Month: March 2024 (Page 4 of 5)

Every Wednesday at 12pm PT I join Puck & Jim on KJR to talk Seahawks — and you can check out today’s segment below as we get into the latest topics. Shout out to Superior Linen for making it possible.

Today was inevitable. The Seahawks needed to save money, they had to turn a page on their roster and they had to shift to a new era under Mike Macdonald.

None of the three players cut were providing value for money. Three inflated cap hits have been disposed of. Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs — PFF’s 87th and 88th ranked safeties in 2023 — were due to account for $48.1m in cap space this year. A preposterous situation. Meanwhile Will Dissly’s $10m cap hit wasn’t sustainable either, as his role and number of targets regressed.

The hope has to be that this is a turning point for the franchise.

Firstly, enough with the god awful contracts being handed out. In no way, shape or form should the Seahawks ever get into a position where they were so readily beaten up in the trenches, while investing so much cap space at positions like safety. It would’ve at least been somewhat tolerable if the safeties were playing like Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor. Adams and Diggs didn’t get close.

There’s been a worrying trend in recent years where the Seahawks overpay for middling players, wasting their resources. Who could forget the 2020 off-season, where they spent $58.25m on a whole lot of nothing? This included giving Bruce Irvin a 32% pay increase on his 2019 salary in Carolina, for no obvious reason, when there was no clear competition for his signature. It felt like a complete panic move after failing to agree terms with Jadeveon Clowney.

Then they frittered away what should’ve been a golden opportunity post-Russell Wilson trade when his contract came off the books. Instead, they ended up overpaying to keep Diggs and Dissly, they signed mediocre players and cut them a year later, collecting dead money. They went from having a ton of cap space to no cap space in no time at all and the consequences are still being felt now.

The Adams trade was a disaster from the moment it was completed. That isn’t hindsight, I said it at the time and got plenty of backlash. It was a panic move having failed to make any significant additions in free agency in 2020, with quarterback Russell Wilson — on the brink of angling for a trade — calling for the team to add ‘stars’. The ludicrous price of the deal backed the Seahawks into a corner where they felt they had to pay to keep him. Most went along with it because they saw a 9.5 sack season in year one. A few people, including this blog and Hugh Millen’s excellent analysis on KJR, pointed out it was all a manufactured mirage. Still, along came the massive contract that proved to be a dead weight from the minute it was signed.

Only a team filled with amazing talent or an outstanding quarterback should be as strapped for cash as the Seahawks have been. It’s nice that they now have $27m in effective cap space to use in free agency but it’s not that much. It’ll disappear quickly. For a young team to have this little to spend warrants calling out — but that’s what happens when awful decisions in the past lumber you with $34.4m in dead cap.

They can save another $8.2m by cutting Bryan Mone and Nick Bellore — although why those moves haven’t been announced at the same time is a little confusing. Even then, they have a lot of holes to fill and I’ve long thought they’d need about $50m to get everything done to set them up for the draft.

This has to be a turning point for the franchise. Second contracts only go to the best of the best, otherwise you move on. Third contracts have to be saved for special situations. Never overpay for familiarity. The Seahawks need to be more ruthless, calculated and they have to risk going in a cheaper or younger direction as a preference over splurging on undeserving players.

They need to be investing in the right areas. O-line, D-line, receiver, cornerback and quarterback. Any other position — such as linebacker, safety or running back — the player needs to be of the elite variety to warrant it or you move on. By all means pay a Fred Warner level player if you find one. Otherwise, no.

So what does this mean for the future?

Firstly, the big topic is Leonard Williams. I’ve been a big advocate for keeping Williams because I think he’s a really good player and the Seahawks haven’t had a really good defensive lineman in a long time. It’s a vital position. I’d be intrigued to see what Mike Macdonald could do with him, or how Williams could be used to create opportunities and production for others.

That said — I really hope the aim isn’t to overpay Williams a huge contract, as he approaches 30, for a deal that, like Quandre Diggs, he can never live up to. They’ve got to be smart here and not let the emotions of the second round pick investment dictate negotiations. It’ll be a huge loss to the D-line to lose Williams and replacing him will be incredibly hard — but keeping him can’t come at ‘any’ cost.

Look at the Dolphins. They are going to let Christian Wilkins, who is only a year younger than Williams, test free agency. Sometimes you’ve got to know when to let the market dictate things and take a risk.

Next, Jordyn Brooks. He feels perfectly placed for a short-term prove-it deal under Macdonald, or at another team, to try and promote his value. He’s always been in the ‘good not great’ bracket. I fear that with the draft being so weak at linebacker, teams will overpay on the market and thus, the Seahawks might overpay. That can’t be the case. If his price is too high, walk away. Baltimore’s linebackers might’ve been really important but that’s no justification for producing another bad contract that hampers Seattle.

In bringing outsiders in, the approach should be to seek value and impact. Paying Patrick Queen or Geno Stone a fortune just because they succeeded in Baltimore won’t produce that. The Seahawks have to find their own versions. Stone, after all, was a seventh round pick. There are options in this draft at safety — I’d particularly highlight Tyler Nubin, Javon Bullard, Malik Mustapha, Dadrion Taylor-Demerson, Jaden Hicks, Kitan Oladapo and Dominique Hampton. Draft a couple of them. Find a cheap veteran. Your big spending has to come at the critical positions.

The top end of the market in free agency almost always produces zero value. I appreciate that when the Seahawks have gone bargain hunting in the past they’ve just ended up with Brandon Shell and Eddie Lacy types. The approach was right but the execution wrong. Hopefully Mike Macdonald can help inspire a more effective search for value and production.

Finally — the elephant in the room. The Seahawks need to find a legit franchise quarterback. If you do that, it’s amazing how little you need to fret about trivial matters about which cheap veteran or late round pick fits into a non-premium position.

The 49ers are not a typical franchise in their current state. They have a frighteningly loaded roster. Most other teams rely on a handful of stars to win games, including the quarterback, and cover the rest up with coaching.

Drafting a top quarterback is the #1 priority and it’s why I think the Seahawks are seriously checking out this class and testing the water about trade-up opportunities. If it’s not possible, or if the right player isn’t there, they’ll no doubt pivot to the trenches at #16. But the top focus every year until they find ‘the guy’ should be quarterback.

I’m intrigued to find out whether the Seahawks see ‘the guy’ in this draft and if they do, what John Schneider will do about it.

A quick note to end — don’t forget to tune in to KJR tomorrow at noon for my weekly spot with Puck and Jim, brought to you by Superior Linen. I’ve also done an interview with Michigan pass rusher Jaylen Harrell today, that’ll be available on my YouTube channel later this week.

For years we were able to identify offensive line targets for the Seahawks, with a decent degree of success, by measuring explosive traits using a formula we called ‘TEF’. With wholesale changes to the coaching staff, I don’t know whether explosive testing results will be as important to Ryan Grubb and Scott Huff as they were to former line coaches.

A year ago, the Seahawks added two of the most explosive linemen in the draft (Anthony Bradford & Olu Oluwatimi) and free agent center Evan Brown is one of the most explosive testers in recent history. It’ll be interesting to see if there are any physical trends under the new regime.

Anyway, I thought we’d still produce the TEF results because there is some evidence that the league pays attention to data like this. Plus it’s just interesting to see how each draft class stacks up — especially with so much hype around the 2024 group.

Before getting into the results, here’s the TEF formula explained…

Tom Cable stated in 2015 that an O-line prospect would ideally achieve a 31-inch vertical, a 9-foot broad jump and 27 reps in the bench press. TEF uses these numbers to create an overall score for each individual offensive lineman:

1. Vertical ÷ 31
2. Broad ÷ 9, then cube the result
3. Bench ÷ 27
4. Results added together = TEF

Here’s what the ideal (31 — 9 — 27) would look like using this formula:

1. Vertical: 31 ÷ 31 = 1
2. Broad: 9 ÷ 9 = 1, cubed = 1
3. Bench: 27 ÷ 27 = 1
4. Overall score = 3.00

A prospect achieving the exact Cable ideal (31 — 9 — 27) will score a 3.00 in TEF.

2024 TEF results

These results include the linemen who tested in the vertical, broad and bench at the combine — allowing us to create a confirmed TEF score:

Beaux Limmer — 3.68
Jarrett Kingston — 3.29
Kingsley Suamataia — 3.11
Jackson Powers-Johnson — 3.04
Joe Alt — 3.02
Frank Crum — 3.01
Tanor Bortolini — 2.94
Nick Gargiulo — 2.90
Christian Haynes — 2.83
KT Leveston — 2.81
Delmar Glaze — 2.79
Gottlieb Ayedze — 2.75
Drake Nugent — 2.70
Sataoa Laumea — 2.69
Cooper Beebe — 2.66
Keaton Bills — 2.66
Javion Cohen — 2.56
Isaiah Adams — 2.45
X’Zauvea Gadlin — 2.40

From a class of 69 offensive linemen, only 19 completed every drill to produce a confirmed TEF score. It speaks to how the combine has become more of a sideshow than an actual testing event. More and more players are skipping runs, jumps, drills, and the bench press. We used to get pretty much a complete set of results for an entire O-line class. Now, we get less than a third.

Projected TEF scores for 2023

For the players who didn’t complete a full set of tests (vertical, broad, bench) — we fill in the gaps using the ‘average’ of the class. For example, a lot of the linemen simply didn’t do the bench press. Therefore, I took the average number of reps per player at the combine this year (26) and used it to project a TEF score that can be adjusted if the player completes a full set of testing at his pro-day:

Tylan Grable — 3.41
Mason McCormick — 3.38
Garret Greenfield — 3.35
C.J. Hanson — 3.25
Brandon Coleman — 3.24
Dylan McMahon — 3.23
Caedan Wallace — 3.20
Troy Fautanu — 3.16
Taliese Fuagu — 3.08
Roger Rosengarten — 3.08
Tyler Guyton — 3.05
Matt Lee — 3.05
Christian Mahogany — 3.04
Blake Fisher — 3.04
Olu Fashanu — 3.02
Karsen Barnhart — 3.00
Charles Turner — 2.99
Javon Foster — 2.96
Brady Latham — 2.96
Trevor Keegan — 2.92
Jordan Morgan — 2.92
Jacob Monk — 2.91
Dominick Puni — 2.90
Layden Robinson — 2.90
Amarius Mims — 2.87
Trente Jones — 2.86
Nathan Thomas — 2.76
Matthew Jones — 2.73
Jeremy Flax — 2.66
Andrew Coker — 2.44
Andrew Raym — 2.43

The following players didn’t do enough testing to even produce a projected score:

Graham Barton
Zak Zinter
Nick Samac
Sedrick Van Pran
Kiran Amegadjie
Ethan Driskell
Matt Goncalves
JC Latham
Prince Pines
Christian Jones
LaDarius Henderson
Anim Dankwah
Jalen Sundell
Kingsley Eguakun
Hunter Nourzad
Josiah Ezrim
Zach Frazier
Patrick Paul

What does this all mean?

