Author: Rob Staton (Page 48 of 424)

Sports Broadcaster, Journalist and creator of Seahawks Draft Blog in 2008.

Live blog: Combine day three (QB, WR, RB)

March 2, 2024 /

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 EstimΓ©: 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 EstimΓ©: 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:

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:

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.

Combine day two recap: Ben Sinnott and the tight ends provide some good news

March 1, 2024 /

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 β€” 1.58 (10), 4.47 (ss)
Travis Kelce β€” 1.61 (10), 4.42 (ss)
George Kittle β€” 1.59 (10), 4.55 (ss)
Mark Andrews β€” 1.54 (10), 4.38 (ss)
T.J. Hockenson β€” 1.63 (10), 4.18 (ss)
Sam LaPorta β€” 1.59 (10), 4.25 (ss)
David Njoku β€” 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 β€” 4.29 (ss), 7.08 (3c)
Will Dissly β€” 4.40 (ss), 7.07 (3c)
Nick Vannett β€” 4.20 (ss), 7.05 (3c)
Anthony McCoy β€” 4.57 (ss), 6.99 (3c)
Zach Miller β€” 4.42 (ss), 7.01 (3c)
Jimmy Graham β€” 4.45 (ss), 6.90 (3c)
Greg Olsen β€” 4.48 (ss), 7.04 (3c)
Colby Parkinson β€” 4.46 (ss), 7.15 (3c)
Gerald Everett β€” 4.33 (ss), 6.99 (3c)
Noah Fant β€” 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 β€” 1.55 (10), 4.19 (ss), 7.15 (3c)
Devin Culp β€” 1.55 (10)
Tip Reiman β€” 1.55 (10), 4.26 (ss), 7.02 (3c)
Jaheim Bell β€” 1.58 (10)
Tanner McLachlan β€” 1.58 (10)
Ben Sinnott β€” 1.59 (10), 4.23 (ss), 6.82 (3c)
Ja’Tavion Sanders β€” 1.59 (10), 4.32 (ss)
Cade Stover β€” 1.59 (10), 4.45 (ss)
Jared Wiley β€” 1.62 (10), 7.19 (3c)
Dallin Holker β€” 1.66 (10), 4.21 (ss), 6.83 (3c)
Brevyn Spann-Ford β€” 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:

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:

Live Blog: Combine day two (Defensive backs & tight ends)

March 1, 2024 /

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 3pm ET (12pm PT).

Introductory notes

Today is probably my least favourite day of the combine. Every year, the NFL allows too many DB coaches onto the field. They all want to do their own individual drills, many of which are just variations of the backpedal and transition or the ‘W”. The day drags like crazy and in the past, the DB sessions have gone on way too long. With the new addition of the tight ends to this day, it could be a slog.

If you missed it earlier, I posted a video discussing the possibility of the Seahawks trading up for a quarterback. Check it out here. You can also check out my day one combine review here.

If you want to see measurement info for the DB’s and tight ends, click here.

One of my favourite players among the DB’s — cornerback TJ Tampa — has 32 1/8 inch arms. That’s good length for him at 6-1 and 189lbs. He is seriously underrated. I’ve been higher on Ryan Watts than most and he has incredible 34.5 inch arms at 6-3 and 208lbs. Blog favourite Malik Mustapha looks good at 5-10, 209lbs. I will also be keeping a close eye on Kitan Oladapo and Tyler Nubin today at safety.

There were concerns about Brock Bowers being shorter and smaller than advertised but he quelled those concerns by measuring at 6-3 and 243lbs. There’s doubt as to whether he’ll do any testing or drills today. Cade Stover is 6-4 and 247lbs. Expect him to test better than anyone expects today. I like him a lot.

Kool-Aid McKinstry is not testing today after it emerged he had a Jones fracture that need work. Cooper DeJean isn’t working out either, as he’s still recovering from an injury suffered during the season.

40 yard dash cornerbacks

Kris Abrams-Draine — 4.44 & 4.50
Terrion Arnold — 4.51 & 4.55
Mj Devonshire — 4.45 & 4.48
Marcellas Dial — 4.47 & 4.55
Willie Drew — 4.48 & 4.47
Renardo Green — 4.54 & 4.50
Myles Harden — 4.52 & 4.51
Daequan Hardy — 4.39 & 4.39
Cam Hart — 4.50 & 4.59
Khyree Jackson — 4.50 & 4.52
DJ James — 4.43 & 4.46
Isaiah Johnson — 4.64 & 4.66
Elijah Jones — 4.45 & 4.48
Jarrian Jones — 4.38 & DNR
Kalen King — 4.61 & 4.62
Dwight McGlothern — 4.47 & DNR
Max Melton — 4.39 & 4.40
Quinyon Mitchell — 4.33 & 4.38
Josh Newton — 4.52 & 4.52
Andru Phillips — 4.48 & 4.57
Deantre Prince — 4.39 & 4.42
Nehemiah Pritchett — 4.36 & 4.38
Ennis Rakestraw Jr — 4.54 & 4.51
Decamerion Richardson — 4.34 & 4.36
Mike Sainristil — 4.47 & DNR
Chau Smith-Wade — 4.54 & 4.57
Tarheeb Still — 4.52 & 4.53
Ryan Watts — 4.53 & 4.53
Nate Wiggins — 4.29 & DNR

Nate Wiggins injured his groin running the forty and had to be helped back into the locker room. He said he felt it ‘pop’ and that ‘it was on fire’. Then he came back out and said it was a hip-flexor.

Cornerback broad jumps

Max Melton: 11’4″
Andru Phillips 11’3″
Khyree Jackson: 11’1″
Elijah Jones: 10’11”
Mike Sainristil: 10’11”
Renardo Green: 10’10”
Cam Hart: 10’10”
Isaiah Johnson: 10’9″
Jarrian Jones: 10’9″
Terrion Arnold: 10’9″
Marcellas Dial: 10’9″
Decamerion Richardson: 10’8″
Nate Wiggins: 10’7″
Daequan Hardy: 10’6″
Chau Smith-Wade: 10’5″
Deantre Prince: 10’5″
Ryan Watts: 10’5″
M.J. Devonshire: 10’4″
Kalen King: 10’2″
Quinyon Mitchell: 10’0″
Myles Harden: 9’10”
Dwight McGlothern: 9’7″

Cornerback vertical jumps

Elijah Jones: 42.5
Daequan Hardy: 42.5
Max Melton: 40.5
Marcellas Dial: 40.5
Jarrian Jones: 39.5
Cam Hart: 39.5
Isaiah Johnson: 38.5
M.J. Devonshire: 38.5
Quinyon Mitchell: 38
Renardo Green: 37.5
Kalen King: 37
Terrion Arnold: 37
Khyree Jackson: 36.5
Myles Harden: 35.5
Kris Abrams-Draine: 33.5
Dwight McGlothern: 32

Cornerback on-field drills

As is typically the case, the initial backpedal drills were not great. The transition wasn’t smooth, they often weren’t running properly down the line and several jogged. Ryan Watts, a player I’ve liked since seeing him flash in games for Texas, had the final rep and for me — it was one of the better ones.

Jarvis Brownlee Jr had a good rep on his second attempt. They’ve gone to commercials so think that’s our lot for backpedals.

We’re now watching an interview with Notre Dame Head Coach Marcus Freeman, who seems to be the latest college coach making contacts by attending the NFL combine so he can get out of the hell hole that is the NIL-era version of college football.

Brownlee looks especially smooth with his transition compared to a lot of the other cornerbacks. Very loose and comfortable. Kamari Lassiter, who didn’t run a forty, looks the part with his length and lean frame. He is moving pretty well out there. Daniel Jeremiah is getting carried away talking about Max Melton based on a good forty. He’s already bumped him up to a third and then a second. The tape didn’t show that and he’s not been that smooth in transition, at least for me.

Terrion Arnold looks good when transitioning, his ‘W’ drill was nice and precise and he’s having a good session. Jarvis Brownlee Jr has stood out to me with his frame, athleticism and twitchy movements. Josh Newton continues to have a good workout after a slightly underwhelming 2023. I’ve enjoyed every one of Ryan Watts’ workouts so far. He could be a nice day three flier.

It’s been difficult to track the workouts on the NFL Network. They did an interview with Chris Ballard, now it’s an interview with the new Michigan Head Coach and the commercials keep on coming. We’ve seen very little of the drills and received almost no serious analysis of what’s actually going on.

