Category: Featured (Page 10 of 11)

The first round of the 2011 NFL Draft is in the books and it had more twists than anyone expected.

After a predictable start with Cam Newton going first overall to Carolina, we had a number of big shocks. Atlanta traded up in a pro-active way to grab Julio Jones and help their quarterback, Tennessee picked Jake Locker ahead of Washington and Christian Ponder was taken 12th overall by Minnesota.

Not wanting to feel left out, Seattle pulled off a surprise by drafting James Carpenter (OT, Alabama) with the 25th overall pick. A surprise to many, anyway.

Watch the Seahawks draft James Carpenter here (Note Nick Saban’s reaction)

Watch Carpenter’s combine work out here

On Thursday my source told me the Seahawks would favor offensive lineman if they couldn’t move down and I touted Carpenter as an option alongside Danny Watkins (already off the board) and Rodney Hudson.

Regulars to the blog will know how highly I rate Carpenter. He originally caught my eye early during the 2010 season and stood out for the Crimson Tide as the team’s left tackle in 2010. He’s athletic and has the lateral agility to play left tackle and understands run blocking as you’d expect from the Nick Saban offense.

However, my impression watching Carpenter was that his greatest strength was in pass protection. He had no problems playing at left tackle, which is why I valued him so highly in the first place. At times, he didn’t look unlike Michael Oher – although not necessarily as physically gifted or as aggressive. I have always maintained that if I’m taking an offensive tackle in round one, they have to be able to play on the left. Seattle passed on Gabe Carimi, as I would’ve done, almost certainly because he is a pure right tackle. You won’t fear Carpenter stepping in for an injured Russell Okung. It’s easier to show a left tackle to play on the right than vice versa.

I rated Carpenter highly enough to put him at #23 to Philadelphia in my final mock draft. He turned 22 at the end of March and stands at 6-4, 321lbs. He came from the JUCO ranks prior to joining ‘Bama.

From a pure talent stand point, it’s a very solid pick. I cannot criticise the selection from that perspective because it correlates with my own grade. It isn’t a reach, he will contribute immediately and has much more potential than perhaps people realise. The only real issue is that Seattle has taken a player in the right kind of area and it highlights once again that a poor 7-9 team is picking 25th overall.

You see St. Louis adding a guy like Robert Quinn to their already solid pass rush and suddenly they have their franchise quarterback and they have an ever growing defensive line. There’s identity written all over the team. Who are the Seahawks? They are a team that is realistically staring at a stop-gap option at quarterback, a team lacking a dominating defensive lineman and without any star skill players on offense. Did they need to keep hitting on top-15 talent, especially at key positions? Is a right tackle a key position? Or guard?

They now have two first round offensive lineman – a third if they re-sign Chris Spencer. Max Unger cost a second round pick. I’m not sure any team has invested more draft stock into the offensive line than Seattle over the years, but the results haven’t always been there. Carpenter adds to it now, but the Seahawks cannot expect miracles. If you stack eight in the box, they will beat your five offensive lineman more often than not. Too many times in the last three years Seattle has faced that look and I wonder if it’s part of Seattle’s desire to have mobility at quarterback.

The success of the 2005 Seahawks was greatly enhanced by the left side of the offensive line, but it was helped along by an elite running back and a Pro-Bowl quarterback in his prime. This current line may be blocking for the same quarterback, now 36, and without anyone capable of running the way Shaun Alexander did at his best. Let’s also appreciate the precision and execution of the Holmgren offense during those days.

So my judgement would be – Carpenter has the talent to justify the pick. Whether the Seahawks can justify taking offensive lineman in round one back-t0-back is a question that will only be answered in years to come. People may ridicule that statement, but this is a team with a dearth of talent at premium positions and eventually that has to be recognised alongside the offensive line.

As expected the team passed on Ryan Mallett, the source highlighted his lack of mobility as being one reason (I now believe there are more) for not going in that direction. I understand Oakland may stop his fall tomorrow. Jimmy Smith – a legitimate top-10 talent with character concerns – went just after Seattle. Mark Ingram landed in New Orleans, who lucked out also adding Cameron Jordan. Da’Quan Bowers’ knee injury is clearly a major issue as he is still available.