There are six confirmed explosive testers within the 2024 offensive line class and based on projections, there could be at least 16 more. That would make this the most explosive offensive line class since we started recording TEF results.

How does this compare to previous combines?

Players scoring a 3.00 or more:

2016 — 6
2017 — 3
2018 — 7
2019 — 8
2020 — 8
2021 — No combine
2022 — 9 (projection)
2023 — 19 (projection)
2024 — 22 (projection)

I’m not sure if this is a coincidence or a correction after years of the top athletes preferring to play defense, suddenly seeing an opportunity on the offensive line. Either way, you can see that there’s been a rapid increase in the number of explosive O-liners entering the league in recent years.

Top testers since 2016

Projected scores have a (p) next to their names and players from the 2024 class are in bold:

Beaux Limmer — 3.68
Iosua Opeta — 3.62
Jason Spriggs — 3.54
Braden Smith — 3.52
Tristan Wirfs — 3.47
Cole Strange — 3.42
Tylan Grable — 3.41 (p)
Mason McCormick — 3.38 (p)
Peter Skoronski — 3.37
Bernhard Raimann — 3.37
Garret Greenfield — 3.35 (p)
Zion Johnson — 3.33
Zach Tom — 3.33 (p)
Kolton Miller — 3.31
Jarrett Kingston — 3.29
Connor McGovern: 3.29
Hakeem Adeniji — 3.27
Andrew Vorhees — 3.26
Cesar Ruiz — 3.25
C.J. Hanson — 3.25 (p)
Brandon Coleman — 3.24 (p)
Dylan McMahon — 3.23 (p)
Forrest Lamp — 3.23
Phil Haynes — 3.22
Wyatt Teller — 3.22
Scott Quessenberry — 3.22
Austin Jackson — 3.21
John Simpson — 3.20
Caedan Wallace — 3.20 (p)
Chris Lindstrom — 3.18
Connor Williams — 3.18
Anthony Bradford — 3.17
Jovaughan Gwyn — 3.17
Troy Fautanu — 3.16 (p)
Ezra Cleveland — 3.16
Garrett Bradbury — 3.15

As you can see, Beaux Limmer is the most explosive offensive linemen we’ve ever put through the TEF formula.

Weighted TEF

We also created a second calculation to account for the fact that jumping a vertical at 320lbs is more challenging than jumping a vertical at 295lbs. Thus, we created a formula (weighted TEF or wTEF) to account for weight:

Weight x TEF x 0.1

We can give each player a score that sufficiently emphasises their unique size. For example:

Germain Ifedi — 324 x 2.97 x 0.1 = 96.1

Confirmed wTEF scores for 2024

Beaux Limmer — 111.1
Kingsley Suamataia — 101.4
Jarrett Kingston — 100.7
Jackson Powers-Johnson — 99.7
Joe Alt — 96.9
Frank Crum — 94.2
Nick Gargiulo — 92.2
KT Leveston — 91.6
Christian Haynes — 89.7
Tanor Bortolini — 89.1
Delmar Glaze — 87.9
Sataoa Laumea — 85.8
Keaton Bills — 85.4
Cooper Beebe — 85.7
Gottlieb Ayedze — 84.7
Javion Cohen — 82.9
Drake Nugent — 80.5
Isaiah Adams — 77.2
X’Zauvea Gadlin — 77.2

Projected wTEF scores

Mason McCormick — 104.4
Tylan Grable — 104.3
Garret Greenfield — 104.2
Brandon Coleman — 101.4
Caedan Wallace — 100.5
Troy Fautanu — 100.2
Taliese Fuagu — 99.8
Tyler Guyton — 98.2
Amarius Mims — 97.6
C.J. Hanson — 97.5
Dylan McMahon — 96.6
Roger Rosengarten — 94.9
Olu Fashanu — 94.2
Blake Fisher — 94.2
Christian Mahogany — 93.9
Javon Foster — 92.6
Matt Lee — 91.8
Karsen Barnhart — 91.8
Nathan Thomas — 91.6
Jeremy Flax — 91.2
Dominick Puni — 90.8
Jordan Morgan — 90.8
Charles Turner — 90.6
Trevor Keegan — 90.5
Brady Latham — 90.0
Jacob Monk — 89.6
Layden Robinson — 87.6
Trente Jones — 87.2
Matthew Jones — 86.3
Andrew Coker — 76.9
Andrew Raym — 76.3

Top-five weighted TEF scores since 2016

Beaux Limmer — 111.1
Tristan Wirfs — 111.0
Braden Smith — 110.9
Sua Opeta — 109.0
Cole Strange — 105.0

So there you go — Beaux Limmer is officially the most explosive offensive linemen we’ve ever tested — taking the crown from Tristan Wirfs.

That top five is somewhat interesting because it includes Wirfs (one of the best offensive linemen in the league), an underrated confirmed starter in Braden Smith (PFF’s sixth ranked tackle in 2023 with an 83.3 grade), Cole Strange who was drafted in the first round unexpectedly and Sua Opeta who has been a very average starter for the Eagles (you can’t win them all).

Takeaways from the data

— This offensive line class is as good as advertised. Explosive testing isn’t a guarantee of success and it’s likely several non-explosive testers will have good NFL careers. However, if we’re going to refer to this as the best O-line class in a couple of decades, it’s good to know that it also includes the greatest explosive lineman we’ve seen in nine drafts and the highest number of confirmed or projected explosive testers in that same period.

— Beaux Limmer is probably going to be taken earlier than people think.

— The two most impressive linemen in terms of the ‘big name’ prospects at the combine were Taliese Fuagu and Troy Fautanu. They are far more physical, explosive and athletic than players like Joe Alt and Olu Fashanu, who are often mocked higher than them. I think it’s very likely Fuagu will be a top-10 pick and Fautanu will follow suit. They are highly explosive linemen and out-performed not only Alt and Fashanu but also Amarius Mims and Tyler Guyton.

— If either player lasts to the Seahawks at #16 — and Seattle doesn’t trade up or stick and pick a quarterback — I think they’d run to the podium for either Fuagu or Fautanu. They are both ideal fits — in terms of playing style, physical profile, positional versatility and character. I’m not convinced either will last to #16, frankly.

— Three of the mid/late round options we’ve talked about on the blog tested very well — Jarrett Kingston, Dylan McMahon and Charles Turner. Although it’s worth remembering that agility testing and body type (leverage) seems equally if not more important at center (as explained here). I’ve included the agility testing results below:

—- Top-10 short-shuttle times:

Tanor Bortolini — 4.28
Dylan McMahon — 4.33
Dominick Puni — 4.40
Mason McCormick — 4.45
Jarrett Kingston — 4.47
Brady Latham — 4.47
Drake Nugent — 4.50
Joe Alt — 4.51
Christian Mahogany — 4.53
Beaux Limmer — 4.57

–- Top-10 three-cone times:

Tanor Bortolini — 7.16
Dylan McMahon — 7.26
Joe Alt — 7.31
Drake Nugent — 7.33
Nick Gargiulo — 7.33
Frank Crum — 7.39
Cooper Beebe — 7.44
Sedrick Van Pran — 7.46
Dominick Puni — 7.47
Beaux Limmer — 7.47

The Seahawks will be able to bolster their O-line in this draft

This was an impressive day at the combine, both in terms of players excelling during drills and wowing with their sheer size and length. There are appealing first round options and this will undoubtedly go down as one of the richest offensive tackle drafts in years. However, there are also good options in the middle rounds.

Firstly, the big names. It’s frankly unbelievable that Amarius Mims at 6-7 and 340lbs ran a 4.33 short shuttle. In comparison, Michigan cornerback Josh Wallace — who is 155lbs lighter than Mims, ran a 4.35. Aaron Donald, at 285lbs, ran a 4.39.

This should be considered a more headline-grabbing achievement than Xavier Worthy running a 4.21 forty. It’s barely believable that Mims has this level of agility at his size. Granted, there are concerns about his lack of playing time in college and he didn’t do on-field drills today after hurting his thigh running the forty yard dash (an impressive 5.07). However, there typically aren’t humans like Mims on the planet and he deserves to be considered an elite talent with major upside. It’s not beyond the realms of possibility he has a Tyron Smith type career given his body, athleticism and upside.

EDIT — there’s now talk of the Mims short shuttle time being an error and his time has indeed been removed from the combine results page. However, I still think Mims is an incredible physical specimen.

Unsurprisingly, Taliese Fuagu and Troy Fautanu both excelled.

Fuagu is never going to blow you away as a tester but on the field he moved with light feet and quickness. We know on tape he’s a brutal mauler so seeing him get around as well as we did here should cement his placing firmly in the top-14. It will be a bit of a surprise if he lasts beyond the New York Jets at #10.

Fautanu ticked off plenty of boxes today — firstly measuring with ideal 34.5 inch arms (retaining the possibility he sticks at tackle) before jumping a 32.5 inch vertical and a 9-5 broad. The ideal baseline for explosive testing is a 31 inch vertical and a 9-1 broad jump, so Fautanu is an outstanding athlete. There’s a very real possibility he will be drafted by Seattle at #16 — not just because of his familiarity within the scheme either. He’s extremely aggressive, he can play multiple positions, he’s an explosive athlete, he’s a high character individual and he has the necessary length. He is a legit top-20 pick in any draft.

Tyler Guyton also performed well during drills and performed a 34.5 inch vertical. I thought Joe Alt’s workout was unspectacular and Olu Fashanu didn’t do anything after hurting himself in the 40. Perhaps the most interesting thing with Fashanu was the revelation that he only has 8.5 inch hands on a 6-6, 312lbs frame. That’s exactly the same hand size as Kenny Pickett — but he wasn’t 6-6 and 312lbs.

JC Latham passed the eye test and I like the comparisons to Tristan Wirfs. He will almost certainly be a top-15 pick and could be an option for the Seahawks if he lasts to #16 (I don’t think he will).

The thing that was perhaps most pleasing about the O-line drills were the number of players who really stood out and could be available later on. This was particularly true at center. I recently wrote about the position, noting a trend that is probably important:

Ryan Grubb and Scott Huff had Parker Brailsford at Washington last season and he’s 6-2 and approximately 280lbs. In 2022, Corey Luciano (6-3, 307lbs) started at center for UW. The Seahawks have used Evan Brown (6-2, 302lbs) and Austin Blythe (6-2, 298lbs). In Baltimore, Tyler Linderbaum has started the last two years and he’s 6-2 and 296lbs.