A Seahawks scout or coach has been among the cornerbacks throughout their on-field workouts. It looks like he might be timing the drills, maybe for the whole league.

Official 40 times for cornerbacks

Nate Wiggins — 4.28
Quinyon Mitchell — 4.33
Decamerion Richardson — 4.34
Nehemiah Pritchett — 4.36
Deantre Prince — 4.38
Jarrian Jones — 4.38
Daequan Hardy — 4.38
Max Melton — 4.39
DJ James — 4.42
Elijah Jones — 4.44

Safety broad jumps

Tyler Owens: 12’2″
Jaylin Simpson: 11’1″
Jaylen Key: 10’10”
Evan Williams: 10’6″
Jaylon Carlies: 10’5″
Sione Vaki: 10’5″
Millard Bradford: 10’4″
Cole Bishop: 10’4″
Andre’ Sam: 10’3″
Dadrion Taylor-Demerson: 10’3″
Jaden Hicks: 10’2″
Dominique Hampton: 10’2″
Josh Proctor: 10’1″
Tykee Smith: 10’0″
Kitan Oladapo: 9’9″
Daijahn Anthony: 9’9″
James Williams: 9’9″
Demani Richardson: 9’8″
Patrick McMorris: 9’4″
Kamren Kinchens: 9’2″

Safety vertical jumps

Tyler Owens: 41
Evan Williams: 40.5
Jaylin Simpson: 39.5
Sione Vaki: 39.5
Dominique Hampton: 39
Cole Bishop: 39
Millard Bradford: 38.5
Dadrion Taylor-Demerson: 38
Jaden Hicks: 37.5
Daijahn Anthony: 37
Jaylen Key: 36.5
Kitan Oladapo: 36
Tykee Smith: 36
Andre’ Sam: 36
Kamren Kinchens: 35
Josh Proctor: 32.5
Jaylon Carlies: 32.5
Demani Richardson: 31
Patrick McMorris: 31
James Williams: 30

Safety 40 yard dash times

It’s worth remembering that none of Baltimore’s safeties under Mike Macdonald ran particularly fast times.

Daijahn Anthony — 4.56 & 4.58
Cole Bishop — 4.45 & 4.49
Millard Bradford — 4.47 & 4.42
Javon Bullard — 4.47 & 4.48
Calen Bullock — 4.49 & 4.54
Jaylon Carlies — 4.50 & 4.54
Dominique Hampton — 4.51 & 4.54
Jaylen Key — 4.60 & 4.64
Kam Kinchens — 4.65 & 4.68
Kitan Oladapo — 4.58 & 4.60
Tyler Owens — DNF
Josh Proctor — 4.60 & 4.56
Demani Richardson — 4.60 & 4.61
Andre’ Sam — 4.59 & 4.62
Jaylin Simpson — 4.47 & 4.45
Tylee Smith — 4.48 & 4.46
Dadrion Taylor-Demerson — 4.42 & 4.41
Sione Vaki — 4.62 & 4.62
Evan Williams — 4.61 & 4.62
James Williams — 4.65 & 4.67

Tyler Owens, who did great in the explosive tests, pulled up during his first forty run and it’s been confirmed he’s out for the day. As you can see, several other big name safeties didn’t run including Tyler Nubin and Malik Mustapha.

I asked a source at Washington to tell me more about Dominique Hampton. This was the review: “Freak of nature, smart, consistent and he’s a great dude. Quiet killer. Our defense scheme funnelled 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 like someone the Seahawks could be interested in.

Safety on-field drills

The NFL Network hasn’t shown a lot of the early drills. We saw some transitions — not exactly a worthwhile exercise for safeties — then straight to commercials after an interview with Brandon Beane.

The safeties are now transitioning and then tracking the football. As a group they’ve done an excellent job high-pointing the football, tracking it in the air. It’s been impressive — although Jaden Hicks messed his rep. Kam Kinchens gets a lot of hype, including on this broadcast, but I thought he was one of the most overrated players in college football. He didn’t run fast and he didn’t look comfortable tracking the ball.

Tyler Nubin is out there working out despite not doing testing. It appears Malik Mustapha is simply out of the combine. Kitan Oladapo made a superb catch — we’ve had a lot of great catches in this session. The safeties have some hands. Dadrion Taylor-Demerson just made an outstanding catch off the turf too. Really impressive hands by multiple players.

I like the look of Dominique Hampton and Jaden Hicks in the ‘W” drill. Kitan Oladapo slipped on his plant and limped off injured during his rep. Andre Sam’ showed well stopping and starting. Tykee Smith, like some of the others, looked a bit stiff here.

Tyler Nubin didn’t do testing but a further tape review last week made me believe he’d fit Mike Macdonald’s system and Seattle’s character desires and I think he’s moved well enough on the field to believe he genuinely is the top safety. He’s not a special athlete but he’s in control, his body is well proportioned, he can cover and close. There’s a lot to like — but he’ll likely go in a range where the Seahawks currently have zero picks.

If I’ve said it once I’ve said it a million times. There are too many defensive back drills that are too similar. We’re four hours in and we’re just seeing the same thing over and over again. All this means is a later finish, no agility testing for the tight ends and probably most of these DB’s too.

Rich Eisen, Charles Davis and Daniel Jeremiah are back to their old ways of talking about absolutely anything other than what’s happening on the field.

Calen Bullock looks very thin and light. Not sure you’d want him up in the box much. Dominique Hampton, on the other hand, looks the part. As does Jaden Hicks — he almost has the body type of a poor man’s Kyle Hamilton. Tyler Nubin looked incredibly comfortable running the gauntlet.

I really liked Dadrion Taylor-Demerson on tape but had no idea he was this level of athlete. He’s tested well and shown well in the drills — so it’s time for a bit of tape revision.

That’s the end of the safety drills (and the defensive players at the combine). Next up it’s tight ends.

Tight end broad jumps

Ben Sinnott: 10’6″
Theo Johnson: 10’5″
Jaheim Bell: 10’4″
Dallin Holker: 10’2″
Tip Reiman: 10’1″
Trey Knox: 10’1″
Jared Wiley: 9’10”
Tanner McLachlan: 9’9″
Brevyn Spann-Ford: 9’8″
Cade Stover: 9’8″

Tight end vertical jumps

Ben Sinnott: 40.00″
Theo Johnson: 39.50″
Jared Wiley: 37.00″
Tanner McLachlan: 35.00″
Jaheim Bell: 35.00″
Cade Stover: 34.50″
Tip Reiman: 33.50″
Dallin Holker: 32.50″
Trey Knox: 32.50″
Brevyn Spann-Ford: 31.50″

These are incredible explosive testing numbers for Ben Sinnott. Not sure anyone expected that.

A reminder — the key tests to look out for with tight ends are the short shuttle, three cone and 10-yard splits. We’ll see if anyone does agility testing, seeing as they’ve been bumped to the very end of Friday night to test.

It’s been confirmed that Brock Bowers is not working out today.

Meanwhile, this is interesting:

Tight end forty yard times

10-yard splits in brackets

Jaheim Bell — 4.61 & 4.63 (1.58)
Devin Culp — 4.47 & DNR (1.55)
Dallin Holker — 4.81 & 4.78 (1.66)
Theo Johnson — 4.65 & 4.58 (1.55)
Tanner McLachlan — 4.66 & 4.61 (1.58)
Tip Reiman — 4.64 & 4.64 (1.55)
Ja’Tavion Sanders — 4.74 & 4.69 (1.59)
Ben Sinnott — 4.68 & 4.70 (1.59)
Brevyn Spann-Ford — 4.76 & 4.79 (1.67)
Cade Stover — 4.65 & DNR (1.59)
Jared Wiley — 4.62 & 4.65 (1.62)

There are some really nice 10-yard splits here. Anything in the 1.5’s is impressive.

I’ve paused the workouts to quickly listen to Hugh Millen on KJR. Quick update, Millen was worth it. Always gold.

On these initial drills the word that springs to mind watching Ben Sinnott is ‘dynamic’. Blocking isn’t said to be a strength of Devin Culp’s and we sat that on the sleds. Theo Johnson did a better job and is well sized and athletic. Tip Reiman’s rep on the sled was textbook and managed to get the crowd cheering a sled drill, which is a first. Reiman is built like a block of granite. Great frame. Cade Stover also did an excellent job.

