This basically means Gordon has served a year-long suspension. The NFL’s thought-process has been unclear on this issue. At least there appears to be some clarity at last, with the news that he will soon return.
He was originally suspended on December 16th last year. If he’s able to return on the same date this year, that would be four days before the Washington game. Presumably the need to go through Covid testing is why Jay Glazer is reporting he will return for the last two games only — because four days won’t be enough to gain clearance.
The NFL has since released a statement discussing a set of events for Gordon’s return. Although they note he can go through Covid testing tomorrow — basically everything is set up for him to safely commence practising after the Washington game on the 21st December.
The dates might be a coincidence but I doubt it.
It’s pretty clear the Seahawks could really benefit from a third dynamic receiving option. D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett are both performing at a high level and the other receivers have been able to chip-in. However — the ability to line up a third weapon that a defense really has to plan for is a tantalising prospect. It makes life even more difficult for an opponent.
With Gordon slated to return for the Rams game — it’ll also make it harder for LA to put Jalen Ramsey on D.K. Metcalf and then just match-up everyone else. If they have to account for Lockett and Gordon too — that’s a big challenge.
The Seahawks have also struggled to convert third downs this year. Gordon had a positive impact in that regard last season, especially in the dramatic win against San Francisco.
You need a lot of weapons in the modern NFL. Kansas City are proving that. It’s why I’ve said a few times it’s regrettable that the Seahawks didn’t take full advantage of two fantastic receiver drafts in 2019 and 2020. Yes they landed Metcalf, a genuine NFL star, but look at some of the other names who were also available (and players we talked about a lot as viable targets). They had a chance to acquire cheap, brilliant skill players for Russell Wilson for the key years of his prime.
Nevertheless, Gordon now has a chance to fill the void for the two most important remaining games of the season and a playoff run. It’s a big test for him to come in and contribute from the cold. He also needs to make sure he remains available.
This is great opportunity for him and a big boost for the Seahawks.
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I’m not sure how often I’ll keep updating these. I wanted to do a new one this week because I’ve had a chance to spend some time looking at new players.
From the Seahawks perspective it’s practically impossible to make a convincing case for anyone at the end of round two. We won’t have a firm grasp of possible options until probably the combine.
They’ll be picking in the late 50’s or early 60’s and with only three picks — will probably trade down.
That said, I do think we can somewhat project how the Seahawks might approach this situation. You can’t wait until the late second or early third round to address a key need. Their first pick in the draft, provided they don’t acquire earlier stock between now and April, is probably going to be spent on a player with upside.
They’ll want to come out of this class with someone with at least first round traits. We’ve seen it in the past. They didn’t have a first round pick in 2013 or 2015 either. When they finally picked, they took Christine Michael and Frank Clark.
Neither player filled a vital need but both had extreme athletic qualities. It’s not an exaggeration to say they’re two of the best combine testers in the last 10 years at any position.
The Seahawks have sought high upside in this range a few times. Golden Tate, Bobby Wagner, Justin Britt, Tyler Lockett, D.K. Metcalf and Darrell Taylor all had a physical profile that created a high ceiling.
We don’t have enough information to consider who could be a similar candidate in 2021 and we won’t have any details for months other than the SPARQ testing numbers.
Until then, I’m probably going to continue to project high-upside prospects to Seattle at a variety of positions. I think a lot of their key needs are going to have to be solved in what will likely be the most unpredictable free agency period in NFL history. Thus, the draft could end up being an opportunity to take a half-court shot on someone with a high ceiling.
Players who last into the late second with great physical profiles always have some kind of issue that concerns teams. In the first mock I gave Seattle incredible five-star recruit Jaelen Phillips (who has a history of concussions) and this week I’m giving them a Florida State defender who has battled injuries and inconsistent play.