Brown, Blythe, Luciano and Linderbaum all ran excellent short shuttles and you’d expect the same of Brailsford.

Whether it’s John Schneider, Mike Macdonald, Grubb or Huff — they’ve all worked for a team with a center carrying a certain profile.

If the Seahawks are looking for very athletic, undersized centers with either explosive testing results and/or great agility testing, we learnt today that this class has some good options.

Tanor Bortolini was superb during drills, exploding off the snap and looking quick and decisive during pulling drills. He excelled in every drill and put on a testing masterclass. He ran the fastest short shuttle (4.28) and three cone (7.16), jumped a 32.5 inch vertical and a 9-4 broad and even ran a 4.94 forty. He’s 6-4 and 303lbs and based on what he showed today, he’s a fantastic developmental center.

Dylan McMahon and Beaux Limmer also had excellent workouts. McMahon in particular fits the bill at 6-3, 299lbs with explosive athleticism (33 inch vertical, 9-7 broad) and solid agility testing (4.45 short shuttle).

A lot of Seahawks fans want the team to invest in Jackson Powers-Johnson, the biggest name center in the class. However, he’s 328lbs and looks every bit of it. He was bulky and sluggish during drills today, didn’t run a forty and didn’t do any agility testing. It’s hard to imagine him in Seattle’s scheme, he skipped Oregon’s Bowl game (something John Schneider railed against last week) and I’m just not sure he’s as good as some people have been suggesting. For me, he’s not a first round pick and the Seahawks would be better off taking a chance on one of the names listed above.

I thought Sedrick Van Pran had a very good workout after a somewhat underwhelming 2023 season. He looked the part and can probably play guard or center.

The great thing about the combine is it also chucks out names you want to go and study. I thought the Michigan duo Trente Jones and Trevor Keegan had excellent performances. I haven’t studied Jones — but he jumped off the screen to me during drills. Keegan, meanwhile, I have watched and saw him as tough, safe and steady. During drills I saw a level of mobility I didn’t expect so a review session is in order. A lot of teams are going to be attracted to tapping into Michigan’s loaded draft class and this pair feel like they could be a couple of legit sleepers. Gottlieb Ayedze also had a very impressive workout and I can’t wait to watch his tape.

Finally — fair play to Zach Frazier. He broke his fibula towards the end of the season yet worked out at the combine. That’s astonishing and speaks to his toughness and desire to compete. He clearly wasn’t 100% but was out there anyway, running through drills. He’s the toughest center I watched on film and he loves to get after defenders. Teams will like him a lot — and he fits Seattle’s apparent size preferences.

It’s pretty clear the Seahawks will have opportunities, not just at #16, to add talented offensive linemen in April. While a lot of people tend to fetishise the drafting of O-liners early — it’s worth remembering that most of the top lines in the league generally include quality players found outside of the first frame. This class can help you build a good O-line — but it doesn’t have to be with the #16 pick.

What happens next for the Seahawks?

I’ve got a hunch that something’s brewing. Or at least, that John Schneider is trying to get something brewing.

A year ago Schneider said immediately after the 2023 draft that getting an extra third round pick for 2024 was critical. At the time, I remember thinking it’s because they wanted the ammunition to go and get a quarterback if they needed to trade up. Chucking a second rounder away in the Leonard Williams trade changed my thought process slightly but I’ve since squared the circle in my mind.

I think after the Cleveland win they saw an opportunity. The 49ers were on a three-game losing streak, the Seahawks were first in the NFC West. I think they thought they could contend in a wide-open NFC and they simply whiffed in their evaluation of both their own team, the 49ers and the opportunity. That has now been brutally exposed and they might’ve just wasted a pick on a 10 game rental.

However, if the intention a year ago was ‘we see quarterbacks in this class we might be prepared to trade up for’ — they might’ve since returned to that thought. Yes, a deal is now harder to strike. I’m not sure not having your second rounder, though, is a deal breaker.

The Seahawks met with Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye and J.J. McCarthy at the combine. When asked why on 710 Seattle Sports, Schneider said:

“We have to be ready for anything. We don’t know if a certain trade will go down, or something happens, I mean, you guys have seen players fall in the past and we’ve seen teams be able to jump up and have successful trades moving up into the top-10 to draft guys and, so yeah, you just have to be prepared for everything.”

Nobody really picked up on this, with most of the reaction just resorting to the angle of ‘they’re just doing due-diligence’. That answer is a bit more revealing than I think some people realise. He was specifically asked about why he met with the top quarterbacks and his answer directly referred to ‘teams jumping up into the top-10 successfully’. I’m not sure why you’d meet with Maye or Daniels on the off-chance the Raiders move up to get one of them. My interpretation of that answer was that they’re meeting with those players in case the Seahawks want to consider moving up.

In another answer during that interview, Schneider also mentioned he hadn’t been able to watch much of any of the on-field drills during the first two days of the combine because he was meeting with agents. Then, he said he was looking forward to watching the quarterbacks throw. He also said the final two days at the combine are typically when a lot of trade talks take place between teams.

I just get a really strong sense that the Seahawks might well be considering a bold, aggressive trade up to get a quarterback. I don’t know whether they’ll be able to pull it off. It’d be very expensive. However, I think there’s a little bit of smoke.

Here’s Peter King, writing in January:

“As for teams anxious to deal up for a quarterback, let’s see if Minnesota, at 11, moves aggressively to sign Kirk Cousins (I doubt it). Then it’s Denver at 12, Vegas at 13, Seattle at 16 (I bet Seattle tries to move up) in the derby for young quarterbacks.”

Here’s Jeff Howe, writing this week from the combine:

“J.J. McCarthy represents the start of the second tier of QBs, as teams view a tier-drop from Daniels to here. Still, there’s a chance he goes as high as the fourth pick if a team gets anxious enough to select him and decides to trade up with the Arizona Cardinals, whom league sources view as willing to move down.

It’s conceivable the New York Giants (No. 6), Atlanta Falcons (No. 8), Minnesota Vikings (No. 11), Denver Broncos (No. 12), Las Vegas Raiders (No. 13), Seattle Seahawks (No. 16) and Pittsburgh Steelers (No. 20) could be in play for McCarthy. Even if it’s just two or three of those teams, it makes a trade up the board more likely, and the action on McCarthy could kick-start the draft-night drama.”

Ian Rapoport, when reporting that the Seahawks and other teams had met with Daniels and Maye, added in his tweet:

“So these are the teams potentially in the market for a top QB.”

Now let’s consider some other speculative angles. Schneider mentioned in the 710 interview how teams had successfully traded into the top-10 to draft quarterbacks. This includes the two players we know Schneider really liked — Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen. The Chiefs moved from #27 to #10 to select Mahomes. The Bills traded up from #12 to #7 to select Allen.

Given the success of these two players, especially Mahomes, I have to believe that if Schneider sees a player or players in this draft class that he rates as highly as he did those two, it stands to reason that he would be prepared to aggressively pursue them.

Then there’s the Geno Smith report from Jordan Schulz last week, stating:

The Seahawks have informed Geno Smith he will be on the roster in 2024 under his current contract. I’m told Smith has received commitment from Seattle’s front office.

I thought it curious of the timing of this, given the combine had already started. It’s also interesting that no other reporter has been able to follow it up — including some who are well connected to the Seahawks front office.

It’s possible they checked on the trade market and there wasn’t one for Smith, thus this news emerged. However, here’s another thought. What if they’ve been non-committal because their intention is to trade up for a quarterback? You keep Geno Smith on the roster so you retain an ideal bridge to the future, especially as you look to install a brand new offense in 2024. Then, in 2025, the new guy takes over. Just as Mahomes did in Kansas City.

It would especially make sense if the apple of their eye was a younger player such as Drake Maye or J.J. McCarthy.

It also stands to reason that you’d be non-committal if you were open to letting the rookie compete for the starting job, even if your expectation is that Smith remains the starter this year.

I appreciate this is a speculative theory. However, I truly believe two things:

1. John Schneider is itching to draft a quarterback. It’s why he keeps mentioning only drafting two in 14 years.

2. I don’t believe he will just muddle along with soon-to-be 34-year-old Geno Smith, waiting for the ideal QB to fall into his lap whenever that will be, kicking the can down the road. He’ll know as well as anyone that there are three ways to land a top quarterback. You’re either bad enough to pick early, you trade up, or you get lucky and one falls into your lap when they had no business being available.

It’s very possible he has every intention to trade up and just can’t make it happen. Going from #16 to #3 or #4 will be incredibly difficult and expensive. He’d have to sacrifice an enormous draft haul and even then — he could still be outbid by the Giants, Vikings, Broncos, Raiders or someone else.

However — unless he intends to pick earlier than #16 in the future (I doubt that’s the plan), it’ll only get more expensive the later they pick.

You all know my thoughts on this quarterback class by now. You will know I haven’t been enamoured with Drake Maye or J.J. McCarthy. Schneider might be. Maye, physically and creatively, feels very much like a Schneider quarterback. In terms of personality and character, he fits like a glove.

Then there’s McCarthy, a player who Mike Macdonald and Jay Harbaugh will know all about and I suspect, given Jim Harbaugh announced he should be the #1 pick recently, they’ll have strong feelings about him.

Listen to this segment of an interview I did with Scot McCloughan a year ago. For those who aren’t aware, McCloughan used to work for the Seahawks. Ron Wolf, as with Schneider, was his mentor. He’s considered one of the best talent evaluators in the business. I asked McCloughan what he looks for in a quarterback:

Listen to Scot McCloughan on quarterbacks in the clip below, then check out the full interview in the link. So much great info & insight from one of the best talent evaluators in the business. A must listen whoever you follow #NFLDraft #Seahawks

👉 https://t.co/E6w7bvWmbm pic.twitter.com/AfckzgzLlr

— Rob Staton (@robstaton) March 18, 2023

When I listen to that, I think of McCarthy based on what I wrote about him yesterday.

You saw that Jeff Howe article I linked to earlier. The Seahawks were mentioned with McCarthy. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Seahawks moved up to #3 or #4, knowing they could get one of Maye or McCarthy, before giving them a year behind Geno Smith this season.

I’m not predicting it. I’m just saying it wouldn’t surprise me.

Until the Seahawks have a long term answer at quarterback, it will be the #1 priority every off-season. Only once you’ve eliminated the possibility of addressing that problem in a given off-season, should you consider anything else.

