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Here’s a breakdown of players at each position that the Seahawks might target in the 2022 draft. The list is based on trends relating to physical profile and personal projections based on team needs and players who’ve caught me eye.

Offensive line

Going into free agency, this feels like the strongest opportunity for the Seahawks to marry need with value at the top of round two.

Abraham Lucas is possibly the most underrated player in the draft. Despite having one of the best Senior Bowl performances — and a great combine — nobody’s talking about him. He ran a 4.92 at 6-6 and 315lbs which was impressive enough. Then he ran a sensational 4.40 short shuttle and a 7.25 three cone. His on-field workout was the best of the group. His level of size, length, athleticism and agility is rare. Lucas might be the most athletic college right tackle to enter the league since Tyron Smith. I think he deserve to go firmly in round one but with so little buzz out there, increasingly I’m wondering if he’ll be available at #41. If he is, the Seahawks should be ready to take him.

After a superb Senior Bowl where he showed rapid development across a productive practise week, Chattanooga’s Cole Strange showed he’s an elite athlete at the combine. He ran a 5.03 forty and a 4.50 short shuttle. His 10-0 broad jump was remarkable. The Seahawks (and the rest of the NFL) have put a lot of focus into explosive traits on the offensive line. Our TEF calculation (explained here) projects Strange as a comparable athlete to Tristan Wirfs and he’s more explosive than Creed Humphrey. He also has 33 inch arms and 10 1/8 inch hands. If the Seahawks want to finally address their glaring hole at center, Strange gives them a chance to do so. They would need to take him in round two.

On tape, Cam Jurgens jumps off the screen. He’s tenacious and physical, giving opponents a headache from the first whistle. There are highlight-reel plays where he’s driving second-level defenders 40-yards downfield. He has ideal center size at just under 6-3 and 303lbs plus 33.5 inch arms and 10 inch hands. He’s extremely athletic — running a 4.92. He combines outstanding physical upside with a country-strong frame and an aggressive mentality. I suspect he will be a late second or early third round pick, given the range players at his position were taken a year ago.

A stand-out player at left tackle in college, Zach Tom lacks the size and length to stick outside and is projected to switch to center (where he already has playing experience). He’s 6-4 and 304lbs with 33 1/4 inch arms and 10.5 inch hands. He ran a 4.94 forty and a superb 4.47 short shuttle. His explosive testing marks are identical to Zion Johnson, who might be a first round pick. A physical comp in terms of explosive traits would be Kolton Miller, the offensive tackle in Las Vegas. Given the LA Rams built their O-line by switching athletic tackles to guard, there’s also a chance the Seahawks could start to do the same with a player like Tom.

Tight end

In our big combine preview, we highlighted how critical agility testing is in projecting potential Seahawks picks at tight end.

The data tells us that a three cone in the sub-7.10 range and a short shuttle under 4.50 puts you on Seattle’s radar.

Here are the players who managed those marks at the combine:

Austin Allen — 4.26 (ss), 7.00 (3c)
Chase Allen — 4.43 (ss), 7.03 (3c)
Jake Ferguson — 4.48 (ss), 7.03 (3c)
Greg Dulcich — 4.37 (ss), 7.05 (3c)
Daniel Bellinger — 4.47 (ss), 7.05 (3c)
Cole Turner — 4.41 (ss), 7.06 (3c)
Curtis Hodges — 4.28 (ss), 7.14 (3c)

Peyton Hendershot (4.25) ran a short shuttle but not a three cone.

If they wanted to take Dulcich they’d likely have to do it at #41. He has elevated himself as the likely #1 tight end in the class and could be off the board before Seattle’s top pick.

I like Jake Ferguson in round two but he is difficult to project based on his 4.81 forty and middling explosive traits. It’s possible he could be there in rounds 3-4 and would provide a tremendous pass-catching option for Seattle.

Austin Allen and Chase Allen are two very interesting prospects who warrant serious consideration in rounds 4-5. Chase plays with his hair on fire and can contribute as a fierce blocker and receiver.

Daniel Bellinger and Cole Turner should also go in that range. Curtis Hodges is incredibly tall and lean and more of a project for the final round or UDFA.

If the Seahawks wanted to take a tight end in the early fourth round with one of their two picks — they will have an excellent opportunity to do so.

Jeremy Ruckert and Cade Otton didn’t test. Both are supremely talented and could also be options for the Seahawks.

Running back

The Seahawks have a clearly defined ‘type’ at running back and over the years we’ve been able to project which players they will like (and ultimately draft).

Generally they like running backs who are approximately 5-10-to-6-0 in height, weigh between 215-225lbs (give or take a few) and have strong performances in the vertical and broad jump (explosive traits are absolutely crucial).

There’s a long list of players in this draft who fit the bill:

Breece Hall — 5-11, 217lbs, 40v, 10-6b
Brian Robinson — 6-2, 225lbs, 30v, 9-11b
Dameon Pierce — 5-10, 218lbs, 34.5v, 9-11b
D’Vonte Price — 6-1, 210lbs, 34v, 9-11b
Isaih Pacheco — 5-10, 216lbs, 33v, 9-10b
Jerome Ford — 5-10, 210lbs, 31v, 9-10v
Kenneth Walker — 5-9, 211lbs, 34v, 10-2b
Kevin Harris — 5-10, 221lbs, 38.5v, 10-6b
Leddie Brown — 6-0, 213lbs, 30v, 9-10b
Snoop Conner — 5-10, 222lbs, 29.5v, 9-10b
Rachaad White — 6-0, 214lbs, 38v, 10-5b
Tyler Allgeier — 5-11, 224lbs, 33v, 10-0b
Tyrion Davis-Price — 6-0, 211lbs, 30v, 9-9b
Zamir White — 6-0, 214lbs, 33.5v, 10-8b

If Rashaad Penny isn’t re-signed, Kenneth Walker could easily be a target for the Seahawks. He has a very similar running style to Penny and offers that same home-run threat when he breaks through to the second level. He ran a 4.39 forty and shares a very similar physical profile to Penny. He looked like a ‘dude’ during on-field drills although if you want him, you might have to draft him in round two.

Zamir White is one of the most underrated players in the draft. He’s explosive and quick — running a 4.40 forty. On tape he’s incredibly patient to let his blocks develop, then he stays skinny and explodes through to the second level. He almost always falls forward and is adept at collecting yards after contact. I think he deserves a second round grade but can imagine him lasting into round three, where he would produce tremendous value.

Dameon Pierce plays like a Seahawks running back. He’s incredibly physical and aggressive, explodes through contact and has the same kind of violent running style we’ve seen from a Chris Carson or Thomas Rawls. I think he will be a third round pick.

Tyrion Davis-Price was lighter than expected but he has a strong frame with deceptively quick feet. He’s able to skip away from tackles but he also has the ability to get the hard yards and run through contact. I also think he’s a third rounder.

Snoop Conner is a grown man who has the ideal size and attitude to play running back in Seattle. He lacks some of the upside of the other players but his ability in pass-pro, play-demeanour and finishing ability warrant serious day-three consideration. He has a chance to provide starting upside later in the draft.

I would expect Breece Hall to be the first running back taken, possibly in the top-40. Running a 4.38 at 5-11 and 217lbs with a 40 inch vertical and a 10-6 broad jump puts you in the Jonathan Stewart physical-category.

Wide receiver

We have enough data now to say definitively — unless a receiver runs a 4.4 or faster, the Seahawks are unlikely to consider them until the later rounds.