First round
#1 New York Jets — Trevor Lawrence (QB, Clemson)
#2 Jacksonville — Justin Fields (QB, Ohio State)
#3 Cincinnati — Penei Sewell (T, Oregon)
#4 Dallas — Shaun Wade (CB, Ohio State)
#5 LA Chargers — Ja’Marr Chase (WR, LSU)
#6 Philadelphia — Micah Parsons (LB, Penn State)
#7 Carolina — Zach Wilson (QB, BYU)
#8 Washington — Kyle Pitts (TE, Florida)
#9 Detroit — Dayo Odeyingbo (DE, Vanderbilt)
#10 Atlanta — Gregory Rousseau (DE, Miami)
#11 Miami (v/HOU) — Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (LB, Notre Dame)
#12 Denver — Trey Lance (QB, North Dakota State)
#13 Minnesota — Patrick Surtain II (CB, Alabama)
#14 Chicago — DeVonta Smith (WR, Alabama)
#15 New England — Rondale Moore (WR, Purdue)
#16 San Francisco — Elijah Molden (CB, Washington)
#17 Las Vegas — Patrick Jones (DE, Pittsburgh)
#18 Baltimore — Josh Myers (C, Ohio State)
#19 New York Giants — Rasheed Walker (T, Penn State)
#20 Arizona — Jaycee Horn (CB, South Carolina)
#21 Tampa Bay — Walker Little (T, Stanford)
#22 Miami — Travis Etienne (RB, Clemson)
#23 Indianapolis — Kwity Paye (DE, Michigan)
#24 Cleveland — Azeez Ojulari (DE, Georgia)
#25 Jacksonville (v/LAR) — Jaylen Waddle (WR, Alabama)
#26 New York Jets (v/SEA) — Alex Leatherwood (T, Alabama)
#27 Tennessee — Caleb Farley (CB, Virginia Tech)
#28 Buffalo — Pat Freiermuth (TE, Penn State)
#29 Green Bay — Baron Browning (LB, Ohio State)
#30 Kansas City — Ronnie Perkins (DE, Oklahoma)
#31 New Orleans — Dylan Moses (LB, Alabama)
#32 Pittsburgh — Zaven Collins (LB, Tulsa)
Second round
#33 New York Jets — Najee Harris (RB, Alabama)
#34 Jacksonville — Christian Darrisaw (T, Virginia Tech)
#35 Cincinnati — Rashawn Slater (G, Northwestern)
#36 LA Chargers — Wyatt Davis (G, Ohio State)
#37 Dallas — Andre Cisco (S, Syracuse)
#38 Philadelphia — Carlos Basham (DE, Wake Forest)
#39 Carolina — Obinna Eze (T, Memphis)
#40 Detroit — Rashod Bateman (WR, Minnesota)
#41 Atlanta — Jevon Holland (S, Oregon)
#42 Miami — Tylan Wallace (WR, Oklahoma State)
#43 Denver — Monty Rice (LB, Georgia)
#44 Washington — Ambry Thomas (CB, Michigan)
#45 Chicago — Alim McNeill (DT, NC State)
#46 New England — Davis Mills (QB, Stanford)
#47 San Francisco — Aaron Banks (G, Notre Dame)
#48 Jacksonville (v/MIN) — Jordan Davis (DT, Georgia)
#49 Las Vegas — Jaylen Twyman (DT, Pittsburgh)
#50 Baltimore — Terrace Marshall Jr (WR, LSU)
#51 New York Giants — Amon-Ra St. Brown (WR, USC)
#52 Arizona — Jake Ferguson (TE, Wisconsin)
#53 Tampa Bay — Paris Ford (S, Pittsburgh)
#54 Indianapolis — Jaelen Phillips (DE, Miami)
#55 Miami — Jalen Mayfield (T, Michigan)
#56 Cleveland — Jay Tufele (DT, USC)
#57 LA Rams — Nick Bolton (LB, Missouri)
#58 Seattle — Marvin Wilson (DT, Florida State)
#59 Buffalo — Joseph Ossai (LB, Texas)
#60 Tennessee — Chris Olave (WR, Ohio State)
#61 Green Bay — Tyson Campbell (CB, Georgia)
#62 Kansas City — Tutu Atwell (WR, Louisville)
#63 New Orleans — Nico Collins (WR, Michigan)
#64 Pittsburgh — Javian Hawkins (RB, Louisville)
Thoughts on Seattle’s pick
Marvin Wilson is often talked up by the draft media — mainly because he’s been highly touted for so long and you see a lot of group think with certain names. The reality is he hasn’t played well enough to warrant some of the lofty projections on the internet and it won’t be a surprise if he lasts into the middle rounds.
