Category: Front Page News (Page 23 of 367)

Seahawks agree contract with Geno Smith

March 6, 2023 /

Here are my thoughts…

The Seahawks made no secret of their desire to get this done and, like most people, I expected it would get done. Geno Smith is very popular in the locker-room. He had a career renaissance in 2022. This was the ideal place for him and the Seahawks clearly felt moving on, for the purpose of saving money and re-setting with another veteran at quarterback, wasn’t something they wanted to entertain.

I’d expect they’ll structure this contract with a low year-one cap hit to save cap space ahead of free agency. I’d also imagine there’s a reasonable out for the team. On the other side, Smith’s agent gets to contact the media and tell them he can earn $52M in the calendar year — a sum he’ll almost certainly never reach. They can talk about a $100m contract, when we’ll soon learn the reality of the deal. Either way, they can promote this as an amazing job on social media.

Nevertheless, Smith stays — so what happens now?

For me, very little changes. There will be an argument that this indicates the Seahawks will pass on the quarterbacks in round one and focus on defense.

That could be what they do but there’s a lot more to this.

No team ever wants to go into the draft showing their hand. It’s why the Bears signed Mike Glennon to a three-year, $45m contract in 2017 — announced him as ‘their guy’ at a big press conference — then a few weeks later traded up to #2 overall to draft Mitchell Trubisky.

The Seahawks have previous here too. They spent big money to acquire Matt Flynn in free agency — then duly replaced him with rookie Russell Wilson.

I’m not suggesting they re-signed Smith simply to play a game of ‘draft poker’ with the rest of the league. It’s one of the offshoots of the deal though. The predominant narrative will be — the Seahawks have their guy, they’re not going to draft a quarterback. I think they’ll be quite comfortable with other teams making that assumption.

It’s also important to hedge against scenarios that can go against you. Imagine if you let Smith walk because you’ve got your eye on a quarterback in the draft. Then the three you like are off the board before pick #5. You’re screwed.

Now they avoid any ‘worst case scenario’. They can let the board come to them at #5. If one of the top quarterbacks is available, they can take them if they wish and there’s no pressure to start that player in 2023. If they want to go defense, they can do. But they’re not desperately praying things go a certain way.

I’ve long argued the ideal situation is probably to mimic the Chiefs when they had Alex Smith under contract and drafted Patrick Mahomes. You take pressure off the rookie and have a starter good enough to avoid a weekly ‘put the new guy in’ debate in the media.

If they are planning to draft Anthony Richardson, they just set things up perfectly. He needs a redshirt year (and even embraced that himself during interviews at the combine). It’s OK saying they could’ve signed Drew Lock as a cheaper bridge. What happens if Lock struggles? The demand for Richardson to start before he’s ready would be intense. That risk is far less now they’ve retained Smith, who already has a year as the starter in the bag.

Or they can draft defense, which I’ve always said I’m comfortable with. Will Anderson is a good football player with an A+ character. You can make a strong case for taking him. I’m not convinced he’ll last to #5. I’m open-minded about Tyree Wilson depending on how he tests at his pro-day but I can’t lie — the idea of drafting another 23-year-old Big-12 defender in round one — with Seattle’s recent history of using first round picks on older Big-12 defenders (L.J. Collier, Jordyn Brooks) doesn’t fill me with much excitement.

That will be the media consensus in the aftermath of this news though. The Seahawks are going to go defense or trade down. Re-signing Geno has confirmed everything.

I remain unconvinced and think everything remains on the table.

I’ll end by linking to my piece from earlier, which had a whole section on why I think John Schneider will love the quarterbacks in this draft.

I’ll also offer this thought…

Does anyone really think Schneider, the GM who wanted to draft Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes when he had Russell Wilson, the GM who covets big, physical traits and upside — watched those quarterbacks in Indianapolis on Saturday and decided — ‘they’re not for me’?

I’m not buying that.

I think re-signing Geno Smith was always part of the plan — and it was never likely to have much impact on the #5 pick.

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Players I think will firmly be on the Seahawks’ radar

March 6, 2023 /

Expect Luke Wypler to be on Seattle’s radar

The Seahawks will probably draft one of two centers

The blocking scheme they’ve adopted calls for a certain type of center — and Ohio State’s Luke Wypler is the perfect fit. In signing Austin Blythe a year ago Seattle made it clear they were seeking to emulate the Rams under new line-coach Andy Dickerson. Blythe was shorter with a lower centre of gravity for leverage purposes, he had great agility (short shuttle), a wrestling background and size around 6-2, 300lbs.

Wypler ticks every box. His short shuttle (the best of any center) was a 4.53 — the exact same as Blythe’s. He’s 6-2 1/2 and 303lbs. He wrestled in High School. At his combine press conference he was asked who he compares to in the league and without hesitation he said Brian Allen the current Rams center — noting he was perfectly suited to the scheme and had been studying it this off-season.

His personality also screams ‘John Schneider’. It’s hard to explain why, so just watch him speak. His sense of humour and character is right up Schneider’s street. I’m sure they’ll have also noted how well he played against Jalen Carter in the CFB playoffs — a game they’ll have no doubt been monitoring Carter.

There isn’t a player I’m more confident projecting to the Seahawks. It’s a perfect scheme, measurable and physical profile fit. I wouldn’t be surprised if they make sure they come away with Wypler by taking him a little bit earlier than the consensus for his stock. That could be with the #53 pick.

The only thing that gives me pause for thought is an alternative in John Michael Schmitz. He too has the same wrestling background. He’s 6-3 and 301lbs. His short shuttle was a 4.56. He’s also perfectly suited to this scheme. If they prefer Schmitz on tape — they could go with him instead. That is a distinct possibility.

Either way, my expectation has shifted after the combine. I’ve gone from thinking they might be inclined to invest in a veteran like Garrett Bradbury or Jake Brendel to solidify the position, to now thinking they’ll make sure they come out of this draft with one of Wypler or Schmitz. They are ideally suited and they’ll likely be available in a range where Seattle picks. I’d put decent money on one of these two landing with the Seahawks on day two of the draft.

The tight end class

Sometimes it’s hard to narrow things down to simply a name or two, you’ve got to list virtually a full class of players.

We’ve spent a lot of time over the years highlighting what the Seahawks like at tight end. Agility testing (short shuttle, three-cone) seems to be a big focus. Here are the players Seattle has drafted, signed or acquired in the Carroll/Schneider era:

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

I branched out this year to include a trend that involves 10-yard splits. It seems the top tight ends in the modern NFL all excel in the splits and short shuttle:

Rob Gronkowski — 1.58 (10), 4.47 (ss)
Travis Kelce — 1.61 (10), 4.42 (ss)
George Kittle — 1.59 (10), 4.55 (ss)
Mark Andrews — 1.54 (10), 4.38 (ss)
Dallas Goedert — unknown (10), 4.31 (ss)
Zach Erz — 1.64 (10), 4.47 (ss)
T.J. Hockenson — 1.63 (10), 4.18 (ss)
David Njoku — 1.61 (10), 4.34 (ss)

The 2023 tight end class has several players who tested as well as the names above. Only seven individuals ran a short shuttle and these were the results (I’ve included their 10-yard splits too):

Darnell Washington — 1.57 (10), 4.08 (ss)
Zack Kuntz — 1.57 (10), 4.12 (ss)
Sam LaPorta — 1.59 (10), 4.25 (ss)
Luke Schoonmaker — 1.59 (10), 4.27 (ss)
Tucker Kraft — 1.59 (10), 4.29 (ss)
Brayden Willis — DNR (10), 4.36 (ss)
Brenton Strange — 1.57 (10), 4.46 (ss)

LaPorta also ran a blistering 6.91 three-cone, with Kraft running a 7.08.

There are other players who ran excellent splits — Luke Musgrave (1.54), Will Mallory (1.59), Davis Allen (1.60), Payne Durham (1.61) and Josh Whyle (1.62) — who didn’t run a short shuttle. We might be able to add them to the list if they do agility testing at their pro-day.

I appreciate tight end isn’t an immediate need but you’re not always drafting for the here and now. Noah Fant and Colby Parkinson are both free agents next year. Drafting a tight end in a good TE class, with an eye to the future, makes sense. Especially when there are players available on day two who have physical attributes comparable to the best in the league.

Players like LaPorta and Schoonmaker could be attractive in the round three range. Tucker Kraft will likely go in round two. After his testing performance on Saturday, don’t be surprised if Darnell Washington goes a lot earlier than people think. T.J. Hockenson went in the top-10 after running a 4.18 short shuttle at 251lbs. Washington ran his 4.08 at 264lbs — and ran a faster forty (4.64 vs 4.70) and 10-yard split (1.57 vs 1.64). He could easily be a top-20 pick.

I’ll also highlight Michael Mayer at this point. He is an exceptional player with 10/10 character and attitude. He’s a complete tight end. I’m not sure whether a 1.66 10-yard split will get anyone excited (and he didn’t do any agility testing) but if he’s available at #20 — I think you have to consider him purely based on talent.

The three quarterbacks

I asked this question yesterday and I’m going to ask it again today.

How is John Schneider not coming out of the draft with one of Anthony Richardson, Will Levis or C.J. Stroud?

We know Schneider loves traits. It’s public knowledge that he coveted Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes — even when he had prime Russell Wilson.

Wilson himself had excellent traits (big arm, athletic). Schneider traded a lot to acquire Charlie Whitehurst (big arm, athletic) and was willing to take on Drew Lock when he dealt Wilson to Denver (big arm, athletic).

All of these players carried question marks. Schneider focused on talent and potential. At no point was he swayed by perceived flaws.

It’s easy to forget today because Allen and particularly Mahomes have turned into two of the best players in the NFL — but at draft time they were both considered risky project types.

Here’s an article on NFL.com written by Lance Zierlein, discussing Allen during the 2017 college football season:

The scoop: “He scares me like he scares everyone, but he is easily the most physically talented quarterback (in this class). He will get drafted much higher than the level of his tape.” — AFC director of college scouting on Wyoming QB Josh Allen

The skinny: Listed at 6-foot-5, 233 pounds and with high-end arm talent, Allen is the prototype at the quarterback position. However, Allen’s production has been very pedestrian this season (181 yards passing per game, 55.9 percent completion rate, 12 TDs and 6 INTs in 8 games).

His accuracy and decision making are not where they need to be. In comparison, Carson Wentz had very similar physical traits and ability coming out of North Dakota State. He was the No. 2 overall selection of the 2016 draft, but his accuracy and football intelligence were exceptionally high. Coincidentally, Allen’s coach (Craig Bohl) helped groom Wentz at NDSU before being hired at Wyoming.

Allen might make a substantial leap forward with better talent surrounding him than what he’s working with at Wyoming. However, I’m not ready to say he’s a franchise quarterback at this juncture.

“He scares everyone” is the kind of thing you might hear about Anthony Richardson and Will Levis. Ditto the production, accuracy and decision making concerns and the feeling they aren’t ready.

As it happens, Allen’s physical talent was so enormous that he simply rose to the NFL occasion after a two-year learning curve. He has made the Bills a legitimate team after years of mediocrity and is beloved by fans.

With Mahomes, I noted a similar pre-draft sentiment in this article in December:

Patrick Mahomes wasn’t even listed in Daniel Jeremiah’s top-50 prospects in his February list ahead of the 2017 draft. That wouldn’t be so bad — but in an updated version in April, Mahomes still wasn’t listed in the top-50.

Deshone Kizer, however, was ranked on both occasions.

In Jeremiah’s April 2017 mock draft, he eventually did include Mahomes in round one — at #27 overall. Deshaun Watson wasn’t included in the first frame. They ended up being the #10 and #12 picks respectively.