An incredible nine players ran a 4.3 or faster at the combine with 18 running a 4.4 or faster in total:

Tyquan Thornton — 4.28
Velus Jones — 4.31
Calvin Austin — 4.32
Alec Pierce — 4.33
Danny Gray — 4.33
Bo Melton — 4.34
Christian Watson — 4.36
Garrett Wilson — 4.38
Chris Olave — 4.39
Skyy Moore — 4.41
Isaiah Weston — 4.42
Jahan Dotson — 4.43
Khalil Shakur — 4.43
Kevin Austin — 4.43
Wan’Dale Robinson — 4.44
George Pickens — 4.47
Braylon Sanders — 4.48
Jalen Tolbert — 4.49

With reports yesterday from Jeremy Fowler that the Seahawks are keeping tabs on the receiver market, they could also look to the draft. You’re only as good as your third receiver in the modern NFL. Although I tend to think this needs to be a ‘go big or go home’ type of situation. Either add a top quality WR3 in free agency or just hope that Dee Eskridge can take a step forward this year.

In the second and third round range, keep an eye on Alec Pierce, Calvin Austin and Wan’Dale Robinson. Pierce reminds me of a better version of Gary Jennings with his red-line ability, high-pointing, contended-catch success and ability to get downfield and make plays. Austin’s shiftiness and dynamism is similar to Tyler Lockett while Robinson’s stocky frame and fearlessness is reminiscent of Golden Tate. Kentucky relied on Robinson so much in 2021.

I also think Christian Watson and Jahan Dotson warrant a serious look.

With the exception of Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave, the rest of the names could provide the Seahawks with an option on day three.

Quarterback

The Seahawks have only drafted two quarterbacks in the Pete Carroll era and the other players they’ve added over the years have had a real mix of skillsets.

However, we know John Schneider loves big physical tools. Malik Willis showed off the biggest arm at the combine, joining Carson Strong at one point in a duel to see who could launch the ball furthest downfield.

Carroll was pictured in conversation with Lane Kiffin, Monte Kiffin and Matt Corral — amid online speculation that the Seahawks really like Corral. I’ll have a piece on him later this week but after doing a bit of digging — I’d suggest Carroll will love Corral’s competitive spirit and leadership.

It’s also worth noting that Alex McGough, one of the two QB’s they’ve drafted since 2010, played for Lane Kiffin at Florida Atlantic. So they’ve drafted from that offense before.

Jeremy Fowler was on ESPN this morning to flesh out his report from yesterday. He said he’s spoken to both camps — the Seahawks’ and Russell Wilson’s. He referenced several things that are clearly directly from Mark Rodgers. Wilson is laying low at the moment but Fowler made it clear he is very much open to going to Denver.

He also says Wilson is not going to force his way out. If a trade happens, it’s because Seattle makes the call.

You can’t have success living in this limbo. It’s why both parties must come together and either agree a long term extension now (which lowers his cap hit to create extra spending money) or embrace a divorce.

Clearly anyone who thinks this saga is over is mistaken. Sadly, it looks like it might drag on for another 12 months.

Fowler also adds that Wilson has some ideas for free agency that he wants heard. My guess is if the Seahawks don’t listen, this could get interesting. It’s possible Fowler’s note yesterday on Seattle sniffing around the receiver market was a message being sent to the quarterback that they are listening.

If/when Aaron Rodgers opts for Green Bay over Denver, things could get interesting.

Meanwhile, Chris Simms stated on PFT today (in conversation with Mike Florio): “Russell Wilson is available to be had. You’ve just got to trust me and Mike.”

In yesterday’s piece I brought up the prospect of Seattle drafting Corral, if available, if they like him — even if Wilson is retained. It sounds preposterous at first — but have a read and make up your own mind.

Defensive tackle

The Seahawks love athletes with unique traits and the defensive tackle class has a handful of truly special athletes. This is a top heavy group though, with little in the way of depth.

If Seattle had their original #10 pick it’d be quite appealing to project one of Jordan Davis, Devonte Wyatt, Travis Jones or Perrion Winfrey to them. We’re talking about a special quartet of world class athletes.

As it happens it seems totally unfathomable that any will last to #41. If they did, however, it would be an exciting prospect.

The position falls off a cliff after that although there is one name to mention. Matthew Butler at Tennessee is well sized (6-4, 297lbs) with good length (33.5 inch arms). He ran a 5.00 forty and then jumped a 32 inch vertical and a 9-4 broad. On tape he makes plays against the pass and run and he’s a gap-shooting penetrator with starter potential at the next level. I suspect he will be a third round pick.

Another option could be Eyioma Uwazurike. He didn’t do any runs but he jumped a 33 inch vertical at 6-6 and 316lbs. He has 35 1/8 inch arms.

Inside/out rushers

With Rasheem Green’s future unclear and with Pete Carroll noting they’d like to improve their interior pass rush, it’s possible they’ll do so by adding a player who can play end on early downs and then reduce inside.

Logan Hall is 6-6 and 283lbs. He ran an excellent 1.68 10-yard split and an impressive 4.44 short shuttle. He has 32 3/4 inch arms which is below Seattle’s preferred 33 inch threshold but he would be ideal as a player who can play across the line and provide interior pressure.

DeMarvin Leal is a similar prospect but with the required length (33 1/4 inch arms). He ran a 4.49 short shuttle at the same weight. His college career promised a lot at Texas A&M but ultimately failed to reach the expected heights.

Joshua Paschal has the same short arms issue as Hall (32 3/4 inches) but he ran a 1.61 10-yard split at 268lbs and jumped a 37.5 inch vertical and a 10-3 broad. On tape he’s a forceful, violent TFL machine who lacks bend and balance off the edge but he’s a versatile defender and a particularly impressive run defender.

EDGE rushers

Despite the loaded options going into the combine, the position failed to deliver. Only two players ran a coveted 1.5 10-yard split and several players had short arms:

Aidan Hutchinson (DE) — 32 1/8
George Karlaftis (DE) — 32 5/8
Myjai Sanders (DE) — 32 5/8
Cam Thomas (DE) — 32 1/2
Boye Mafe (DE) — 32 5/8

As noted several times over the last few days, it feels like Seattle’s best bet is to target a pass rusher in free agency.

Sam Williams could still be an option at #41. He ran a 1.60 10-yard split at 261lbs but looked stiff during drills and will be limited to straight line, pass-rushing attack play given his lack of bend-and-straighten and his problems defending the run.

Amare Barno’s tape is not impressive to say the least but running a 4.36 forty at 6-4 and 246lbs (with 34 inch arms) provides a day three project worth looking at.

Arnold Ebiketie could be an option but he didn’t do any testing in Indianapolis. Ditto Drake Jackson.

DeAngelo Malone and Dominique Robinson both pass the eye test for Seahawks pass rushers. Malone didn’t do any testing after adding 8lbs from the Senior Bowl. Robinson’s runs were sluggish but his 41 inch vertical is evidence of explosive power and upside. Both players could provide value in rounds 3-4.

Linebacker

Clearly the most energetic and exciting workouts at the combine belonged to the linebackers. It was an exceptional showing with the drills containing a ton of energy, noise and impressive physical performances.

Multiple players stood out in the wave and coverage drills. The movement skills were remarkable in some cases as players shifted around the field better than some of the defensive backs. My advice would be to draft a player from this group.

The Seahawks emphasise outstanding physical talent at linebacker and top-level agility performances in the short shuttle. Sadly, hardly any of the players ran a short shuttle due to the NFL’s apparent determination to render the combine utterly useless by moving it to Prime Time, only to register the 68th best ratings on TV on Friday.