And as suspected, realism hit home for Andy Dalton who like Colt McCoy last year – did not go in round one despite a lot of nonsense about a high pick. If only I could explain the Ponder selection…

It sets up for an interesting Friday when the draft re-starts at 3PM PST. The Seahawks own the #57 overall pick. Will Colin Kaepernick make it that far? What about Da’Quan Bowers? There’s still a lot of talent on the board.

Thank you to those who participated in making the live chat a major success. We’ll do it all again tomorrow just before the second round kicks off. I’ll also announce the winners of the mock draft competition soon.

I contacted the source today that I’ve used many times in the past for draft information, including last week’s Seahawks inside view. He was kind of enough to offer some last minute thoughts hours before the draft.

– Ryan Mallett isn’t just off the Seahawks draft board, he’s sinking in a big way. Apparently he won’t be taken until the mid second round at the earliest. The source was quite adamant about this.

– The desire is still very strong to trade down from #25 and they will consider 2012 compensation. If no deal is forthcoming it’s probably going to be about value.

– I’m told it’s likely Seattle will favor offensive lineman if they can’t move down. This is based upon what is expected to happen and who will be available. This can change quickly, but it’s worth considering the guys Kip reviewed a few days ago. Right tackle may be an option and purely from my own opinion, I wonder if you can include Danny Watkins, Rodney Hudson or James Carpenter in the debate too? That’s not from the source, just a hunch.

– Do not expect Andy Dalton to be drafted at #25. The words used to describe the possibility of that happening were very negative. I understand there’s a big drop off between Dalton (#3 on the teams quarterback board) and the top two – an unnamed player at #1 and Colin Kaepernick at #2.

– Speaking of Kaepernick, I believe there’s still a chance he goes at #25 especially if quarterbacks leave the board quickly. I think they want to draft a quarterback but on their terms and preferably after trading down. They are high on his talents. They also won’t ignore better value at a different position if it’s staring them in the face. Even so, if you’re someone who wants the team to draft a QB early you need to back the guy from Nevada.

It’s the eve of the draft, so I wanted to offer some predictions and thoughts based around what I’ve heard about the possible direction the Seahawks will take.

Last year the left tackle position was a main target area. We saw that with the drafting of Russell Okung with the 6th overall pick. It really came down to whoever was remaining between Eric Berry, Trent Williams and Okung. Had Berry been there at #6, he would almost certainly have been the choice, but the Seahawks would have tried to get a left tackle at #14. By adding Earl Thomas to pair with Okung, Seattle was able to address the two places on the roster they most desired.

This year I get the feeling there’s a much more open feel about things. Perhaps there is a slight leaning towards the quarterback position, but they’re certainly not going to reach to fill the need. What it means is there’s likely to be a handful of players they’re prepared to take at #25 in a best player available scenario. Mike Pouncey, the offensive guard from Florida, is one of those players. The Seahawks don’t expect he’ll make it to their pick, because he’s a legitimate option for Miami as early as the #15 overall pick. There are a cluster of teams including New York, Tampa Bay and Kansas City who should ensure he’s off the board before Indianapolis pick at #22.

Jimmy Smith is likely to be another player in that situation. Despite a lot of negativity about his character, the guy is a top-ten talent physically. The Seahawks won’t be the only team to have him higher than Prince Amukamara on their draft board, but again it isn’t likely that either make it to #25. Should that be the case, I think they’ll waste little time handing in the pick.

I’ve no further information on who else they’d be prepared to take at #25 and feel absolutely satisfied. Perhaps they look at a Muhammed Wilkerson (DE, Temple) and see defensive line depth and a Red Bryant clone? Maybe the lack of height on Brandon Harris (CB, Miami) will be less of an issue for the Seahawks given his strong open field tackling ability? Despite my opposition towards spending a high pick on a right tackle – a position easier to fill than most without spending expensive draft stock – I have no information as to their thoughts on a Gabe Carimi (OT, Wisconsin), Nate Solder (OT, Colorado) or Derek Sherrod (OT, Miss. State). Is Jabaal Sheard (DE, Pittsburgh) an option?

The player you can label as a wildcard is Mark Ingram. One member of the Seahawks offensive coaching staff (who joined the team during this off season) loves the guy and has been making a case for the Alabama prospect to be drafted (if available) at #25. I understand that the front office don’t share that enthusiasm for the pick considering the needs elsewhere on the team and the current depth at running back on Seattle’s roster. You do wonder, however, if there is a situation where Ingram is the best player available and they pull the trigger. What if they can’t move down? What if he’s clearly graded much higher than the next available player? It’s perhaps an unlikely scenario, but there is no way I’m ruling out Ingram.

Don’t expect Ryan Mallett, Adrian Clayborn, Stephen Paea, Marcus Cannon, Marvin Austin or Phil Taylor to be the choice. These are all players Seattle has expressed interest in and feel positive about, but for scheme purposes or other undefined reasons, they are not likely to be drafted by Seattle. In the case of Mallett, the Seahawks see his lack of mobility as enough of an issue not to include him on their board.

Depending on what offers are available, the Seahawks will look to trade down. The guy to keep an eye on is Colin Kaepernick, because I understand he’s had consensus approval among the Seahawks draft room. He is the #2 quarterback on Seattle’s board, with #1 remaining unknown, although I would predict it’s Jake Locker. When the Huskies quarterback is drafted by Washington in the top ten, it’ll leave Seattle contemplating their options. Do they like Kaepernick enough to avoid risking missing out on day two of the draft? With seven picks after the #25 on Thursday, teams could well move up to target the Nevada quarterback. New England own the first pick of day two and rest assured they will be fielding calls for the pick with the Patriots only currently owning five picks in 2012.

If they are not committed to Kaepernick, they may be willing to accept any deal to move down with offers as low as an extra 4th or 5th rounder touted. Ideally, they want that 3rd round pick back they spent on Charlie Whitehurst. It’s going to be very interesting to see how they play this if the Pouncey’s and Smith’s are off the board and whether they’d actually commit a first round pick to a guy like Kaepernick. It could happen.

Yesterday we had information about Carson Palmer potentially landing in Seattle down the line. Make no mistake, drafting a guy like Kaepernick doesn’t impact that at all. Whether it’s Palmer or Matt Hasselbeck starting in 2011, the idea will be that in two years time they want to hand over the keys to a guy they have developed. It would be a perfect scenario to train up Kaepernick behind the veteran, ready to start in the future. It’s a lot of stock placed in one position, particularly if you include the Whitehurst deal. Even so, we’re talking about the most important position in football here, it warrants this much attention.

Players to keep an eye on in round one at #25 or after a small trade down the board:

Confirmed: Mike Pouncey, Jimmy Smith, Colin Kaepernick, Mark Ingram

Speculation: Jake Locker, Jabaal Sheard, Muhammed Wilkerson, Prince Amukamara

Late round prospects to watch:

Confirmed: Lee Ziemba (OT, Auburn), DeMarcus Van Dyke (CB, Miami), Curtis Marsh (CB, Utah State), Jeff Tarpinian (LB, Iowa)

Later tonight I will publish my final mock draft for 2011… 

So stay tuned!

Gaining momentum: Could Colin Kaepernick be a Seahawk next week?

I wanted to offer some information I received today from a proven source. Regular visitors to the blog will be aware of the success rate of this source in the past. There have been occasions when the information hasn’t been 100% accurate as well, but never illogical. This is speculation and not fact, but as I say it comes from a guy I trust. 

– Ryan Mallett is not on the Seahawks draft board. No reasons were given.

– The Seahawks like Mike Pouncey (OG, Florida) but the belief is he’ll be off the board before the 25th overall pick. He is seemingly receiving consensus approval. 

– Trading down is very much part of their plans. The desire is to drop down into the first 5-7 picks of the second round. Regaining a third round pick is considered the target. If a deal isn’t there the likelihood is they’ll remain at #25 although depending on how the board falls, they may consider dropping back for as little as an extra 4th or 5th rounder. 

– I understand the other player that is gaining approval across the board is Colin Kaepernick (QB, Nevada). It’s believed they can get him in the early second round, but could be willing to take him at #25.

– The third player I’m told they really like is Stephen Paea (DT, Oregon State). The Seahawks were incredibly impressed with him. Nevertheless, it’s suggested he won’t likely be an option based on where he is projected to go. 

One final note, it’s believed the team came close to completing a deal with Matt Hasselbeck just before the CBA expired with guaranteed cash the stumbling block. This is something the Seahawks expected more flexibility with, but it didn’t happen. 

Don’t forget to check the latest Seahawks Draft Blog mock draft.

This is my penultimate mock draft of the season. My final projection will be a week today, the night before the draft.

I’ve mixed things up a bit in the top ten. Buffalo remain a wildcard at #3 and could go in a number of directions. I think it comes down to this – do they view Blaine Gabbert as a franchise quarterback? If they do, then he probably has to be the pick. Ryan Fitzgerald can start the 2011 season and pass on the baton. Let’s not kid ourselves here though, Buffalo do have a long term need at quarterback and addressing the position has to be an option.

Von Miller isn’t a top-five pick for me. A year ago nobody talked him up as even a first round pick after a 17-sack season. He chose not to declare after receiving a third round grade from the draft committee. Now he’s a top-five lock? Like Aaron Curry (who also received a third round grade and shot up the board later on) he probably will go early, but I wouldn’t make that move. Miller is a better prospect than Curry because he can actually rush the passer and did so in college with success. Even so, I’m not convinced he’s worthy of a high pick.

I love Cameron Jordan, he’s a top-ten talent. Yet I consistently struggle to find him a home in that range. He could go as high as #3 to Buffalo (believe it) and as low as #18 to San Diego. I want to put him at #3, maybe in next week’s final mock?

I’ve also added an ‘alternative’ pick. This is very loose – guys who are still on the board that would be a viable option.

As for the Seahawks, I’ve gone back to Jabaal Sheard. If he lasts until #25 I can see that being a possibility. He’s got the size of the LEO and the speed that will make the most of the position. Despite not being the biggest, he plays above his size and is a real physical threat who works well against the run. Probably one of the most under rated players in the draft who’s best football will come at the next level.

Having said that, I’m still really torn on what the Seahawks will do. I keep going back to the quarterbacks and how much of a void that is right now. Nobody expects a big trade up the board to target the top four, yet I wouldn’t rule it out.

Talking of quarterbacks…

More Ryan Mallett controversy today. The National Football Post is reporting he missed a meeting with the Carolina Panthers due to illness and then cites an unnamed source suggesting Mallett was ‘out on the town’ the night before.

I want to avoid being labelled the guy’s personal excuse maker – but really? This is what we’ve come to? An unnamed source who doesn’t say the guy was drunk (or even drinking) but was ‘out late’?

Really I don’t know what to make of this anymore. It really looks like another sign of awful reporting on a guy who has been hit with a sledgehammer during this off season. Maybe somebody really wants Ryan Mallett to fall down the board, or maybe he really can’t handle himself? I still don’t think this is a fair report and it’s completely lacking in detail.

EDIT – here’s the response. Carolina have also issued a statement:

“Ryan Mallett came for a visit to Charlotte two weeks ago. He had dinner with our coaches the evening he arrived and came down from his hotel room for a scheduled breakfast meeting the following morning upon which time he informed a staff member that he had been sick all night with nausea. We told Ryan that if he was ill to remain in his room as long as the nausea existed. We took him to the airport later that afternoon for his scheduled flight.”

To see the latest projection, click here or select MOCK DRAFT in the menu bar.