It could be that Schneider will look at trading up and might settle for Michael Penix Jr instead. That might even be the more sensible plan. Perhaps they’d have to trade up for Penix Jr? Jeff Howe’s article suggests not, but who knows? I do think, though, that Seattle’s GM has his eye on this quarterback class. If he can’t make things happen, then I think it’s very plausible they’ll just take one of the very interesting offensive linemen at #16, such as Troy Fautanu, Amarius Mims or Taliese Fuagu, or someone like Chop Robinson or Jared Verse.

A lot of people say to me the Seahawks aren’t ready to trade up for a quarterback. You’ll never be 100% ready. You’ll never have a flawless roster and the ideal QB to move up for. They’ve spent the last two drafts pumping up their roster thanks to the Russell Wilson trade. Eventually, you have to make your move. You bring in a quarterback who can elevate your team so you can cover flaws. You fix holes in free agency and the draft and you manage things. All of the current top contenders do this.

Even the 49ers, currently starting a late seventh rounder at quarterback, traded heaven and earth to get into the top-three in 2021. They knew eventually they’d have to do something, that inaction wasn’t an option. The Trey Lance trade also highlights the risk involved. That’s why you need a good talent evaluator in charge, with the conviction to make the right move at the right time.

Personally, I trust Schneider if he decides to move up.

For anyone who says the roster isn’t ready for this kind of aggressive approach, I’d challenge them to consider the following. You’ve invested a top-10 pick at left tackle. You’ve drafted and paid a receiver with top-tier potential. You just drafted another highly rated receiver with a top-20 pick and you also used two other high picks on talented running backs. They might pay to keep Leonard Williams to match with a top-five pick at cornerback, two recent second round picks at pass rusher plus Uchenna Nwosu.

The cupboard isn’t bare. Their biggest needs are basically interior O-line, safety and linebacker. None are premium positions. Safety and linebacker are positions where your new Head Coach has elevated the performance of players in Baltimore. Your new offensive staff could be challenged to turn Anthony Bradford and Olu Oluwatimi into quality players. As we’ve been noting over the last few days, there are good players in this class to be had in the middle/later rounds at safety and interior O-line. Linebacker’s a black hole — but you might’ve had to go the veteran route there anyway.

The Seahawks might not have a 49ers level roster but who does? This isn’t a ground zero rebuild situation. They’ve been building for two years already. Now they have a staff who might be able to actually get something out of this team.

Back to the quarterbacks, I think a ‘top-four’ are emerging within the league, rightly or wrongly. I think Schneider will look at the dynamic, uber-playmaker Jayden Daniels and see similarities to a quarterback in Baltimore. Mike Macdonald’s defense sure benefitted from the scoreboard pressure Lamar Jackson created. In Drake Maye, I think he’ll see his type of gunslinger — with the character to match. In J.J. McCarthy, he may well see a winner who excels on third downs and has the ‘alpha’ vibe Scot McCloughan talked about. Plus, his Head Coach and Special Teams coordinator have excellent intel on him.

Exhaust attempts to trade up for a quarterback, assess willingness to turn to the likes of Michael Penix Jr, or settle on taking the best O-liner or pass rusher at #16? I think that could well be the thought process.

Note — I will produce TEF results for the O-line class once they’ve done the bench press tomorrow

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Welcome to the 2024 NFL combine coverage on Seahawks Draft Blog

On the final day of workouts I’ll be reacting live to everything happening in Indianapolis as the offensive linemen test and do drills. I will also post a recap article at the conclusion and we’ll do a final combine live stream.

Keep refreshing this page for updates

The workouts begin today at 1pm ET (10am PT).

Measurement notes

— Amarius Mims should be getting far more attention as an extremely high pick. He is 340lbs and barely has an pound of bad weight on his frame. He looks like an AI creation for the perfect offensive lineman. He has 36.5 inch arms, 11 1/2 inch hands and a near 87 inch wingspan. His tape is excellent. He could legitimately be one of the best offensive tackles in the league and he is a once in a generation physical specimen. Let’s see how he tests but too many people are focusing on other linemen. Mims is legit.

— Olu Fashanu has 8.5 inch hands. That is… weird.

— Like Mims, JC Latham needs more attention. He is another colossus — 6-5, 342lbs, 35.5 inch arms, 11 inch hands, 84.5 inch wingspan. You don’t find players very often with this level of size and mobility.

— Job done in the measurements for Troy Fautanu. He has 34.5 inch arms on a nearly 6-4, 317lbs frame. That will be enough for teams to consider him a likely top-20 talent.

— Graham Barton is 1/8 inch away from having 33 inch arms — a good result for him.

— Zak Zinter is nearly 6-6, 309lbs and has 33.5 inch arms. All very good marks for his stock.

— Overall, this really is a stunning class of offensive linemen for size/length. I can’t recall anything like it. It’s going to be very tempting for teams, including the Seahawks, to tap into what could be an extremely rare OT class.

Offensive line forty’s (group 1)

10 yard splits in brackets

Isaiah Adams — 5.22 (1.80) & 5.24 (1.82)
Joe Alt — 5.07 (1.74) & 5.05 (1.73)
Gottlieb Ayedze — 5.01 (1.76) & 5.01 (1.72)
Karsen Barnhart — 5.26 (1.78) & 5.22 (1.76)
Cooper Beebe — 5.05 (1.76) & 5.03 (1.75)
Keaton Bills — 5.41 (1.90) & 5.38 (1.90)
Tanor Bortolini — 4.99 (1.74) & 4.94 (1.69)
Andrew Coker — 5.39 (1.90) & 5.37 (1.85)
Brandon Coleman — 4.99 (1.73) & DNR
Frank Crum — 5.00 (1.70) & 4.94 (1.69)
Olu Fashanu — 5.11 (1.77) & DNR
Troy Fautanu — 5.01 (1.71) & 5.05 (1.72)
Blake Fisher — 5.21 (1.82) & DNR
Jeremy Flax — 5.67 (1.96) & 5.65 (1.97)
Javon Foster — 5.30 (1.79) & DNR
Taliese Fuaga — 5.20 (1.77) & 5.14 (1.78)
X’Zauvea Gadlin — 5.51 (1.90) & 5.51 (1.91)
Nick Gargiulo — 5.26 (1.78) & 5.26 (1.78)
Delmar Glaze — 5.21 (1.79) & 5.23
Tylan Grable — 4.99 (1.70) & 4.96 (1.69)
Garret Greenfield — 5.30 (1.82) & 5.23 (1.77)
Tyler Guyton — 5.19 (1.76) & 5.21 (1.76)
CJ Hanson — 5.00 (1.76) & 5.02 (1.78)
Christian Haynes — 5.03 (1.75) & DNR
Christian Jones — 5.05 (1.78) & 5.07 (1.78)
Matthew Jones — 5.21 (1.87) & 5.23 (1.88)
Trente Jones — 5.19 (1.79) & 5.17 (1.81)
Trevor Keegan — 5.28 (1.81) & 5.25 (1.78)

Olu Fashanu says he isn’t going to do anything else today after one forty run. He says he has a right thigh injury.

O-line vertical jumps (Group 1)

Remember — 31 inches is the ideal mark for explosive testing.

Garret Greenfield: 38.5
Tylan Grable: 36.5
Tyler Guyton: 34.5
Brandon Coleman: 34
C.J. Hanson: 33.5
Christian Haynes: 33
Tanor Bortolini: 32.5
Troy Fautanu: 32.5
Javon Foster: 32.5
Nick Gargiulo: 32.5
Olu Fashanu: 32
Taliese Fuaga: 32
Frank Crum: 31.5
Trevor Keegan: 30.5
Keaton Bills: 29.5
Karsen Barnhart: 29.5
Blake Fisher: 28
Matthew Jones: 28
Joe Alt: 28
Jeremy Flax: 28
Cooper Beebe: 27.5
Anim Dankwah: 27.5
Trente Jones: 27
Gottlieb Ayedze: 26.5
Javion Cohen: 26.5
Delmar Glaze: 25.5
Andrew Coker: 25.5
Isaiah Adams: 24.5
X’Zauvea Gadlin: 24

Garret Greenfield’s 38.5 inch vertical is the best mark by an offensive lineman for 20 years.

Offensive line broad jumps (Group 1)

The minimum for an ideal explosive testing mark is 9-1. As you can see, this is a very explosive group. And this is only group one!

Tylan Grable: 9’9″
C.J. Hanson: 9’7″
Brandon Coleman: 9’6″
Frank Crum: 9’6″
Garret Greenfield: 9’5″
Troy Fautanu: 9’5″
Gottlieb Ayedze: 9’4″
Tanor Bortolini: 9’4″
Joe Alt: 9’4″
Karsen Barnhart: 9’3″
Taliese Fuaga: 9’3″
Cooper Beebe: 9’1″
Olu Fashanu: 9’1″
Trente Jones: 9’1″
Trevor Keegan: 8’11”
Tyler Guyton: 8’11”
Javon Foster: 8’10”
Delmar Glaze: 8’8″
Javion Cohen: 8’8″
Matthew Jones: 8’7″
Christian Haynes: 8’6″
Isaiah Adams: 8’6″
Keaton Bills: 8’5″
Nick Gargiulo: 8’5″
Jeremy Flax: 8’4″
X’Zauvea Gadlin: 8’0″
Andrew Coker: 7’10”

O-line group 1 on-field drills

Joe alt looked stiff on his wave drill, his footwork wasn’t great and he slipped at one point. Cooper Beebe looks big and bulky but moves as well as you can expect for a chunky guard. He has very short arms which will put off some teams but he’s a very good player.

Tanor Bortolini looked terrific during the wave. Easy movements, very mobile and quick. He’s extremely explosive with his vertical and broad jump and he ran a 4.94. Impressive workout so far.

Troy Fautanu looked really comfortable in his set, he can sit down in his position with the right bend and move around. He didn’t change direction quite as well as Daniel Jeremiah was trying to make out but you can just see the natural leg bend.

Taliese Fuagu had a sensational wave drill. His change of direction at his size — wow. What movement skills. So fluid and athletic. Tyler Guyton also excelled in the wave — just smooth, easy movements. Effortless.

Christian Haynes had a really good rep — another O-line with easy movement skills and got around the field nicely. Trente Jones and Trevor Keegan, two of the Michigan offensive linemen, also did really well in the first on-field drill.

Fair play to Zach Frazier, out there doing drills so soon after recovering from a serious injury. He’s a dude on tape — and he loves to hit people in the face (supposedly what Ryan Grubb wants up front).

The NFL Network having Shaun O’Hara on the field producing actual analysis on the offensive linemen is a breath of fresh air after three previous days of what I’d call ‘areseing about’.

The long pull and deep pull drills feels a little bit of a dog and pony show, given the main aspect of a play like this is an ability to find a second level player to block and execute. They’re really just running around a cone. Fuagu and Guyton again looked really mobile.