There were still several players worth monitoring.

Troy Andersen ran a 4.42 at 6-3 and 243lbs. A former offensive player in college, Andersen flew around the field with ease during drills and looks like a second round pick capable of playing the MIKE or WILL.

Channing Tindall ran a 4.47 and then jumped a 42 inch vertical and a 10-9 broad jump. A self-confessed ‘freak of nature’ — Tindall is a dynamo run-and-hit linebacker who covers ground on tape like he’s attached to a jet engine.

Christian Harris’ tape at Alabama was underwhelming so it was a bit surprising to see how good he looked at the combine. He was silky smooth and one of the best athletes over the course of the four days. He ran a 4.44 and then jumped an 11-0 broad.

Leo Chenal has an unorthodox frame with short legs and a long torso. On tape he’s used as an attack dog blitzing constantly to break into the backfield. He ran a 4.50 at 263lbs and he got in-and-out of the bag drills like he weighed 230lbs. His frame and playing style might not be an obvious fit for Seattle but he’s extremely talented.

Quay Walker ran a 4.52 at 241lbs and while his explosive testing wasn’t quite as sharp as the others, his performance in drills was again outstanding. He moves very easily and can drop comfortably, change direction and accelerate better than most players with his size.

Damone Clark ran a 4.57 at 239lbs. He has good length (33 inch arms) and jumped well — recording a 36.5 inch vertical and a 10-7 broad. In terms of physical appearance he looks sensational. He too moved around the field very easily.

Chad Muma excels in coverage on tape and plays with a passion and desire to get to the ball carrier. He jumped a 40 inch vertical and a 10-9 broad, although his 4.63 forty was slower than most. It didn’t show in drills though where he looked quick with loose hips.

Devin Lloyd was a production machine at Utah and while he didn’t run a blistering forty (4.66), like Muma he looked a lot faster on the field. He jumped a 35 inch vertical and a 10-6 broad.

All of the names above could go between the late first round and third round. I don’t know what will ultimately happen with Bobby Wagner but for me it’s a no-brainer to save $16.6m and tap into this great class. You can find an 8-10 year starter at linebacker this year at a bargain price.

One final other quick note — Jeremiah Moon is a converted defensive end and while he didn’t run well at all in the forty, I thought he had an excellent drills session. He also has 35 inch arms. He could be a day three project as someone who can play outside linebacker.

Cornerback

If the linebacker drills were full of energy — the defensive back drills were the total opposite. They gave off a ‘is it time to go home yet?’ vibe at the end of the week and the coaches should’ve done a better job charging everyone up.

The Seahawks have generally looked for long, tall cornerbacks with 32 inch arms. That changed a year ago when they selected Tre Brown in round four and enjoyed success with DJ Reed. Now they’re talking about incorporating more man-cover concepts which places a premium on speed over length.

If they want an ‘old-fashioned’ Seahawks corner — MJ Emerson definitely fits the bill. He looks like their type of corner from previous years — with 33.5 inch arms, 6-1 in height and 201lbs. He ran a 4.53 and looked excellent during drills. For me, he’s still one to watch.

Jaylen Watson, Alontae Taylor and Tariq Woolen also looked like your typical Seahawks cornerbacks.

If this is a new era though, with man-coverage and speed the key aspects, the following names stood out to me as possible targets:

Jalyn Armour-Davis
Roger McCleary
Cam Taylor-Britt
Cobie Durant

I thought Armour-Davis and McCleary were the two best performers during drills. Both could easily go in round two. Taylor-Britt has a bulldog character and loves to hit and tackle. He might even have some potential as a nickel. Durant has 12 interceptions for SC State and ran a 4.38 forty.

Zyon McCollum was tested with the safety class but after his performance will likely get looks at corner. He could also be someone who goes earlier than people think. His testing performance was off the charts — a 4.33 forty, 39.5 inch vertical, 6.48 three cone and a 3.94 short shuttle. He is an elite athlete who was a team captain at Sam Houston State, collecting 13 interceptions and six forced fumbles in his college career. He might be a day two pick after this.

Safety

Georgia’s Lewis Cine would be an ideal Seahawks target typically given his thunderous hitting ability that energised his team mates. The fact he ran a 4.37 then jumped an 11-1 broad likely shifts his stock high into round one as the top safety in the draft.

Even if the Seahawks retain Quandre Diggs it might be worth looking at this position on day three.

Percy Butler is a special teams demon who ran a 4.36. I would be surprised if he isn’t on Seattle’s radar and an advance warning — I’ll be mocking him to the Seahawks pretty much every time I extend it out to day three.

JT Woods has great size (6-2) and length (32 3/8 inches) and with his 4.36 speed could easily be viewed as a big nickel project. His nine interceptions in the last two seasons could also earn him a shot as a full-time free safety in Seattle. They love speed and production at this spot.

Like Woods, Tycen Anderson has incredible size (6-2) and length (33 inch arms). He’s a box-player but that might be more important with Jamal Adams and Marquise Blair suffering injuries over the last two seasons. He also ran an incredible 4.36.

Final thoughts

By now we all know what this draft class is about. It lacks a defined list of blue-chip, top-10 prospects. So much so that I genuinely think Jacksonville could be justified taking Jordan Davis (aka ‘Thanos’) with the top pick.

However, the depth available on days two and three is remarkable. The Seahawks should protect their picks in rounds 2-4 and aim to be aggressive in free agency.

You can build a young foundation for your roster in this draft. That has to be the aim.

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There’s a lot to get into so I’m going to combine general thoughts on the combine and the direction of the Seahawks, with notes on today’s defensive back workouts…

Lewis Cine should be on your radar

This has been the ‘Georgia’ combine and their star safety added his name to the list of athletic super-humans today.

On tape Cine is an absolute hammer. He loves to get downfield and deliver a monster hit. At times he’s almost reckless with it, just running at 100mph and throwing himself in a gap to belt someone.

He’s the type of defender the Seahawks typically love. Cine regularly lifted team mates with big hits and helped set a tone for Georgia’s brilliant (and loaded) defense.

Now consider what he showed at the combine today. He ran a 4.38 forty, jumped a 36.5 inch vertical and an 11-1 broad. He’s lightning quick, explosive and plays with extreme violence.

With this profile he should go in round one. Based on Kyle Hamilton’s disappointing combine, he should be propelled to the #1 safety slot in this class.

Draft for Georgia

When LSU won the National Championship with their loaded roster a couple of years ago, the general consensus was everyone should be trying to tap into their all-star roster of NFL prospects. Seattle did that by selecting Damien Lewis in round three.

It’s the same this year with Georgia on defense.

Jordan Davis, Devonte Wyatt, Travon Walker, Channing Tindall, Quay Walker, Nakobe Dean, Lewis Cine. It’s an unbelievable group.

Extend it to the offense and include Zamir White, who I’ll talk about later.

Tap into this group. Make sure you come away with a Bulldog (or two).

You can build a foundation in this draft

The combine confirmed that this is a fantastic draft class with amazing depth.

Multiple teams are going to have an opportunity to build a young core they can grow with. There is a legit chance to dramatically improve your team with the options that will be available on day two, stretching into early day three.

The Seahawks are less likely to draft a pass rusher at #41

As noted yesterday, the pass rushers failed to really sing. Only two players ran a 1.5 10-yard split (generally considered an elite time) and several top defensive ends measured with short sub-33 inch arms.