On the gauntlet, Reiman let the ball get into his body a bit too much but he caught everything. I though Ja’Tavion Sanders and Ben Sinnott had a similar rep. Cade Stover is very good at cupping his hands and he showed that here but he didn’t sprint through his gauntlet and was too careful, trying to catch every pass.

Tanner McLachlan moved well on the in-cut drill. His body movements are precise. Sinnott just looked powerful, quick and dynamic on his rep. I’d like to see Cade Stover unlock things in the way Sinnott is doing and just go flat out.

Jaheim Bell looks like a useful move-TE. He ran well on his wheel route and made a good, difficult grab. Theo Johnson is very leggy, he’s a long strider. I’m not sure he can be a dominant pass catcher but he can be a useful contributor. Tip Reiman dropped his pass on the wheel route. Sinnott, again, just looked superb.

The big winner among this group is undoubtedly Ben Sinnott. A complete performance so far. He’s sharp into his breaks, he maintains speed through the route, he’s tracking the ball well and showing great hands.

A.J. Barner is more of a blocker but he’s dropped virtually every pass so far. But then he made a great grab on the fade route, of course. Jaheim Bell made a spectacular one-handed grab. Devin Culp tracked and caught his well. Theo Johnson made an awkward catch and got both feet in which was impressive, given how contorted his body was. Tanner McLachlan’s rep wasn’t well run.

Cornerback short shuttles

Myles Hard — 3.98
Mike Sainristil — 4.01
Kamari Lassiter — 4.12
Ryan Watts — 4.13
Josh Newton — 4.15
Kalen King — 4.16
Cam Hart — 4.24
Chau Smith-Wade 4.32
Josh Wallace — 4.35
MJ Devonshire — 4.35

Remember — Chop Robinson ran a 4.25 at 255lbs.

Cornerback three cones

Kamari Lassiter — 6.62
Ryan Watts — 6.82
Myles Harden — 6.88
Mike Sainristil — 6.99
Josh Newton — 7.01
Chau Smith-Wade — 7.05
Cam Hart — 7.12
MJ Devonshire

Kamari Lassiter’s three-cone should give him a huge boost. That’s a number, to go with the way he did drills, that could/should secure a top-22 placing.

Safety short shuttles

Dominique Hampton — 4.14
Jaden Hicks — 4.37

Safety three cones

Dominique Hampton — 6.83
Jaden Hicks — 6.88

Dominique Hampton had a great day today.

Only two safeties did any agility testing. Big thanks, NFL.

I’m going to end the live blog today, while hoping the tight ends do any agility testing. Fingers crossed. Reaction stream starting shortly, article reviewing the day to come too.

Combine day one recap: Florida State’s Braden Fiske shines on a mostly average day

February 29, 2024 /

Braden Fiske stars on day one

It’s no exaggeration to say Fiske had one of the best D-line performances at the combine in recent memory. He just looked like he was on a different level to everyone else. He stole the show with a complete performance that should propel his draft stock to new heights, following up a dynamic Senior Bowl showing.

On tape his effort and motor were never in question. He was disruptive, recorded 28 pressures and six sacks. The concerns were all based on physical limitations such as a lack of length (31 inch arms). However, many will be returning to the tape in the coming days after this performance to see if his production and talent match closer to elite-level athleticism rather than pure effort.

At 6-4 and 292lbs he ran a 4.78 forty, a 1.68 10-yard split and a sensational 4.38 short shuttle. To compare, Aaron Donald (who was 285lbs and had 32.5 inch arms) ran a 4.39 short shuttle. Fiske is also explosive — jumping a 33.5 inch vertical and a 9-9 broad.

He took his testing results into the on-field drills — showing superb change of direction skills. He was like lightning going in and out of the bags and his bend to finish had to be seen to be believed. He flashed power in his hands when he forcefully connected with the bags and he ran a smooth figure-of-eight rep.

On this evidence, provided you can see beyond the lack of length, Fiske has the profile of a highly disruptive defensive tackle with the combination of speed, power and agility every team craves.

Every now and again you see a player like this with the production, attitude, character and complete physical profile and a few years into a great NFL career you ask yourself — how did he last as long as he did in the draft? Fiske looked sensational today and had a first round performance.

Big name edge rushers make a statement

Chop Robinson, the player I think is the best edge rusher in the class, ran a 4.48 at 254lbs including an elite 1.54 10-yard split. Dallas Turner ran a 4.46 at 247lbs, also with a 1.54 10-yard split. Jared Verse, who has a very different body type but weighed the same as Robinson, ran a 4.58 with a 1.60 10-yard split.

It was job done for the top three edge rushers. I think Robinson and Verse’s tape is a lot more impressive than Turner’s — he always left me wanting more when watching Alabama. However, this is a dynamic edge rush trio who should all be high picks as a consequence of these testing results.

Overall the EDGE class underwhelmed, as did the linebackers. They were two fairly routine sessions after an eye-catching performance from the defensive tackles. For that reason, there might be a bit of a rush for the top three in this draft at the top of round one.

Adding to Chop Robinson’s good day, he a ran a 4.25 short shuttle while Verse timed at a 4.44 (Marshawn Kneeland had the most impressive time — a 4.18).

I think if Robinson or Verse last to #16, they should be strongly considered by the Seahawks. I’m less enamoured with Turner but the profile is there for a very productive NFL career.

Three other defensive tackles stand-out

LSU’s Mekhi Wingo just had a really consistent workout. He ran the second fastest forty yard dash behind Fiske (4.85), added a blistering 1.64 10-yard split at 284lbs (which is a truly elite-level time) and had explosive testing results in the vertical (31.5 inches) and broad (9-1) jumps. He does lack ideal length (32 inch arms) but he performed well in every drill and showed off a fantastic physical profile.

Let’s just dwell on Wingo’s 10-yard split. It was faster than Bralen Trice’s 1.65 at 245lbs. An EDGE rusher would be fairly pleased with a 1.64. He did it at 284lbs. As with Fiske, you have to work out how bothered you are by the lack of length. But this was a headline-making 10-yard split by a 284lbs defensive lineman.

We’ve said in the past that if the Seahawks are looking for their answer to Justin Madubuike, Ruke Orhorhoro fits the bill. He has almost identical size at 6-4 and 294lbs with excellent arm length (34 inches). Madubuike was 6-3, 293lbs and had 33.5 inch arms. Orhorhoro ran a 4.89 forty, a 1.67 10-yard split and jumped a 32 inch vertical plus a 9-8 broad. Madubuike ran a 4.83 forty and a 1.73 10-yard split.

Both players also have nicely proportioned frames and you could see how easily Orhorhoro moved around the field. He looked like a million dollars and justified the second round grade he has on our horizontal board.

Texas’ Byron Murphy also tested well and put in a series of strong on-field drills. Although there are legit concerns about his size (6-0, 297lbs, 32.5 inch arms) his thick lower body stood out on the field and he was noticeably more muscular than other players in the arse and legs. That should help make up for a lack of length, although on tape he had some struggles against the run (it was surprising to hear him say on PFT that run defense was the best part of his game). He ran a 4.89 forty, a 1.69 10-yard split and jumped a 33 inch vertical plus a 9-3 broad. These are really good numbers and he performed well during drills.

I also thought DeWayne Carter and Tyler Davis made an impression. There are options here. The one minor surprise was Kris Jenkins — who did so well during the early testing (4.91 forty, 1.70 10-yard split, 30 inch vertical, 9-7 broad) but only ran a very average 4.78 short shuttle.

Linebackers, ho-hum

As I was watching the linebacker drills, I kept glancing at the free agent targets list I’ve compiled. The Seahawks have a black hole at the position and I’ve never been more convinced they’ll be spending whatever free agency money they can muster on Jordyn Brooks or someone else.

This isn’t going to be an easy draft to solve any linebacker problems. Junior Colson didn’t do any testing, having hummed and hawed yesterday on PFT about whether he was going to test with a hamstring strain. Jeremiah Trotter weighed at 228lbs and looked tiny. Several linebackers didn’t run a forty. There were some nice explosive results in the jumps but the on-field drills felt unremarkable.

The NFL has wrecked the combine with the stupid decision to move it to prime time. With the linebackers starting last, only five opted to run a crucial short shuttle.

Trevin Wallace at Kentucky made an impression with some nice movement skills and explosive testing. Payton Wilson shone, as expected, with a complete performance. Apart from that, it was all pretty mediocre.