Mahomes himself revealed he was given a second round grade by the draft committee.

The excellent Lance Zierlein graded Mahomes at a 6.30 — a lower grade than Drew Lock (6.40). In his report, Zierlein noted:

“Mahomes will be a work in progress, but he’s a high ceiling, low floor prospect.”

These are two players who, by all accounts, Schneider loved. They were flawed but they had supreme physical talent. And he wanted them.

Anthony Richardson is 6-4 and 244lbs with 10 1/2 inch hands. He ran a 4.43 forty (second only to RGIII for a quarterback since 2003). He had a 40.5 inch vertical and a 10-9 broad jump (both new records). He is uniquely gifted as a physical talent with the potential to be a ‘face of the NFL’ type player. He does things on a football field barely anyone else can do.

Will Levis is 6-4 and 229lbs. He jumped a 34-inch vertical and a 10-4 broad. He has unbelievable 10 5/8 inch hands. He possesses a cannon arm and like Richardson, has plays on tape that most other humans simply cannot do:

C.J. Stroud is 6-3 and 214lbs with 10 inch hands. He might not have the extreme physical tools like Richardson and Levis — yet he still has a strong arm, he throws with complete control and his touch passing (short and long range) is the best we’ve seen in college football since I started writing the blog in 2008. His performance against Georgia was an absolute masterclass and it’s not unfair to suggest it was ‘Mahomes-esque’.

There’s one other thing to mention — all three players have outstanding character.

I cannot stress how rare it is to have three players like this in the same draft class. For all the hand-wringing about the flaws with this trio — not enough time is being dedicated to their massive upside. Whisper it quietly — but we could be seeing the next Allen, Justin Herbert and Mahomes entering the league.

I can’t believe for a second that Schneider — with his history of quarterbacks — isn’t looking at these three and feeling, with this rare opportunity, he has to have one of them. They basically look like three made-to-order quarterbacks specifically for Seattle’s GM. The idea he’s going to say ‘no thanks — give me an expensive Geno and another first round Big-12 defender instead’ just doesn’t compute.

I know it’s a taboo subject for many fans who won’t hear anything other than ‘Geno Smith is the guy’. If you’re in that camp — humour me for one moment. Schneider was seemingly willing to move on from prime Russell Wilson — in his peak — to draft Mahomes in 2017. He was willing to trade Wilson in 2018 to select Allen as a replacement.

Further to that — they paid Matt Flynn a handsome contract (by 2012 standards) to be the starter. Then they drafted Russell Wilson and basically gave him the keys, rendering the investment in Flynn a total waste. It was a ruthless, aggressive move.

Do you honestly think he won’t be prepared to pass on paying Geno Smith a fortune to draft a quarterback he loves? Or at least structure a deal that creates a ‘bridge’ environment, rather than fully commit to Geno and ignore the quarterbacks who perfectly fit the Schneider prototype?

The idea that when presented with a top-five pick for the first time ever — with three quarterbacks who appear to suit Schneider down to the ground — he’s going to say, ‘nope — we have a journeyman who turns 33 this year who had one good season, so now we’re going to ignore these QB’s and build around him’. That seems fanciful.

Mike Sando conducted an ‘insider’ mock draft for the Athletic. Anthony Richardson was placed at #5 to Seattle:

“Seattle might take a quarterback,” an exec who has competed against Seattle in the NFC West said.

If that were the case, who might the Seahawks like?

“Probably Anthony Richardson — big, athletic guy who can run,” this exec reasoned.

Levis would also be available under this scenario.

“I like Anthony Richardson better than Levis, and I don’t think I’m the only GM who feels this way,” a GM said.

“I could see (Seahawks GM) John (Schneider) liking Richardson a lot,” another GM said. “He hasn’t started much and didn’t really carry his team but is a freak talent.”

The problem, of course, is all three QB’s could be off the board by #5.

Which begs the question — are the Seahawks willing to be aggressive?

A commenter on our YouTube stream on Sunday suggested the Seahawks should strike to go and get their man. They called for Schneider to ‘pay the iron price’ to do what it takes. Trade up.

Is he prepared to?

I don’t think it’s as unrealistic as people think. The Seahawks are an aggressive team for the most part. If they left Indianapolis feeling like ‘we have to have one of these guys’ then I don’t think it’s far-fetched that they’ll see it like this:

1. When are we going to be picking fifth overall again, making it easier to move up because we can offer a top-five pick in return?

2. When are we going to have the 2023 stock to make it less painful to trade up, meaning we don’t have to mortgage the future?

3. How much is it going to cost to trade up from the #15-20 spot if we need to get a QB in 2024 or 2025 and we’re not in the top-10, without the extra picks we have now?

4. When are we ever going to have a draft class with three ‘Schneider prototypes’ sitting there at the top of round one?

5. Having picks is great but the key is also to have outstanding players. If we think these QB’s can be outstanding players, why not go and get one? Especially when you see the impact of having an exceptional QB and how that has transformed teams like Buffalo and Cincinnati — two perennial bottom-feeders.

6. Can you make an argument that a return of Charles Cross, Boye Mafe, a potential franchise QB, Shelby Harris, Noah Fant and Drew Lock is a good return on the Wilson trade? Having #20 and #38 is great — but is that haul sufficient to say ‘job done’? If you turn Wilson into a franchise QB, a left tackle and a pass rusher, plus some veterans — isn’t that all you can ask for?

7. What’s more likely to get you to greatness? Being bold for one of these QB’s, building around them and having extra money to spend on defense? Or is it paying Geno Smith $30-35m and hoping, aged 33, he can play at a consistently good level for the foreseeable future — while having less to spend on the rest of the roster, hoping that you can draft a great team around him while picking in the teens and 20’s?

This is all a moot-point if one of the three physical phenoms lasts to #5. That’s not too far fetched. Bryce Young could still be one of the top-two quarterbacks drafted. It would only take one team to draft Young in the top-four, plus it would require either Chicago or Arizona sticking in that range and selecting a defender for one of Richardson, Stroud or Levis to reach the fifth pick.

Trading up takes away the mystery though. You can proceed without concern or anxiety. You can plan accordingly through free agency.

I’m not suggesting it should happen — simply that I think it’s a conversation worth having post-combine.

The counter-argument is whether you can live with a ‘worst-case scenario’. That sounds negative — but a worst case scenario isn’t actually all that troublesome. If Richardson, Levis and Stroud go in the top-four, you’re still guaranteed one of Young, Will Anderson or Tyree Wilson.

Anderson is a good player with exceptional character. Wilson has interesting traits. Young is wonderfully gifted but the concerns about his size are legit. None of these players are in the same bracket as Richardson, Levis and Stroud for upside.

I think John Schneider will be all-in on the quarterbacks at the top of this draft. I think Pete Carroll might be too (this was an interesting note from ESPN). We’ve said all along — if that were the case, Schneider should take one. He has enough money in the bank to trust his decision making at this position. I wonder if, in the coming weeks, he’s going to ask for faith from the fanbase to pursue the long-term future of this team.

A lot of 12’s don’t want to consider it. If you follow the evidence, though, it leads you to the conclusion that the Seahawks — and Schneider in particular — will probably be desperate to get one of these three.

I’ll be hosting a live stream with Robbie at 12pm PT to discuss plenty of Seahawks & draft related topics. You can watch here:

If you enjoy the blog and appreciate what we do — why not consider supporting the site via Patreon — (click here)

My final thoughts on the combine & day four observations

March 5, 2023 /

Bijan Robinson — naturally gifted

Here are my observations from day four at the combine, plus an overall thought at the end relating to the event and the Seahawks.

Thoughts on the offensive linemen

It was clear who the top offensive lineman was on the field during drills — Tennessee’s Darnell Wright. He excelled, constantly receiving loud praise from the coaches. He was asked to break down the huddle at the end of the second session.

Wright showed off sudden, subtle footwork. He’s very naturally athletic in his change of direction. He hit the bag with purpose. He transitioned into his slide with ease after contact and looked like the real deal. He took advice from the coaches and executed every drill competently, including the overly complicated ‘pass rush drop’ drill that replaced the kick-slide and had multiple linemen confused. He slammed the bags with power, exploded into position and when he shifted into his kick-slide he did it with ease. It’s so effortless the way he drops, with control of his feet and body.

The best way to sum him up is that he doesn’t look like a 333lbs lineman. He’s well proportioned and athletic. His feet pepper the ground with a nimbleness befitting of a much smaller blocker.

It’s no wonder he was able to shut-down Will Anderson last year. Wright looks like the real deal. The only thing that’ll prevent him from being the top offensive lineman taken is his position — right instead of left tackle.

This was a ‘wow’ performance and he performed like a top-20 lock.

Peter Skoronski did what he needed to do during on-field drills — looking extremely comfortable, proficient and with little wasted movement. He ran a 1.75 10-yard split and he’s a big-time explosive tester — jumping a 34.5 inch vertical and a 9-7 broad. Those are elite-level numbers at 313lbs. With his lack of length I doubt he’ll stick at left tackle but with an annual craving for good offensive linemen every year — there’s a very real possibility he’ll be taken in the top-20 with this combine display. Teams in the market for a guard will be able to convince themselves he can be another Zack Martin.

Elsewhere, Dawand Jones’ mobility at 374lbs was a thing to behold. Paris Johnson showed off 36-inch arms — likely putting him in contention to go a lot earlier than I’ve been suggesting. Blake Freeland will get a lot of hype for his testing display — and he was explosive and athletic as a runner. Yet he was far too upright during drills and will struggle badly with leverage at the next level.

Broderick Jones is bigger and longer than expected and he tested very well — running a 1.74 10-yard split, a 4.94 forty and adding 30 inch and 9-0 jumps in the vertical and broad. I thought he coasted during drills though and wasn’t impressive on the field.

What did we learn for the Seahawks?

As noted in our combine preview, they’ve pivoted to the Rams blocking scheme and the players they like to select. Seattle’s tackles very much fit the profile of LA’s. They had Austin Blythe at center last year, who played for the Rams between 2017-20.

We’ve identified burst/speed and the short shuttle as areas the Rams liked to focus on at tackle. They’ve also been willing to convert college tackles to guard. It’ll be interesting to see if the Seahawks transition to that — or whether they stick with bigger, explosive guards like Phil Haynes and Damien Lewis.

Blythe is 6-2 and 298lbs and very similar to Brian Allen, the current Rams center. Blythe ran a 4.53 short shuttle — a very good time for his size.

The shuttle times are quite revealing (and thank goodness the O-line drills started early enough today for most of the class to do the tests).

Here are three center candidates I would suggest ‘fit’ the Seahawks scheme. They all timed in a range that will be attractive:

Luke Wypler — 4.53
Cody Mauch — 4.55
John Michael Schmitz — 4.56

Of the three, Mauch is the superior athlete — running a 1.79 split and a 7.33 three cone. Wypler and Mauch both have similar explosive traits and did a good job in the vertical and broad jumps. Schmitz is more of a mediocre athlete (as I’ll come onto) but I think he had the better on-field performance today.

A year ago Pete Carroll spoke about wanting a shorter center for leverage purposes. Wypler is 6-2 1/2 and Schmitz is 6-3 (Mauch might be too tall at 6-5). We know they like a wrestling background and Wypler and Schmitz both have that. I watched Wypler’s (extremely impressive) combine press conference and when asked which players he studies in the league, without hesitation he said Brian Allen because they have identical body types and he thinks he’s a perfect fit for that type of offense.

So along with the shuttle times, there are appealing aspects here.