They could still take an inside/out rusher with their top pick. For example, DeMarvin Leal’s 4.49 short shuttle at 283lbs is the kind of time that has typically appealed to this team. Logan Hall also ran a 4.44 at the same weight. Joshua Paschal ran a 1.62 10-yard split at 268lbs.

So that inside/out type could be an option — although it’s worth mentioning Hall and Paschal were two of the players with short arms.

Pete Carroll said at his combine press conference that they were keen to add another Darrell Taylor-type player. There isn’t a player with his balance and ability to bend-and-straighten with dynamic athleticism, explosive power and agility.

Thus, it appears increasingly clear that they should be aggressive to sign a pass rusher in free agency and focus on other areas with their top pick.

Start free agency by landing a Chandler Jones, Von Miller or Harold Landry type (or by acquiring a Danielle Hunter or Za’Darius Smith). There are other options too. Fill that need and nip it in the bud — to set up the rest of your off-season.

As good as this draft is, you can’t rely on this class for a top quality EDGE at #41.

O-line with the top pick is an increasing possibility

Need could meet value perfectly for Seattle. If they do spend money on the pass rush — and retain the players they want to keep at other positions — it could still leave holes at right tackle and center.

Pick #41 could be the ideal range for three very attractive O-line prospects.

I’ve been convinced for months that Abraham Lucas will go in round one. However, he never gets any buzz and I don’t understand why. I spoke to Jim Nagy about it and he expressed the same confusion. Nobody talks about him.

He is a brilliant pass-protecting right tackle with top-level size and athleticism. He ran a 4.92 at 6-6 and 315lbs. He then added the top short shuttle (4.40) and three cone (7.25). Just think about that for a moment. A 4.40 short shuttle at 315lbs.

I’ve said many times — I think he’s the most athletic right tackle prospect to enter the league since Tyron Smith. Back in 2011, Smith ran a 4.93 at his pro-day and a 4.68 short shuttle. Lucas beats both times. The two players share almost identical results in terms of their vertical and broad jumps.

I’m not saying Lucas will match Smith’s career. I do think, however, it’s a good comparison to emphasise just how athletic Lucas is.

For me it’s inconceivable that he’ll be there at #41 but given the total lack of buzz — if he lasts, the Seahawks should be ready to run to the podium and lock him in as their new right tackle.

If he’s gone, the center position could/should take ‘center’ stage.

Cole Strange is going to go in round two. He had a terrific Senior Bowl, showing off a strong back and anchor. He didn’t have a ton of experience at center yet like Quinn Meinerz a year ago, he took to it brilliantly. When he had bad reps he came flying back on the next one. He showed he’s a quick learner.

Then at the combine he flashed world class athleticism. He’s nearly 6-5 and 307lbs with 33 inch arms and 10 1/8 inch hands — so he ticks the size box. He ran a 5.03 forty, jumped a barely believable 10-0 broad jump and ran a 4.50 short shuttle.

His TEF score, that we use to measure explosive traits, is a 3.42. That’s comparable to Tristan Wirfs (3.47). Creed Humphrey scored a 3.25 a year ago.

Strange provides an opportunity to land the highly talented, explosive center they missed out on a year ago by snubbing Humphrey. He won’t last to round three so if you want him, perhaps it’s time to finally invest in a quality center at #41?

There’s an alternative too. Cameron Jurgens is a highly physical player who gets after opponents. He ran a 4.92 at 6-3, 303lbs. He has 33.5 inch arms and 10 inch hands.

He might be available slightly later in round two after a small trade down.

The top defensive tackles aren’t likely to make it to Seattle

If it’s unfathomable to imagine Abraham Lucas lasting to #41, it’s even harder to imagine the top defensive tackles making it.

Jordan Davis should go in the top-10 after proving he’s basically Thanos. Devonte Wyatt will likely be a top-25 pick. Given Dontari Poe was the #11 pick in 2012 — there’s no reason why Travis Jones won’t go in the first round given the way he performed at the Senior Bowl and combine. Perrion Winfrey running an injury-impacted 4.89 at 290lbs with a 1.68 10-yard split is remarkable.

All of these players deserve first round grades. The idea of any of them lasting until the 10th pick in round two is fanciful, unfortunately.

An alternative for Seattle could be Matthew Butler in round three. He combined a strong forty time (5.00) with explosive traits (32 inch vertical, 9-4 broad) and he has the size (6-4, 297lbs) and length (33.5 inch arms) Seattle likes. On tape he plays with penetrating quickness and he makes plays against the pass and run.

Running back and receiver could be sleeper positions

Seattle’s top pick will depend on what happens in free agency. If they address the trenches, they’ll be in a better place to go BPA at #41.

People won’t like it but you can build a case for a handful of skill players.

If Rashaad Penny doesn’t return, you could argue running back is a big need. Let’s just park the debate over positional value for a moment and talk about players.

Breece Hall (217lbs) and Kenneth Walker (211lbs) running a 4.38 and 4.39 respectively gives them a Jonathan Taylor-type profile. Neither player is as good as Taylor but given they also excelled in explosive testing, we’re talking about a pair with the potential, at least, to be among the league-leading runners.

I want to throw another name into the mix.

Georgia’s Zamir White is one of the most underrated players in the class. I watched his tape over the weekend and the way he snakes through gaps, staying small and then exploding into the second level is incredible. He accelerates quickly to the line, plays with patience and finds the holes up front to make gains.

When he takes contact he always falls forward and he finishes runs, with yards after contact a regular occurrence.

He’s 5-11 and 214lbs. He ran a 4.40 forty. He jumped a 33.5 inch vertical and a 10-8 broad. I really like him.

White has an injury history (two ACL’s) that could limit his grade. However — I think he’s a second round talent who could be available in round three. For me, he has star potential.

For the third or fourth year in a row, the depth at receiver is incredibly strong. It might not be a top priority after spending a second rounder on Dee Eskridge a year ago. However, the modern NFL dictates you’re only as good as your third receiver.

Jeremy Fowler noted earlier today that the Seahawks are checking out the receiver market in free agency. It shouldn’t be a surprise. They’ve needed a top WR3 for some time.

I also think that leak is an attempt to send a message to the quarterback that they’re listening. Russell Wilson has petitioned for another top target for some time.

There are some big names available and if the value meets opportunity, they might be able to pull off a coup on a prove-it deal.

If it doesn’t happen then they could look to the draft. Whether it’s round two or three, some extremely talented players will be available. Keep an eye on Alec Pierce, Wan’Dale Robinson, Calvin Austin, Jahan Dotson, Christian Watson and others.

If they move on from Bobby Wagner they can get a linebacker

Georgia’s Channing Tindall is the player I want in Seattle. Highly aggressive. An absolute lightning bolt to the ball-carrier. He ran a 4.47 at 230lbs then jumped a 42 inch vertical and a 10-9 broad.

He might be available in round two.

Yet from there the depth is incredible. Quay Walker, Nakobe Dean, Leo Chenal, Damone Clark, Devin Lloyd, Troy Andersen, Chad Muma, Christian Harris, Brian Asamoah.

The linebacker on-field drills were the most impressive of the sessions in Indianapolis. The workouts were high-energy, with players flying around the field. This is a group you should want to tap into. There are multiple potential top-level starters in this class of linebackers.

The Seahawks should feel very, very comfortable about their position with Wagner. They aren’t going to be left short if they cut him to save $16.6m.

