It almost feels inevitable that Missouri’s Connor McGovern will be drafted by the Seahawks
What seems likely at #26?
Even if the Seahawks re-sign Russell Okung, all signs continue to point to the offensive line. It was Seattle’s greatest need coming into the off-season. The only moves they’ve made in free agency so far are to watch J.R. Sweezy and Alvin Bailey walk out the door.
There are two possible scenarios:
1. The Seahawks sign Okung, Kelvin Beachum or Donald Penn on a short term contract and draft an offensive lineman at #26. That player competes to start at left guard in 2016 with the option to move back to tackle in the future.
2. The Seahawks fail to sign a veteran left tackle and are forced to move Garry Gilliam to the blindside. The rookie in this case starts at right tackle.
There’s sufficient depth on the defensive line to fill that need later. As we’ve discussed many times over the last few weeks — there are basically five realistic options at offensive tackle and then that’s your lot. Laremy Tunsil, Ronnie Stanley and Jack Conklin will not reach #26. Taylor Decker, Germain Ifedi, Jason Spriggs, Le’Raven Clark and Shon Coleman could be available.
All five are capable of starting at left guard or right tackle.
Signing a veteran this week and investing a top pick in the O-line is the best way for the Seahawks to upgrade their #1 priority this off-season.
Of the quintet, Ifedi and Clark’s upside arguably gives them the edge on Seattle’s board.
What about at #56?
This is going to be a really interesting pick with many options available. We discussed the possibility of trading up on Friday. With two picks in the late third round, moving up ten spots to get an impact defensive lineman could be appealing. Florida’s Jonathan Bullard could be a target.
If they stay put — there are multiple options. They could still draft a defensive lineman (Kenny Clark?). They could take an athletic linebacker such as Travis Feeney (health permitting) or Josh Perry. They value the running game enough to target a running back here and Kenneth Dixon could be an option.
It could also be used to further bolster the O-line. The Seahawks doubled down on a similar need in 2011 using their first two picks on James Carpenter and John Moffitt. One of Seattle’s keys for each draft is to identify the range their guys will be available. That’s why they are often accused or ‘reaching’. They work out who they want and make sure they don’t miss out.
It’s why Pete Carroll can pretty much reveal every pick before the 2014 draft using a series of cryptic musical clues. When you hear them say, “We got two out of three players we really wanted” as they did a year ago — you know they spend a lot of time in the planning process working out how to get specific players.
If there’s a prospect they might ‘reach’ on a little bit — it could be Missouri offensive lineman Connor McGovern. He’s the SPARQ king on the O-line this year with experience at tackle. The Seahawks like their interior lineman to play tackle in college and they’re attracted to the way Mizzou coaches their unit.
Mitch Morse played left tackle for Missouri in 2014 and similarly excelled at the combine. He was the #49 pick in last years draft and played center for Kansas City. Don’t be surprised if the Seahawks see a bit of Morse in McGovern and draft him at #56 to play center in Seattle.
If they were to take Ifedi and McGovern with their first two picks — they’d be drafting two of the best athletes in this years class. According to SLA, Ifedi ranks in the 98th physical percentile among NFL offensive lineman and McGovern is in the 87th percentile. Both players almost feel destined to wear college navy.
An alternative to McGovern at center could be Michigan’s Graham Glasgow. He is almost identical physically to Max Unger and plays with the kind of edge the Seahawks are looking for. Arizona State’s Christian Westerman is another possibility.
What about the two picks in round three?
If they’ve taken two offensive lineman — this is probably the area where they look to the defense. Is Travis Feeney still available? He could be an ideal prospect to try and replace Bruce Irvin. Which defensive tackles are left on the board? Do any of the running backs appeal in this range — such as Notre Dame’s C.J. Prosise?
Michigan defensive tackle Willie Henry is very intriguing. He’s a run-stuffer plus. He’s not just a space eater but he plays with relative discipline and power. He can hold up against double teams and over time could develop into a long term replacement for Brandon Mebane.
Henry is close friends with Frank Clark. He could be off the board before Seattle’s pick in round three — but if he lasts he’s a strong option.
If they do go O-line with their first two picks — taking a pass-rusher of some description and a defensive tackle would appear to make sense in round three. There’s a dearth of pass-rushers so this might be difficult if Feeney is off the board. That might be why they met with Chris Clemons — and they might feel obliged to sign a veteran edge rusher when the left tackle situation is resolved.
South Carolina State’s Javon Hargrave has the athletic potential (4.93 forty, 34.5 inch vertical at 6-1, 309lbs) to interest the Seahawks in this range. He’s one of the better interior pass-rushers in this class.
Day three?
Despite re-signing Jeremy Lane, the Seahawks have consistently added to their pool of defensive backs. That could easily continue this year.
Colorado State’s DeAndre Elliott ticks all the boxes in terms of length, size and athleticism. Keep an eye on the cornerbacks visiting the VMAC over the next few weeks. The Seahawks consistently pick from this pool of players, several of which won’t have been invited to the combine.
If they haven’t taken a running back yet — round four could be their range. It’s where they selected Robert Turbin and the re-signing of Jermaine Kearse reduces the need for a high pick at receiver.
The only problem is — the talent pool isn’t great beyond the first few rounds. Arkansas’ Jonathan Williams might be an option here. It’ll be interesting to see what the Seahawks do in free agency. If they go into the draft without adding a veteran or two — this could be a much greater priority than round four.
D.J. Reader met with the Seahawks at the combine. He gets good publicity as part of the Clemson defense — but he’s generally been graded in the late rounds or even as an UDFA (by Tony Pauline). He’s a classic run-stuffer, two-down DT. The Seahawks can add to their depth up front by taking Reader later on. Whoever replaces Brandon Mebane — it’s likely to involve a competition involving veterans and rookies.
They might take another D-line conversion project for the offensive line. J.R. Sweezy was a seventh round pick and Kristjan Sokoli a sixth rounder. Michigan State’s Joel Heath could be primed for a similar switch and might be there in the sixth. He’s 6-5, 293lbs with 34.5 inch arms and he jumped 33 inches in the vertical. Ferris State’s Justin Zimmer is another possible project for the O-line.
As pointed out by regular contributor ‘Volume 12’ — the Seahawks took an interest in Oregon’s Alex Balducci at the Shrine Game. Seahawks coaches were also heavily involved in his pro-day workout recently. He could be another camp body for the D-line competition.
If they do consider a receiver — keep an eye on Marquez North for his athleticism and untapped potential plus California’s Kenny Lawler. While not an amazing athlete, Lawler is a touchdown machine with big hands and he high-points the football. He scored a touchdown every 5.3 receptions in college. Washington State’s Dom Williams could be another target.
Free agency latest
The Seahawks will meet with former Dallas running back Lance Dunbar according to Adam Caplan. Dunbar is an explosive player when healthy — he suffered a bad knee injury in 2015. He could be a useful third down option.
Sealver Siliga is also visiting Seattle. The Seahawks once traded for Siliga and he most recently played for the Patriots. They continue to look for depth and competition on the D-line after losing Brandon Mebane to San Diego.
Russell Okung has completed his meeting with the Steelers and seemingly has no further visits on his schedule despite some talk of a trip to Houston. Decision time appears to be looming. As Joel Corry points out — his recent tour of the east coast indicates nobody is willing to match his contract demands.