My guess is Wypler and Schmitz will be very much on their radar and possibly Mauch too as a tackle-to-center convert (he excelled at center at the Senior Bowl). I think there’s a very strong, realistic chance we’ll see one of Wypler or Schmitz starting in Seattle in 2023.

The NFL Network compared Schmitz to Creed Humphrey which is misleading and will raise hopes of Seahawks fans. Humphrey is one of the most explosive O-liners to enter the league in recent years — a true elite tester. He had the perfect profile. It remains a mystery how or why he lasted as long as he did, deep into round two.

Schmitz is a mile off with his numbers. They just have similar height/weight/arms:

Creed Humphrey
Forty: 5.11
10-split: 1.71
Vertical: 33 inches
Broad: 9-4
Shuttle: 4.49

John Michael Schmitz
Forty: 5.35
10-split: 1.85
Vertical: 29.5
Broad: 8-8
Shuttle: 4.56

To be a success in the league, Schmitz doesn’t have to have Humphrey’s profile. I do think it’s important to set realistic expectations though. I’d suggest he’s in play for the Seahawks with his short shuttle time — along with Wypler and Mauch.

In terms of potential tackle-to-guard converts — I really like Clemson’s Jordan McFadden. His frame is tailor made for guard — barrel-chested, 34-inch arms, shorter height which is good for leverage. He ran a 4.99 with a 1.74 split. He has a good combination of frame and athleticism and could be an option to kick inside with useful positional flexibility.

I thought Nick Broeker was exceptional during on-field drills. This is going to be a lofty comparison and he almost certainly won’t live up to it — but I get a Joe Thuney vibe from him. Don’t be shocked if he ends up going in the round three range like Thuney — I think teams will like him a lot more than the media do. He’s not the same tester as Thuney — so might go a round or two later.

Broeker’s footwork and control were outstanding throughout. On tape he’s very good on the move. He battled well against Alabama and the beasts in the SEC. He’s battled tested, durable and has a lot to offer. I do think he could be tried at center (FYI — his short shuttle was a 4.70).

Other players who stood out to me included Emil Ekiyor, Anthony Bradford and Braeden Daniels. I’ll be watching more of all three over the next couple of weeks.

These running backs can catch

I had a couple of thoughts watching the runners going through drills. Firstly, nobody is as physically impressive as Ken Walker was a year ago. I remember watching the workout and thinking how incredible he looked. Massive, muscular, proportioned shape — combined with electric speed, size and dynamic cuts.

Secondly — if Seattle wants to pair Walker with a pass-catcher out of the backfield, they’ll easily find one in this class.

Watching the wheel routes at the end was a treat. The running backs were tracking the ball better than a lot of the receivers when they attempted to catch their deep passes. On numerous reps we saw runners catch the ball away from their body with out-stretched arms. The technique to look back to the ball, execute the catch then turn upfield was so impressive.

Nobody stood out more than Bijan Robinson — who has the best overall running and catching technique you’ll see at the position. He’s not the same athlete as Saquon Barkley and there have been plenty more explosive and faster athletes to enter the league in recent years. Where he excels is his ability to just make everything look easy. He constantly looks to be a step-ahead of everyone else. When he catches the ball you almost feel like everything slows down Matrix style. He catches, turns and accelerates almost in one movement.

He wasn’t alone in impressing. Jahmyr Gibbs is every bit the dynamic playmaker. A natural receiver — he also ran a 4.36 forty. He’ll probably go too early for Seattle but Gibbs would be an excellent complement to Walker.

Zach Charbonnet is explosive and physical in the backfield but he also showed off great hands and control. Devon Achane, Tank Bigsby, Kenny McIntosh, Chase Brown, Eric Gray, Deuce Vaughan — one after the other, they took turns to run routes with ease. There were barely any drops.

Who could the Seahawks be eyeing?

We know by now the type they like. Their runners are about 210-220lbs. They have explosive testing results (good vertical & broad jump). We’ve been able to predict targets over the years. I do wonder, in the new blocking scheme, whether speed is more of an asset these days (and their most recent high picks — Walker and Rashaad Penny — were both electric runners).

From the running backs who tested today, here are some potential targets:

Tank Bigsby — 5-11, 210lbs, 32.5v, 9-11b, 4.56 forty
Chase Brown — 5-9, 209lbs, 40v, 10-7b, 4.43 forty
Zach Charbonnet — 6-0, 214lbs, 37v, 10-2b, 4.53 forty
Tiyon Evans — 5-9, 225lbs, 30.5 v, DNPb, 4.52 forty
Evan Hull — 5-10, 209lbs, 37v, 10-3b, 4.47 forty
Bijan Robinson — 5-10, 215lbs, 37v, 10-4b, 4.46 forty

There were several runners who didn’t test. Pro-days will add numbers to this list. It’s also possible they prefer to go for speed and then your Devon Achane and Jahmyr Gibbs types come into play.

I do wonder if they’ll be keen to get Rashaad Penny back on a cheaper deal due to his injury last year and leave this position until later in the draft.

That said, Charbonnet has long felt like a ‘Seahawks’ type of runner and with his on-field and testing performance, that view has to be reinforced today.

Final thoughts

It’ll take a few days to process all of the information from the last four days but these are my immediate thoughts at the end of the combine…

— I just can’t shake the thought that John Schneider — a GM who has shown he loves traits — will be absolutely positively giddy about Anthony Richardson, Will Levis and C.J. Stroud. This is what he has looked for at the position. Massive arm, incredible athleticism, huge hands, 10/10 character. Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes and Russell Wilson weren’t flawless prospects either — but Schneider looked beyond that because he could see special physical qualities. Richardson, Levis and Stroud share those qualities. So how is he not coming out of this draft with one of the three? I’m going to write more about this in the week.

— The combine pretty much confirmed there’s a dearth of blue-chip players in this class. It’s going to be very hard to place players in the #7-12 range in mock drafts. From #7-25 there’s going to be barely any difference in value. It’s going to be one of the most unpredictable middle-portions of round one as a consequence.

— I think it’s more likely today than I did pre-combine that the Seahawks will draft a center. Garrett Bradbury and Jake Brendel still feel like good free agent options. However — if they’re inclined to go after the D-line in the veteran market, they’ll need every dollar they can get. Drafting a center saves money — and it might be why they pushed to re-sign Phil Haynes to keep consistency at every other position, making it easier to slot in an inexperienced center. I’ll be running through what I hope to see in free agency later in the week — but here’s a hint. Sign a proper defensive front for this scheme. Do that in free agency and you open up the entire draft, without needing to force anything. I don’t think you can rely on rookie to fix the defense anyway.

— I think this draft is carrying a lot of players who are better on tape than they tested. Thus, you’re taking solid contributors but it’ll be harder to find an Abraham Lucas or Tariq Woolen I think. Byron Young (Alabama), Nick Broeker, Kenny McIntosh, K.J. Henry, Ji’Ayir Brown, Christopher Smith, Moro Ojomo, Cameron Young. There are a lot more I could mention. Players who have flashed in college — for big teams — but haven’t come to Indianapolis and put on a show. I sense this will be a draft where you might struggle to find X-factor talent but you might be able to draft a lot of solid role players. That’s not such a bad thing — but you’ll need to get some sparkle with your top pick if the aim is to use the draft to change the fortunes of the franchise.

Thanks to all who joined in over the last few days — and especially to those who chipped in with Patreons and Super Chats.

Since Thursday I’ve been living off five hours sleep and I book a week off my day job to cover the combine each year. I make notes for the live blog and my database at the same time — which makes for several hours of challenging yet enjoyable graft when drills are ongoing. Now we’ve added the live streams on top — plus I try to answer as many questions in the comments as possible.

It wouldn’t be worth the effort if nobody was reading or getting involved. The fact that some of you are interested enables me to live out my labour of love. I’m eternally grateful for that.

We’ll be back with another live stream tomorrow (time to be confirmed) and on Tuesday I’ll be doing another stream with Jeff Simmons. I’ve got some big articles planned for this week too — not to mention some big interviews and pieces between now and the draft — so stay tuned.

If you enjoy the blog and appreciate what we do — why not consider supporting the site via Patreon — (click here)

Live Blog: Combine day four (OL, RB)

March 5, 2023 /

Welcome to the 2023 NFL combine coverage on Seahawks Draft Blog

Today is the final day of workouts with the O-liners going first, followed by the running backs.

Keep refreshing this page for updates

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

The key tests for the linemen seem to be the forty/split and short shuttle.

O-line 40 yard dash times — group 1

The 10-yard splits are in brackets

Jake Andrews — (1.80) 5.15 & DNR
Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu — (1.80) 5.26 & (1.81) 5.23
Steve Avila — (1.86) 5.21 & (1.84) 5.22
Henry Bainivalu — (1.89) 5.50 & (1.87) 5.50
T.J. Bass — (1.86) 5.49 & (1.88) 5.53
Earl Bostick Jr — (1.74) 5.06 & (1.76) 5.05
Anthony Bradford — (1.79) 5.14 & (1.74) 5.08
Nick Broeker — (1.84) 5.27 & (1.84) 5.28
McClendon Curtis — (1.85) 5.25 & DNR
Braden Daniels — (1.71) 5.00 & (1.73) 5.03
Jaelyn Duncan — (1.78) 5.11 & DNR
Mark Evans — (1.90) 5.45 & (1.80) 5.44
Blake Freeland — (1.74) 4.99 & (1.68) 4.96
Jon Gaines — (1.73) 5.02 & (1.73) 5.01
Connor Galvin — (1.81) 5.48 & (1.85) 5.54
Jovaughan Gwyn — (1.86) 5.20 & (1.80) 5.12
Anton Harrison — (1.77) 4.99 & (1.77) 5.00
Ryan Hayes — (1.78) 5.18 & (1.80) 5.21
Broderick Jones — (1.75) 4.98 & (Not shown) 5.01
Dawand Jones — (1.92) 5.36 & (1.95) 5.42

Matthew Bergeron, Alex Forsyth, Richard Gouraige, Emil Ekiyor and Paris Johnson Jr. didn’t run a forty.

O-line (group 1) vertical jumps

Blake Freeland: 37″
Jon Gaines II: 32.5″
Jaelyn Duncan: 31.5″
Earl Bostick Jr.: 31″
Matthew Bergeron: 30.5″
Braeden Daniels: 30.5″
Connor Galvin: 30.5″
Broderick Jones: 30″
Anthony Bradford: 30″
Ryan Hayes: 30″
Steve Avila: 29.5″
Anton Harrison: 28.5″
Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu: 28.5″
TJ Bass: 28.5″
Henry Bainivalu: 28″
Jovaughn Gwyn: 27.5″
McClendon Curtis: 26.5″
Alan Ali: 26.5″
Mark Evans II: 26.5″
Jake Andrews: 26″
Alex Forsyth: 20.5″

On-field drills

Earl Bostick’s footwork looked sharp on his wave drill, while Anthony Bradford shifted side-to-side in an impressive fashion for a 332lbs linemen.

I’m a big fan of Nick Broeker and I really enjoyed his wave. He’s constantly in control of his weight. There’s no heel-click. He bends his knees and has very easy agility. He looked incredibly impressive in this drill. McClendon Curtis was clicking his heels together constantly, despite Daniel Jeremiah saying he wasn’t.

Blake Freeland is athletic but stiff in the change of direction here. Jaelyn Duncan is not doing on-field work and says he’s just going to do it at the pro-day. There are some character questions about him, so this isn’t a good look. Get out there and compete.

Broderick Jones had by far the worst rep. He was guessing the direction, he was tentative, his footwork was all over the place, he was being too deliberate in his movements and didn’t shift side-to-side. Terrible. Dawand Jones gets out there and does a far better job at 374lbs.