This is a position where you can often find a ‘type’ and a ‘fit’ and maybe the Seahawks will find their guy? Watching that today, it was hard to think who it might be.

T’Vondre Sweat was… interesting

When re-watching his Senior Bowl tape, the flashy reps from Sweat were out of this world. Power, supreme quickness for his size. It was very impressive.

At times today he was majestic running around the field at 366lbs. I can’t recall a man with his body type moving like that. Jordan Davis and Mekhi Becton were big but Sweat carries a lot more, shall we say, ‘bad weight’. Yet he’s still a great athlete.

On some drills he’d look amazing. His forty, a 5.27, isn’t bad at all. But there were other drills where he looked out of control and like a bull in a china shop.

The talent and rare mobility is there. Teams will have to determine how early you can take a player who weighs 366lbs for an athletic job interview — and decide whether they can trust him to manage his weight when he enters the league.

Why was Bralen Trice 245lbs?

He played bigger at Washington and if he lost weight to run faster — he only managed a 4.72. He seemed to get hurt during drills and didn’t run a short shuttle — a drill that could’ve won him a lot of respect, given he’s been timed running in the 4.2’s at a heavier weight at UW. This was not a good day for his stock.

If you missed our day one Senior Bowl recap live stream, watch it here:

Live Blog: Combine day one (Defensive linemen & linebackers)

February 29, 2024 /

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 3pm ET (12pm PT).

Combine measurements

The players are measuring before they workout this year. Marvin Harrison Jr measured today, presumably because he’s leaving Indianapolis.

You can find a thread of measurements here and I’ll note some highlights below.

— Alabama defensive end Justin Eboigbe measured with 33.5 inch arms, having measure sub-33 inches at the Senior Bowl. That’s good news.

— Ohio State defensive tackle Michael Hall Jr, who is only 6-2 and 290lbs, has impressive length. He has 33.5 inch arms and an 81.5 inch wingspan, with 10-inch hands.

— McKinley Jackson, who is a heart and soul defender and will likely intrigue the Seahawks based on playing style and character, is 6-1, 326lbs and has 33.5 inch arms.

— Kris Jenkins has wow length for a defensive tackle measuring at 6-2, 299lbs with 34 inch arms. Incredible — and he’s expected to test brilliantly too.

— Byron Murphy was always viewed as undersized but 6-0, 297lbs and 32.5 inch arms is particularly small with a lack of length. His wingspan is only 77.5 inches too.

— Jer’Zhan Newton is always undersized. He’s 6-1, 304lbs and has 32.5 inch arms. His wingspan is even worse though — nearly 76 inches.

— Ruke Orhorhoro, who is a very intriguing player, is 6-4, 294lbs and has 34 inch arms.

— T’Vondre Sweat weighed 366lbs at 6-4 (33 1/4 inch arms). It’s a mild concern I think. This is after combine prep. Can he manage his weight long term? That’s been the doubt with him all along.

— Jaylen Harrell from Michigan, who I’ll be interviewing next week, is 6-3, 250lbs and 33 1/4 inch arms.

— Chop Robinson doesn’t have ideal length. He’s 6-3, 254lbs and has 32.5 inch arms with a 76 1/4 inch wingspan.

— Bralen Trice also lacks ideal length with 32.5 inch arms and a 77 inch wingspan. He’s 6-3 and 245lbs. That’s a lot lighter than expected.

— Jared Verse is 6-4, 254lbs and has 33.5 inch arms with a 79.5 inch wingspan.

— Chris Braswell is 6-3, 251lbs with 33 1/4 inch arms and an 81 inch wingspan. He’s going to be working out with the linebackers.

— Junior Colson is lighter than expected at 6-2 and 238lbs with 32.5 inch arms.

— Edgerrin Cooper, who doesn’t strike me as a Seahawks personality fit, is 6-2, 230lbs with excellent 34 inch arms.

— Cedric Gray is 6-1, 234lbs and he also has 32.5 inch arms.

— Gabriel Murphy’s arm length is only 30.5 inches which is a flag for a player who likes to rush the edge. His wingspan is 75 inches.

— Jeremiah Trotter is small — 6-0, 228lbs with 31.5 inch arms. Not ideal, he’ll need to test well.

— Zion Tupuola-Fetui is working out with the linebackers. He’s 6-2, 244lbs and has 33.5 inch arms.

— Dallas Turner is 6-2, 247lbs and has 34.5 inch arms and an 83 inch wingspan. That is fantastic length

Seahawks set to meet with Byron Murphy?

According to Tony Pauline, the Seahawks, Colts and Raiders will host the Texas defensive tackle for an ‘official-30’ visit.

40 yard dash (defensive tackles)

10-yard splits in brackets

DeWayne Carter — 5.01 (1.72) & 5.00 (1.73)
Jaden Crumedy — 5.00 (1.69) & 4.98 (1.71)
Tyler Davis — 5.02 (1.72) & 5.03 (1.72)
Brandon Dorlus — 4.85 (1.68) & 4.91 (1.70)
Justin Eboigbe — 5.18 (1.81) & 5.21 (1.80)
Braden Fiske — 4.78 (1.68) & 4.81 (1.68)
Gabe Hall — 5.06 (1.73) & 5.04 (1.72)
Marcus Harris — 5.08 (1.77) & 5.07 (1.78)
McKinley Jackson — 5.27 (1.78) & 5.26 (1.80)
Kris Jenkins — 5.02 (1.76) & 4.91 (1.70)
Logan Lee — 5.05 (1.77) & 5.06 (1.79)
Zion Logue — 5.14 (1.84) & 5.22 (1.82)
Byron Murphy — 4.88 (1.69) & 4.90 (1.70)
Myles Murphy — 5.21 (1.82) & 5.25 (1.82)
Ruke Orhorhoro — 4.90 (1.67) & 4.95 (1.70)
Keith Randolph Jr — 5.16 (1.79) & 5.20 (1.78)
Maason Smith — 5.04 (1.76) & 5.02 (1.75)
T’Vondre Sweat — 5.27 (1.80) & DNR
Leonard Taylor — 5.17 (1.76) & 5.12 (1.77)
Mekhi Wingo — 4.86 (1.64) & DNR

Defensive tackle vertical jumps

Braden Fiske — 33.5
Byron Murphy — 33
DeWayne Carter — 32
Ruke Orhorhoro — 32
Gabe Hall — 31.5
Logan Lee — 31.5
Mekhi Wingo — 31.5
Maason Smith — 31
Jordan Jefferson — 31
Brandon Dorlus — 30.5
Leonard Taylor — 30
Kris Jenkins — 30
Marcus Harris — 29.5
Jaden Crumedy — 29.5
Zion Logue — 29
Tyler Davis — 28.5
Myles Murphy — 28.5
Keith Randolph Jr — 28.5
Justin Eboigbe — 28
T’Vondre Sweat — 26
Justin Rogers — 24.5
McKinnley Jackson — 23

I wasn’t expecting McKinley Jackson to be highly explosive but a 23-inch vertical is still a little bit disappointing.

Defensive tackle broad jumps

Braden Fiske — 9’9″
Ruke Orhorhoro — 9’8″
Gabe Hall — 9’7″
Kris Jenkins — 9’7″
Logan Lee — 9’6″
Brandon Dorlus — 9’3″
Byron Murphy — 9’3″
DeWayne Carter — 9’1″
Zion Logue — 9’1″
Tyler Davis — 9’0″
McKinnley Jackson — 8’10”
Myles Murphy — 8’10”
Jaden Crumedy — 8’9″
Keith Randolph Jr — 8’9″
Jordan Jefferson — 8’8″
Marcus Harris — 8’7″
Justin Rogers — 8’3″

With Ruke Orhorhoro running a 4.90 forty (unofficial), a 1.67 10-yard split and jumping a 32 inch vertical and a 9-8 broad jump, he is the big winner so far. I had him in round two. His tape is excellent. He’s competitive with good character. This is a top-45 level athletic profile.

Michael Penix Jr update

When you’re at the combine, why not workout backstage?

Look at that arm strength:

Defensive tackle on-field drill notes

The wave drill is up first and I like this drill because it really shows off how athletic a DT class are. Based on what we saw here and with the forty times, it’s a highly athletic, intriguing group.

Firstly, Braden Fiske looks electric. He’s lightning quick in his change of direction, he’s purposeful in his movements and he’s just fast. On tape his effort stood out but I had no idea he was this athletic. Based on what we’re seeing today, he could leave the combine being considered as a difference maker up front.