I’m really impressed with the movement skills of Jones and Keegan from Michigan. They are really standing out here.

Chris Ballard is down on the field, the Colts GM, watching the O-line drills closely. Can well imagine the Colts being in the O-line market at #15.

Christian Haynes is having a nice workout. He’s a bit top-heavy with his frame but he’s moving nicely enough. I’m constantly draw to the Michigan pair of Jones and Keegan. I need to study Trente Jones more. They both look the part.

On this next bag drill, this is the one that a year ago everyone kept getting wrong and the Eagles O-line coach got all hot and heavy about it. Gottlieb Ayedze did his rep really well — good feet, nice punch, an excellent slide. Tanor Bortolini did so well too — he’s having a very impressive combine and showing off all the kind of traits you want in a modern, athletic center. Zach Frazier is clearly not 100% but he’s muscling through his drills like a champ.

A lot of the kicks on these reps are too shallow. The O-liners are rushing through the final stage and just need to chill, be patient and complete the rep. Trente Jones, unsurprisingly, did it very well.

Fuaga — sensational rep on the left tackle version of the pass rush drop. Ticking every box as he goes through his session. People keep harping on about Joe Alt and Olu Fashanu. Group think. Fuaga, Mims — they are the top two for me.

I didn’t like Joe Alt’s mirror drill. No real depth to his kicks. Just extremely ‘meh’ from Alt today. Cooper Beebe had a much better rep, as did Tanor Botolini — who is one of the big winners today. He has fantastic physical potential based on what we’re seeing today.

Fautanu had a good rep, seemed very much in control. Didn’t klick his heels, very balanced, made it look easy. Impressive.

Gottlieb Ayedze is someone I really need to study, I think he’s had an impressive on-field session.

The first O-line group have now concluded their workouts.

Offensive line forty’s (group 2)

10 yard splits in brackets

Jarrett Kingston — 5.02 (1.73) & 5.03 (1.73)
Brady Latham — 5.32 (1.84) & 5.32 (1.80)
Matt Lee — 5.05 (1.82) & 5.04 (1.76)
KT Leveston — 5.40 (1.88) & 5.38 (1.85)
Beaux Limmer — 5.22 (1.75) & DNR
Christian Mahogany — 5.14 (1.74) & 5.15 (1.76)
Mason McCormick — 5.15 (1.75) & 5.08 (1.71)
Dylan McMahon — 5.10 (1.77) & 5.11 (1.75)
Amarius Mims — 5.07 (1.78) & DNF
Jacob Monk — 5.09 (1.74) & 5.12 (1.76)
Jordan Morgan — 5.05 (1.70) & 5.07 (1.70)
Drake Nugent — 5.23 (1.83) & 5.32 (1.86)
Patrick Paul — 5.14 (1.77) & 5.24 (1.84)
Prince Pines — 5.34 (1.82) & DNF
Dominick Puni — 5.48 (1.86) & 5.36 (1.86)
Andrew Raym — 5.42 (1.94) & DNF
Roger Rosengarten — 4.92 (1.73) & DNR
Kingsley Suamataia — 5.06 (1.74) & 5.04 (1.74)
Nathan Thomas — 5.20 (1.76) & 5.21 (1.78)
Sedrick Van Pran — 5.20 (1.77) & 5.23 (1.77)
Caedan Wallace — 5.22 (1.77) & 5.16 (1.74)

Amarius Mims pulled up during his second forty yard dash. Prince Piles also pulled up and had an ugly fall after running his second attempt. Then Andrew Raym had an injury. What’s going on?

Offensive line broad jumps (Group 2)

Mason McCormick: 9’9″
Caedan Wallace: 9’8″
Dylan McMahon: 9’7″
Roger Rosengarten: 9’5″
Layden Robinson: 9’3″
Amarius Mims: 9’3″
Matt Lee: 9’3″
Jordan Morgan: 9’2″
Beaux Limmer: 9’2″
Brady Latham: 9’2″
Kingsley Suamataia: 9’2″
Charles Turner III: 9’1″
Christian Mahogany: 9’1″
Jacob Mon: 9’0″
KT Leveston: 9’0″
Dominick Puni: 8’11”
Nathan Thomas: 8’11”
Jackson Powers-Johnson: 8’8″
Sataoa Laumea: 8’8″
Drake Nugent: 8’5″
Andrew Raym: 7’11”

Offensive line vertical jumps (Group 2)

Beaux Limmer: 36.5
Mason McCormick: 35.5
Dylan McMahon: 33
Christian Mahogany: 32.5
Jackson Powers-Johnson: 32
Jarrett Kingston: 31.5
Charles Turner III: 31
Caedan Wallace: 31
Matt Lee: 31
Roger Rosengarten: 30
Dominick Puni: 30
Prince Pines: 30
Drake Nugent: 29.5
Jacob Monk: 29.5
Patrick Paul: 29
Brady Latham: 29
Kingsley Suamataia: 28
Jordan Morgan: 28
KT Leveston: 27.5
Layden Robinson: 26.5
Sataoa Laumea: 26
Amarius Mims: 25.5
Nathan Thomas: 25
Andrew Raym: 24.5

O-line Group 2 on-field drills

JC Latham didn’t run a forty but he looks fantastic in terms of his massive, well proportioned frame. Beaux Limmer had a fantastic wave drill — very easy change of direction, fluid mover, another player who looks the part of a modern center. Dylan McMahon also had a really good rep.

Jackson Powers-Johnson also didn’t run a forty. I thought his wave was a struggle at times — his feet got caught underneath him and he stumbled. He isn’t a mobile center — he’s very bulky and built like a big block.

Roger Rosengarten moved very quickly through the wave but he was bending his waist and didn’t show natural bend.

Charles Turner had a really good wave drill — the LSU center. He got a roar of approval from the coaches.

If Tanor Bortolini was an impressive performer at center from the first group, Beaux Limmer is really standing out here. A great athlete, explosive off the snap, very quick and decisive with his movements.

Rosengarten has a shape to him I didn’t expect. He’s mid-heavy if that makes sense. Not a big base or substantial upper body. Sedrick Van Pran isn’t the most athletic but he just looks like a dude.

I liked watching Jarrett Kingston on tape and I think as someone with some guard/tackle flexibility he’d be a really useful option. Dylan McMahon, like Limmer and Bortolini, just looks the part of a center Seattle’s/Washington’s/Baltimore’s scheme has bee using.

There are a lot of positives for Jackson Powers-Johnson but this isn’t his setting. He’s extremely big and lacks mobility. He looks pretty scheme-specific. Sedric Van Pran, another bigger guy, just has a better proportional frame and is handling the drills a lot better.

On the pass rush drop, Dylan McMahon had a really good rep — dropping in the proper way with a decent punch. This was Jackson Powers-Johnson’s best drill of the session so far but he still looks almost ‘too’ bulky.

Too many of the players in this drill again are not kicking out and providing the right kind of depth in their drops. This second group has been less impressive as the first one.

Miami center Matt Lee had a really good rep when they switched to the left side. JC Latham’s was fairly good — but you can’t stop looking at his amazing frame. It’s so impressive. McMahon’s second rep was as good as his first — he’s had a great session.

Jarrett Kingston, JC Latham, Sataoa Laumea and Dylan McMahon did well in the mirror’s the NFL Network actually showed, before cutting off for a commercial break and then a few minutes of absolute waffle from Charles Davies.

I think that’s it. I think they basically went to a commercial, we missed the end of the session, and that’s your lot. Awful.

Let’s end the live blog here. Another year of feeling like my ears want to run away from my head listening to the combine coverage. Live stream shortly, O-line (and combine/Seahawks) review coming up.

Michael Penix Jr and Spencer Rattler show off their arms

In terms of pure arm talent, it was always expected that these two would perform the best during on-field throwing drills today. They didn’t disappoint. However, it wasn’t just the pure power that made for two successful throwing sessions.

Anticipation is critical at the next level and teams want to see evidence of it, even when you’re throwing in this setting. It was noticeable how often Penix Jr and Rattler would throw their passes before the receiver’s break — putting it on the money and allowing them to catch in stride.

The accuracy of their throws was top notch aside from the slightly trickier fade session at the end — with the ball consistently firing out of their hands with good velocity. This was a big difference to Bo Nix, for example, who just seemed to play well within himself. Nix also struggled with anticipation, releasing the ball only when he could see the whites of the eyes of each target.

Penix Jr really flashed on the deep-ball throws at the end, flicking his wrist to deliver passes 60-65 yards downfield with touch. He made it look effortless, in a way only really Joe Milton could match.

I still think Penix Jr is a really difficult projection in terms of working out where he might be taken. On the one hand, you have this elite arm that can drive layered passes into the most improbable of windows. You can take 20 throws from last season alone and hold it up against any of the elite NFL quarterbacks and what they put on tape in college. He elevated Washington to new heights and delivered critical, big-time wins against Oregon (three times) and Texas.

On the other hand, there are some legit question marks about his ability to extend plays and get out of the pocket, whether he can be patient and take what a defense offers rather than needing to rely on the explosive play and while Ian Rapoport is reporting the medical checks produced good news — we don’t know how individual teams will asses the results. He also had a stretch during the 2023 season where he didn’t play with any consistency — watching his completion percentage sink in the process.

Look at what Jeff Howe said about Penix Jr after consulting with team sources at the combine:

The performance in the loss in the national championship game highlighted teams’ greatest concerns with Penix. While under constant pressure from Michigan’s pass rush, Penix’s mechanics and accuracy were a major issue, and he took a beating that clearly impacted his game. That element, because of Penix’s injury history (two torn ACLs, two season-ending shoulder injuries), really worried teams.

On the positive side, Penix has a great arm, throws a good deep ball, largely played very well in clutch situations and is believed to be a strong leader. If he can buck the injury history and improve the mechanical breakdowns while under duress, evaluators believe he can develop into a starter.

Penix’s draft stock is a matter of which qualities teams will prioritize. The belief is he’ll be a fringe second/third-rounder.

Whoever takes him will be excited. You can’t help but love the arm and it’s a difference making ability he possesses. It’s special. I also understand the concerns. It’s why it’s really difficult to get a read on how early — or late — he’ll be taken. What I would say, though, is if the Seahawks take him at any point, you won’t hear any complaints from me.

As for Rattler, I think it’s strange how little attention he gets. Even during the broadcast today, it felt like Kedon Slovis — who was distinctly average — was getting more praise. He has a high level of natural talent, he has a really good arm and he’s the one player in this class who played in a pro-style offense in a pro-style setting (facing regular pressure behind a horrendous O-line).