Steve Avila moves very well in the long-pull drill. A natural, running to the cone and then easily shifting to the instructed direction. Emil Ekiyor looks great — very athletic frame, well proportioned. Blake Freeland is too long and he can’t get low. His change of direction is sluggish.

Anton Harrison looks good — more athletic than expected. He’s changing direction well. Dawand Jones looks like an absolute tank. His ability to shift on the deep pull is so impressive.

Broeker continues to impress in the fold block. It’s not a surprise, he did these combo’s well at the Senior Bowl and linked up well with Nick Saldiveri in the game.

Freeland is too upright. He’s arching his shoulders to try and get low but he looks tall and awkward on the move.

I’ve not been impressed with Broderick Jones. He isn’t loose in his movements and he seems to be coasting a bit.

Next it’s a kick drill. Earl Bostick received praise for the way he struck the pad and dropped. I like the look of Anthony Bradford from LSU.

They’ve made this pass rush drop drill too complex. A lot of the players aren’t doing it right. Just let them do a bloody kick slide. I really liked Anton Harrison’s balance, slide and control. Harrison is having a good session. Paris Johnson Jr also executed the drill properly. Broderick Jones was way too shallow.

No surprise, Dawand Jones got it right.

Emil Ekiyor did really well on the second go-around when they added a second bag. Unsurprisingly for an Alabama offensive lineman, he has the frame of a pro.

Earl Bostick looked so good in the mirror drill. His agility and quickness, plus change of direction has looked really good. Anthony Bradford and Nick Broeker also did a really good job. I love Broeker’s footwork again — knee bend, in control, shifts his weight with ease.

Ekiyor owned the mirror drill with a fantastic effort. Powerful, great effort, faster than the other. Excellent rep. Broderick Jones slipped but this was his best drill of the workout. I wasn’t a fan of Paris Johnson’s footwork — he wasn’t in control of his feet. He kept crossing his feet.

On the screen drill, Matthew Bergeron connected with the bag, punched and then accelerated into space. Great rep. Nick Broeker did this time and time again at Ole Miss and it was food and drink for him. He had an excellent on-field session.

That’s the end of the first session. The big takeaways for me were Dawand Jones’ mobility at his size, Nick Broeker and Emil Ekiyor look like they could start quickly in the league. I want to go and watch more of Anthony Bradford.

O-line vertical jumps — group 2

Peter Skoronski — 34.5
Ricky Stromberg — 32.5
Sidy Sow — 32
Juice Scruggs — 32
Nick Saldiveri — 31
Luke Wypler — 30.5
John Michael Schmits — 29.5
Jarrett Patterson — 29.5
Olu Oluwatimi — 29
Andrew Vorhees — 29
Cody Mauch — 29
Darnell Wright — 29
Jordan McFadden — 28.5
Wanya Morris — 28.5
John Ojukwu — 28.5
Tashawn Manning — 27.5
Dalton Wagner — 24.5
O’Cyrus Torrence — 23.5

I still can’t believe some people have been putting O’Cyrus Torrence in round one. Incredible.

O-line broad jumps

Blake Freeland — 10-0
Peter Skoronski — 9-7
Jon Gaines — 9-6
Darnell Wright — 9-6
Jaelyn Duncan — 9-5
Ricky Stromberg — 9-3
Wanya Morris — 9-3
Nick Saldiveri — 9-3
Earl Bostick — 9-3
Olu Oluwatimi — 9-2
Sidy Sow — 9-2
Paris Johnson Jr — 9-2
Braeden Daniels — 9-1
Tyler Steen — 9-1
Jovaughan Gwyn — 9-1
TJ Bass — 9-1
Broderick Jones — 9-0
Cody Mauch — 9-0
Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu — 8-10
Anthony Bradford — 8-10
Luke Wypler — 8-10
Jarrett Patterson — 8-10
Anton Harrison — 8-9
McClendon Curtis — 8-9
Andrew Vorhees — 8-9
John Michael Schmitz — 8-8
John Ojukwu — 8-8
Connor Galvin — 8-8
Matthew Bergeron — 8-7
Ryan Hayes — 8-7
Tashawn Manning — 8-6
Jake Andrews — 8-6
Juice Scruggs — 8-6
Dalton Wagner — 8-6
O’Cyrus Torrence — 8-5
Henry Bainivalu — 8-5
Mark Evans — 8-5
Steve Avila — 8-2
Alex Forsyth — 7-11

O-line 40 yard dash times — group 2

10-yard splits are in brackets

Tashawn Manning — (1.86) 5.34 & (1.85) 5.36
Cody Mauch — (1.79) 5.13 & (1.81) 5.09
Jordan McFadden — (1.74) 4.99 & (1.75) 5.00
Wanya Morris — (1.80) 5.19 & DNF — injury
John Ojukwu — (1.85) 5.24 & (1.81) 5.24
Olu Oluwatmimi — (1.86) 5.38 & (1.87) 5.44
Jarrett Patterson — (1.83) 5.33 & (1.82) 5.33
Nick Saldiveri — (1.80) 5.22 & (1.80) 5.24
John Michael Schmitz — (1.85) 5.35 & (1.86) 5.36
Juice Scruggs — (1.81) 5.26 & (1.79) 5.22
Peter Skoronski — (1.75) 5.18 & (1.76) 5.16
Sidy Sow — (1.80) 5.11 & (1.82) 5.08
Ricky Stromberg — (1.81) 5.27 & DNR
O’Cyrus Torrence — (1.84) 5.31 & DNR
Darnell Wright — (1.81) 5.01 & DNR
Luke Wypler — (1.83) 5.15 & (1.84) 5.14

The NFL Network comparing John Michael Schmitz to Creed Humphrey is misleading and will trigger Seahawks fans. Humphrey is one of the most explosive O-liners to enter the league in recent years — plus he ran a 1.71 10-yard split and a superb 4.49 short shuttle. It’s the perfect profile. Schmitz is a mile off with his numbers. They just have similar height/weight/arms.

Onto the second set of on-field drills. Schmitz had a good wave drill — low centre of gravity, popping feet with smooth footsteps. I like Peter Skoronski’s rep too — not as cultured as Schmitz’s but decent.

Ricky Stromberg looks very big for a center but he moved around the field nicely. I thought O’Cyrus Torrence’s wave was better than expected, his mobility showed well.

Andrew Vorhees suffered an injury during the wave drill. Joe Tippmann seemingly isn’t doing anything at the combine.

I like Jordan McFadden’s barrel chest and length. As a guard project he looks very interesting. Juice Scruggs and John Michael Schmitz were moving freely in the pull drills. This has been a good session so far.

Darnell Wright looks like a first round offensive lineman should look. Juice Scruggs looks the part too. Great frame for the interior. Can well imagine him competing for a job in the NFL. Skoronski looks like he could be ideally suited to center. He won’t be drafted for that gig — but it might be his best fit.

Luke Wypler had a good rep on the fold block. We’re back on to this ‘pass rush drop’ drill which has replaced the kick-slide and just confuses everyone. Jordan McFadden did it right and received some praise. Juice Scruggs just about figured it out, while Skoronski did it best. Very few of the others got close. Stromberg and Torrence got a little nod for working it out. I loved Darnell Wright’s rep and he received loud praise from the coaches.

Jordan McFadden got praise again on the second go-around. They liked Dalton Wagner’s first kick on his rep. Then Darnell Wright came in for his second rep and just blew everyone else away. Violent punch, quick footwork, aggressively into his slide with ease. What a showing.

They only showed two mirror drills. Two. Thanks NFL Network. One was Wright’s — superb again. The last drill is the screen drill. They wanted McFadden to run with greater urgency on his rep. Schmitz was very controlled on his rep and got out into his sprint quickly. Skoronski received praise from the coaches for his speed and reactions. I liked Torrence’s rep but surprise surprise, Wright looked the best again. They even got him to break down the huddle at the end.

Running back broad jumps

Chase Brown: 10’7″
Keaton Mitchell: 10’6″
Bijan Robinson: 10’4″
Deneric Prince: 10’4″
Evan Hull: 10’3″
Roschon Johnson: 10’2″
Zach Charbonnet: 10’2″
Cam Peoples: 10’1″
Tank Bigsby: 9’11”
Eric Gray: 9’10”
Tyjae Spears: 10’5″
SaRodorick Thompson: 10′
Tavion Thomas: 9’10’
Deuce Vaughn: 9’8″

Running back vertical jumps

Chase Brown: 40″
Tyjae Spears: 39″
Keaton Mitchell: 38″
Eric Gray: 37.5″
Bijan Robinson: 37″
Zach Charbonnet: 37″
Evan Hull: 37″
Cam Peoples: 37″
Deuce Vaughn: 35.5″
Deneric Prince: 35.5″
Jahmyr Gibbs: 33.5″
Devon Achane: 33″
Tank Bigsby: 32.5″
SaRodorick Thompson: 32.5″
Roschon Johnson: 31.5″
Tiyon Evans: 30.5″
Tavion Thomas: 30″

Running back forty times

Devon Achane — 4.34 & 4.32
Tank Bigsby — 4.56 & 4.56
Chase Brown — 4.43 & 4.43
Zach Charbonnet — 4.56 & 4.54
Tiyon Evans — 4.54 & 4.52
Jahmyr Gibbs — 4.40 & 4.36
Evan Hull — 4.47 & 4.50
Roschon Johnson — 4.59 & 4.65
Kenny McIntosh — 4.63 & 4.62
Keaton Mitchell — 4.38 & 4.38
Cam Peoples — 4.61 & 4.62
Deneric Prince — 4.41 & 4.46
Bijan Robinson — 4.47 & 4.48
Tavion Thomas — 4.75 & 4.75
SaRodorick Thompson Jr — 4.68 & 4.67

Sean Tucker, Deuce Vaughn, Chris Rodriguez, Tyjae Spears, Israel Abanikanda and Zach Evans didn’t run a forty.

Running back field drills

The first drill has the players have to run over the bags then cut. Evan Hull jogged through his rep but Jahmyr Gibbs, Zach Charbonnet and Kenny McIntosh looked really decisive. Chase Brown had a great rep — looking so fluid and naturally athletic.

Bijan Robinson, wow. He’s built differently to the other guys but his body is completely connected. The feet move so precisely, he’s so controlled with the rest of his frame.

Eric Gray looks absolutely solid in his frame. Very well proportioned, thick lower body. Roschon Johnson’s cuts are a bit laboured. The coaches just yelled at the group to get to their top speed on the drill.

Never been the biggest fan of this Deuce Staley footwork drill. Looks more like an audition for ‘River Dance’. Jahmyr Gibbs mastered it but Eric Gray won’t be troubling Michael Flatley any time soon, stumbling over the bags. Evan Hull also tripped. Kenny McIntosh, Tyjae Spears and Bijan Robinson sailed through, chopping their feet and then accelerating through the bags. Deuce Vaughan ended the drill well.

None of these running backs look as jacked as Ken Walker did a year ago. That he also ran in the 4.3’s is incredible.

On the first catching reps — Bijan Robinson snagged his catch and effortlessly turned up field in one motion. He has the size, speed, traits and everything you need. It’s the control he shows that makes him who he is. Robinson’s ability to move with suddenness and control buys him extra time in the decision making process on the field and he has the athleticism to act on that. He’s not a Saquon Barkley freakish tester but he deserves to be a high pick.