Byron Murphy is a big ball of power. He lacks ideal length and size but his frame is compact, well-built and in proportion. Murphy has big, thick legs and his lower half is impressive. He just looks like a load and he moves with agility and quickness.

Ruke Ohrohoro just looks like a dude. His frame is ideal for a disruptive, impactful defensive tackle. When they asked him during the drill to take up the speed a notch, he just kicked into another gear and extended his stride. He’s a fantastic athlete and has massive potential.

T’Vondre Sweat changed direction and got around the field well for a 366lbs D-liner. He was really moving well. It was impressive. I also thought DeWayne Carter and Tyler Davis showed well in the wave drill and Mekhi Wingo continued his excellent combine. Justin Eboigbe looked stiff and Myles Murphy, who I like as a late round flier, has skinny legs.

Next they’re on to the four-bag agility drill. DeWayne Carter and Tyler Davis again looked sharp and athletic.

Braden Fiske looked like a first round pick doing this drill. Wow. Just wow. He was like lightning.

This was not McKinley Jackson’s drill. He had to re-do it and didn’t look comfortable. Kris Jenkins really flashed his athleticism here with a nice, controlled rep. He’s a very smooth mover. No surprises that Ohrohoro looked good again, very much in control with all of his movements.

T’Vondre Sweat had a stunning drill at 366lbs. Not sure I’ve seen a guy move that well at that size on an agility drill. Mekhi Wingo, again, a terrific rep too. He’s having a great day.

Apologies — I’m a bit behind as had a bit of day-job work to sort.

On to the pass rush drills which involve getting around a series of pads. I really liked the way Tyler Davis attacked the bags and got around the edge. Braden Fiske, again, looks fantastic. The only knock on him is length. Everything else is fantastic — aggression, athleticism, explosive traits, speed. Byron Murphy was gliding through his rep while Ohrohoro was powerful impacting the pad, showed good balance and footwork to shift around the pads and again looked terrific. Sweat was like a bull in a china shop on his effort.

Now it’s the run and club drill. I need to go and re-watch DeWayne Carter after the combine. He’s moved a lot better than I expected. Braden Fiske just turned the final bag on this drill like a speed-skater rounding a corner. Wow, again. And his club was fierce too. This is one of the best workouts I’ve seen in years covering the combine.

Byron Murphy produced two brutal clubs, sending the pads into next week. He also rounded the final bag with ease and flashed an ideal execution of this drill. As with the last drill, Sweat was a bit out of control of his body. Wingo impressed again — you’ll notice the theme here. There have been some very consistent, impressive performances so far.

On the figure-eight drill — sorry if I’m boring you. Fiske elite again. Rinse and repeat. He’s ticking off every drill, wowing every step of the way. Guess we’ll have to add ankle flexion and change of direction to go with all of the other traits. Kris Jenkins also had a very good drill here. Murphy had a very explosive rep. There have been some real standout performances within this class. Sweat’s rep went wrong when he missed the second towel but on his second go-around — fair play. At that size, again, doing the drill at all is impressive. He can move. Wingo, as he’s done on every rep, finished things with a bang.

Official defensive tackle 40 times

Braden Fiske — 4.78
Brandon Dorlus — 4.85
Mekhi Wingo — 4.85
Byron Murphy — 4.87
Ruke Orhorhoro — 4.89
Kris Jenkins — 4.91
Jaden Crumedy — 4.97
DeWayne Carter — 4.99
Maason Smith — 5.01
Tyler Davis — 5.02

EDGE rusher 40 yard times

10-yard splits in brackets

Austin Booker — 4.81 (1.67) & 4.80 (1.67)
Myles Cole — 4.69 (1.66) & 4.67 (1.65)
Jalyx Hunt — 4.64 (1.60) & DNR
Adisa Isaac — 4.75 (1.68) & 4.74 (1.64)
Brennan Jackson — 4.70 (1.62) & 4.71 (1.62)
Javonte Jean-Baptiste — 4.66 (1.65) & DNR
Trajan Jeffcoat — 4.70 (1.66) & 4.69 (1.66)
Cedric Johnson — 4.64 (1.61) & 4.65 (1.62)
Mohamed Kamara — 4.58 (1.58) & 4.65 (1.60)
Marshawn Kneeland — 4.76 (1.66) & 4.75 (1.66)
Laiatu Latu — 4.64 (1.62) & 4.65 (1.62)
Chop Robinson — 4.49 (1.54) & DNR
Darius Robinson — 4.95 (1.73) & 5.02 (1.77)
Javon Solomon — 4.81 (1.70) & 4.72 (1.66)
Xavier Thomas — 4.63 (1.65) & 4.64 (1.66)
Bralen Trice — 4.72 (1.65) & 4.75 (1.66)
Jared Verse — 4.60 (1.67) & 4.59 (1.60)
Eric Watts — 4.68 (1.62) & 4.68 (1.65)

Remember, a split in the 1.5’s for a dynamic edge rusher is considered elite.

No surprises there — an elite forty and 10-yard split from Chop Robinson, EDGE1 on my board and highly underrated by far too many. He has game-wrecking potential and should be seen as a top-10 pick.

Xavier Thomas seemed to hurt himself at the end of his first run but he did run a second forty (he again limped around at the end).

It’s not a great split for Jared Verse on his first run but the 40 was good for his size/profile. The second run was ideal — a 1.60 split with a 4.59 forty. Job done.

It’s disappointing to see Bralen Trice’s times given he’s about 20lbs lighter than expected. Austin Booker’s times were also a bit disappointing. It wasn’t a first round pair of runs from Darius Robinson.

They kept saying on the NFL Network this was a super fast set of forty times. We only had two 1.5 10-yard splits. So that isn’t accurate.

A number of EDGE rushers didn’t run a forty.

Geno Smith back in Seattle next season

The fact that this has had to be ‘reported’ does lend itself to being worthy of noting — nobody else is doing this. But it does seemingly provide closure to the matter:

Now we need to see whether the Seahawks like someone enough in this draft to finally add to a record of two quarterbacks taken in 14 years, or whether they’ll push the longer-term search into 2025. Sooner rather than later, they’re going to have to do something at QB.

EDGE on-field drill notes

Chop Robinson really opened his hips up in a wave drill where few of the edge rushers shone. There’s a marked difference between Robinson and the rest. Bralen Trice moved well showing a good change of direction. Jared Verse looks the part but stumbled a little bit with his footing changing direction.

The NFL Network missed the four-bag drills due to a commercial break. We did just catch Jared Verse’s rep and he did well — he’s a little bit stiff in his movements but he’s more of a power-end than a dynamic speed edge.

On the pass rush drills, it was a fairly routine set of reps. Robinson stumbled a bit as he rounded the final bag on his second rep. I like the quickness with his hands. Jared Verse impressed the both, leaning beyond the final bag and changing direction with dynamism.

We missed the entire drill of going around the bags and bending around the edge for commercials. It’s been an underwhelming set of edge rush drills. They’re all doing the figure of eight drill fine, nothing spectacular. Laiatu Latu and Chop Robinson had two very smooth reps. Bralen Trice dropped the towel and had to do his rep again. Jared Verse messed his rep up and didn’t even collect the first towel. Trice’s second rep was a bit all over the place. Verse’s second effort was also poor — with his hand on the turf guiding around the second half of the rep.

It sounds like Trice hurt himself during this drill.

Another commercial break cut into the drills and that’s your lot. Underwhelming performances and coverage frankly.