There’s a lot to like about Rattler and while he has to answer questions about what went wrong at Oklahoma (plus he’ll be asked about the immaturity issues he showed during that period) — in the right setting I think he can succeed and start in the NFL.

I’m not sure the Seahawks will draft him. They’ve placed such an enormous focus on character since 2022 that I think when they do draft a quarterback, it’ll likely be someone who is somewhat flawless in this regard. I hate to say it but the best landing spot for Rattler is probably the LA Rams. Sit behind Matt Stafford, be coached by Sean McVay. The scheme would suit him. It’s a great fit, potentially in round two.

I have things to say about J.J. McCarthy

When I watched his throwing session, it was exactly as expected. There’s nothing physically spectacular about McCarthy. He’s a good athlete, he doesn’t have a bad arm. It’s just not great. A few too many passes early on were inaccurate, the deep-balls were fairly unimpressive but there were also some good throws too.

My immediate reaction after he threw was to again question why there’s so much hype about him, with the latest talk even being that he could be part of a four-quarterback run to start the draft.

And then it hit me.

The NFL Network had him in the booth with Rich Eisen and Daniel Jeremiah for an interview. I was blown away by McCarthy’s charisma, confidence, maturity and manner. He just has ‘it’. I bet that sounds ridiculous to some of you, how can you change an opinion based on that? It’s hard to explain, but I have. I’ve never done it before. If you also watched it, you probably felt the same.

I guarantee McCarthy has gone into those meetings at the combine and blown everyone away. I bet when scouts visited Michigan’s facility over the last two years, they were wowed. I bet when owners get in a room with him — they will want this guy at the forefront of their franchise.

After the interview, McCarthy stuck around for the second throwing session. When Xavier Worthy ran his record-breaking 4.21 — he was one of the first to sprint over and congratulate him, despite not even being part of the group. It was all so natural, too. Worthy embraced him like a close friend, not two individuals who played for different teams at opposite ends of the country. He was just giving off a vibe that he was ‘the guy’. Not because he was trying to make it so, it was just naturally happening in this setting.

There is an intangible quality to McCarthy which shouldn’t be underestimated. Then you start stacking aspects up. Statistically he is the top QB in this class on third downs and completion percentage when scrambling. He just won the National Championship as the captain and leader of the offense. He’s been well coached at a serious program. He’s athletic.

The throwing sessions are hard to follow because the NFL Network does a bunch of interviews, they chit-chat about everything and anything but the workouts and there are a ton of commercials. When they cut some replays together to play out during McCarthy’s interview, I took the chance to check his technique. Footwork? Flawless. Throwing motion? Very good.

Imagine you’re a team needing a quarterback. You’ve got this guy who, even at 21, is going to walk into your building and probably just make everyone love him on day one. He has a history of success in college. He’ll be one of the guys but quickly establish a leadership position. You won’t need to spend forever fixing his technique and when he gets on the field, you’ll back him to win key moments on third down and on the move.

I’m telling you now — if a team is prepared to pay Kirk Cousins $40m a year next week coming off an achilles injury, someone is going to take a chance on this guy very early in round one. Maybe even top-five. They will believe in him as a person and they’ll believe as a player he’ll produce a base-line performance that, as a worst case scenario, they can live with.

He isn’t Tom Brady as a player, not even stylistically. Nobody ever will be Brady. But you know what? Watching how he carried himself today, there were Brady vibes. Some team is going to convince themselves of that and fall in love.

His ceiling, physically, will have some limitations. He isn’t a Mahomes, Allen, Herbert or Stroud type. He’ll need a supporting cast to really succeed at a high level, as he did at Michigan. But having him will be better than not having him for some teams picking near the top of round one. I do think there’s a chance someone takes him before Drake Maye. I do think someone could trade up for him. I do think a lot of teams are going to leave Indianapolis on a plane tomorrow night and they’re going to want this guy in their building.

And I do think the Seahawks could be one of them.

Bo Nix didn’t impress

As noted earlier, he just played within himself. He never let it rip — his throws all felt really safe and his workout lacked any kind of dynamism. The deep balls weren’t impressive, the anticipation wasn’t there and you just ended up wanting more. I thought this was a round three pick performance — but his production at Oregon, personality and the importance of the position likely means round two. It’s hard to get excited about what he showed here.

This is a fantastic receiver class

We all knew it was a real position of strength going into the combine — but so many players elevated their already high stock in Indianapolis. I suspect by the time I’ve done some tape review post-combine, I’ll have 18 receivers with a second round grade or higher.

Xavier Worthy breaking the combine forty-yard-dash record was an electrifying moment and one of the all-time great combine spectacles. His lap of honour after running a 4.21 was joyous. I need to go back and re-watch Worthy and Texas team mate Adonai Mitchell, who also ran an excellent 4.34.

Jacob Cowing was a big blog favourite pre-Senior Bowl but I thought he underwhelmed in Mobile. However, here he ran a 4.38 and showed excellent catching technique. He’s adept at separating and I was probably too reactive to the Senior Bowl workouts in dropping him down the board.

Keon Coleman ran one of the slower forty’s (4.61) but I thought he really impressed during drills. He lacks speed but shows great body control and ball-tracking.

Ladd McConkey running a 4.39 could elevate him into the first round conversation, Ricky Pearsall had an unreal testing session and I need to consider bumping his grade up. Across the board so many players ran well — which has always been a big thing for the Seahawks at this position.

This is such a deep class I wonder if it’ll re-set the receiver market in free agency? Ever since Christian Kirk’s record breaking deal two years ago, the price of receivers has exploded. The Justin Jefferson’s of this world will still get mega paydays, obviously. With so much cheap talent in this draft class, though, you have to wonder if teams will be less inclined to throw money at the position for older players in 10 days time.

If there was one player who I thought underwhelmed a bit at receiver it was Troy Franklin. Given how fast others ran, a 4.41 forty with his frame was a bit disappointing. Plus his on-field drills were sloppy including a really poor gauntlet.

A final word on the receivers — I love how determined Rome Odunze was to run a 6.6 in the three cone (see below). Everything about Odunze is absolutely first class. I agree with the people suggesting some teams might view him as WR1. He is en elite person as well as a sensational football player.

.@RomeOdunze won't leave the field until he hits his target of 6.6 on the 3 cone drill.

Total dedication. #NFLCombine pic.twitter.com/vIxbd3V52k

— NFL (@NFL) March 3, 2024

Thoughts on the running back class

There are no obvious ‘stars’ or high picks among this group — but I think they did fairly well during drills and if nothing else, a few players pass the eye test.

Blake Corum looked absolutely stacked and moved well with it. I don’t want to go too over the top with this kind of thing after my J.J. McCarthy notes — but Corum does just give off a star vibe. I’m sure he’ll do a great job for Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman in LA as a second or third round selection.

I’m really eager to watch Isaac Guerendo and Jaylen Wright — two well-sized top-testers who I haven’t studied on tape. Guerendo ran a 4.33 at 6-0 and 221lbs, while Wright managed a 4.38 at 5-10 and 210lbs. You can’t ignore that combination of size and speed.

Ray Davis was a lot of fun to watch at Kentucky, he had a good Senior Bowl and while he wasn’t a great mover during drills — he looked physical, tough and kind of led the group during the session.

Trey Benson looks like a smooth athlete, he ran a blistering 4.39 forty at 6-0 and 216lbs and he just looks the part. He got around the bags well, he showed subtle movement when changing direction and I’ll definitely be going back to review his tape.

Audric Estime was the big disappoint, only running a 4.71. I think he’s a talented, athletic runner but this time won’t help his stock. He might provide value to someone if he falls a bit.

You would hope the Seahawks are done drafting running backs at this stage — but there are a few players to admire here, even if it’s not a highly touted class.

If you missed the day three review stream, check it out below. You’ll enjoy the discussion!

Welcome to the 2024 NFL combine coverage on Seahawks Draft Blog

Throughout the next few days I’ll be reacting live to everything happening in Indianapolis. I will also post a daily recap article and a daily live stream.

On top of that, Robbie Williams is attending the combine and will provide insight from his perspective inside Lucas Oil Field.

Keep refreshing this page for updates

The workouts begin today at 1pm ET (10am PT).

Running back forty yard dash times

Emani Bailey — 4.67 & 4.61
Trey Benson — 4.39 & DNR
Blake Corum — 4.53 & 4.58
Isaiah Davis — 4.59 & 4.58
Ray Davis — 4.53 & 4.58
Audric Estime — 4.72 & 4.72
Isaac Guerendo — 4.33 & DNR
George Holani — 4.52 & 4.53
Bucky Irving — 4.56 & 4.58
Dillon Johnson — 4.68 & 4.76
Jawhar Jordan — 4.56 & 4.60
Dylan Laube — 4.57 & 4.54
MarShawn Lloyd — 4.46 & DNR
Kendall Milton — 4.62 & 4.66
Keilan Robinson — 4.42 & 4.43
Cody Schrader — 4.61 & 4.69
Jaden Shirden — 4.46 & 4.46
Tyrone Tracy Jr — 4.49 & 4.51
Kimani Vidal — 4.47 & 4.46
Michael Wiley — 4.56 & 4.52
Jaylen Wright — 4.44 & 4.38

Having arrived home from work and come straight into the combine stuff, I’m going to grab something to eat while watching drills for the running backs. I’m not going to post live notes on these workouts as a consequence but will do for the quarterbacks and receivers.

Of course, there’s not anything to actually review because once again the NFL Network is messing around instead of analysing drills. Joey Mulinaro doing impressions? This event, and the coverage of it, is totally different these days for all the wrong reasons.