However — there are also reasons why a team like Seattle might take a chance on him.
He’s a former five-star recruit (#4 overall in 2017 per ESPN) with a fascinating physical profile. At SPARQ he was listed at 6-4 and 332lbs (in High School!) and yet he ran an incredible 4.56 short shuttle and a 5.17 forty.
That kind of agility at his size is rare. He has a profile that is heaven sent in terms of physical talent.
Wilson is also known as a vocal leader and was voted a captain at Florida State. He’s already accepted an invitation to the Senior Bowl and he’ll have a chance during 1v1’s to create an impression and elevate his stock.
It would make sense for the Seahawks to consider the future at defensive tackle. Jarran Reed is a free agent after the 2021 season and Poona Ford will play as a restricted free agent next year before also reaching the market (unless either receives an extension).
Drafting someone in April would enable them to get ahead of the game and provide options for the future.
The second round could be a good range for defensive tackles too. In my mock I’ve got the sensational athlete Alim McNeil, dynamic three-technique Jaylen Twyman, nose tackle Jordan Davis and USC’s powerful Jay Tufele listed.
I wrote about Wilson back in May in one of my draft preview pieces. Here are some of the negatives from the tape:
For starters he’s tall (6-5). When you’re playing exclusively inside at that size you’ve got to master leverage. Too often he plays upright and his pad level means he cedes leverage. He doesn’t control double teams in the way Raekwon Davis did at Alabama. He can get jolted backwards and the very least you expect from a player with this build is to be stout at the POA.
His gap discipline isn’t always great either. That can be blamed on scheme and coaching. You have to commit to it. At Alabama they do (as they do in Seattle). Other teams are happy to play free and fancy — to attack and try to find gaps rather than handling your business. Still, this isn’t something you can assume will be better at the next level.
And here are the positives:
There are great flashes. Despite missing the final month of last season he still managed 8.5 TFL’s and five sacks at defensive tackle. His 2019 pass rush win percentage was 16.8%. Only Javon Kinlaw and Jordan Elliott scored higher marks. He also broke up four passes, forced a fumble and added a couple of hurries too.
He’s so quick and when he times his get-off he explodes into the backfield. He’s not just a straight-line runner either. He can shake off blockers and he’s incredibly agile with quick feet for his size.
Wilson isn’t a slouch when it comes to power either. You see evidence of heavy hands and an impressive jolt when he connects. He can create room to work with initial contact and once he separates from a blocker he has the quickness and agility to work into the backfield.
I’ve not seen any problems with his motor which was something I looked for given the way Florida State’s last couple of seasons went. He’s smart enough to jump and tip a pass if his initial rush stalls.
One other thing I noticed from his 2020 tape was how often Miami lined him up at the five technique. He’s down to 311lbs and there’s a relatively decent chance he’s even quicker than he was during SPARQ testing. He does a better than expected job handling those duties and it really shows off his athletic potential.
He moves around the field well and works to try and get into the backfield. He wastes too much time hand-fighting from the interior which is a concern and it might be one of the reasons why FSU moved him to the 5T. Is he simply better attacking gaps from an advantageous starting position? Or can he play stout from the interior, handle two blockers, one-gap and still rip/swim or control?
These are all questions he can help answer at the Senior Bowl.
If you missed yesterday’s piece on why I think Richard Sherman should be brought home to Seattle, click here.