Official running back forty times

Devon Achane — 4.32
Jahmyr Gibbs — 4.36
Keaton Mitchell — 4.37
Deneric Prince — 4.41
Chase Brown — 4.43
Bijan Robinson — 4.46
Evan Hull — 4.47
Tiyon Evans — 4.52
Zach Charbonnet — 4.53
Tank Bigsby — 4.56
Roschon Johnson — 4.58
Cam Peoples — 4.61
Kenny McIntosh — 4.62
SaRodorick Thompson Jr — 4.67
Tavion Thomas — 4.74

It’s a decent running back class but there’s nobody who ‘wows’ you like Ken Walker did a year ago during these drills.

Tank Bigsby and Zach Charbonnet look free and comfortable running the pivot routes. No surprise Jahmyr Gibbs looks natural here — he’s going to be a seriously dynamic pass-catcher. They just showed some highlights of Gibbs pivoting to change direction. He makes it look easy — and he has great speed and hands. He should be a top-40 pick.

Most of the running backs excelled here. It looks like a class where you’ll, at least, get a back you can coach into a third down role.

It’s barely believable how easy Bijan Robinson makes it look running a route. The glance back for the football, in stride, no wasted steps, a catch with soft hands, the burst and acceleration upon making the completion. Outstanding.

The tracking and hands on this running back class has been exceptional. They’re catching the wheel routes better than a lot of the receivers attempted to catch their deep passes. We saw a great catch by Eric Gray. Charbonnet grabbed his ball wonderfully away from his body.

That wheel route catching session was tremendous. An ideal way to end the combine. Seattle should be able to find a pass-catching complement to Ken Walker if desired.

I’ll end the live blog here. Stay tuned, the day four recap will be online shortly with some closing overall thoughts.

Are we finally going to take these QB’s seriously?

March 4, 2023 /

Anthony Richardson is a unicorn

On November 22nd last year, I posted my first mock draft.

The top three picks?

#1 Houston — Anthony Richardson (QB, Florida)
#2 Carolina — Will Levis (QB, Kentucky)
#3 Indianapolis (v/Chicago) — CJ Stroud (QB, Ohio State)

I suspect we’ll see a few similar looking mock drafts in the coming weeks.

The combine isn’t the be-all and end-all, especially at quarterback. What today has done, however, is shift the narrative.

There’s been too much talk about what the three players above can’t do and not enough focus on what they can become. The draft is about projection. It’s looking at a player and making a judgement on how they can be developed to reach the highest level possible.

I started writing this blog in 2008. I’ve never seen a quartet of quarterbacks with this level of upside in the same draft. I’ve never seen three players in particular — Richardson, Levis and Stroud — with the physical upside they possess, all at the same combine, throwing on the same field.

Let’s start with Anthony Richardson. A legitimate, bonafide unicorn.

He’s 6-4 and 244lbs with 10 1/2 inch hands.

He ran a 4.43 forty (second only to RGIII for a quarterback since 2003). He had a 40.5 inch vertical and a 10-9 broad jump (both new records).

Nobody watches him at Florida and thinks he’s the finished article. We can all see the misses (high and wide) and the mistakes he made early in his only season as a starter. Yet too many people get bogged down with the errors — many of which can be legitimately blamed on a lack of experience — and not enough people focus on the fact he’s absolutely f*****g incredible physically, doing things that no other human on the planet is capable of.

Richardson might never be a perfect player. He’ll never be Joe Burrow with his accuracy and timing. What he is going to do though is cover a lot of warts on your team due to his sheer talent and ability. He’ll be a threat to score at every snap. He will challenge teams with his legs and arm on a weekly basis. He will have fans arriving to every game excited to watch him play. Opponents are going to need a plan, every week, to handle him.

He can scramble away from pressure and turn back, off-platform, to launch the ball 40-yards downfield on a dime. If he breaks contain, he’s shown he can score 60-80 yard touchdowns as a runner. I’ve seen defenders beat a tackle off the edge, attempt to sack Richardson and he stays on his feet with the pass rusher hanging off him, then throws a completed pass for a first down.

He has ‘face of the league’ potential. He has MVP level physical talent.

And you know what? You might draft him and it doesn’t work out. That’s life. If it does work out, you could be rewarded with the best decade of your footballing fandom.

Tyree Wilson and Will Anderson (I’m not even discussing Jalen Carter any more, especially after this latest development) don’t have anywhere near his impact potential. They are not the next Bosa, Garrett or Miller.

Good players they might be — yet I find it strange that they seem to have taken on a reputation that precedes them, while people rush to diminish the freaky quarterbacks we’re talking about here. It’s almost as if there’s this phobia surrounding the most important position in the sport. A fear of making a bad decision — preventing any level of excitement about the opportunity in this draft to select possible greatness.

There’s almost an over-the-top loyalty to Geno Smith too. He deserves credit for his 2022 season but not necessarily the keys to the franchise with no future planning at quarterback. Plus, last time I checked — he isn’t under contract in Seattle. Not yet anyway.

When you watch Richardson today launching the ball downfield with aplomb, throwing with touch and velocity to the sideline and just looking like he’s living his best life — all after wowing everyone at the podium with his personality — how is he still being looked at with extreme suspicion?

I’ve watched every game he’s played. There’s a clear progression over time. He was carrying Florida at the end, highlighted by their embarrassing 30-3 bowl defeat to Oregon State when he didn’t play. In his final six games against Georgia, LSU, South Carolina, Florida State, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt (hardly an easy run) he recorded 16 total touchdowns and two interceptions.

Give him more time — a redshirt year would be ideal — and have patience when he starts in the NFL and imagine what he could become?

There was actually a quarterback who threw the ball better than Richardson today in the second group.

C.J. Stroud is without a doubt the best touch-passer I’ve ever watched in college football. He could throw downfield, towards the sideline, with perfect accuracy and touch. He delivered balls that were akin to 45-yard hand-offs.

He looked in complete control during the throwing session. A natural. His ball placement was mostly spot-on (nobody delivers a perfect session at the combine, throwing to receivers they’ve never met before). He showed off a strong arm launching passes downfield at the end. We again saw a variance in terms of velocity and he delivered a very catchable ball.

Stroud oozed confidence throughout and just looked like he belonged on this stage.

While he might not have Richardson’s staggering traits, he does have good size (6-3, 214lbs) and large hands (10 inches).

He’s a top-five pick in any class. There just aren’t many big-armed QB’s who can throw with his touch and accuracy. The spotlight isn’t going to be too high for him and I wouldn’t put it past Stroud to quickly develop into one of the more productive, competent quarterbacks in the league (in the right system).

Finally there was Will Levis — all 6-4, 229lbs of him. It was staggering watching him around the other quarterbacks in group one. He’s in incredible shape.

It’s not just the muscular, toned frame either that stands out. Levis has 10 5/8 inch hands. Do people realise how advantageous that is? That is rare hand size and it’s no wonder when you watch his throwing session and you see unnatural velocity.

Physically he looks like John Elway if he hit the all-night gym every day. That doesn’t mean he’ll achieve one tenth of Elway’s success — physically though, we are talking about another rare athlete with an arm for the ages. This all matters in the modern NFL. The top QB’s are generally outstanding athletes and they need to be able to drive the ball downfield and into tight windows.

I posted this tweet earlier today. I don’t think people realise that Levis, like Richardson, can do things most quarterbacks can’t:

Yet the narrative is constantly about his lack of success at Kentucky.

Just look, once again, at the ‘sacks per game’ stats for a collection of teams featuring big-name quarterbacks in 2022:

Oregon — 4 sacks in 12 games (0.33 per game)
Georgia — 7 sacks in 13 games (0.54 per game)
Washington — 7 sacks in 12 games (0.58 per game)
Ohio State — 8 sacks in 12 games (0.67 per game)
Florida — 12 sacks in 12 games (1.00 per game)
Alabama — 20 sacks in 12 games (1.67 per game)
Tennessee — 23 sacks in 12 games (1.92 per game)
Kentucky — 42 sacks in 12 games (3.50 per game)

Levis played behind the worst line in the SEC. His right tackle was particularly dreadful. Every game he faced constant pressure, sometimes immediately off the snap.

Playing behind a better line in 2021, he was sacked just 22 times. Kentucky gave up 20 more sacks. Twenty. Yet there are college teams listed above with wide-open schemes capable of avoiding barely any sacks.

He had no receivers or tight ends of note to throw to. His running back missed four games through a suspension. His new offensive coordinator struggled and was fired after one season.

In 2021, however, he was incredible. Only Heisman winner Bryce Young had a higher PFF grade at quarterback in the SEC. This was before losing two offensive linemen to the NFL and Wandale Robinson, his top target, went in the second round. This was before Liam Coen bolted to be offensive coordinator for Sean McVay. It’s a mark of the success Levis enjoyed in 2021 that Coen got that gig.

Playing in a pro-offense, with McVay concepts, he excelled. He drove Kentucky to a fantastic season. He made plays with his legs and arm.

He admits himself that he needs to fix technical aspects of his game and he’s been working with Jordan Palmer, one of the best in the business, to do that.

Yet nobody comes into the NFL as the finished product. Levis is a player with the physical tools to achieve anything he wants in the league.

Today we learned there are three physically stunning, high-upside players at the most important position in the sport in this draft class. It’s very possible they’ll all leapfrog Bryce Young, who opted not to do anything at the combine and wait until pro-day.

Teams are going to look at these three Marvel Superheroes and wonder whether a higher ranking for a 5-10 quarterback, who has gained weight just to try and answer concerns about his actual playing weight of around 190lbs, is the right thing to do.

The size, the arm strength, the athletic talent, the upside.

Richardson, Levis and Stroud could easily be the top-three picks as predicted in November.

So what does all this mean for Seattle?

Firstly, I think the Seahawks will be very fortunate if any of the three last to #5. If they do, they should be selected. Opportunities like this don’t come along very often. They will (hopefully) not be picking in the top-five again any time soon. Even if Geno Smith is re-signed, selecting a potential heir (and security against Smith regressing back to journeyman status) would be the right thing to do.

The top three quarterbacks all present a jackpot opportunity that Will Anderson and Tyree Wilson simply do not.

The make-up of the top-five will determine everything and working out what’ll happen will be the key task in the coming weeks. Teams trading into the top-four will dictate a lot of this. If the Bears and Cardinals trade out of the top-three, we’ll see it go QB-QB-QB.

It could leave the Seahawks in a situation where they have to pick from Bryce Young and whoever is left from Anderson and Wilson. That’s not a terrible place to be, frankly. But it will be a tough pill to swallow if Richardson, Levis and Stroud live up to their potential in the NFL and they just miss out.

If the Bears swap places with the Colts — and if the Cardinals stay put — it stands to reason that only two quarterbacks will be off the board by #5. That, for me, would be an ideal situation. Not, as many are suggesting, because it’d be a trade-down opportunity. Rather, you’d have a chance to draft one of the top three quarterbacks yourself.

Let’s be right here — John Schneider loves traits at QB. Richardson, Levis and Stroud have traits for days. If I had to guess, he will feel very strongly about all three players.

Which begs the question…

Should the Seahawks trade up?

I have pushed back against this because this is a team that needs an injection of talent. Having so many picks is a plus — and we saw the value of a good, deep draft in 2022.

After today? I’m more inclined to consider moving up.

You’re never going to have a chance like this again. You’re never going to own #5 and #20 and have the stock to hand to move up and get a quarterback who you can feel good about delivering glory to this franchise.

It’ll be so much more expensive to move up in the future, without necessarily the quality of players in this class.

Let me stress — I’m not saying the Seahawks should definitely do this.

I do think, however, they should call the Bears (if they haven’t already) and just ask to be kept in the loop. Do the same with the Texans too. Keep the door open.