Wide receiver broad jumps

Adonai Mitchell: 11’4″
Jermaine Burton: 11’1″
Ryan Flournoy: 11’0″
Anthony Gould: 10’9″
Jalen Coker: 10’8″
Keon Coleman: 10’7″
Cornelius Johnson: 10’7″
Jalen McMillan: 10’7″
Xavier Legette: 10’6″
Troy Franklin: 10’4″
Ladd McConkey: 10’4″
Lideatrick Griffin: 10’4″
Bub Means: 10’2″
Luke McCaffrey: 10’1″
Javon Baker: 10’1″
Jacob Cowing: 9’11”
Jha’Quan Jackson: 9’10”

Wide receiver vertical jumps

Jalen Coker: 42.5
Xavier Legette: 40
Bub Means: 39.5
Adonai Mitchell: 39.5
Anthony Gould: 39.5
Ryan Flournoy: 39.5
Troy Franklin: 39
Jermaine Burton: 38.5
Keon Coleman: 38
Cornelius Johnson: 37.5
Jalen McMillan: 37
Javon Baker: 37
Jacob Cowing: 36
Luke McCaffrey: 36
Ladd McConkey: 36
Lideatrick Griffin: 35.5
Jha’Quan Jackson: 32

Running back broad jumps

Jaylen Wright: 11’2″
Isaac Guerendo: 10’9″
George Holani: 10’7″
Audric Estimé: 10’5″
Keilan Robinson: 10’5″
Tyrone Tracy Jr.: 10’4″
Kendall Milton: 10’4″
Trey Benson: 10’2″
Kimani Vidal: 10’0″
Isaiah Davis: 9’11”
Ray Davis: 9’11”
Michael Wiley: 9’11”
MarShawn Lloyd: 9’10”
Dylan Laube: 9’10”
Braelon Allen: 9’9″
Dillon Johnson: 9’9″
Jaden Shirden: 9’9″
Emani Bailey: 9’8″
Bucky Irving” 9’7″
Daijun Edwards: 9’6″

Running back vertical jumps

Isaac Guerendo: 41.5
Tyrone Tracy Jr.: 40
George Holani: 39
Jaylen Wright: 38
Audric Estimé: 38
Kimani Vidal: 37.5
Dylan Laube: 37
MarShawn Lloyd: 36
Kendall Milton: 35.5
Blake Corum: 35.5
Ray Davis: 35
Jaden Shirden: 34.5
Isaiah Davis: 34.5
Emani Bailey: 33.5
Trey Benson: 33.5
Michael Wiley: 33.5
Keilan Robinson: 33
Cody Schrader: 33
Braelon Allen: 32
Dillon Johnson: 31.5
Bucky Irving: 29.5

Quarterback forty times (Group 1)

Only Sam Hartman is running a forty yard dash among the first group of QB’s. J.J. McCarthy is not running.

Sam Hartman — 4.80 & 4.82

Fair play to Hartman, he’s doing everything — runs, jumps. I like his personality and his hair. He’s an easy guy to root for.

Wide receiver forty times (Group 1)

Javon Baker — 4.54 & 4.55
Jermaine Burton — 4.46 & 4.48
Jalen Coker — 4.58 & 4.57
Keon Coleman — 4.64 & 4.62
Jacob Cowing — 4.41 & 4.38
Ryan Flournoy — 4.44 & 4.48
Troy Franklin — 4.41 & DNR
Anthony Gould — 4.40 & 4.41
Lideatrick Griffin — 4.45 & 4.44
Jha’Quan Jackson — 4.54 & 4.42
Cornelius Johnson — 4.45 & DNR
Xavier Legette — 4.47 & 4.39
Luke McCaffrey — 4.47 & 4.50
Ladd McConkey — 4.43 & 4.40
Jalen McMillan — 4.49 & 4.48
Bub Means — 4.49 & 4.43
Adonai Mitchell — 4.35 & DNR

On field drills for QB’s and WR’s in Group 1

I really liked Jacob Cowing on tape and dropped him a round after an underwhelming Senior Bowl and concern about how small he is. However, he looks sharp out on the field today — running a 4.38 and showing good catching technique on the gauntlet. He’s a very polished, reliable player who gets open and here he’s showing a great ability to catch the ball away from his body.

Ladd McConkey looks great. He could sneak into the back end of round one after running a 4.40. He just looks like he has a bit of class to him. Adonai Mitchell, who ran a great 4.35, tripped on his gauntlet. Troy Frankin’s rep was all over the place.

Here’s McConkey’s gauntlet:

Ladd McConkey's gauntlet 🤌 pic.twitter.com/Xa4CeoxNFl

— Sam Monson (@PFF_Sam) March 2, 2024

Last year, with CJ Stroud, Will Levis and Anthony Richardson throwing, we saw real velocity on passes. My initial thoughts watching JJ McCarthy and Bo Nix is there’s a noticeable difference. And that’s fine — it’s not what they are. But Daniel Jeremiah saying McCarthy has a live arm and ‘needs to take something off his passes’ just doesn’t resonate for me.

Keon Coleman really impressed in the gauntlet drill:

Keon Coleman propaganda:

Play speed vs timed speed:

Coleman ran 4.6, Franklin 4.4, but Coleman was averaging like 5mph more on the gauntlet run. pic.twitter.com/SKgO9q4oWU

— Sam Monson (@PFF_Sam) March 2, 2024

I wish Bo Nix would let it rip. It’s all very safe from him at the moment. Joe Milton isn’t even throwing with accuracy with no defenders on the field. I don’t see him as a NFL quarterback and I’m surprised how many people seem to view him as a mid-round flier.

McCarthy has been off with his placement a couple of times. Unlike Nix, I think he’s trying to arm things out. Overall, and we’re not onto the deep-range throws yet, there’s not been much to get excited about.

The NFL Network is overhyping an uneventful workout from Devin Leary. McCarthy continues to have at least one pass on every set of throws that is off-target.

I don’t think the quarterbacks are throwing with enough anticipation on these throws. They’re waiting until the receivers turn their heads, rather than putting it into a spot for them to run through. There’s been little to get excited about here. Let’s get to the deeper throws.

Nobody is owning this session and saying, I’m the alpha here. Watch this.

Devin Leary’s deep-balls hung in the air too much. McCarthy threw two deep where he kind of just put everything into it and it was way off target. The third gave the receiver a chance but he had to slow down right at the end to allow the pass to catch him up. Joe Milton’s final deep ball was a cannon. Nix’s first deep throw was a good one, the second was awful and a bit of a duck and the third just fluttered downfield and was off target. I’m ready to see Penix do this. Milton had an extra go at the end and he just launched it downfield for about 65-70 yards.

The first session underwhelmed. Milton’s deep-throws were fun. I thought Nix struggled and failed to shine in any way. McCarthy was pretty hit and miss. I’m not sure why the NFL Network got so excited about Devin Leary and Sam Hartman, bless him, doesn’t look like he has NFL quarterback traits. It was a far cry from the gun show we saw 12 months ago.

NFL Network now saying McCarthy had ‘an outstanding day’ and that Nix had a ‘good day’. at this stage, critical thinking is gone from the broadcast. It’s just fluff. Everyone is doing well, apparently. This isn’t analysis. This is just being nice for the sake of it.

I’ll write about this more in the review piece — but this interview with McCarthy is a key reason why teams will like him. He is incredibly level-headed, charismatic and likeable. You can imagine him leading a team. His footwork was very good in the throwing session, his mechanics are sound. There is a base level with McCarthy that is reassuring and teams will buy in thinking the worst case with him is still decent. I’m just not sure he has a great ceiling.

I’m extremely bored of the relentless Michigan talk, though.

Wide receiver broad jumps (second group)

Tez Walker: 11’2″
Xavier Worthy: 10’11”
Ja’Lynn Polk: 10’9″
Ricky Pearsall: 10’9″
Johnny Wilson: 10’8″
Malik Washington: 10’6″
Devaughn Vele: 10’6″
Brian Thomas Jr.: 10’6″
Rome Odunze: 10’4″
Isaiah Williams: 10’3″
Tahj Washington: 10’2″
Jamari Thrash: 10’0″
Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint: 9’11”
Brenden Rice: 9’11”

Wide receiver vertical jumps (second group)

Malik Washington: 42.5
Ricky Pearsall: 42
Xavier Worthy: 41
Tez Walker: 40.5
Rome Odunze: 39
Brian Thomas Jr.: 38.5
Isaiah Williams: 38
Ja’Lynn Polk: 37.5
Johnny Wilson: 37
Brenden Rice: 36.5
Devaughn Vele: 36
Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint: 35
Tahj Washington: 35
Jamari Thrash: 34

Quarterback broad jumps

Joe Milton III: 10’1″
Michael Pratt: 9’6″
Spencer Rattler: 9’0″

Quarterback vertical jumps

Kedon Slovis: 39
Joe Milton III: 35
Michael Pratt: 36
Spencer Rattler: 32
Sam Hartman: 28.5

Quarterbrack forty times (Group 2)

Spencer Rattler — 4.96 & 4.97
Austin Reed — 4.83 & 4.87
Kedon Slovis — 4.60 & 4.56

Michael Penix Jr did not run a forty or do the jumps. Kedon Slovis with a 39 inch vertical and a 4.56 forty — who knew?

Wide receiver forty times (Group 2)

Rome Odunze — 4.47 & 4.45
Ricky Pearsall — 4.41 & 4.42
Ja’Lynn Polk — 4.53 & 4.52
Brenden Rice — 4.51 & 4.50
Brian Thomas Jr — 4.34 & DNR
Jamari Thrash — 4.46 & 4.48
Devaughn Vele — 4.54 & 4.48
Tez Walker — 4.36 & 4.41
Malik Washington — 4.47 & 4.52
Isaiah Williams — 4.64 & 4.64
Johnny Wilson — 4.53 & 4.58
Roman Wilson — 4.41 & 4.40
Xavier Worthy — 4.25 & 4.22

Xavier Worthy unofficially equalled John Ross’ record of a 4.22 forty. It was an electrifying moment — with the crowd exploding and Worthy taking a lap of honour with everyone rushing to congratulate him. It was a great moment — and he did it effortlessly. He came across very well when interviewed, explaining how much having the record meant to him, asking for his split and discussing how his training had prepared him for success.

I really like the catching technique from Brian Thomas Jr and Jamari Thrash on the gauntlet. Cupping their hands to the ball.

Xavier Worthy, after running his forty, isn’t doing any drills. It’s not clear why but he’s already packed up and leaving the field.

Spencer Rattler is throwing with better anticipation than the first group. One of his passes was low and forced Brenden Rice to make a nice grab. Yet the first few throws from Rattler are coming out with a lot more conviction than Bo Nix’s. Michael Penix Jr is also already showing off easy arm strength.

Xavier Worthy ran an official 4.21 which is the fastest time in combine history, beating John Ross’ 4.21. It really was a fantastic moment that will last forever — seeing Worthy run off in celebration.

Watch how Rattler is throwing before his receiver turns on the break. He is throwing with anticipation. The first group kept waiting to see the whites of the eyes of the receivers before throwing. Penix Jr is also throwing with way better anticipation — he just threw an absolute dime.

Rattler and Penix Jr are showing off their arms. They look terrific — well placed passes, great velocity, anticipation. Good start for both.

I love the Xavier Worthy story but please can we see some quarterbacks throwing?

The ball is flying out of Penix’s hand. This is the stuff. This is what you want to see. It’s absolutely night and day compared to the first group. And Rattler is going toe to toe with him — he just doesn’t quite have Penix’s arm (who does?).