Official EDGE 40 times

Chop Robinson — 4.48
Mohamed Kamara — 4.57
Jared Verse — 4.58
Xavier Thomas — 4.62
Cedric Johnson — 4.63
Laiatu Latu — 4.64
Jalyx Hunt — 4.64
Javonte Jean-Baptiste — 4.66
Myles Cole — 4.67
Eric Watts — 4.67

EDGE rush vertical jumps

Cedric Johnson — 38
Jalyx Hunt — 37.5
Jaylen Harrell — 37
Javon Solomon — 37
Eric Watts — 36.5
Marshawn Kneeland — 35.5
Jared Verse — 35
Myles Cole — 35
Darius Robinson — 35
Adisa Isaac — 34.5
Javontae Jean-Baptise — 34.5
Chop Robinson — 34.5
Mohamed Kamara — 34.5
Brennan Jackson — 33.5
Austin Booker — 32.5
Xavier Thomas — 32.5
Laiatu Latu — 32
David Ugwoegbu — 31.5
Trajan Jeffcoat — 31.5
Nelson Ceaser — 31
Brandon Dorlus — 30.5

EDGE rush broad jumps

Jalyx Hunt — 10-8
Chop Robinson — 10-8
Javontae Jean-Baptise — 10-7
Jared Verse — 10-7
Adisa Isaac — 10-3
Mohamed Kamara — 10-3
Cedric Johnson — 10-2
Trajan Jeffcoat — 10
Myles Cole — 10
Austin Booker — 10
Xavier Thomas — 10
Marshawn Kneeland — 9-11
Javon Solomon — 9-11
Jaylen Harrell — 9-10
Eric Watts — 9-9
Laiatu Latu — 9-8
Brennan Jackson — 9-6
Brandon Dorlus — 9-3
Darius Robinson — 9-3

40 yard dash (linebackers)

Chris Braswell — 4.60 & 4.63
Aaron Casey — 4.80 & 4.75
Edgerrin Cooper — 4.52 & 4.55
Kalen DeLoach — 4.55 & 4.47
Khalid Duke — 4.80 & 4.81
Tommy Eichenburg — DNR
Steele Chambers — DNR
Jaylan Ford — DNR
Easton Gibbs — 4.74 & 4.74
Cedric Gray — 4.66 & 4.64
Curtis Jacobs — 4.58 & 4.59
Tyrice Knight — 4.66 & 4.63
Marist Liufau — 4.66 & 4.64
Jordan Magee — 4.55 & 4.62
Darius Muasau — 4.72 & 4.70
Gabriel Murphy — 4.69 & 4.68
Maema Njongmeta — 4.94 & 4.92
Dallas Turner — 4.47 & DNR
Edefuan Ulofoshio — 4.56 & 4.59
Trevin Wallace — 4.52 & 4.55
Nathaniel Watson — 4.64 & 4.66
Payton Wilson — 4.44 & 4.49

As you can see, several linebackers didn’t run. Junior Colson doesn’t appear to be doing anything, after saying he had a strained hamstring yesterday. Jeremiah Trotter didn’t do any testing.

Once again, despite this group including pass rushers, the NFL Network won’t show the 10-yard splits for linebackers. Why? It’s so pointless not to.

Linebacker vertical jumps

Dallas Turner — 40.5
Gabriel Murphy — 39.5
Edefuan Ulofoshio — 39.5
Trevin Wallace — 37.5
Darius Muasau — 36.5
Jordan Magee — 35.5
Cedric Gray — 35.5
Tyrice Knight — 34.5
Edgerrin Cooper — 34.5
Payton Wilson — 34.5
Khalid Duke — 34
Chris Braswell — 33.5
Steele Chambers — 33.5
Jaylan Ford — 33.5
Tommy Eichenburg — 32.5
Easton Gibbs — 31.5
Nathaniel Watson — 31
Kalen DeLoach — 30.5
Aaron Casey — 30

Linebacker broad jumps

Dallas Turner — 40.5
Gabriel Murphy — 39.5
Edefuan Ulofoshio — 10-8
Dallas Turner — 10-7
Trevin Wallace — 10-7
Curtis Jacobs — 10-4
Jordan Magee — 10-4
Gabriel Murphy 10-3
Jaylan Ford — 10-1
Cedric Gray — 10-0
Tyrice Knight — 9-11
Payton Wilson — 9-11
Kalen DeLoach — 9-11
Edgerrin Cooper — 9-10
Aaron Casey — 9-9
Khalid Duke — 9-9
Tommy Eichenburg — 9-9
Darius Muasau — 9-9
Chris Braswell — 9-7
Steele Chambers — 9-4
Jontrey Hunter — 9-3
Nathaniel Watson — 9-3
Easton Gibbs — 9-1

Short shuttle and three cone times

Short shuttle times

Marshawn Kneeland — 4.18
Chop Robinson — 4.25
Braden Fiske — 4.37
Logan Lee — 4.37
Jared Verse — 4.44
Nelson Ceaser — 4.57
Jaden Crumedy — 4.66
Gabe Hall — 4.67
Maason Smith — 4.69
Eric Watts — 4.73
DeWayne Carter — 4.75
Kris Jenkins — 4.78
Myles Murphy — 4.81
Justin Rogers — 4.87
Zion Logue — 4.92
Tyler Davis — 5.00

Three cone times

Marshawn Kneeland — 7.02
Logan Lee — 7.16
Nelson Ceaser — 7.30
Jared Verse – 7.31
Brandon Dorlus — 7.43
Eric Watts — 7.59
Maason Smith — 7.62
Gabe Hall — 7.65
Leonard Taylor — 7.81
DeWayne Carter — 7.91

Braden Fiske’s short shuttle at 292lbs is incredible.

Linebacker on-field drill notes

The wave drill went by without much intrigue. Trevin Wallace probably had the best rep. Jeremiah Trotter looks so small. There’s nobody from this group who leaps off the screen. Payton Wilson had the best forty but stumbled a bit on the wave.

Dallas Turner matched Chop Robinson’s 1.54 10-yard split when he ran his forty. Gabriel Murphy (1.59) and Chris Braswell (1.59) both ran in the 1.5’s.

More commercials as the drills are ongoing so we’re missing the linebacker workouts. I’ll wrap up the live blog shortly. Robbie and I will be live on a stream at 6pm PT and I’ll have a recap article coming.

They’re running a shuffle/sprint/change direction drill this year. Trotter looked stiff to me. Everything just feels average although Trevin Wallace and Payton Wilson ended that drill well.

Dallas Turner seems to be picking and choosing which drills he’s doing. He didn’t move very well in space, despite what the NFL Network said, during the backpedal drill. Payton Wilson had the best rep here. Again, it felt like there was a lot of stiffness across the group.

Official linebacker 40 times

Payton Wilson — 4.43
Dallas Turner — 4.46
Kalen DeLoach — 4.47
Edgerrin Cooper — 4.51
Trevin Wallace — 4.51
Jordan Magee — 4.55
Edefuan Ulofoshio — 4.56
Curtis Jacobs — 4.58
Chris Braswell — 4.60
Tyrice Knight — 4.63

The on-field drills are seemingly over (the NFL Network have stopped showing them anyway). Live stream coming at 6pm PT and a recap article will be live shortly.

Pre-combine two-round mock draft

February 29, 2024 /

The live blog starts today at noon for the first day of combine coverage. In the meantime, here’s a mock before everything begins.

Let’s see how things change by next week…

Round One

#1 Chicago (v/CAR) β€” Caleb Williams (QB, USC)
Williams will be the top pick and will start for the Bears in 2024.

#2 Washington β€” Jayden Daniels (QB, LSU)
I think Daniels is the clear QB2 in the draft.

#3 NY Giants (v/NE) β€” Drake Maye (QB, North Carolina)
I have the Patriots trading the #68 pick to Chicago for Justin Fields, then trading down three spots in a deal with the Giants. New York’s GM and coach, under pressure after a disastrous 2023 season, appease fans by trading up aggressively for a new quarterback.

#4 Arizona β€” Marvin Harrison Jr (WR, Ohio State)
The Cardinals get a chance to select possibly the best player in the draft.

#5 LA Chargers β€” Rome Odunze (WR, Washington)
If he tests well at the combine to go with A++ character, hands, body control and ball-tracking, some teams might have Odunze as WR1.

#6 New England (v/NYG) β€” Joe Alt (T, Notre Dame)
If they make a deal for Justin Fields, Eliot Wolf, son of Ron, could easily look to trade back, get a haul of picks, and draft a left tackle. Some teams won’t be sold on Drake Maye. If the Patriots aren’t, it won’t be a surprise for Wolf junior to shift focus and draft for the trenches. Alt isn’t my personal favourite here but he’s the one best set to start quickly at left tackle.

#7 Tennessee β€” Malik Nabers (WR, LSU)
I think he’s similar to A.J. Brown. Time to rectify an all-time error by the Titans.

#8 Atlanta β€” Chop Robinson (DE, Penn State)
Possibly the most underrated player in the draft. His get-off is elite and he has Micah Parsons and Von Miller pass-rushing qualities. He just needs more consistency. In this scenario the Falcons sign Kirk Cousins in free agency.

#9 Chicago β€” Brock Bowers (TE, Georgia)
He’s a top-six player in the draft but there are reports he might be 6-2. Even so, he can only fall so far.

#10 NY Jets β€” Taliese Fuaga (T, Oregon State)
He’s a beast. He’ll line-up and hammer you.

#11 Minnesota β€” JJ McCarthy (QB, Michigan)
The Vikings are very analytically driven in their front office and McCarthy excels on third downs and scrambling completion percentage — areas they’ll like. I have them losing Kirk Cousins in this scenario.

#12 Denver β€” Jared Verse (DE, Florida State)
He’s a complete pass rusher and the Broncos need an X-factor at this position. They work out a move to get a quarterback later in round one.

#13 Las Vegas β€” JC Latham (T, Alabama)
Incredible talent. A massive, engulfing tackle with great athleticism for his size.

#14 New Orleans β€” Tyler Guyton (T, Oklahoma)
There are said to be questions about his maturity but nobody can deny his talent and upside.

#15 Indianapolis β€” Quinyon Mitchell (CB, Toledo)
A sensational Senior Bowl makes him CB1.

#16 Pittsburgh (v/SEA) β€” Nate Wiggins (CB, Clemson)
The Steelers move up four spots for a player you can well imagine they’ll like a lot.

#17 Jacksonville β€” Olu Fashanu (T, Penn State)
He has the physical tools but he’s far from the finished product and needs plenty of technical work.

#18 Cincinnati β€” Byron Murphy (DT, Texas)
Murphy is expected to test brilliantly and this is a big need for Cincy.

#19 LA Rams β€” Amarius Mims (T, Georgia)
He has Tyron Smith potential and only lasts this long due to a lack of playing time in college. He has star potential.

#20 Seattle (v/PIT) β€” Troy Fautanu (T/G, Washington)
The Seahawks trade down and then take a physically imposing, high-character player who is an obvious fit for their offensive staff.

#21 Miami β€” Graham Barton (T/G/C, Duke)
He could play any one of three need positions on the O-line for Miami.

#22 Philadelphia β€” Terrion Arnold (CB, Alabama)
A fun person with great character and his coverage skills are very impressive.

#23 Houston (V/CLE) β€” Dallas Turner (DE, Alabama)
I think he’s a bit overrated but plenty of people like him.

#24 Dallas β€” Jordan Morgan (T/G, Arizona)
Some teams will have him firmly rated in round one.

#25 Green Bay β€” Cooper DeJean (S, Iowa)
A versatile chess-piece of a defender who would’ve tested well at the combine if he was healthy.

#26 Tampa Bay β€” Laiatu Latu (DE, UCLA)
Technically excellent as a pass rusher but lacks length and there are some long-term health concerns to be addressed.

#27 Arizona (v/HOU) β€” T’Vondre Sweat (DT, Texas)
The Senior Bowl convinced me. He’s just too big, powerful and athletic not to go in round one. But he’ll need to reassure teams he can control his weight and conditioning.

#28 Buffalo β€” Kool-aid McKinstry (CB, Alabama)
This is a big need for the Bills.

#29 Detroit β€” Kamari Lassiter (CB, Georgia)
This is a big need for the Lions.

#30 Baltimore β€” Darius Robinson (DE, Missouri)
He just looks and plays like a Raven, doesn’t he?

#31 Denver (v/SF) β€” Bo Nix (QB, Oregon)
Sean Payton was always happy to trade away future first round picks in New Orleans. He does the same here to get back into round one, giving the Niners a haul for 2025 in the process.

#32 Kansas City β€” Troy Franklin (WR, Oregon)
Expect a great combine and his long speed and dynamism could be just what the Chiefs need.

Round Two

#33 Carolina β€” Brian Thomas Jr (WR, LSU)
#34 New England β€” Ladd McKonkey (WR, Georgia)
#35 Arizona β€” Cooper Beebe (G, Kansas State)
#36 Washington β€” Roger Rosengarten (T, Washington)
#37 LA Chargers β€” Ennis Rakestraw Jr (CB, Missouri)
#38 Tennessee β€” Jackson Powers-Johnson (C, Oregon)
#39 New England (v/NYG) β€” T.J. Tampa (CB, Iowa State)
#40 Washington (v/CHI) β€” Bralen Trice (DE, Washington)
#41 Green Bay (v/NYJ) β€” Kingsley Suamataia (T, BYU)
#42 Minnesota β€” Jer’Zhan Newton (DT, Illinois)
#43 Atlanta β€” Malachi Corley (WR, Western Kentucky)
#44 Las Vegas β€” Michael Penix Jr (QB, Washington)
#45 New Orleans (v/DEN) β€” Cade Stover (TE, Ohio State)
#46 Indianapolis β€” Jalen McMillan (WR, Washington)
#47 NY Giants (v/SEA) β€” Zak Zinter (G, Michigan)
#48 Jacksonville β€” Roman Wilson (WR, Michigan)
#49 Cincinnati β€” Ja’Tavion Sanders (TE, Texas)
#50 Philadelphia (v/NO) β€” Junior Colson (LB, Michigan)
#51 Pittsburgh β€” Ja’Lynn Polk (WR, Washington)
#52 LA Rams β€” Spencer Rattler (QB, South Carolina)
#53 Philadelphia β€” Jermaine Burton (WR, Alabama)
#54 Cleveland β€” Keon Coleman (WR, Florida State)
#55 Miami β€” Xavier Legette (WR, South Carolina)
#56 Dallas β€” Kris Jenkins (DT, Michigan)
#57 Tampa Bay β€” Sedrick Van Pran (C, Georgia)
#58 Green Bay β€” Braden Fiske (DT, Florida State)
#59 Houston β€” Theo Johnson (TE, Penn State)
#60 Buffalo β€” McKinley Jackson (DT, Texas A&M)
#61 Detroit β€” Austin Booker (EDGE, Kansas)
#62 Baltimore β€” Brandon Coleman (T, TCU)
#63 San Francisco β€” Zach Frazier (C, West Virginia)
#64 Kansas City β€” Payton Wilson (LB, NC State)

The trades explained

— The Giants move up from #6 to #3 in a deal with the Patriots. In return, New England gets #39 this year and a 2025 first round pick.

— The Steelers go from #20 to #16, giving the Seahawks the #84 pick (third rounder).

— The Broncos trade back into round one in a mega-deal with the 49ers, giving away their 2025 first and third round picks, plus #76 and Justin Simmons. The Niners roll the dice on Denver’s 2025 pick being better than #31 overall and with the O-line depth available in this class, they believe they can still address their needs.

— The Patriots trade the #68 pick to Chicago for Justin Fields.

Thoughts on the Seahawks

In this mock draft, I have the Seahawks continuing their thought process from the previous two drafts. Let the board come to you, take the best player available, improve the roster without being tied to needs, focus on character.

In this mock scenario, when they’re on the clock at #16 there were four players they had graded similarly, therefore they are receptive to Pittsburgh’s offer to move down to #20. They get an extra third round pick, which is useful given how many needs they have.

They take Troy Fautanu at #20. This isn’t just because he played for Washington, although the fact he clearly fits the blocking scheme that Scott Huff will look to implement is a big plus. People will talk about Pete Carroll not taking Taylor Mays in 2010. Let’s not forget, Mays wasn’t very good. That’s not hindsight either, we wrote about this during the 2010 draft season. Earl Thomas was by far the better prospect. Fautanu is a much better player than Mays ever was.

Why does Fautanu stand out? Firstly, the character. You only have to listen to one interview to realise he’s exactly the type of person the Seahawks have set out to draft over the last two years. He’s everything they look for in terms of personality and attitude. With such a big focus on character, he ticks that box.

Then there’s his playing style. He’s a tone-setter. He wants to beat you up on every play, sometimes to his detriment — but you can live with it because the Seahawks don’t have enough guys like this. To paraphrase Ryan Grubb when he was on KJR last week, he wants an O-line that will hit opponents in the face. That’s Fautanu.

Next, he’s very talented. The reason he wouldn’t go earlier than this is purely down to size — he’s not 6-7 and a monstrous human like Joe Alt, Amarius Mims, JC Latham, Olu Fashanu or Tyler Guyton. Neither does he have the sheer bulk and power of Taliese Fuaga. In terms of physical playing style and range as a blocker, though, he’s right up there. Other tackles will be taken earlier but Fautanu is a first round pick in his own right.

Finally, it’s the versatility he’d bring. He could play right tackle if needed, depending on Abe Lucas’ situation, or he could kick inside and fill the void at left guard.

For a lot of reasons he fits what the Seahawks look for. The question is, how much do the Seahawks want to go with a pick like this for their O-line, compared to a higher upside choice such as the inexperienced Mims who might be available at #16? Either way, after years of bemoaning the lack of quality offensive linemen coming into the league, you can well imagine John Schneider tapping into a class as good as this.

That big horrible void in round two is painful to look at. There are so many players in the range of Seattle’s pick that they gave the Giants (#47) that would help this team.

These are my thoughts before the combine. Let me know yours in the comments section. We’ll reflect on how things might’ve changed after the combine. If you missed it, you’ve still got time to read our big combine preview with all the info you need — just click here.

Would the Seahawks be interested in a big trade up for a quarterback?

February 28, 2024 /

I’ve got a new mock draft coming later today but first I wanted to do a bit of thinking out loud.

Seven years ago the Chiefs traded up for Patrick Mahomes. It was a franchise defining move. The moment after the pick was made, the NFL Network reported that John Schneider would’ve been prepared to take Mahomes in round one if he’d lasted to Seattle, despite having Russell Wilson on the roster.

The Chiefs are now a dynasty. Schneider loved Mahomes enough to, presumably, make it known publicly that he felt that way even with Wilson under contract. That’s how much conviction he had over Mahomes.

I don’t know if he shares the same conviction about Jayden Daniels or Drake Maye. He probably doesn’t, truth be told. But for the sake of a discussion — if he has a strong belief in either of them, will he be minded to remember that day in 2017 and back himself?

It might be why he’s being non-committal on Geno Smith. We’re two years removed from the Wilson trade and this is draft #3 since parting with the franchise QB. Is Schneider ready to make his move?

It would be massively expensive. It cost the 49ers two extra firsts and a third to move from #12 to #3 in 2021 for Trey Lance. I’d imagine it would be even more expensive, three years on, to go from #16 to #3. I also think desperate teams in the top-15 would in all likelihood match any offer you make, thus making it virtually impossible to strike a deal.

That said, the Texans moved from #12 to #3 a year ago and it cost them the #33 pick and a future first only. So you can never be quite sure on the price or the competition.

Let’s just consider for a moment a world where the Seahawks could outbid the teams in front of them. Why would they, and why could it work?

Firstly, there’s at least some minor buzz about the Patriots moving out of the #3 pick and acquiring Justin Fields to be their quarterback. Let’s suppose they aren’t sold on Daniels or Maye and want, for example, to take a tackle instead.

A good tackle will be available at #16. We’ve also seen teams, in recent history, trade down and then move back up. The Cardinals did it just last year when they had the #3 pick, moved down to #12, then back up to #6. In 2021 the Eagles dropped from #6 to #12, then moved back up to #10. So if the Pats are targeting the tackles in the draft, they won’t miss out by trading to #16.

The Seahawks could put a package of picks together and possibly include a player — maybe even Geno Smith, if the Pats want an experienced starter but aren’t interested in Fields. It would position New England to be more competent offensively at the start of their new era, with picks to spend in the future. They’d have to be completely unconvinced by Maye or Daniels themselves. That wouldn’t necessarily mean much for the two players though. Teams slept on Mahomes seven years ago — just as they slept on another of Schneider’s favourites, Josh Allen (the third QB taken in 2018).

Eliot Wolf is the personnel decision maker in New England these days, the son of Ron Wolf. Given Schneider’s strong relationship with Wolf senior (they met for dinner in the last few days according to Schneider), you’d imagine there’d be a connection there to work on a structure that might work for both parties.

It’s also worth noting that Wolf senior was very much a ‘trenches’ GM back in the day. If Wolf junior isn’t totally sold on a quarterback, it wouldn’t be preposterous to think he might move out of #3 for a haul of picks and a veteran quarterback to buy time, before looking at the great tackle class.

Why might the Seahawks be sufficiently interested in Daniels or Maye to move up to #3, guaranteeing one of them? Both are highly creative, mobile, dynamic quarterbacks with the ability to throw downfield. That’s what Schneider has tended to like. Daniels’ frame is a little bit leaner than the prototype — but he does resemble a player in Lamar Jackson who new Head Coach Mike Macdonald knows all about. The Seahawks just appointed Zac Hill as an offensive assistant. He was Daniels’ offensive coordinator in Arizona State for two years. I’m not convinced they are trying to re-create Baltimore’s offense — but Daniels would give them an opportunity to do so. Plus, scrambling quarterbacks have been Kryptonite for the 49ers in the past.

Daniels was a top-five player for ‘big time throws’ in college football last season, he ranked third in ‘big time throw percentage’, he only had a ridiculous seven turnover worthy plays all year with the fourth best turnover worthy play percentage. His first down conversion percentage on 3rd and 7 or longer was second only to J.J. McCarthy among the big name QB’s in this class. He led the top QB’s in the draft for on-target passes on third and long beyond the sticks.

These are all reasons, I’d argue, why Daniels is a lock to go to Washington with the second pick. But it stands to reason that the Seahawks would be intrigued by this level of success — not to mention his experience as a QB and rapid development.

Then there’s Maye. He looks exactly like you’d expect a John Schneider QB to look. He’s big, athletic, strong and has an arm to make throws to all areas of the field. He’s creative, he improvises. He’s basically the physical prototype for the modern NFL. However, there are inconsistencies in his game and some teams will be put off by his fluctuating performances and risk taking. I doubt Schneider will view it that way — because those were exactly the same criticisms aimed at Mahomes and Josh Allen (another quarterback he reportedly really liked).

It does feel like we’ve been here before — with Mahomes and Allen, the two players Schneider really liked. As we keep noting, Mahomes wasn’t in Daniel Jeremiah’s top-50 list at the start of April 2017. He was a late first round pick in his final mock. Allen wasn’t for everyone, after an erratic career at Wyoming. It’s amazing to think now that Mitchell Trubisky, Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold were taken before Mahomes and Allen in the 2017 and 2018 drafts.

On both occasions, Schneider focused on what each player could become — not the flaws. Could he do that with Maye? Could he see the dynamic playmaking, the big arm, the frame, the ability to create that others, including myself, maybe aren’t focusing on? Maye had the second most big time throws in 2023 and by far the most in 2022 (10 more than the second ranked player). He had a big-time throw percentage in the top-six and like Daniels, limiting the number of turnover worthy plays (10). You could put some of the statistical regression down to losing key players on offense at North Carolina, if you wanted to be generous.

Further to that, Maye has the kind of personality I can imagine will really appeal to Schneider. He’s affable, humble and there’s no sense of ego. He would fit Seattle’s renewed focus on character.

Can I imagine Schneider liking Maye? Yes, easily. Can I imagine him deciding to be aggressive to go and get a quarterback he really likes? Again, yes.

I don’t think they could pull it off even if they wanted to. But I just wanted to throw it out there. It’s the off-season, so why not talk about these things?

And I’ll come back to the start of the article. Schneider saw his old pal Andy Reid make an aggressive move for the quarterback he loved and they’ve gone on to create a modern NFL dynasty. Schneider is from Green Bay — the team with big-armed gun-slingers Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers. As he kept saying yesterday, they’ve drafted two quarterbacks in 14 years. It’s on his mind. Is he really just going to keep going along, waiting and waiting for the improbable to happen where a quarterback he loves falls into his lap? Or eventually, is he going to make his move? Complete a bold trade? Be aggressive?

As much as I have my own reservations about Drake Maye, I can also acknowledge he screams John Schneider. I think he’ll love the little off-script moments where he throws left handed, improbably shovels a ball to the running back as he’s being sacked by a gang of defenders, takes off on a run like a big galloping giraffe and turns it into a huge explosive play.

You can spend years trying to build the perfect team to create the perfect opportunity to draft a quarterback, or trade up for one. It’s really hard to do. Sometimes, you’ve got to get the quarterback, let them elevate those around you and just support them with an O-line and weapons in whatever way you can.

Do I think the Patriots are going to be prepared to trade all the way down to #16? No. Not without some obscene compensation that could in itself hammer the Seahawks’ chances of supporting a young QB.

Are the Seahawks going to be willing to basically give up their next two drafts for one player this year? I think it’s unlikely.

Do I think it’s still worth talking about whether John Schneider might do it? Yes, absolutely. Especially at a time when he and the Head Coach are being quite cagey about the player many assume is the unchallenged quarterback starter.

If you missed our ultimate combine preview, check it out here.

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