It might not be necessary if the Bears and Cardinals stick in the top-four. But when you’re so close to the holy grail, you need to keep your options open.

I wouldn’t be unhappy with Young, Anderson or Wilson (if he tests well) at #5. I like the options for Seattle in any scenario — and think they are just in the range where you can feel happy in this top-heavy top-10.

But if Schneider watched those quarterbacks today and feels one or all are going to be the next big thing in the league, he has to go for it. And we, as fans, should trust his judgement if he does.

If he was willing to trade prime Russell Wilson in 2018 to take Josh Allen first overall — with the incredible traits shared by Richardson and Levis — surely he has to have a high opinion of this class too?

I’ve long felt the Russell Wilson trade was made with a plan in mind. They’ll have been studying these quarterbacks for a long time. They have the stock to move up.

It’ll be interesting to see what happens in free agency and how that shapes things. If they can address defensive needs properly in the veteran market, that creates an opportunity to be aggressive.

Some will shudder at the thought of this. They might be more open to the idea when they imagine an offense so dynamic that it features Anthony Richardson, D.K. Metcalf and Ken Walker — three elite, explosive, dynamic weapons.

Jalen Carter’s legal issues and a lack of true blue-chippers at positions such as offensive tackle make it more likely the quarterbacks go early though, meaning if the Seahawks want one of the top-three, they might have to make a move.

Speed matters at receiver

As we noted in our combine preview, the Seahawks generally only draft players who run a 4.4 or faster. Here are the qualifiers this year:

Trey Palmer — 4.33
Derius Davis — 4.36
Matt Landers — 4.37
Bryce Ford-Wheaton — 4.38
Marvin Mims — 4.38
Jalen Moreno-Cropper — 4.40
Jalin Hyatt — 4.40
Tre Tucker — 4.40
Zay Flowers — 4.42
Jacob Copeland — 4.42
Andrei Iosivas — 4.43
Charlie Jones — 4.43
Rakim Jarrett — 4.44
Demario Douglas — 4.44
Tyler Scott — 4.44
Jayden Reed — 4.45
Jonathan Mingo — 4.46
A.T. Perry — 4.47
Antoine Green — 4.47
Josh Downs — 4.48
Jordan Addison — 4.49
Tank Dell — 4.49

That’s a decent list, including blog favourites Josh Downs and Jonathan Mingo.

It was disappointing to see Cedric Tillman run in the 4.5’s. Zay Flowers looked like a first rounder during drills due to his fluid routes, control and suddenness.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba didn’t run a forty but he delivered a blistering 3.93 short shuttle which raises an eyebrow at 196lbs. We’ll see what he runs at the favourable setting of an Ohio State pro-day.

It’s not an amazing class of receivers but there are options for Seattle to tap into.

Tight end class wows to end the day

The key tests for tight ends, we’ve identified, are the short shuttle and 10-yard split.

Here are the numbers for some of the top TE’s:

Rob Gronkowski — 1.58 (10), 4.47 (ss)
Travis Kelce — 1.61 (10), 4.42 (ss)
George Kittle — 1.59 (10), 4.55 (ss)
Mark Andrews — 1.54 (10), 4.38 (ss)
Dallas Goedert — unknown (10), 4.31 (ss)
Zach Erz — 1.64 (10), 4.47 (ss)
T.J. Hockenson — 1.63 (10), 4.18 (ss)

We also know the Seahawks put a lot of emphasis on the short shuttle and three-cone:

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

Here are the 10-yard splits from the group this year:

Luke Musgrave — 1.54
Zack Kuntz — 1.57
Darnell Washington — 1.57
Brenton Strange — 1.57
Will Mallory — 1.59
Luke Schoonmaker — 1.59
Tucker Kraft — 1.59
Sam LaPorta — 1.59
Davis Allen — 1.60
Payne Durham — 1.61
Josh Whyle — 1.62
Blake Whiteheart — 1.63
Michael Mayer — 1.66

These are really good times across the board. Even Michael Mayer ran a time comparable to Zach Ertz. His forty yard dash of a 4.70 was also faster than expected.

Seven tight ends ran the short shuttle after drills:

Darnell Washington — 4.08
Zack Kuntz — 4.12
Sam LaPorta — 4.25
Luke Schoonmaker — 4.27
Tucker Kraft — 4.29
Brayden Willis — 4.36
Brenton Strange — 4.46

So what does it mean?

Darnell Washington running a 1.57 10-yard split and a 4.08 short shuttle makes him one of the most intriguing TE’s to enter the league in recent years. None of the elite TE’s currently in the league can match his combination of burst and agility — and yet we know Washington as a blocker predominantly.

When you consider that Noah Fant was the 20th overall pick in 2019 running a 1.55 split and a 4.22 shuttle at 249lbs, I wonder what grade Washington will get running a 1.57 and a 4.08 at 264lbs?

He looked a lot lighter during on-field drills. He’s shifted weight. If he can keep it off and play with this frame, the sky’s the limit for Washington. He’s 6-7 and has 34.5 inch arms. He looked so smooth running the gauntlet and getting into his routes. This was an exciting display and I’ll be hard pushed to not promote him right up my horizontal board given how unexpected this was — and how it’ll be the ideal complement to what we know he can already do with his blocking, which was his main role in college.

It’s not just Washington though — the following players look very interesting and compare well to the best in the league physically:

Zack Kuntz — 1.57 (10), 4.12 (ss)
Brenton Strange — 1.57 (10), 4.46 (ss)
Luke Schoonmaker — 1.59 (10), 4.27 (ss)
Tucker Kraft — 1.59 (10), 4.29 (ss)
Sam LaPorta — 1.59 (10), 4.25 (ss)

Mayer didn’t run a shuttle which is a shame but he showed excellent body control and an ability to catch away from his body. Given he ran a 4.70 I do think he will go earlier than people realise. He’s just so consistent and competitive and he creates subtle, late separation to make up for a lack of blazing speed.

This was believed to be a strong tight end class and so it proved.

I’ll be doing a live-stream with Robbie Williams at 8:30am PT on Sunday discussing day three of the combine. Please join us — I’ll post the video on the blog (or subscribe to my YouTube channel and hit the notification button for a reminder).

If you enjoy the blog and appreciate what we do — why not consider supporting the site via Patreon — (click here)

Live Blog: Combine day three (QB, WR, TE)

March 4, 2023 /

Welcome to the 2023 NFL combine coverage on Seahawks Draft Blog

Today is the day. The ‘box office’ special performance.

The top quarterbacks are going to put on a show.

Keep refreshing this page for updates

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

Just look at the measurements for the top quarterbacks:

Anthony Richardson — 6-4, 244lbs, 10 4/8 inch hands
Will Levis — 6-4, 229lbs, 10 5/8 inch hands
C.J. Stroud — 6-3, 214lbs, 10 inch hands

If you are truly a NFL fan — how can you not be excited about that?

Richardson is a unicorn. Levis has Elway-esque size and traits. Stroud has big mitts and showed against Georgia he can create. They, rather than the undersized (yet talented) Bryce Young could easily be the top-three.

Even Young has 9 3/4 inch hands despite a 5-10 frame.

The Seahawks, in my opinion, will be very lucky if they get a chance to draft one of Richardson, Levis or Stroud at #5. It’ll be a gift, courtesy of Russell Wilson and the Broncos. Whatever happens with Geno Smith, this is a rare opportunity.

This is the best group of quarterbacks, projected to go in the top-10, I’ve covered since starting the blog. There have been players I would rate higher (Joe Burrow, Trevor Lawrence, Andrew Luck). There hasn’t, however, been this quantity of quarterbacks I would suggest are well worth taking as early as Seattle is picking.

Being guaranteed one of the four — or Will Anderson — is a special chance for this franchise.

Keep refreshing this page for updates

It’s a shame a tweet like this won’t get anywhere near as much traction as the people tweeting negatives about the QB class:

Quarterback Group 1 — 40 times

Tyson Bagent — 4.81 & 4.79
Stetson Bennett — 4.67 & 4.74
Malik Cunningham — 4.54 & 4.54
Max Duggan — 4.52 & 4.56

Will Levis did not run a forty yard dash.

Wide receiver Group 1 — 40 times

Jordan Addison — 4.55 & 4.49
Ronnie Bell — 4.54 & 4.57
Kayshon Boutte — 4.50 & 4.67
Jalen Brooks — 4.70 & 4.70
Jason Brownlee — 4.60 & 4.69
Jacob Copeland — 4.42 & 4.46
Jalen Moreno-Cropper — 4.40 & 4.41
Derius Davis — 4.37 & 4.37
Tank Dell — 4.50 & 4.52
Dontay Demus Jr — 4.57 & 4.66
Demarios Douglas — 4.44 & 4.45
Josh Downs — 4.48 & 4.50
Grant DuBose — 4.57 & 4.59
Zay Flowers — 4.42 & 4.45
Bryce Ford-Wheaton — 4.38 & 4.42
Antoine Green — 4.48 & 4.49
Jadon Haselwood — 4.67 & 4.67
Malik Heath — 4.64 & 4.67
Elijah Higgins — 4.55 & 4.54
Xavier Hutchinson — 4.53 & 4.58
Jalin Hyatt — 4.41 & 4.42
Andrei Iosivas — 4.43 & 4.44
Kearis Jackson — 4.55 & 4.60
Rakim Jarrett — 4.45 & 4.55
Michael Jefferson — 4.56 & 4.60

I’m not surprised at all by Jordan Addison’s unofficial 4.55/4.49. He didn’t look particularly sudden on tape. A good, not great college receiver.

I’ve been a big fan of the underrated Bryce Ford-Wheaton for a long time. The fact he just ran a 4.38 at his size (6-4, 221lbs) highlights why.

Josh Downs’ time is a bit slower than expected but still good enough (4.4’s).

Throwing session #1

This is the group that will include Will Levis.

Little grip on Bryce Ford-Wheaton’s gauntlet — he’s letting the ball into his body and not using his hands to catch. Zay Flowers looked electric and smooth on his rep.

On Josh Downs’ second run you see his natural ability to catch the ball away from his body from all angles. He is an excellent hands-catcher. Flowers’ second rep was as good as his first. Impressive control.

Jake Haener threw a pass away from Josh Downs’ body and the receiver reached out, without adjusting his stride, and caught the ball away from his body. Exceptional.

Will Levis looks exceptional in terms of his physical shape. He’s on a different level to the other QB’s in group one. The ball pops out of his hand with supreme velocity so easily. Daniel Jeremiah is already nitpicking his footwork. All I can see is a very fluid stroke, no wasting motion or elongated release and a ball flying out of his hands.

Levis just through two perfect in-routes with anticipation and accuracy — plus perfect velocity. He absolutely looks the part here and we’re not even onto the deep throws yet.

Official 40 times (WR group 1)

Derius Davis — 4.36
Bryce Ford-Wheaton — 4.38
Jalen Moreno-Cropper — 4.40
Jalin Hyatt — 4.40
Zay Flowers — 4.42
Jacob Copeland — 4.42
Andrei Iosivas — 4.43
Rakim Jarrett — 4.44
Demario Douglas — 4.44
Antoine Green — 4.47
Josh Downs — 4.48
Jordan Addison — 4.49
Tank Dell — 4.49
Kayshon Boutte — 4.50
Xavier Hutchinson — 4.53
Elijah Higgins — 4.54
Ronnie Bell — 4.54
Kearis Jackson — 4.54
Michael Jefferson — 4.56

Seattle has specifically targeted receivers who run in the 4.4’s or faster.