Rattler’s first deep ball fluttered a bit but the second had excellent depth and trajectory, the receiver couldn’t run underneath it. Penix’s first deep throw was an absolute beauty. His second was an absolute beauty. It’s so easy. Easy arm strength. Flies downfield, with accuracy. Michael Pratt’s deep balls were not impressive.

Rattler had another go and threw a nice final deep ball. They didn’t let Penix have another go for some reason. Either way, job done. There’s absolutely no question that the two best arms, by far, unsurprisingly, belonged to Michael Penix Jr and Spencer Rattler.

Day three is in the books. I’ll be jumping on a live stream with Robbie Williams at 4:45pm PT so join us for that. Review article to come too.

This is a really intriguing (but small) tight end class

The Seahawks currently only have one contracted tight end for 2024 — and you could argue Will Dissly could/should be a cap casualty with a $10m salary. Thankfully, the tight ends at the combine showed they can come to the rescue.

Over the years we’ve talked about the fact that most of the top TE’s in the NFL tend to test well in the short shuttle and record a fast time in the 10-yard split. A shuttle in the 4.1-4.2 range is exceptional and anything faster than a 4.5 is good enough. A 1.5 split is superb. Here are some notable examples:

Rob Gronkowski — 1.58 (10), 4.47 (ss)
Travis Kelce — 1.61 (10), 4.42 (ss)
George Kittle — 1.59 (10), 4.55 (ss)
Mark Andrews — 1.54 (10), 4.38 (ss)
T.J. Hockenson — 1.63 (10), 4.18 (ss)
Sam LaPorta — 1.59 (10), 4.25 (ss)
David Njoku — 1.61 (10), 4.34 (ss)

From this select group the average 10-split is a 1.59 and the average short shuttle a 4.37.

Further to this, we’ve identified that in the Carroll/Schneider era, a lot of focus was placed on agility testing (short shuttle & three cone) at the tight end position:

Luke Willson — 4.29 (ss), 7.08 (3c)
Will Dissly — 4.40 (ss), 7.07 (3c)
Nick Vannett — 4.20 (ss), 7.05 (3c)
Anthony McCoy — 4.57 (ss), 6.99 (3c)
Zach Miller — 4.42 (ss), 7.01 (3c)
Jimmy Graham — 4.45 (ss), 6.90 (3c)
Greg Olsen — 4.48 (ss), 7.04 (3c)
Colby Parkinson — 4.46 (ss), 7.15 (3c)
Gerald Everett — 4.33 (ss), 6.99 (3c)
Noah Fant — 4.22 (ss), 6.81 (3c)

That’s an average short shuttle of 4.38 and an average three cone of 7.00.

Here’s the 2024 class of tight ends:

Theo Johnson — 1.55 (10), 4.19 (ss), 7.15 (3c)
Devin Culp — 1.55 (10)
Tip Reiman — 1.55 (10), 4.26 (ss), 7.02 (3c)
Jaheim Bell — 1.58 (10)
Tanner McLachlan — 1.58 (10)
Ben Sinnott — 1.59 (10), 4.23 (ss), 6.82 (3c)
Ja’Tavion Sanders — 1.59 (10), 4.32 (ss)
Cade Stover — 1.59 (10), 4.45 (ss)
Jared Wiley — 1.62 (10), 7.19 (3c)
Dallin Holker — 1.66 (10), 4.21 (ss), 6.83 (3c)
Brevyn Spann-Ford — 1.67 (10), 7.38 (3c)

From these results, I’d suggest Theo Johnson, Ben Sinnott, Tip Reiman, Ja’Tavion Sanders and Cade Stover are all very intriguing — while several others who didn’t complete all the tests — such as Jaheim Bell and Tanner McLachlan, could easily get into the mix in terms of comparing physically to the league’s best.

It might not seem like an extensive list — but consider that a year ago, in a seemingly high quality tight end class, only five tight ends (including star rookie Sam LaPorta) tested in this range. We now have a legit five already, with the potential for more in a supposed down year at tight end.

There was one clear star of the day and that was Kansas State’s Ben Sinnott. He was one of the more fun players to watch last season but there wasn’t a huge expectation that he would produce a combine performance where, like Braden Fiske a day earlier, he would be on a different level to everyone else. He produced a complete performance — testing brilliantly to start and during drills he was sharp into his breaks, he maintained speed throughout his routes, he tracked the ball well and showed consistently strong hands. He attacked every rep and the best word to describe him was ‘dynamic’.

He also produced an outstanding 40 inch vertical and a 10-6 broad (both the best measurements of the group). Theo Johnson was second in both categories (39.5 vertical, 10-5 broad). Based on what we saw today, I think they both deserve second round grades. Johnson also had an excellent combine.

Look how Sinnott compares to LaPorta:

Sam LaPorta
Height: 6-3
Weight: 245
40: 4.59
10: 1.59
Vertical: 35
Broad: 10-3
Shuttle: 4.25
3c: 6.91

Ben Sinnott
Height: 6-4
Weight: 250
40: 4.68
10: 1.59
Vertical: 40
Broad: 10-6
Shuttle: 4.23
3c: 6.82

Brock Bowers, the biggest name tight end in the draft, didn’t workout or test.

A so-so day for the defensive backs

The cornerback drills always go on too long, with too many coaches being indulged — each wanting to run their own variation of basically the same handful of drills. There were a few standout performances but it didn’t feel like there was a top-10 pick among the group.

I thought Kamari Lassiter was the big winner. He didn’t run a forty or do the jumps but a 6.62 three cone is a blistering time. Jaxon Smith-Njigba basically covered his lack of pure speed with a 6.57 three cone a year ago. Lassiter could equally propel himself into top-20 contention with that fantastic testing result.

It wasn’t just a great three cone though — he also excelled during drills, looking smooth throughout and he passes the eye test with his frame. He was always likely to go in the top-35, now it’s just a case of how high will he move up board?

Kalen King had a rough Senior Bowl and running a 4.61 forty didn’t help. However, I thought he performed well during drills — appearing to be very controlled and natural with his movements and you could see there’s a player in there. If he’s destined to fall into day three because of an under-performing pre-draft process, he could provide real value. On this evidence, he just needs coaching up.

Unsurprisingly Terrion Arnold looked the part and confirmed he’ll likely be a first round selection with his on-field workout. Jarvis Brownlee Jr. has good size and movement skills — I liked his transition and ability to cover ground quickly. I want to watch more of Daequan Hardy and Marcellas Dial after their performances today.

The other three names I want to mention are Texas’ Ryan Watts — who outperformed expectations with his testing. He had the second best three cone (6.82) and a decent 4.13 short shuttle. Watts also jumped a 40.5 inch vertical. Most impressive, though, are his obscene 34.5 inch arms on a 6-3 and 208lbs frame. You can work with this guy. I liked him on tape and have long thought he was a day-three sleeper. Mike Sainristil was someone I really liked on tape review pre-combine and he had a good workout, plus plenty of praise on air for his character. I’m hoping to get a chance to interview him before the draft. Finally, after an underwhelming 2023 season, I thought TCU’s Josh Newton had a good on-field performance.

The safeties lacked star power — at one point the NFL Network showed highlights of Minkah Fitzpatrick’s combine and it just highlighted there was nobody like him testing today. Still, the group did well catching the football during drills — high-pointing far more consistently than the cornerbacks and looking pretty similar during the transition drills.

Tyler Nubin didn’t run a forty but looked solid enough moving around the field. I can well imagine him fitting in Mike Macdonald’s defense but think he’ll be taken in the #50-65 range. Dadrion Taylor-Demerson ran a blistering 4.41. I loved his tape but had no idea he tested this well — I’ll go back and review him to see how high I need to bump him up.

Dominique Hampton from Washington looked like a dude and tested well, running a 4.14 short shuttle, a 6.83 three cone and jumping a 39 inch vertical. He ran a 4.51 which is more than acceptable.

I reached out to a source at UW to ask about Hampton, who I haven’t fully studied but will do after the combine, and I got this reply:

“Freak of nature, smart, consistent and he’s a great dude. Quiet killer. Our defense scheme funneled the vast majority of plays to the strong safety by design and he was good enough in that key position for us to go to a Championship”

Sounds to me like the kind of guy that fits in Macdonald’s defense. In particular, I like the idea of a ‘quiet killer’ at safety rather than a ‘noisy peacock’.

Malik Mustapha didn’t workout which was a shame although I thought Jaden Hicks and Kitan Oladapo both showed well enough to remain intriguing. I still remain unconvinced by Kam Kinchens, who I’ve given a fourth round grade.

I think this is a position where you can find cheap, contributing value in the mid-to-late rounds. That’s what you need to look for in the modern NFL at safety — at a time when the entire league is treating the position, financially, like it’s the running back of the defense.

Other notes

I thought Drake Maye and Bo Nix both gave excellent interviews during their media sessions. Reports said Maye in particular wowed teams with an alpha personality — but I think both quarterbacks will have their admirers and carry A+ character marks. Maye just screams ‘John Schneider style quarterback’ for what it’s worth.

Ian Rapoport reported positive news on Michael Penix Jr’s injury outlook but it all felt very agent-led. Hopefully he’s right and all concerns have been quelled.

Tony Pauline, however, reported bad news on the medical checks of Payton Wilson and yesterday’s standout Braden Fiske.

Diani Russini said on the Athletic football podcast that she’d heard from one source that the top four picks could all be quarterbacks — with presumably the Cardinals trading down.

Finally, I found this clip interesting. JJ McCarthy was asked on CBS which three receivers he’d like to throw to most in the NFL. His first answer was Jaxon Smith-Njigba:

JJ McCarthy gets asked:

What are his Top 3 Wide Receivers that he would like to throw to?

He lists Jaxon Smith-Njigba#Seahawks pic.twitter.com/oDuKQtLu09

— ᴅᴏxx ⚡️ (@new_era72) March 1, 2024

Of all the players he could’ve said — Justin Jefferson, Tyreek Hill, Ja’Marr Chase, Ceedee Lamb, Mike Evans — or from the Seahawks, DK Metcalf — he went with Smith-Njigba, a former Ohio State receiver.

Granted, he refers to a 2021 game where JSN led Ohio State in receiving yards in a loss to Michigan. It was still a curious choice — either speaking to how much respect Smith-Njigba commands (while hinting that the Seahawks have a real player on their hands) or could it be, possibly, his way of sending a ‘come and get me’ plea?

After all, what if McCarthy enjoyed the ‘Harbaugh way’ so much at Michigan, he sees this as his best chance to get back to it? John has Lamar Jackson and Jim now has Justin Herbert. Working for Mike Macdonald, the former Michigan DC, could be McCarthy’s best chance to ‘get back in the system’. The pair know each other. It’s an interesting thought.

If you missed my day-two recap stream, you can watch it here: