and with the right velocity. If you pause the video you see his arm is going back to throw as the receiver makes his break in the route. You have a second defensive back peeling off his man, noticing what the play-call is, so if this is in any way inaccurate or late, it’s dangerous. This is a NFL throw:

The next clip shows off top-level composure. He is scrambling around with a defensive lineman stalking him in close proximity. He has to retreat to buy time, yet keeps his eyes downfield. Most quarterbacks, even at the NFL level, panic in this situation and either take a big sack, drop their eyes to try and scramble, or they make a horrible mistake throwing without base. Chambliss can see his tight end uncover and is wide open — so now he just needs the angle to throw. He runs to the right and throws back across his body, safely, with the necessary torque to deliver a first down. There are not many players who can do this:

The final clip I want to highlight is the first one in the reel below. He steps up into the pocket because extending doesn’t always mean bouncing to the outside. He buys himself some time by stepping up, sees the receiver uncovering in the end zone and on the run, fires it into him for a touchdown:

It wasn’t a flawless performance. The interception at the start of the second half was really bad. He was far too aggressive as he’s being hit during a heavy blitz. Just take the sack. Don’t turn it over. There was no good outcome here and it was clear very early off the snap that LSU had won the down. He threw blind into coverage and it was costly.

Even so — we’re talking about a quarterback who is consistently improving with every start. He is elevating his team not unlike Cam Newton did at Auburn — making them a legitimate contender. Without him, Ole Miss are not a serious threat. He is playing with timing and precision yet also delivering with magical creativity and making the unlikely possible.

Nobody else is at this level. It shouldn’t even be a discussion who QB1 is for 2027 as we sit here today on the 23rd September. It doesn’t matter if Dante Moore is a bit taller, or Arch Manning has a better second name. Neither is playing very well and Chambliss is putting electrifying tape on record.

I’m not going to rush to say he’s a legit first round prospect at this stage. There’s no point jumping to that conclusion. There are still weeks to go in this college season. Let’s see what happens over the next six weeks and reassess.

This need to place and rank players prematurely is how we get people suggesting Cade Klubnik could be QB1 a year ago. Let’s take a breath.

However, it shouldn’t be remotely debatable at this point who is playing the best among the draft eligible quarterbacks, showing off the greatest range of NFL skills. It’s Trinidad Chambliss — and he’s lapping the field at this point.

Other notes from LSU vs Ole Miss

— Ole Miss defensive tackle Will Echoles showed why he could easily be a top-10 pick next year. He had one sack and three TFL’s. He flashed a highly disruptive bull-rush, driving blockers back into the pocket. He has a dynamic arm/over move and a burst of quickness unusual for a man his size. He was swatting away blockers with a thunderous swipe but then combined it with agility and foot-speed to get around linemen to pressure the quarterback. When he beat the initial block and LSU had a running back in as a last line of defense, he’d just blast them out of the way. He can play one, three or five technique. He finished with seven total pressures and six hurries. A top prospect for 2027. This is what a very high pick at defensive tackle looks like:

— Echoles’ team-mate Kam Franklin had a big game against Louisville and he flashed again against LSU. He had the final significant play of the game by tipping the ball at the LOS leading to a game-clinching interception. He also had a TFL, six pressures and six hurries. He definitely looks like a NFL player I just wonder about his quickness and upside for the next level. Testing could be key for him.

— Trey’Dez Green, the LSU tight end/big receiver, left the game with what looked like a serious knee injury. The latest news is he will miss some times but it’s not season-ending. He’s a very exciting receiving prospect with great size and mobility. He can be an X-factor weapon at the next level as a pass-catcher. However, he has to get stronger and bigger to block the perimeter, otherwise he’s going to be limited to being a big target. The idea of players like this can sometimes seem better than the reality. How many 6-7, 240lbs receivers are there? He’s really quick and dynamic for his size but he isn’t likely to act as a conventional receiver. He has to show at least some semblance of ability to block to max-out his potential as one of the more interesting tight ends to enter the league in recent history. For every Jimmy Graham (mostly a receiver) there’s an Eric Ebron or Kyle Pitts — who never really live up to expectations.

— LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt can at times be really fun to watch. He’ll scramble around, extend plays, he’s a better runner than you’d expect. Yet he’s far too quick to bail on the pocket and he doesn’t have NFL physical tools. His play is fairly up-and-down. In this game he had an excellent third down throw with perfect placement to the right corner of the end-zone. It followed a play just before where he missed two wide open receivers. He’s thrown five interceptions in just three games.

— Ole Miss running back Kewan Lacy left the game with an injury and he’s considered a game-time decision for Florida on Saturday. He is a legit player. Meanwhile, receiver Deuce Alexander continues to show promise. He’s incredibly quick and catches away from his body. He can challenge receivers on the outside downfield but can still run over the middle and make catches in traffic. He’s reasonably well sized and showed in this game he’s a willing blocker. He looks like someone with a NFL future — especially with his sprinters speed.

We shouldn’t even be talking about the NFL Draft for LaNorris Sellers

There’s absolutely no doubt the South Carolina quarterback has physical talent. However, he endured a miserable season last year — in part due to a shambolic offensive line. This season was supposed to be different. There were changes up front and a new offensive coordinator, with Kendal Briles brought in to produce an offense like the one his father made popular at Baylor during the Robert Griffin III era.

Unfortunately, he simply isn’t progressing. If Trinidad Chambliss has shown remarkable and sustained growth as a quarterback at Ole Miss — Sellers is stuck with his wheels spinning in the mud.

Firstly, I don’t much like the new offense. It’s a ton of read-option and he’s more or less asked to run around and see what happens. Take off if it’s there, throw if you see an option. It’s not remotely close to a pro-system, meaning he isn’t developing the kind of skills required to judge him for the next level. They’re just setting up a system where his legs and arm *might* be able to make a difference.

He was bailed out of an ugly interception early in the game against Mississippi State. He was in the red zone and threw straight to a spy stood in the way of the intended target over the middle. A very fortunate hands-to-the-face-penalty took the pick off the board. How did he not see the defender stood right in the way? In fact, there were three defenders blocking the intended target:

He nearly threw another interception forcing a third down pass on a slant. It was an awful late throw, delivered behind the receiver and was dropped by the defensive back.

Eventually his luck ran out. With around six minutes left in the third quarter he benefited from good protection. He sat in the pocket — with two wide open receivers on a post and a deep cross. Instead he threw it straight to a sitting defender. You’ve got to loft that pass over him. It’s an awful throw — the kind you simply cannot make if you expect to be given a draftable grade.

His second interception was even worse. It’s 3rd and 10 and he looks to the right sideline then just throws it straight to a defender. It’s never on. What on earth is he looking at? How do you not see the defender breaking right in front of the target? He didn’t even zip it in there to make sure — he floated the pass right to the defender:

Overall he had five turnover worthy plays in the game and only one big-time throw.

He is a classic example of a player emerging early in their college career, people talk them up as a ‘down the line’ draft prospect — yet when they show no development or even regress, people don’t adjust their takes. Sellers should not have been highlighted by the media as anything but an interesting player to see if he can rebuild his stock after a challenging 2025. Instead, we had people naming him as a star within this “loaded” quarterback class.

He isn’t a draftable player currently. That can change in the future — this season or next, whether that’s at South Carolina or somewhere else. But he is not a high draft pick like many have suggested based on his play in 2025 and 2026 so far.

Other notes from Mississippi State vs South Carolina

— Mississippi State’s Junior OLB Amaree Williams — a transfer from Florida State — was the top performing defensive player on the field. At his weight (approximately 240lbs) he did a great job blowing up run plays, setting an edge and playing with consistent physicality. Had a sack and two TFL’s — plus led his team in tackles with 10 (all solo, per ESPN). He’s a former tight end who caught three touchdowns for FSU. He also dropped into coverage well. This is a player to keep an eye on.

— Cornerback Kelly Jones wasn’t even tested until the fourth quarter, which speaks to how opponents are treating him. South Carolina threw at him twice, with no completions. Teams are 37% throwing at him so far this year. He’s big but mobile for his size. He’s not cumbersome and can change direction. He played with his arm in a cast. He’s a player I really enjoy watching and he’s a fascinating draft prospect for 2027.

— When I’ve spoken to people I respect within football, they wax lyrical about Dylan Stewart’s potential and believe he will be a high first round pick. The South Carolina pass rusher returned to play in this game and had some splash plays. He created a pressure on his first snap. He slammed into a pulling guard, stopped him, then made the TFL on the running back in a highlight-reel moment. He drew a holding call at the start of the second half on a run to the outside. He was grabbed by the left tackle and basically hugged to prevent him setting the edge. He did have his snaps managed in the game. The expectation is he will be a very high pick next year due to his length, quickness and power.

Arch Manning continues to struggle — can we just be honest about him?

Draft media needs to give up the ghost. Manning either isn’t as good as they’re telling you — or he isn’t ready. Either way, he’s not playing like anything close to a first round pick. My prediction continues to be that he won’t declare unless things change between now and the new year.

He completed only 50% of his passes against UTSA on Saturday. There was the usual mix of off-target throws, hesitation, being too keen to set off and run and limited throws of a pro-standard. He had zero big-time throws against a non-elite opponent and one turnover worthy play.

Look at these two throws — the first is his first pass of the day, the second was not long after:

 

I understand why the media want a Manning in the draft next year. I understand why fans, having been sold a bag of magic beans by the media, are investing their hopes and dreams in Manning saving their franchise. It’s fake news for now — as is the case with this quarterback class overall.

Notes from Florida State vs Alabama

This was my first opportunity this season to get a good look at FSU receiver Duce Robinson. He has a good frame with decent size. His body control for his size stands out. This was evident on his touchdown — you see his ability to stay in control and keep his feet in bounds:

He can cross the face of the defender well and used his strength vs Alabama to win 1v1. He catches the ball well away from his body.

If you don’t disrupt his route early with a jam he can release and create separation nicely on quick-hitting slants. When he was jammed in the fourth quarter he couldn’t get into his flow and the pass was broken up and nearly intercepted on a deflection. He didn’t box-out and never gave the QB a target. Finding a way to use his size consistently and make life easier for his quarterback is key.

His long-speed is a question mark. However, he had a nice long reception where he did create some separation then tracked the ball brilliantly. He had to slow down to adjust and make the catch. The throw brought the cornerback back into play but despite the contested nature of the grab, he came down with it. Good concentration.

He’s a player I will continue to watch.