The way Levis whips the ball with a flick of the wrist and drives it downfield — it’s just a ‘wow’ performance. According to the NFL Network the second group of receivers are stopping their warm-ups to watch Levis throw.

Daniel Jeremiah is waffling on about Levis to Las Vegas at #7. He will not get out of the top-five. No chance. You don’t throw like this and stick around. Not in a Josh Allen world.

Quarterback broad jumps

Anthony Richardson: 10’9″
Will Levis: 10’4″
Tyson Bagent: 10′
Stetson Bennett: 9’10”
Max Duggan: 9’8″
Jake Haener 9’6″

It took until the third rep on the speed-out drill for Levis to throw an ‘off’ pass.

Remember when everyone was droning on about what these quarterbacks supposedly couldn’t do? Why they were raw or no good?

Yeah. That narrative is about to finally change. Shame it’s taken the media months to get here.

Josh Downs just received a ‘perfect’ shout from a coach for his strike-route. Zay Flowers stumbled a bit on his.

There’s definitely a lack of buzz around the non-Levis quarterbacks in group one. Jake Haener is lacking any kind of pop in his passes. Stetson Bennett is making some pretty plays and is getting the ball out but he looks so small when he jogs out compared to the Greek God wearing #08.

Max Duggan, bless him, gave absolutely everything for TCU in 2022. He’s clearly limited in terms of power and arm strength though.

Matt Hasselbeck is now down there coaching the QB’s. I’m sure a call will be going in for his take on the QB’s at some point from the front office.

We’re onto the deeper throws. Now the fun starts.

Stetson Bennett’s arm strength looked really good on his first two attempts. His third was underthrown. He got impressive distance on the first two lobs.

Max Duggan’s arm strength is considerably lacking.

Bad drop from Bryce Ford-Wheaton on a decent throw from Jake Haener. Jaren Hall’s first deep ball was too flat, his second was too lofted. The third was a bit safe.

There’s a noticeable buzz for Will Levis from the crowd when he steps forward. His first throw was a loosener that was ‘safe’. His second was deep and a little flat. His third had easy distance and velocity — beautiful.

Receiver vertical jumps

Bryce Ford-Wheaton: 41″
Rashee Rice: 41″
Quentin Johnston: 40.5″
Jalin Hyatt: 40″
Jason Brownlee: 39.5″
Tyler Scott: 39.5″
Marvin Mins: 39.5″
Demario Douglas: 39.5″
Andrei Iosivas: 39″
Dontayvion Wicks: 39″
Josh Downs: 38.5″
Ronnie Bell: 38.5″
Michael Wilson: 37.5″
Tre Tucker: 37.5″
Cedric Tillman: 37″
Matt Landers: 37″
Jadon Haselwood: 37″
Michael Jefferson: 37″
Charlie Jones: 36.5″
Xavier Hutchinson: 36″
Zay Flowers: 35.5″
Dontay Demus Jr.: 35.5″
Rakim Jarrett: 35.5″
Mitchell Tinsley: 35.5″
Justin Shorter: 35.5″
Elijah Higgins: 35″
Jaxon Smith-Njigba: 35″
Grant DuBose: 35″
Jalen Brooks: 35″
A.T. Perry: 35″
Jalen Wayne: 34.5″
Joseph Ngata: 34.5″
Jordan Addison: 34″
Malik Heath: 34″
Jayden Reed: 33.5″
Antoine Green: 33.5″
Jacob Copeland: 33″
Kayshon Boutte: 29″

QB broad jumps

Anthony Richardson: 10’9″
Will Levis: 10’4″
Tyson Bagent: 10′
Stetson Bennett: 9’10”
Max Duggan: 9’8″
Jake Haener 9’6″
Clayton Tune: 10’2″
Dorian Thompson-Robinson: 10’1″
Tanner McKee: 9’6″

QB vertical jumps

Anthony Richardson: 40.5″ (QB Record)
Dorian Thompson-Robinson: 37.5″
Clayton Tune: 37.5″
Tyson Bagent: 36″
Jake Haener 35″
Will Levis: 34″
Stetson Bennett: 33.5″
Tanner McKee: 33″
Max Duggan: 30.5″

NFL Network coverage — too many adverts, not enough showing the throws, they aren’t letting us know who the receivers are catching the ball, too many crap attempts to be funny, too much wittering on rather than concentrating on the drills.

Bring back Mike Mayock.

I feel like I’ve watched 35% of the throwing session.

If you missed my Will Levis interview last year, check it out here:

Quarterback 40 times — group 2

Anthony Richardson — 4.44 & DNR
Dorian Thompson-Robinson — 4.57 & 4.56
Clayton Tune — 4.66 & 4.64

In November, in my first mock draft, I had Anthony Richardson going first overall. It’s getting closer and closer to a reality.

C.J. Stroud didn’t run a forty. Neither did Tanner McKee.

This was my top-10:

#1 Houston — Anthony Richardson (QB, Florida)
#2 Carolina — Will Levis (QB, Kentucky)
#3 Indianapolis (v/CHI) — CJ Stroud (QB, Ohio State)
#4 Las Vegas — Jalen Carter (DT, Georgia)
#5 Seattle (v/DEN) — Will Anderson (DE, Alabama)
#6 Detroit (v/LAR) — Bijan Robinson (RB, Texas)
#7 Houston (v/CLE) — Tyree Wilson (DE, Texas Tech)
#8 Pittsburgh — Mazi Smith (DT, Michigan)
#9 Jacksonville — Michael Mayer (TE, Notre Dame)
#10 Philadelphia (v/NO) — Myles Murphy (DE, Clemson)

Wide receiver 40 times — group 2

Jaray Jenkins — 4.60 & 4.61
Charlie Jones — 4.44 & 4.44
Matt Landers — 4.39 & 4.37
Marvin Mims — 4.38 & DNR
Jonathan Mingo — 4.46 & 4.46
Joseph Ngata — 4.54 & 4.61
Trey Palmer — 4.33 & 4.36
A.T. Perry — 4.47 & 4.49
Jayden Reed — 4.45 & 4.58
Rashee Rice — 4.51 & 4.53
Tyler Scott — 4.51 & 4.44
Justin Shorter — 4.56 & 4.58
Cedric Tillman — 4.55 & 4.56
Mitchell Tinsley — 4.60 & 4.66
Tre Tucker — 4.41 & 4.42
Jalen Wayne — 4.51 & 4.51
Dontayvion Wicks — 4.62 & 4.68
Michael Wilson — 4.59 & 4.62

That’s a very good time for Marvin Mims — he has some legit slot capability. Jonathan Mingo running in the 4.4’s is fantastic news — he’s massively underrated and a blog favourite.

Quentin Johnston is not running a forty.

Throwing session #2

I’m worried that this is taking so long that none of the tight ends are going to do agility testing.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s gauntlet was tentative. Cedric Tillman glides a lot better when he’s doing this rather than running a forty. Puka Nacua ran his gauntlet at full speed which was good to see. Jonathan Mingo flashes his hands nicely — he cups them to the ball and doesn’t let the ball get into his frame.

The way C.J. Stroud throws is just lovely to watch. Fantastic touch, great feel. Anthony Richardson started the session looking like a tank had driven onto the field, then started unloading with max velocity on the shorter routes.

Aidan O’Connell is a little bit wayward with his throws to the sideline. Richardson threw a little high on his third pass to the left sideline but the two prior reps were text book. Stroud is in complete control here. Daniel Jeremiah says he looks graceful and that’s 100% correct.

Dorian Thompson-Robinson is flashing the arm strength we know he has. It’s a shame he isn’t a little bit bigger.

Stroud is putting on an absolute clinic. It’s crazy how people have assessed this QB class. Richardson is throwing perfectly to the far cone to the sideline. Great velocity and touch.

A miss from Richardson and Stroud on an out-route each. Thompson-Robinson has looked sharp and he has the live arm to excel here. Tanner McKee looks like a unit — big and stocky.

What the hell are they talking about on the NFL Network? Tiresome, wittering banter. Shut up and talk about the drills.

Onto the deep balls. Richardson’s arm is as advertised. Just launching it downfield with velocity and accuracy. He’s showing off. A legit wow moment. Stroud floated his first effort. His second and third throws were an improvement. DTR made a big of a mess of his first and second attempts. Felt like he was trying too hard to drive it downfield. McKee has a good arm and made some nice downfield throws.

Stroud came back for another go around and launched his passes downfield, really flashing that he too can drive it downfield. Richardson also had another go but lofted it a little too much. He still drove it downfield.

The quality of the puns on the NFL Network deserves a seventh round grade. Awful.

Daniel Jeremiah and Rich Eisen starting to say what we have for weeks. Waiting until next year is a pointless view when you have a QB class like this in 2023.

Stroud’s fades were typically well-placed. Nothing wrong with Richardon’s either. They did what they needed to do. DTR had a few iffy throws earlier but he ended putting the ball in the right area. They asked Richardson to have another go and his first attempt was great, his second less so. He finished with a backflip.

That was a lot of fun. And the quarterbacks will leave Indianapolis the talk of the town.

Tight end vertical jumps

Zack Kuntz: 40″
Davis Allen: 38.5″
Will Mallory: 36.5″
Luke Musgrave: 36″
Brenton Strange: 36″
Blake Whiteheart: 35.5″
Sam LaPorta: 35″
Payne Durham: 34.5″
Tucker Kraft: 34″
Luke Schoonmaker: 33.5″
Josh Whyle: 33.5″
Michael Mayer: 32.5″
Brayden Willis: 32″
Darnell Washington: 31″

Tight end broad jumps

Zack Kuntz: 10’8″
Luke Schoonmaker: 10’7″
Luke Musgrave: 10’5″
Davis Allen: 10’5″
Brenton Strange: 10’4″
Sam LaPorta: 10’3″
Tucker Kraft: 10’2″
Darnell Washington: 10’2″
Will Mallory: 10’1″
Michael Mayer: 9’10”
Brayden Willis: 9’9″
Payne Durham: 9’9″
Travis Vokolek: 9’7″
Josh Whyle: 9’7″
Blake Whiteheart: 9’7″

Tight end 40 yard dash times

Davis Allen — 4.86 & 4.84
Payne Durham — 4.91 & 4.86
Tucker Kraft — 4.70 & 4.70
Zack Kuntz — 4.61 & 4.55
Sam LaPorta — 4.59 & 4.61
Will Mallory — 4.57 & 4.54
Michael Mayer — 4.74 & 4.72
Luke Musgrave — 4.62 & 4.63
Luke Schoonmaker — 4.65 & 4.63
Brenton Strange — 4.70 & 4.71
Darnell Washington — 4.65 & 4.68
Blake Whiteheart — 4.70 & 4.72
Josh Whyle — 4.69 & 4.71

The 10-yard splits and short shuttle times are the big numbers for tight ends.

That’s a really good time for Michael Mayer (4.72 unofficially), given there were fears he might run in the 4.8s’.

There’s been a lot of talk about this being a loaded tight end class. It’s top-heavy, not deep. Only twelve ran a forty. It’s not thick like 2019 where you had depth all the way through.

I can’t be dealing with any more Sauce Gardner fawning on NFL Network.

Tight end 10-yard splits

Luke Musgrave — 1.54
Zack Kuntz — 1.57
Darnell Washington — 1.57
Brenton Strange — 1.57
Will Mallory — 1.59
Luke Schoonmaker — 1.59
Tucker Kraft — 1.59
Sam LaPorta — 1.59
Davis Allen — 1.60
Payne Durham — 1.61
Josh Whyle — 1.62
Blake Whiteheart — 1.63
Michael Mayer — 1.66

Mayer’s forty was quicker than expected but his 10-yard split was the slowest of the group.