For Alabama, Ryan Coleman-Williams had his first catch with six minutes left in the first half. It was a dump off on fourth and 2 when they were trailing 21-6. At the time I kept thinking — why is he not a bigger part of the gameplan? You’ve got to at least try and get him the ball.

His second catch was a swing pass after he ran across the formation. As soon as the ball was in his hands he ran 50 yards for a TD — dodging and weaving through defenders and accelerating away from others. He showed he is a truly dynamic, sudden, explosive athlete. He has special qualities and electric speed:

Look at the acceleration as he burns off the last few defenders. You can work with that in the NFL.

It’s the hands that are the problem. If he had good catching technique he could be a top-10 pick. Yet he’s a mile away from having passable hands for that kind of range. If he can fix that issue, he will become one of the top players in this class. In order to do that though, Alabama will have to find more ways to get him the football than they showed here.

Defensively, I don’t understand why Alabama rotated Yhonzae Pierre and Devan Thompkins as much as they did.

Pierre looks the part and has stalking speed. I’m just not sure he’s much of an actual playmaker. He can play within structure as a big OLB. He’s far from a sack artist and he lacks great ankle flexion to create quick pressure. Even so, he had six pressures and six hurries in the game but also missed two tackles.

Thompkins played mostly inside this week after playing end last weekend. He was very active but didn’t have any quick wins with speed. He still needs to refine his arm/over and develop some better interior moves. He does play to the sideline and keeps going to the whistle.

In the fourth quarter Thompkins started to line up off the EDGE. He had a clean-up/hussle sack with 14:23 to go. Again, he was just playing until the end of the play. He led Alabama in tackles, had five pressures and had four hurries.

Pierre and Thompkins feel like the heart of Alabama’s defensive front seven. They will be in some big games moving forward — so keep an eye on them.

Big defensive tackle Terrance Green completely destroyed the interior O-line with one forceful bull-rush. The guard lost his footing and stumbled backwards, enabling Green to win. I want to watch more of him.

Safety Keon Sabb had an excellent play to tip a pass enabling a cornerback to pick it off on the rebound. I find it challenging to place a grade on Sabb having watched a lot of him since the start of last season. I’m not sure I’ll come to a conclusion until I see testing numbers.

Can we have some perspective on Darian Mensah?

I couldn’t believe he was made the Heisman favourite, or that people were suddenly talking about him as a top-five pick. Nobody was saying that during his time at Duke.

I understand why he’s getting attention. Miami has become the school to go and boost your stock as a quarterback. They protect well, they have skill players for days and they run the ball. Cam Ward and Carson Beck have elevated their stock beyond what is probably reasonable courtesy of playing for Miami in a poor ACC.

Mensah is technically sound and has some mobility. His arm is good enough. He’s not too big. As he was a year ago — he’d be a solid mid-round flyer.

Let’s stop with the Heisman and early round one talk though. Firstly, Malachi Toney is the real star. Mensah basically just has to look for him, wait for him to get open and throw him the ball. Toney is a superstar. He might have more talent than Jeremiah Smith. He can play in the NFL tomorrow. Mensah often just has to hold a safety to allow Toney to release, then come back to his #1 target.

If anyone is winning the Heisman from Miami, it should be Toney.

Once he got hurt at half-time against Wake Forest and was only used on third downs, Miami’s offense completely stalled. Mensah suddenly looked very average. Situations matter — and there’s a reason Mensah fought so hard to be transferred to the Hurricanes.

A nice player with a future in the league (even if it’s as a backup) but let’s keep some perspective here.

Meanwhile, Miami running back Mark Fletcher was a blog favourite from the end of last season. He had a good showing against Wake Forest — in particular this beast of a run:

Other quick notes

— Earlier today I interviewed Emmanuel Oyebadejo — a 6-7, 300lbs defensive lineman for the Florida Gators. He is originally from Manchester in England. I’m hoping the BBC will put the interview out this week. There is a lot of excitement that he could be Britain’s first ever first round draft pick. There are simply not many people on Earth who can move as well as he can at his size. It’s also said that he has around 36-inch arms and will test through the roof. He was brilliant against Auburn (see the clips below). The temptation is to say players like this are ‘raw’ because they’re relatively new to the game but here’s what the video below shows — the power to demolish an SEC left tackle off the edge, a brilliant swim move to win inside, bending round the edge to get a sack (not the tightest bend but he is 300lbs), the quickness to attack the outside shoulder of a guard and just flat out win and bench-pressing the tackle to set the edge and keep his frame clean. What a fascinating chess-piece he is and he’ll be an exciting player to have on your radar. Florida faces Ole Miss and Trinidad Chambliss at the weekend.

— There was another interception for California safety Kingston Lopa, taking him to five for the season already. He also led Cal in tackles against Wagner. We noted last week his range, versatility, quickness and playmaking instinct. He is certainly capable of being a very interesting draft prospect for 2027, having transferred from Oregon.

— Kentucky defensive lineman Mi’Quise Humphrey-Grace also followed up a good performance last week by helping the Wildcats defeat Texas A&M. He had five pressures and five hurries in the game and while he isn’t likely to trouble the early rounds of the draft, he has an intriguing skill-set that will give him a chance to be on the radar of NFL teams.

— UCLA had a shoot-out against Purdue and while we’re still really waiting for Nico Iamaleava to reach a consistent level of performance delivering on his immense upside — one other player stood out. Tight end Brayden Loftin was a blocking machine — hammering opponents in space, sealing edges in the running game and putting his body on the line numerous times. It was an impressive performance.

Instant reaction: Seahawks absolutely obliterate the Cardinals in the second half

September 20, 2026 / / 0 Comments

That was a Championship performance.

This is how the Seahawks rose to dominance last season. Not every game was a blowout by half-time. Many contests were close after two quarters. They were well contested.

Working things out, exerting your physicality, breaking things open, dominating. That’s the mark of a winner. That’s what the Seahawks are.

And that second half performance today was as dominating as you could hope for.

Don’t underestimate how it was achieved either. This looks like a more measured, organised Cardinals team than a year ago.

You just gave them a good thrashing after half-time. You did it with your backup quarterback dealing in a way many starting quarterbacks can only dream of. You did it minus your most experienced running back, your starting right guard, a starting safety, and with Nick Emmanwori on a significant pitch-count.

To be able to do this today is a serious flex. We just watched the best team in the NFL. We just saw the best coached team in the NFL.

There are so many positives to dig into that I’ll probably miss some out. Apologies if so — but here are some highlights:

— Obviously Drew Lock was absolutely fantastic. He didn’t just manage the game like you hope from most backups. He threw complex, difficult passes. He flashed big-time throws into tight windows. He made things happen. This was a performance that could well get him a starting gig somewhere next season.

— Jaxon Smith-Njigba is a superstar and it’s offensive that he isn’t one of the true faces of the league. You should be bored of seeing him in commercials by now. Fix that, NFL world. He is an inevitable, dynamic, game-changing force.

— The defense just smothered the Cardinals and gave up a measly 150 yards. While the rest of the league seems to be working out their defense, the Seahawks are showing they are still #1.

— Julian Love’s interception was remarkable. He is one of the most under-appreciated players in the league.

— Brian Fleury is two games into his play-calling career and I couldn’t be more impressed. I’m going to come back to the sequence before half-time in a bit. What he has done in these two challenging games in difficult circumstances is about as encouraging as anything in the early stages of this season.

— Emmanuel Wilson running all over the Cardinals in the second half. Souls were taken as the Seahawks exerted their total dominance to run out the clock. This is why I watch this f***ing sport. For that fourth quarter, where you show who the real top dogs are and kick some f***ing arse up front. This is what I want my teams to look like. Exactly this. We are living the f***ing dream right now. Sorry for my language.

It’s also a timely reminder not to lose yourself in the first half which I saw a few doing in the comments. Especially on the sequence before half-time where the Seahawks were stopped on the goal-line. I had no issue with anything there.

Firstly, if you kick the field goal you then have to kick-off, with a minute left, giving the Cardinals decent field position. You could go in at half-time down by four points. There was loads of time left — and they had timeouts.

The worst case scenario of being stopped as you run the football means the Cardinals get it back on their goal-line, have to march 99-yards to score a touchdown and +50 to get a field goal. They are naturally going to be conservative because of the field position.

That was exactly the right thing to do. They didn’t execute because the Cardinals did a great job. Kudos to them. They are allowed to make plays too.

You then stopped them, knowing you’d get the ball back, and then would receive the kick-off in the second half.

This was true game management. The Seahawks figured things out to dominate in the second half. This will have to happen again in future games, so let’s just embrace that now.

Curtis Allen’s Watch Points (Week Two vs Arizona)

September 20, 2026 / / 0 Comments

This is a guest post by Curtis Allen…

Nine straight games.

The Seahawks currently hold the NFL’s longest winning streak against another team, with nine wins against the Cardinals.  Even more impressive – they play each other twice a year.  Most winning streaks of this type are against teams that do not play each other often (for example, Seattle also has an eight-game streak going against Philadelphia).

Their last matchup was in Week 11 last year and was an absolute pasting by Seattle.  The teams went into the locker room at halftime with the Seahawks up 38-7.  Demarcus Lawrence scored twice on Tyrice Knight strip sacks and Nehemiah Pritchett got horizontal and denied Marvin Harrison Jr a Touchdown on Fourth Down.

The offense then slammed the door shut with this soul-crushing sequence:

It was a sign of things to come for this team on their way to the Super Bowl.  The formula found a very high expression in this game:  build up a lead, then play defense to keep the opponent out of the end zone, and run the ball to ice the game.

As much as everyone would like another win like that today, the truth of life in the NFL is a win is a win, even if it is rather unpleasant, like Week Four last year against the Cardinals team.  The Seahawks dominated statistically but let the Cardinals stay in the game and ultimately needed a Jason Myers field goal at the buzzer to win it.

The Cardinals have a new coaching staff, picked Jeremiyah Love #3 overall and have installed Jacoby Brissett as their starting Quarterback.

They are 1-0 after a surprising win over the Chargers in Week One.

How did they win?  They controlled the game script by putting several long drives together, trading minutes for field goals.  It kept the game close.  When the Chargers starting getting desperate, it led to mistakes and the Cardinals were able to capitalize.

With only one game in this new regime, trends and tendencies have yet to fully emerge.  So, it falls on Mike Macdonald and the staff to prepare a game plan that works for them.  Still, there are some familiar elements the Seahawks can employ to have success.

Week One Lessons Learned

The win last week was thrilling and exhilarating.

And much harder than it could have been.

Ten penalties do not begin to tell the story.  It is when they were called during the game.

A 34-yard Pass Interference call in the end zone by Josh Jobe that led to a Patriot touchdown.  A sloppy late hit by Derick Hall on Drake Maye that extended a drive and moved field position.  Chazz Surratt with a roughing the kicker penalty that let the Patriots keep the ball and kick a field goal.  An “offensive offsides” penalty by Anthony Bradford (after they had overcome back-to-back false starts) that killed a drive.  An illegal motion flag that wiped a touchdown off the board.

That is not just a lot of penalties.  It is a lot of key penalties.  Plenty of teams end the game with ten total penalties and they can shrug them off because they did not hurt the outcome too terribly much.

The Seahawks are not one of those teams.  They played sloppy, undisciplined football and it nearly cost them.  It cannot happen again.

On the bright side, we all let out a sigh of relief that Jason Myers had a good performance after a shaky preseason.  Myers was responsible for seven points, more than the difference in the game.  He needs to keep that momentum going.  A relapse to bad form could really cost the team.  As we saw above, he saved the Seahawks from themselves in Week Four.

It would instil a ton of confidence in the team and fanbase for Myers to have another perfect game today.

And lastly, Drew Lock.  After some shaky series, he calmed down and ran the offense well.  He showed exactly what the team needs from him in a starting role:  run the offense within its parameters and do not be a hero.  Get the ball into the hands of his playmakers and let them work.  The defense and special teams will do the rest.

Thankfully two of these three factors worked well last week.  If the Seahawks can clean up the penalties while scoring high marks in the other two factors again, Arizona’s strengths and weaknesses will not be as big a factor in this game.

Get To Jacoby Brissett

Brissett is not unlike Geno Smith:  He is 33 years old, he has bounced around the NFL looking for a full-time starting job, and he has found late-career success with a team that needed a breath of fresh air after parting ways with their franchise Quarterback.

Another similarity to Smith:  When he is comfortable, he can be accurate and deadly.  When he is not, his effectiveness plummets.

Have a look at his stats from Week One:

All-Pro when he’s comfortable, rookie scrub when he’s blitzed.

The key here is the Chargers cannot apply pressure in normal sets sending only four rushers.  Blitzing for them is the better option and yet they decided to blitz a Seahawk-like ten times.

Brissett diced them up.  He had fifteen completed passes of nine yards or more.  The Cardinals finished the game with 15 more minutes of possession time than the Chargers.

It is critical that the Seahawks get Brissett uncomfortable.  His greatest strength might be that he does not put the football in harm’s way in the passing game.  Not a lot of unforced errors are coming.

In Week 11 last year, the Seahawks blitzed only one more time than the Chargers did on Sunday.  Yet they got more pressures, and Tyrice Knight’s ability to strip the ball twice tilted the game.

Sam Darnold only had to throw 12 passes in a 44-point win.

That’s the dream.

Offensive Coordinator Nathaniel Hackett talks like the defense has him rattled already.

They just need to live up to their reputation and keep the Quarterback out of synch.

Brian Fleury and the Offense Need to Support Drew Lock

It was encouraging to see a competent second half from Lock and the offense.  The first half was a bit of a trainwreck.  Yet Fleury and Lock put together an effective plan that was more than just a Band-Aid on the offense.

Now, they have had a full week to get Lock ready.  There may be a temptation to run out more of the playbook than is necessary.  If the defense is as effective as it had been against Arizona, a slightly less aggressive plan than they would have rolled out with Sam Darnold may hit the spot.

Fleury dialed up several plays that Lock could run without well within his capabilities.  He was able to scheme receivers free for Lock, and when the team needed Lock to make an effective throw, he was up to the challenge.

It should be noted that the Chargers ran this kind of in-breaking pass route against the Cardinals several times with success.

Between the running game and options like the Tight Ends and quick passes to Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Tory Horton, the offense should be able to run somewhat close to capacity.  And with Drew Lock’s arm strength, a deep shot is not out of the question.

The Cardinals do try to disguise blitzes and can occasionally dial up a big play on defense.  I believe that play was on Justin Herbert for either not sliding protection to where he thought the rush was coming from pre-snap, and also not utilizing a hot read or just throwing the ball away.

It will be very interesting to see if Fleury furnishes the team with an effective offense with their star Quarterback out.

What a treat that would be for Lock to only need to throw 12 passes in a comfortable game.

This is a big weekend for Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss

September 17, 2026 / / 0 Comments

Within this deep yet overrated quarterback class for 2027, there is a player who genuinely deserves more attention.

Ever since Trinidad Chambliss got an opportunity, thanks to an injury to now-Missouri quarterback Austin Simmons, he hasn’t looked back. There was clear growth and development on tape last season. By the end of the year he was absolutely dynamic for Ole Miss as they very nearly reached the college football playoff final.

He started the 2026 season delivering layered throws, taking big shots downfield to the speedy Deuce Alexander and throwing with timing and anticipation over the middle. He’s won a shoot-out against Louisville and then guided the Rebels past Charlotte.

On Saturday he comes up against LSU and his former coach Lane Kiffin. This is a huge game for obvious reasons. If Chambliss can deliver — his stock will likely sky-rocket. Frankly it should already be higher than it is. He’s showing the necessary skills to believe he has a pro-future and he’s producing the kind of growth and standard that many of the bigger names simply are not.

Equally, if he struggles in this game, I’ll have to temper some of this talk. It’s the kind of showcase occasion that can help make a player.

Here’s what I see when I’ve watched his games from 2025 and his first two performances of 2026…

Chambliss throws with excellent touch, even when scrambling. He shows off easy arm strength and can zip throws into tight windows comfortably, putting passes in-between pockets of defenders. He can put the ball wherever he wants it to go without too much trouble or massive effort.

He legitimately throws with timing and anticipation unlike many of the quarterbacks eligible for 2027. There is a complexity to his game you simply don’t see with the rest. There’s also clear evidence of throwing receivers open.

He knows when he needs to drop, set and get the ball out quickly. The best example of this was a 3rd and 5 vs Georgia in the playoffs. It’s a tied game at 34-34 with 30 seconds left. He sees the generous 1v1 to De’Zhaun Stribling outside so without any hesitation he drops, sets his feet and throws a perfect fade — giving Stribling an opportunity to run under the pass if he can create separation (which he does). It’s caught for a decent gain, setting up the game-winning field goal.

Admittedly it’s not great defense in the situation — but the quarterback understands the area to attack, he knows the matchup he wants and he doesn’t waste any time exploiting the situation.

He’s also an improv artist. In that same contest against Georgia he was scrambling away from pressure, extending plays whilst always keeping his eyes downfield. This enabled him to make some big-time throws on the run. He is clearly elusive and his scrambling ability is better than most.

When your quick-game is good and you can get the ball out quickly — but you also have a level of playmaking magic to your game — especially to extend plays when pressured — that’s a good mix.

He generates good velocity and loft to go with the touch on downfield throws. He delivers a very catchable ball. His ball placement at times is superb and for periods last season looked like his best quality.

Chambliss is very comfortable throwing over the middle and is not just operating a cookie-cutter system. He can layer passes into difficult spots. His accuracy does not suffer when on the move.

In the red zone his throws have good height and he will give receivers a great chance to win 1v1.

You want to see quarterbacks elevating their team. Chambliss took Ole Miss to a level Jaxson Dart could not. They were genuinely so close to beating Miami and playing Indiana in the final, having already knocked off Georgia.

His personality is very likeable. There’s no apparent ego or arrogance. He is well spoken and gives good answers during interviews. You are not going to have any worries about his character. On the field he shows a spark and a competitive spirit.

There will be talk of his size. He’s listed in the 6-0/6-1 range and that’s clearly not the ideal height. The bigger quarterbacks, who are also heavier than Chambliss’ estimated 205lbs, have stronger throwing bases and he’s likely already maxed out physically at this stage of his career. However, there’s enough on tape to believe he can overcome non-ideal measurables.

He threw 29 big-time throws last season — ranking behind only Dante Moore, Ty Simpson and Diego Pavia (all had 30). He threw only three interceptions — considerably fewer than Moore’s 10.

How can he still improve? There are times where he checks down too quickly and has telegraphed things a little too much, getting his close-range option hit in the process. You’d like to see him stick on his read a little bit longer when not pressured — or use his improv skill.

I’d also suggest that while he has a good arm it’s not a great arm. He is not going to cannon the ball 60-yards downfield. He produces plenty of zip to fit the ball into tighter windows and he varies his throwing speed — but he’s not Josh Allen with the deep-ball.

Other quarterbacks look like NFL prototypes. Chambliss, so far, has shown the superior skill-set to deliver at the next level. It’ll be fascinating to see how gets on against LSU.

Wednesday draft notes: Seahawks watching quarterbacks? Player scouting notes for week two

September 16, 2026 / / 0 Comments

Are the Seahawks digging around the college quarterbacks?

Apparently so — but I wouldn’t overreact to this.

According to Pete Thamel, who covers college football for ESPN, the Seahawks will be one of 10 teams frequenting the various press boxes (for those who don’t know, the scouts tend to share the space with the journalists bizarrely):

A crew of 10 obvious teams will have their scouts and executives filling college press boxes due to an immediate need at quarterback: the New York Jets, Miami, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Minnesota, New Orleans, Atlanta, Arizona and Seattle. (Seattle is because of Sam Darnold’s age/contract, the rest are for performance and need.) There are also some non-obvious candidates that could end up in the quarterback market, depending on performance, contract situations and management preferences. That group would include Baltimore, Tennessee, Carolina, Houston and Philadelphia. (This is a good year for a winning team with an aging starter or uncertain situation to wait to see what’s available late in first round or perhaps trade up, as there’s a bigger menu of options.)

It’s interesting that the Seahawks are described as an ‘obvious’ team to be scouting quarterbacks. I’m not sure if that’s a personal view from Thamel or something he’s heard doing the rounds within league circles. His piece includes various quotes from league personnel.

It still shouldn’t be surprising. As brilliant as Sam Darnold has been for the Seahawks, there’s a financial tactical game to be played in the very near future. We’ve just seen Baker Mayfield agree an extension in Tampa Bay that’ll put his cap hit in the $65-66m range for each of the next three seasons, starting in 2027.

If Darnold successfully returns from his glute injury and the Seahawks continue to thrive, he and his representatives could, and should, ask for more.

Even if this ends up being a mixed season for Darnold, he’s now a Super Bowl Champion and the unchallenged starter. Replacing him will be a major challenge. He will have a lot of leverage.

The Seahawks have to keep their options open. They have to know what the alternatives are. Or the potential pivots. That doesn’t mean preparing for life without Darnold — he’s contracted through 2027 anyway — it just means covering for all future eventualities.

We’re entering an era where quarterbacks of varying levels are being paid incredible amounts of money. It’s very possible teams will need to learn how to game the system — potentially switching to cheaper alternatives when necessary, unless they have a Josh Allen or Patrick Mahomes type, who you have to keep at all costs.

It is possible to move on and still succeed. The 2017 Eagles had a great roster. Carson Wentz got them to the playoffs. Nick Foles took over when Wentz injured his knee. The same roster, more or less, then returned to two more Super Bowls when the Eagles moved on from Wentz having drafted Jalen Hurts.

The Seahawks have a very strong roster and might have to weigh-up retaining that strength versus committing $60-70m a year to a quarterback. It’s a painful conversation to have and one I’m sure everyone would rather avoid. But this is the reality of football and a hard cap.

In an ideal world Darnold returns, the Seahawks continue to thrive, both parties come up with a very creative arrangement to reward the quarterback and limit the cap hit and all is well. In the meantime, you’re going to scout quarterbacks.

They did it during the peak years of Russell Wilson and they’ll do it now too.

So it’s not a big deal. It doesn’t mean anything at the moment. It might do in the future. But if you’re wondering why I’ll be including chunky quarterback analysis within the draft content this year — this is why.

And on that note, let’s discuss…

The deceptive way people are talking about the 2027 quarterbacks

Well done to Mel Kiper for finally presenting some sanity. In a piece published on ESPN today, he discussed the disappointing performances of the quarterbacks before adding this:

“So far, this quarterback class — one that was widely expected to be amazing — has underwhelmed. There’s still a lot of time. We’re only through Week 2. But I want to see the group level up and play with more consistency. This is the reason I don’t do rankings until October — we have to let these guys play a bit.”

Exactly this.

Years ago we’d have one or two high profile ‘way too early mocks’ published for a bit of fun (the clue is in the name). Now, in a world where clicks are king, everyone does one. And the same pundits feel obliged to publish ‘big boards’ and further mocks throughout the college football season.

Kiper is right. It’s too early. Todd McShay’s new top-50, published this week, is a great example. I take no pleasure in saying this but it’s not a good list. Demond Williams — the Washington quarterback who, frankly, probably won’t be drafted — is ranked 43rd. Oregon’s A’Mauri Washington — getting by on athletic upside when in reality he’s not a good football player — is at #22. There’s a long list of quarterbacks elevated well above their station. I don’t think the board is of any use to anyone.

Let the season play out. As Jeff Simmons rightly reminded everyone on our stream earlier this week — if you go back to week two of college football in 2019, most people would’ve had Joe Burrow down as a day three pick. A few weeks later he was in the middle of one of the all-time great college football seasons, he won the Heisman, LSU won the National Championship as they went unbeaten and Burrow ended up going first overall.

Big boards and mock drafts published now are designed only to titillate bored football fans. That’s all they are good for.

Meanwhile, the way this overrated quarterback class is being discussed is designed purely to generate excitement among the masses for — you guessed it — content and clicks. The idea of having a Manning family member as a headline act is too tantalising that it’s being ignored that he’s far too hesitant in the pocket, is not pulling the trigger when he has open receivers running across the field, is not throwing with timing or anticipation, or anywhere near enough accuracy, and does not look like a first round pick currently, nor ready for the NFL.

Dante Moore looks like Josh Freeman, the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback. Darian Mensah — a player nobody saw as a high first round pick when he was at Duke — is about to benefit from the Miami boost that jumped Cam Ward from non-Senior Bowl invite and expected day-three pick to first overall and now the latest quarterback struggling for the Tennessee Titans.

Oklahoma State’s Drew Mestermaker is one to monitor. He played well against Oregon in a big win but has also thrown four interceptions in two games and is a week removed from losing to Tulsa. He has very limited experience (one season at North Texas) and there’s increasing evidence suggesting players benefit from playing more games before turning pro.

LaNorris Sellers and Sam Leavitt are not remotely close to playing at a high first round level through two weeks. Trinidad Chambliss has easily been the most impressive so far and when combined with how he played at the end of last season, the Ole Miss quarterback is the one who deserves more attention.

Right now this is more a class based on depth than top-end talent — with players needing to show they’re developing and improving. We’ve consistently said that throughout the summer, when the messaging has often been simply that this is an amazing class of QB’s.

But the point is — all of this could change over the next six weeks. So let’s talk through the process, analyse as we go along and avoid the temptation to rank everyone or mock players well beyond their means. If for no other reason than the players themselves seeing these wild projections and can be influenced, often not in a good way.

Scouting notes

Here are some of the players I’ve studied this week…

Reed Harris (WR, Arizona State)

He has a big frame (6-5, 220lbs) but is still able to create relatively decent separation. He’s not sudden and dynamic, exploding into his routes, but he’s not a lumbering big-man as you often see at this level.

Harris has great body control and ball tracking skills. He can read the flight of the ball then contort to make difficult catches. He also catches away from his body and doesn’t let the ball come into his frame. He regularly makes acrobatic catches when throws are not ideally placed. He had zero drops in 2025 and you can see why.

When he’s running a deep route he can sprint away to create late separation downfield. He’s extremely difficult to cover 1v1 and if you throw it up to him — his size and superior ball-tracking usually means he comes down with it. He’s adept at coming back to the ball and will trigger PI penalties at the next level if he can retain the ability to get in behind.

He’s not bad running with the ball in his hands but he’s not a YAC threat really. You’re not doing much in the way of screens with him. Neither is he likely to take a crossing route the distance when he turns upfield.

It’s believed he’s capable of running a sub-4.5 at his size and that will likely be the acid test for his stock.

To his credit he has produced for a struggling Boston College team last season and now an Arizona State offense breaking in a new quarterback. Harris has natural ability and now it’s just a question of seeing what his upside level is with his frame.

One other thing to note is he’s working with Hines Ward at Arizona State. This is turning into another strong class of receivers and Harris is definitely one to watch.

Trevor Lauck (T/G, Iowa)

Lauck plays like a bouncer at a club, in a good way.

Firstly, his frame and playing style appears tailor made to move inside. That was my first instinct. He doesn’t seem to have great length and we’ll get on to his kick-slide in a bit. I just think he’ll make a heck of a left guard, rather than a highly drafted left tackle.

For Iowa he consistently gets into the right position to seal off the edge but he does it in a way I’m not sure will definitely translate. He doesn’t possess dynamic, explosive steps to kick-out and set into his drop. He uses extremely measured, shorter steps.

This helps him, at the moment, stay in control. As he’s not really exploding to the outside, he can adjust to combat any attempted inside-counter with ease. Yet it does mean when a defender comes screaming off the edge, he has to resort to trying to shove them off the bend of the arc and disrupt their path to the quarterback that way. I don’t think that’ll work at the next level.

Ideally you have those explosive, highly athletic movements in your drop combined with the length to play inside-out. Whilst he’s very competent playing this way in college (he didn’t give up a sack in 2025) I’m not sure it’ll continue in the NFL.

One big positive is he always stays square to the defender. It enables him to take-on opponents from a strong position. He doesn’t always have the ideal engagement technique and he’ll need to be more consistent shooting his hands into the right areas — but he’s brutish and aggressive enough to battle anyone and win.

He will leave it on defenders, sometimes after the whistle. He has also shown the ability to hip-toss players to the turf. Like most Iowa linemen, he gets out into space and the second level with ease.

There is a tendency to drop his head and bend at the waist at times. Again, all of the weaker areas can be masked by moving inside. Then you just let him maul people and get after it. I think he can be very good in that role.

Devan Thompkins (DL, Alabama)

The improvement Thompkins has made since his USC days stands out. He was always athletic, disruptive and had talent. Now he looks like a far stronger, grown-man defender.

He’s also quite unique. He lined up off the edge for Alabama at 6-5 and 300lbs against Kentucky. He had one sack where he actually dipped under the attempted block and ripped through to finish. On that play he showed better ankle-flexion than most of the pure EDGE rushers in college.

Thompson then had a second sack in the game where he used brute force to drive back the left guard into the quarterback.

He’s shown he can hold the point off the edge, keep his frame clean by extending his arms and pressing the block, then release to play the run. At his size that’s impressive. He’s also always going to be a threat to help set an edge at this size.

At USC he would sometimes get pushed around. Occasionally even when he made plays he’d get pushed back then counter to release and then run to the quarterback. He looks more powerful, bigger and rugged now. His run defense has certainly improved.

There are things he can do better. His arm-over still needs a bit of work and that has to be a staple for him at his size. Even so — he flashed a good spin-move at USC and against Kentucky he showed he can certainly convert speed to power. He even had a play in the game where he effectively dropped into coverage. At 300lbs.

He’s a fascinating player who can be creatively used across the line. He’s a massive ball of clay waiting to be moulded. He had six sacks last year and he should be able to top that after a strong start. This is a heck of a prospect.

Kingston Lopa (S, California)

He’s tall (6-5 is his listed height although I’m thinking more 6-3/6-4) and well sized (210lbs). Despite this, he’s quick. He’s not stiff like a lot of bigger safety prospects. In fact he can be really shifty when he steps on the gas and it shows with the tight coverage situations he finds himself in when he’s in the slot.

Lopa plays everywhere — free safety, the box, the slot, special teams. He’s the modern day player for the league that most teams will be looking for.

He’s really instinctive and has a knack for making the right read and being in the right position. He’s clever with it too. So often in college, quarterbacks are merely tasked with holding the safety then throwing to one half-field read. Lopa will often shape his body to mask his intention — for example, shifting to face the left sideline, then rocking his body to a the middle and racing to break on a ball thrown centrally.

He had a three-interception game against Syracuse and all three picks were different, highlighting his skill. Simply put — it’s not often you see a player with this frame with his range.

He can stick in coverage when playing in the slot far better than you’d expect for his size. At times his coverage is absolutely water-tight, it’s like he’s wearing the receiver. Even so, you can also line him up as a deathbacker and have him drop with ease, and also run to the line and deliver a tackle.

Aside from the picks there was one excellent play against Syracuse where he covered his man to the right sideline, read that the ball was going somewhere else and as the pass was being thrown, he’d already set off to attack the intended target. He was the one who ended up breaking up the pass. He covered two separate players on one play.

There is evidence of him coming up and hitting running backs in the hole. He ran into the Syracuse left tackle at one point and dumped him on his back, Kam Chancellor style.

This is a very interesting player — an Oregon transfer who they could probably really do with at the moment.

Finally, if you missed the Seahawks Collective this week, check it out here:

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