In the on-field drills, Mayer is praised for his blocking drill on the sled. Testing really matters at the position, I get it. But I’m ready to bang the table for him. He was just so naturally good at everything at Notre Dame. Josh Whyle is also given some good feedback for his sled drill.

Darnell Washington looks a lot leaner than he did at Georgia. He looks like he’s shed a lot of weight for this event.

Official 40 times for the tight ends

Will Mallory — 4.54
Zack Kuntz — 4.55
Sam LaPorta — 4.59
Luke Musgrave — 4.61
Luke Schoonmaker — 4.63
Darnell Washington — 4.64
Tucker Kraft — 4.69
Josh Whyle — 4.69
Michael Mayer — 4.70
Brenton Strange — 4.70
Blake Whiteheart — 4.70
Davis Allen — 4.84
Payne Durham — 4.87

Washington looked so smooth running the gauntlet. He showed none of this mobility on tape so this is good to see. I think he looks renewed with this lighter frame.

Rich Eisen currently banging on about not paying for a meal all week, while drills are ongoing. Just please guys, give us five minutes of analysis. We’ll start with that. Then we can try and build up to six or seven minutes. Now another advert break. I don’t feel like I’m seeing anything on the field.

These commercials are killing me too. If I ever need to do a TikTok video to have a conversation with my kids, you have my permission to kick me up the arse.

Receiver three cone times

Jaxon Smith-Njigba: 6.57s
Andrei Iosivas: 6.85s
Grant DuBose: 6.89s
Marvin Mims: 6.90s
Xavier Hutchinson: 6.91s
Malik Heath: 6.96s
Bryce Ford-Wheaton: 6.97s
Ronnie Bell: 6.98s
Jadon Haselwood: 6.98s
Antoine Green: 6.99s
Jacob Copeland: 7.01s
Elijah Higgins: 7.01s
Michael Jefferson: 7.03s
Jalen Brooks: 7.15s

I’ll have the short shuttle times soon — kudos to the receivers because a lot of them actually did the shuttle. This is encouraging for the TE’s doing it too.

Sam LaPorta is moving better than expected. Very mobile and agile. Mayer just made a wonderful catch at full stretch which is his calling card. Washington looks excellent out there — way more of an athlete than expected. If he can stay at this weight, look out.

The session, which we didn’t see that much of, ends with a fade drill. Darnell Washington finished things off with an incredible one-handed grab that’ll be trending all day on Twitter. Sam LaPorta had the best high-pointing technique but didn’t catch either of his throws.

I’m ending the live blog for today. My recap on day three will be posted shortly so stay tuned.

Defensive backs produce a mixed combine day two

March 3, 2023 /

Deonte Banks had a very good workout

A fast cornerback group and plenty of depth

When the Seahawks tweaked their defensive scheme a year ago we wondered if they would end up using more man-coverage concepts. I looked on PFF and as it turns out, at least according to their statistics, Seattle had Tariq Woolen and Michael Jackson in zone three times as often as man. That was consistent with the 2021 season, too, indicating not much of a change.

I don’t know whether this is likely to continue or not but traditionally the 3-4 uses a lot of man and Clint Hurtt specifically discussed it a year ago. They might want the option to use more man and if so — a fast cornerback class is useful if they want to pair someone across from Tariq Woolen to have two very cheap, athletic cornerbacks. Woolen ran a 4.26 a year ago and with his long frame, he excelled as a rookie.

Here are the top-15 official forty times from the cornerback class today:

DJ Turner — 4.26
Jakorian Bennett — 4.30
Deonte Banks — 4.35
Emmanuel Forbes — 4.35
Kelee Ringo — 4.36
Darius Rush — 4.36
Christian Gonzalez — 4.38
Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson — 4.41
Terell Smith — 4.41
Kei’Trel Clark — 4.42
Cam Smith — 4.43
Riley Moss — 4.45
Tyrique Stevenson — 4.45
Joey Porter Jr — 4.46
Darrell Luter Jr — 4.46

It’s a very quick group with plenty of depth. The Seahawks should be able to add a corner in the kind of area they like (day three).

I’d been struggling to get an angle on Deonte Banks. I thought his tape was fine but it was hard to decipher his upside. Running a 4.35 and adding a 42-inch vertical and an 11-4 broad jump answered that question. At the very least his testing profile is first round worthy. I’d like to see him play the ball more on tape but coaches will love the potential he showed here. He looks big and muscular despite his quickness — and he had a gliding quality during drills. Banks was very impressive.

Along with DJ Turner (who matched Woolen’s 4.26) and Christian Gonzalez (4.38) he will probably go too early for Seattle. There’s still no evidence to suggest the Seahawks are going to break from tradition and pick a cornerback early. Especially if they’re still using a lot of zone, where they’ve traditionally been able to fit players in.

I would be intrigued by Joey Porter Jr if he somehow lasted into round two. His length, maturity and tape suggests he’s going to become a very consistent, accomplished pro. I’m less interested in Kelee Ringo. He ran a great forty as expected but I thought he looked stiff during drills, struggling to change direction and react when in transition.

Julius Brents is going to go earlier than people think despite ‘only’ runing a 4.53. That’s typically what you’d suggest would be a classic ‘zone corner’ time — a ‘Seahawks corner’ time. If they’re less inclined to go for raw speed and stick to zone-concepts, Brents would be an ideal fit.

He also did a better than expected job today changing direction (an issue sometimes on tape) and that’s why his stock will shoot up. He was one of the few people to run a short shuttle and three cone and his times are exceptional. He managed a 4.05 shuttle and a 6.63 three-cone. He also had a 41.5 inch vertical and an 11-6 broad jump — both outstanding. I think he’ll definitely be a day-two pick and that might be a bit rich for Seattle. Round three maybe? Does he last that far? I like him a lot though and he really nails the character profile they’re looking for.

Check out my interview with Julius Brents here:

Riley Moss had a good day. I thought he looked great during drills — moving freely, transitioning well and adjusting to the football in the air. He ran a 4.45 which is good enough. His arm length (30 inches) is problematic but he’s a good player on film and he deserves a bit of a bump for how he performed.

I don’t know what to make of Emmanuel Forbes. He looked like a rake in a pair of shorts at 166lbs. I like his college production and you can’t sniff at a 4.35 forty. I’m not sure I’ve seen a player with this body type before though. Will be bullied by bigger receivers? That’s the fear. He’s giving up 60-70lbs on a guy like D.K. Metcalf.

Darius Rush has excellent length (33.5 inch arms) at 6-2 and 198lbs. He probably would appeal to Seattle greatly, especially after a solid Senior Bowl. Yet running a 4.36 likely pushes him too high up the board.

The biggest disappointment by far was Brian Branch. It didn’t help that he worked out with the cornerbacks but he just looked completely average athletically. He ran a 4.58 at 190lbs and during drills appeared sluggish. He struggled to find any of the fluidity you see on tape. His hips were tight in transition and he didn’t look like a first round pick. Sadly, there’s no choice but to drop him down a round based on what he showed here. He played a lot of nickel for Alabama and I need to go back and watch the tape to see if the ‘Bama defense covered him up more than I imagined, allowing him to make the plays we all saw — but did he have limited duties, masking his lack of athletic quality?

Possible later round options for Seattle include Jakorian Bennett — who looks like a very athletic, physical slot-type. He ran a 4.30 and has 32 inch arms on a 188lbs frame. Also Terell Smith — he had a good workout and at 6-0 and 204lbs with 32 7/8 inch arms he could appeal. He ran a 4.41.

Safety class eventually gets going

I think the group were half-asleep to start the day. A boring, unexciting set of forty times fed into a drill session where the coaches had to bark at the players to show more energy. It did the trick because after warming up, this big-looking group changed direction and transitioned better than a lot of the cornerbacks.

The size of the safety class stood out to me. Even the sub-200lbs players looked jacked. They aren’t very fast but there was some size on show.

With Seattle retaining Quandre Diggs and Jamal Adams — and with the likelihood of Ryan Neal being tendered, plus their interest in Joey Blount — this might be a position they skip in 2023. Nobody here really jumped out as a ‘must have’.

I like the look of Jartavius Martin and he was the one who maybe caught my eye the most. He has a nice, compact frame. He’s quite muscular and thick for a 194lbs defensive back. He ran a 4.46 but also jumped an amazing 44-inch vertical and an 11-0 broad. I’d like to consider him as a versatile chess-piece in numerous positions because the way he moved was silky today and he looks powerful.

Unsurprisingly Sydney Brown tested well and got into his stride during drills. His change of direction ability was excellent in the late part of the session and his hips in the back-pedal were among the best of any defensive back. He ran a 4.47 and added a 40.5 inch vertical. He’s another high-character player.

Chris Smith had a great year for Georgia but running in the 4.6’s and not looking particularly quick covering the field here will drop his stock on my board. I thought he looked bigger than expected but it took him a while to find any kind of rhythm during the session. He officially ran a 4.62 at 192lbs. To me he looked like he’d added weight and it maybe didn’t suit him.

Ji’Ayir Brown didn’t test as well as expected and he looked a bit stiff in the early on-field workouts. However, he is incredibly well put together — thick and physical. As the session went on he loosened up and started to change direction very well. He was one of the better players at adjusting to the football. If he drops after running a 4.65 I hope the Seahawks are ready to pounce. He’s a heart-and-soul type who has plenty of value, even if he’s not a great tester.

Pittsburgh’s Brandon Hill ran the best forty time (4.43) and he’s said to be a very aggressive, downfield player. I’ll be checking into his tape this week.

Overall it’s not a very impressive safety group — it looks like the weakest position in the draft.

Can we please get someone to run the combine?

The defensive back drills are gaining a reputation for being overlong, tedious and repetitive. It was noticeable a year ago. This time, even Rich Eisen was complaining on the NFL Network about the length of the two sessions.

The problem, according to Daniel Jeremiah, is the assistant coaches leading the drills all want to feature their own individual drill. The problem is, nearly all of them are the same. I feel like I could run a backpedal and transition, I watched so many of them today.

Meanwhile only five cornerbacks ran a short shuttle (nine ran a three-cone). Only three safeties did any agility testing. I can’t blame them. The cornerbacks were on the field for two-and-a-half hours. Yet the short shuttle and three-cone should be a ‘must-do’ test for these players. It’s far more important than watching ‘Teryl Austin drill #2’ — which was very similar to everything else.

The league needs to appoint someone to run the combine. Look at the way the Senior Bowl benefits from having a leader in Jim Nagy. The event has gone from strength to strength. A similar figurehead — who can organise everything from the drills to the timings — can help fix an event which is becoming increasingly weakened.

Lots of players are pulling out with ‘hamstring tweaks’ as an excuse to wait for their pro-days. Hardly anyone does agility testing because of the late starts. The data we get this year, compared to the data we used to get, is limited.

Put someone in charge who can be responsible for getting this organised. And while you’re at it — move it back to an earlier start time. I’m a draft junkie and even I was bored today. If this is a ‘Prime Time’ worthy event, then so is watching someone take out their contact lenses. Let’s get this back to what it is — a data-collection event. Let’s make sure the short shuttle and three-cone are done as a priority, along with the runs and jumps. Let’s cut the length of the defensive back drills. Incentivise the combine so players want to do all of the tests and drills.

Tomorrow’s a big day. Bring on the quarterbacks, receivers and tight ends. Box office.

I’ll be doing a live-stream with Robbie Williams at 8am PT on Saturday discussing day two of the combine (and then quickly moving on to preview day three). Please join me — I’ll post the video on the blog (or subscribe to my YouTube channel and hit the notification button for a reminder).

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