Notes on the defensive back drills from today

Firstly, it was really disappointing to see how low-energy the workouts were. I’m not sure if the coaches were tired after a long week but it felt like several players were coasting a bit and someone needed to deliver a rocket on that field.

That said, the official forty times showed just how quick and dynamic this group can be. Several players ran in the 4.3’s. It’s good news for a Seahawks team that is looking to use more man-cover concepts in 2022.

The two players who stood out to me were Alabama’s Jalyn Armour-Davis and Auburn’s Roger McCleary.

Armour-Davis just looked fantastic. He’s 6-0 and 197lbs but looks bigger due to his well put together frame. He ran a 4.39 and jumped a 34.5 inch vertical. He was silky smooth in drills, showed off a good transition and covered ground very quickly. He has fantastic upside.

McCleary only ran a 4.50 and he lacks size. However — in drills he showed off exactly what you see on tape. He might not have elite quicks in a straight line but he can shift his body in coverage. His movements are subtle and sharp, he flashes good hips and he gets into the right areas. You see on tape he does an outstanding job of sticking in the hip-pocket then breaking on the ball to make plays.

Both players might go too early for Seattle — given their preference to wait on the position. They were the two who caught my eye the most today.

Cam Taylor-Britt is immensely competitive and he loves to hit and tackle. Speed was the biggest concern for him but he ran a 4.38 which is great news. I really like his attitude and the Seahawks have missed having a corner like this.

Speed was also the biggest question mark with Kaiir Elam. He answered that with a 4.39. He’s a tremendously well built corner with a lot of potential. I think he bites too much on tape and he’s overly keen but there’s a lot of potential here.

If the Seahawks want a player more in line with their old approach to cornerbacks (long/lean) — keep an eye on Mississippi State’s MJ Emerson.

At safety, several players ran superb times.

We’ve already talked about Lewis Cine. Nick Cross ran a 4.34. He is a tremendous prospect with a stocky, powerful frame reminiscent of Johnathan Abram.

Percy Butler is a player I want to watch more of. He ran a 4.36 and looks lightning quick operating in space as a potential free safety. His NFL.com profile describes him as ‘an absolute stud as a special-teams performer’ that ‘creates highlight-reel hits as gunner’. Sounds like a guy Pete Carroll will love.

JT Woods really flashed during drills after running a 4.36. The Seahawks love production and speed at free safety. He had nine picks in his final two seasons at Baylor. Tycen Anderson’s 4.36 speed, length (33 inch arms) and size looked like an intriguing mix. I will check him out soon.

Who are the top-10 candidates?

It’s been a big debate for some time but based on what we saw at the combine — and tape study — I’d say the following players have a good shot to go in the top-10:

Jordan Davis
Aidan Hutchinson
Evan Neal
Travon Walker
Sauce Gardner
Trevor Penning

There’s mystery around the character of Derek Stingley and Kayvon Thibodeaux. Clearly they have the talent to be top-10 picks.

Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson could both work into that range. Based on the way they tested, you could arguably make a case for Devante Wyatt and Travis Jones.

Updated horizontal board

I’ll post a full update soon but here’s my immediate reaction to the combine for the first two rounds (click the image to enlarge):

Could the Seahawks look at QB at #41?

Let’s just recap what happened over the weekend. Firstly, Charlie Campbell from WalterFootball.com reported that the Seahawks had interest in Matt Corral. I have no idea how legit this report is. I would offer that it feels counter-productive that a Seahawks source would discuss which players they like before a draft — and thus I am sceptical over this.

Then, this tweet emerged:

Monte
Pete
Lane &
Matt pic.twitter.com/BeuJjD6CMz

— Lance Zierlein (@LanceZierlein) March 5, 2022

At times like this it’s very easy to do the whole 2+2=5.

I don’t see any reason to shirk the topic, either.

By all accounts it feels like both the Seahawks and Russell Wilson are open-minded about ending their relationship — yet neither party actually wants to be the aggressor in a divorce.

Wilson perhaps doesn’t see a particularly attractive alternative right now and might feel he’s better off waiting until next year. If he has a strong 2022 season, he might have better suitors and greater leverage.

The Seahawks might be open to a trade, for the right price. Yet they know Wilson would have to agree to any move due to his no-trade clause. Squaring that circle is tricky and is probably why they continue to put the message out in the media that they won’t consider a trade unless Wilson forces the issue.

Yet here’s the thing. Ian Rapoport, who reported the Washington trade offer for Wilson at the combine, was on the NFL Network again today and stated ‘nobody is ruling anything out’ over Wilson’s future.

It comes down to this — are the Seahawks prepared to pay Wilson $45m a year (or more) in 12 months time? Because if not, he’s leaving one way or another. So you might as well accelerate the process — especially in a buyers market — if you’re counting down the days to an inevitable parting.

Unless, of course, the right offer isn’t there. And it isn’t going to be there right now because possible suitors — like Denver — are still waiting to discover what Aaron Rodgers’ plans are. The Seahawks won’t find out the true value of any potential trade until the Rodgers saga concludes.

Alternatively, it’s possible nobody will offer a mind-blowing deal. Or Wilson won’t agree to join the team making the offer. I suspect if Wilson was prepared to join Washington — and the Commanders were willing to offer multiple high picks and a player like Chase Young or Daron Payne — a deal might happen.

I’m just not convinced Wilson will want to go and answer questions about historical toxicity within that franchise, when he becomes the new face of the organisation.

Plus the ESPN article from earlier included a comment by Jeremy Fowler stating Wilson would prefer Denver over the NFC East.

Here’s a thought though. Let’s say a trade doesn’t happen this year for the reasons discussed.

If the Seahawks really like Matt Corral — and if he was there at #41 — would they take him anyway?

It’d be controversial — just as it was controversial when the Packers selected Jordan Love two years ago.

However — it would provide the team with leverage and protection. They could have a look at Corral this year to see if he is a future starter. If he impresses, it makes it easier to move off Wilson next year.

They could still negotiate a new contract with Wilson, only without the pressure they currently find of not having anywhere to go if they trade him. Wilson’s leverage will be huge in 12 months if Seattle’s only other option is to go after whatever scraps are in the veteran market or the draft.

It would create massive drama, of course. Yet the Seahawks have lived with massive quarterback drama over the last year anyway.

It’s something to keep in mind. If they do like Corral — drafting him and stashing him might not be such a preposterous move from a team perspective.

It could give the Seahawks leverage. It gives them an alternative.

And the worst case scenario is you spent the #41 pick to try and secure your long term future at the most important position in football.

If Seattle has no interest in doing this — they should just extend Wilson’s contract now, commit to him, lower his 2022 cap hit and get to work in free agency.

A final point on Corral. I’m not sure if this means anything. It is interesting to remember, though, that the Seahawks have only drafted two quarterbacks in the Carroll/Schneider era — Russell Wilson and Alex McGough.

Who was McGough’s college coach? Lane Kiffin, when he was at Florida Atlantic.

So they’ve drafted one of Lane’s guys before. Presumably, with his recommendation.

What’s coming up this week

1. A long list of players I think fit the Seahawks

2. A new post-combine mock draft

3. An article on Matt Corral

4. Exhaustive coverage in the build-up to free agency including a new off-season plan

5. Hopefully more streams

If you enjoy the content on Seahawks Draft Blog then please consider supporting us via Patreon (click the tab below)…

Become a Patron!

Welcome to the 2022 NFL combine coverage on Seahawks Draft Blog.

Throughout the event I’ll be reacting live to everything happening in Indianapolis with daily live blogs and post-workout reaction articles.

We want you to get involved too so use the comments section to have your say on everything happening at the combine.

On top of that, my podcast partner Robbie Williams is attending each day at Lucas Oil Field. We hosted a live stream (see the video above) reviewing day three and other Seahawks topics so check it out.

Keep refreshing this page for updates.

If you missed my review of the D-line and linebacker workouts, including why I don’t think the Seahawks will address pass rush with the #41 pick, click here.

If you missed the TEF scores and running back targets, click here.

And by clicking here you can view the likely tight end and receiver targets for Seattle.

Forty yard dash times (cornerbacks)

Jalyn Armour-Davis — 4.44 & 4.45
Kalon Barnes — 4.33 & 4.29
Andrew Booth — DNP
Montaric Brown — 4.62 & 4.60
Coby Bryant — 4.56 & 4.55
Tariq Castro-Fields — 4.47 & 4.48
Decobie Durant — 4.41 & 4.46
Kaiir Elam — 4.47 & 4.54
MJ Emerson — 4.58 & 4.61
Akayleb Evans — 4.54 & 4.51
DeMarcus Fields — 4.52 & 4.56
Cordale Flott — DNP
Sauce Gardner — 4.52 & 4.47
Mario Goodrich — 4.61 & 4.65
Kyler Gordon — 4.57 & 4.60
Vincent Gray — 4.61 & 4.57
Joshua Jobe — DNP
Jack Jones — 4.54 & 4.48
Marcus Jones — DNP
Derion Kendrick — DNP
Chase Lucas — 4.56 & 4.55
Damarri Mathis — 4.40 & 4.44
Zyon McCollum — 4.40 & 4.45
Roger McCreary — 4.55 & 4.58
Trent McDuffie — 4.46 & 4.53
Chris Steele — 4.50 & 4.50
Derek Stingley — DNP
Alontae Taylor — 4.41 & 4.44
Cam Taylor-Britt — 4.45 & 4.45
Isaac Taylor-Stuart — 4.50 & 4.49
Josh Thompson — 4.43 & 4.48
Jermaine Waller — 4.72 & 4.68
Jaylen Watson — 4.51 & 4.53
Sam Webb — 4.54 & 4.49
Joshua Williams — 4.57 & 4.61
Pepe Williams — DNP
Tariq Woolen — 4.31 & 4.30
Mykael Wright — 4.58 & 4.64

A reminder that the Seahawks are expected to play more man coverage in 2022. That might mean they drift away from the typical long and lean cornerbacks and look for pure speed and quickness.

Tre Brown ran a 4.42 at his pro-day a year ago.

I like Sauce Gardner but some of the hype is a bit OTT. His forty runs were extremely strained. He will be a first round pick but some people have been calling him the top player in the draft. That’s going way too far.

Cam Taylor-Britt running a 4.45 keeps him on our radar. He is tremendously competitive. I was really impressed with Jalyn Armour-Davis when I watched him. He ran a 4.44.

Kyler Gordon’s forty times are really surprising. He ran much slower than anyone expected.

Akayleb Evans looked really useful in his back-pedal, staying low with good, quick movements. Roger McCreary didn’t run a good forty but I thought his backpedal looked smooth.

Multiple reps in the first drill have been sluggish or stiff so far. Players are labouring, not playing with quickness and being too deliberate in their movements.

My early impressions are this isn’t a class that screams ‘man cover corners the Seahawks are going to love’.

Several players are jogging at the end of these backpedal drills. Someone needs to light a fire among this group.

Jalyn Armour-Davis looks really lean and smooth though. That’s a frame and player you can buy into. I suspect he’ll rise ahead of many of the cornerbacks in this class after today.

Again, McCreary didn’t run an amazing forty but he transitions well, his hips and body turn effortlessly and he was one of the few players to high-point the football downfield.

Tariq Woolen, on the other hand, ran a lightning forty but is extremely stiff in his transition.

Here are some safety jumps…

Vertical:

JT Woords — 39.5
Kerby Joseph — 38.5 👀
Kyle Hamilton — 38
Nick Cross — 37
Lewis Cine — 36.5
Jalen Pitre — 35
Jaquan Brisker — 34.5
Daxton Hill — 33.5

I’m stunned by Daxton Hill’s vertical. He jumped a 43 inch vertical at SPARQ.

Broad:

Lewis Cine — 11-3
Kyle Hamilton — 10-11
Nick Cross — 10-10
JT Woods 10-8
Jaquan Brisker — 10-4
Kerby Joseph — 10-3
Daxton Hill 10-1

As the drills have gone on, Cam Taylor-Britt has started to shine. He’s moving a lot more freely and high-pointing well.

McCreary and Jalyn Armour-Davis are the standouts for me. McCreary ran a 4.50 officially which isn’t too bad. Armour-Davis a 4.39. They are the two players here that I’m focusing on from a Seahawks perspective.

Cam Taylor Britt’s official 40 ended up being a 4.38. Which is miles better than the unofficial time.

Official 40’s:

Kalon Barnes — 4.23
Tariq Woolen — 4.26
Zyon McCollum — 4.33
Alontae Taylor — 4.36
Cobie Durant — 4.38
Tariq Castro-Fields — 4.38
Cam Taylor-Britt — 4.38
Jalyn Armour-Davis — 4.39
Damarri Mathis — 4.39
Kaiir Elam — 4.39
Josh Thompson — 4.40
Sauce Gardner — 4.41
Isaac Taylor-Stuart — 4.42
Trent McDuffie — 4.44
Akayleb Evans — 4.46
Roger McCreary — 4.50
Kyler Gordon — 4.50
Joshua Williams — 4.53
MJ Emerson — 4.53
Coby Bryant — 4.54
Montaric Brown — 4.55

Overall the coaches could’ve done a far better job firing up the players for the cornerback drills. There’s a lot of speed and dynamism among the group but everyone looked like they were in second gear. It was a low-energy session.

Forty yard dash times (safety)

Tycen Anderson — 4.45 & 4.41
Markquese Bell — 4.45 & 4.46
Dane Belton — 4.49 & 4.49
Bubba Bolden — 4.58 & 4.53
Jaquan Brisker — 4.53 & DNP
Percy Butler — 4.39 & 4.43
Lewis Cine — 4.40 & 4.38
Qwynnterrio Cole — DNP
Bryan Cook — DNP
Yusuf Corker — DNP
Nick Cross — 4.40 & 4.41
Kyle Hamilton — 4.59 & 4.61
Kolby Harvell-Peel — DNP
Daxton Hill — 4.43 & 4.41
Kerby Joseph — DNP
Quentin Lake — 4.64 & DNP
Verone McKinley — DNP
Smoke Monday — 4.58 & 4.59
Leon O’Neal — DNP
Jalen Pitre — DNP
Juanyeh Thomas — 4.67 & 4.62
Delarrin Turner-Yell — 4.51 & 4.50
JT Woods — 4.38 & 4.36

Lewis Cine has a shot at the first round with his physical profile. He ran a 4.38 forty, a 36.5 inch vertical and an 11-3 broad. He hits like a hammer too. He would be a great option if, you know, Seattle hadn’t already brought someone else in.

Kyle Hamilton only ran a 4.59 in his first forty which isn’t great. Then he ran a 4.61. The official forty’s have been a lot faster than the timed ones. However, that’s not the kind of time you expect from a top-ten pick at safety.

The safety drills are always overly long and a little pointless for most. They have them run the same drills as the cornerbacks and it’s just a different skill-set.

We’re seeing very little of the safety drills due to a combination of highlights clips and commercials.

Percy Butler moves very well, after running a great forty. I’ll watch more of him this week. Nick Cross is really well put together. Solid frame, he’s a bulldog on film and he ran well.

Daxton Hill is clearly athletic but given there were so many expectations, his overall display has been underwhelming.

As with the cornerbacks, the drills have a distinct lack of energy. Lewis Cine and Kerby Joseph are coasting. Someone light a fire.

I’m ending the live blog for today. A big combine review will be posted shortly.

This was a day that promised much. Overall, it didn’t quite live up to expectations apart from the defensive tackle group. I’ll discuss in this piece why that might nudge Seattle closer to addressing the pass rush in free agency.

Firstly though, we need to talk about the story of the day.

Jordan Davis owns the combine

We’ve just witnessed one of the all-time great athletic performances. It doesn’t matter what the sport is or what the occasion is. Davis’ combine was a wonder of the world. A tour de force to match any physical achievement on the planet.

At 6-6 and 341lbs he ran an official 4.78. To put that into perspective — Nick Bosa ran a 4.79 at 266lbs.

Davis then set a combine record by an offensive or defensive lineman in the broad jump (10-3). He added a 32 inch vertical.

If he’d done the bench press and achieved a fairly standard 27 reps for a 1.00 score in TEF, his weighted TEF score would’ve been an obscene 119.7. Given he’s 341lbs, there’s every chance he would’ve done far more than 27 reps.

It’s not just the testing numbers though. He danced around the field with ease — moving subtly between the bags, changing direction quickly and moving in a way I’ve never seen a defensive tackle move before.

It’s not particularly surprising. In my initial breakdown of the overall class on December 6th, I noted:

Jordan Davis is 6-6 and 340lbs but he will be one of the stars of the combine. He will run quicker than anyone expects and make headlines.

In a year without clearly defined top-10 prospects, he deserves to go in that range. Dontari Poe was a lesser talent and went #11 overall.

Davis is a physical marvel. A superhero.

If the Seahawks had the #10 overall pick, we could’ve been dreaming about drafting him tonight.

The defensive tackle class dominates overall

Davis wasn’t alone — his Georgia team mate Devonte Wyatt looked absolutely sensational too. He ran a 4.77 and moved around the field like a linebacker.

He’s 304lbs.

We’ve never seen players like Wyatt and Davis before. They had 10-yard splits of 1.66 and 1.68 respectively. They are unique athletes. Not in that casual throwaway sense when talking about a pretty athletic player. They are legitimately different to what we see in the NFL.

Travis Jones is 6-4 and 325lbs and ran a 4.92. He ran a 4.58 short shuttle and a 7.33 three cone — both outstanding at his size. He’s also explosive — adding a 9-2 broad jump. In any other year we’d be raving about him. Instead he’s being blanketed by the Georgia duo.

Jones dominated the Senior Bowl by driving opponents backwards with brute force in 1v1’s. Now he’s shown he’s an elite athlete too and he deserves a first round grade.

Perrion Winfrey also had a superb week in Mobile and plays with an aggression and intensity. He got injured running a 4.89 with a 1.68 split. That’s superb. With that level of athleticism he could easily go in round one.

Tennessee’s Matthew Butler is an underrated player in the class. He ran a 5.00 at 297lbs and then jumped a 32 inch vertical and a 9-4 broad. He ticks a lot of boxes for Seattle and could be an early third round target.

DeMarvin Leal also ran a 5.00 but the key positive for him was a 4.49 short shuttle at 283lbs. Teams will like that a lot.

Eyioma Uwazurike will be a player I study tonight after he jumped a 33 inch vertical. He’s 6-5, 316lbs and has 35 1/8 inch arms.

Defensive ends fail to sizzle

There was a lot of hype and expectation among this EDGE group but unlike the defensive tackles, nobody really made any big headlines.

It’s disappointing from a Seahawks perspective. They generally target brilliant athletes who are quick, long, explosive and test well in the short shuttle. It’s hard to find those guys based on what we saw today. There aren’t many Darrell Taylor’s here, if they want to draft a similar partner in crime.

Let’s start with the positives.

Amare Barno will gain further study by teams post-combine after running a remarkable 4.36 — beating Montez Sweat’s record for a pass-rushing forty. He added a 37 inch vertical and a 10-11 broad but his short shuttle (4.45) was disappointing. He’s 6-4, 246lbs with 34 inch arms and could be interesting later in the draft.

Ole Miss’ Sam Williams has felt like a possible Seahawks option at #41. He’s angry, aggressive and has been a very productive pass rusher — with some concerns about his ability vs the run. He ran an excellent 4.46 with a 1.60 10-yard split. His 32.5 inch vertical was well below what was expected though and in drills some of his change of direction movements were stiff. He lacks the natural bend, lean, balance and straightening ability of Darrell Taylor. Even so — he can get after the quarterback thanks to his straight-line speed and aggression.

Dominique Robinson and DeAngelo Malone both pass the eye test in terms of body type for a Seahawks pass rusher. They’re lean and long with muscle definition. Robinson’s runs were mediocre but he jumped a 41 inch vertical. Malone only did on-field drills after adding 8lbs since the Senior Bowl. He appeared to be carrying the extra weight very well.

Joshua Paschal is a blog favourite. He only has 32 3/4 inch arms which could be an issue — the only pass rusher Seattle has taken with sub-33 inch arms of note is Alton Robinson in round four. He’s explosive and powerful and jumped a 10-3 broad. His run of 4.77 was good for a player weighing 268lbs. He didn’t do the short shuttle or three cone which is a shame given he ran a 4.30 shuttle at SPARQ.

Logan Hall ran a 4.44 short shuttle at 283lbs which is impressive. Trevon Walker managed a 4.32 at 272lbs — plus a brilliant 6.89 three-cone. Hall’s was a 7.25.

Boye Mafe ran a 4.53 at 261lbs — then added a 38 inch vertical and a 10-5 broad.

Jeffrey Gunter impressed during drills with his athleticism and mobility. He ran a 4.70 at 258lbs, had a 1.63 split and then added a 4.35 short shuttle. As a possible day-three rotational end, he has potential.

Now onto the question marks.

Only two players ran an elite 1.5 10-yard split — Amare Barno (1.54) and Kayvon Thibodeaux (1.59). I thought we might see multiple testers in that range today.

Why is Myjai Sanders now 228lbs, considerably lighter than the Senior Bowl? Has he been sick? This is a major question mark. His testing numbers were nothing to write home about either and well below expectations.

The following players all had sub-33 inch arms:

Aidan Hutchinson (DE) — 32 1/8
George Karlaftis (DE) — 32 5/8
Logan Hall (DE/DT) — 32 3/4
Joshua Paschal (DE) — 32 3/4
Myjai Sanders (DE) — 32 5/8
Cam Thomas (DE) — 32 1/2
Boye Mafe (DE) — 32 5/8

Kayvon Thibodeaux refused to do any on-field drills, jumps or agility testing for no serious justifiable reason — adding fuel to the fire that he has character flags.

The likes of Arnold Ebiketie and Drake Jackson didn’t run a forty. Jackson looks like he’s added a fair bit of weight — although he did jump a 36.5 inch vertical and a 10-7 broad.

Players who were expected to run blazing short shuttle times only did OK. George Karlaftis (4.36), Myjai Sanders (4.37), David Ojabo (4.45) and Amare Barno (4.45) were all expected to do better.

To compare, Frank Clark ran a 4.05 shuttle.

Aidan Hutchinson was expected to get into that range but only managed a 4.15. It’s still a very good time but there was talk of a similar time to Clark.

It just all felt underwhelming, including during on-field drills.

What does it mean for the Seahawks?

It suddenly looks like a top-heavy pass rush class and with the best players likely to be long gone by #41, I think what we saw today increases the chances of two things happening:

1. The Seahawks address their pass rush need in free agency

2. They are more likely to draft for the offensive line with their top pick, where there is a lot more available depth

I’ll write about this more after the combine. Yet my initial reaction to today is Seattle needs to go out and get a Chandler Jones type (or another) and then focus on potential targets such as Abraham Lucas, Cole Strange, Cam Jurgens or Zion Johnson in round two.

Failing that — look at other positions depending on what happens over the next week or so. You can add a quality linebacker at #41 if you move on from Bobby Wagner, potentially an excellent running back if Rashaad Penny moves on, there’s great talent at receiver and tight end plus we’ll see how the defensive backs get on tomorrow.

But unless one of the top defensive tackles — Wyatt, Jones or Winfrey — falls into round two, it’s hard to suggest which pass rusher actually makes sense with Seattle’s first pick.

We know the Seahawks love special traits. Right now — the players who could be there at #41 with those traits are not edge rushers:

Breece Hall (RB)
Kenneth Walker (RB)
Zamir White (RB)
Greg Dulcich (TE)
Abraham Lucas (T)
Cole Strange (C)
Cam Jurgens (C)
Travis Jones (DT)
Perrion Winfrey (DT)
Channing Tindall (LB)
Troy Andersen (LB)
Leo Chenal (LB)

You could add Boye Mafe to the list but again — he doesn’t have the length Seattle typically goes for.

Several linebackers stand out

Channing Tindall said he was a ‘freak of nature’ in an interview during the 2021 season. He proved it at the combine — running a 4.53 forty and then jumping a 42 inch vertical and a 10-9 broad. He is a special talent — capable of flying to the sideline and hunting down ball-carriers. Tindall is violent, quick and can be a destroyer of screens and stretch plays.

Troy Andersen has been threatening to break into round two after a good Senior Bowl. He ran a 4.42 forty at 243lbs then jumped a 36 inch vertical and a 10-8 broad.

Christian Harris’ tape never really lived up to expectations at Alabama but here he ran a 4.44 at 226lbs then added a 34 inch vertical and an 11 broad.

Damone Clark has the body of a Greek God and ran a 4.56 forty at 239lbs. He jumped a 36.5 inch vertical and a 10-7 broad.

Leo Chenal is stocky and doesn’t have a traditional body type for the position. However, he ran a 4.53 forty at 250lbs then jumped a 40.5 inch vertical and a 10-8 broad. He’s a special athlete.

Chad Muma ran a 4.63 forty and then jumped a 40 inch vertical and a 10-9 broad jump. His short shuttle of 4.28 is pretty good (although not in the range Seattle loves). He also ran a 7.06 three cone. Overall though he’s an explosive, agile athlete who flies to the ball on tape.

Agility testing is key at linebacker and the Seahawks typically target players who run well in the short shuttle. Given how late the linebackers did on-field drills, it’s unclear how many actually did the short shuttle.

I will update this article if/when the full results are revealed. Players testing particularly well (in the 4.00-4.10 range) will almost certainly be on Seattle’s radar.

Join us again tomorrow for the final day of combine coverage. I’ll be hosting a live stream with Robbie Williams at 8:30am (PST). The live blog will then start up once more and we’ll have the usual recap at the end. Workouts start at the earlier time of 11am (PST) tomorrow.

If you enjoy the content on Seahawks Draft Blog then please consider supporting us via Patreon (click the tab below)…

Become a Patron!

Welcome to the 2022 NFL combine coverage on Seahawks Draft Blog.

Throughout the event I’ll be reacting live to everything happening in Indianapolis with daily live blogs and post-workout reaction articles.

We want you to get involved too so use the comments section to have your say on everything happening at the combine.

On top of that, my podcast partner Robbie Williams is attending each day at Lucas Oil Field. We hosted a live stream (see the video above) reviewing day two earlier today so don’t forget to check it out.

Keep refreshing this page for updates.

If you missed the TEF scores yesterday, plus running back targets, click here.

And by clicking here you can view the likely tight end and receiver targets for Seattle.

Things to look for today

This is a big day with the defensive linemen and linebackers working — especially given Seattle’s needs. For the EDGE rushers, look for the 10-yard split in the 1.5 range. Agility testing (short shuttle) is vital across the board. You want to see the inside/out rushers show explosive traits and a high level of athleticism. With the linebackers — we want to see an overall plus athletic profile but in particular focus on those short shuttle times. Seattle has shown a keen interest in LB’s who perform especially well in the short shuttle.

D-line measurement notes

Despite measuring with +33 inch arms at the Senior Bowl, Devante Wyatt has just been measured at 32 5/8. This is a slight concern from a Seattle perspective, given their long history of sticking to a 33-inch threshold for D-liners.

The following defensive linemen are in the +33 inch arm range:

Matthew Butler (DT) — 33 1/2
Travis Jones (DT) — 34 1/4
DeMarvin Leal (DE/DT) — 33 1/4
Phidarian Mathis (DT) — 34 5/8
Otiti Ogbonnia (DT) — 34 3/8
John Ridgeway (DT) — 33 3/8
Perrion Winfrey — 35 1/4
Amare Barno (DE) — 34
Michael Clemons (DE) — 34 7/8
Arnold Ebiketie (DE) — 34 1/8
Kinglsey Enagbare (DE) — 34 3/4
DeAngelo Malone (DE) — 33 1/8
David Ojabo (DE) — 33 1/2
Dominique Robinson (DE) — 33 1/4
Tyreke Smith (DE) — 33 1/4
Kayvon Thibodeaux (DE) — 33 1/8
Isaiah Thomas (DE) — 33 1/4
Travon Walker (DE) — 35 1/2
Sam Williams (DE) — 33 1/8
Drake Jackson (DE) — 34
Jermaine Johnson (DE) — 34

The following players had sub-33 inch arms:

Aidan Hutchinson (DE) — 32 1/8
George Karlaftis (DE) — 32 5/8
Logan Hall (DE/DT) — 32 3/4
Joshua Paschal (DE) — 32 3/4
Myjai Sanders (DE) — 32 5/8
Cam Thomas (DE) — 32 1/2
Boye Mafe (DE) — 32 5/8

This is obviously disappointing news regarding Hall, Paschal, Sanders and Mafe. The only notable defensive lineman Seattle has drafted with sub-33 inch arms is Alton Robinson in round four. They have been quite strict with length over the years.

It doesn’t mean they’d pass on these players necessarily but it’s worth highlighting.

More Matt Corral/Seahawks talk

Yesterday Charlie Campbell linked the Seahawks with interest in Ole Miss’ Carrol.

Today, this photograph was posted featuring Monte Kiffin introducing the quarterback to Pete Carroll, who is sitting next to Lane Kiffin:

Monte
Pete
Lane &
Matt pic.twitter.com/BeuJjD6CMz

— Lance Zierlein (@LanceZierlein) March 5, 2022

The combine schedule strikes again

Only 13 defensive linemen and seven linebackers opted to do the bench press. This is, once again, almost certainly because they’ve been asked to do it on the same day as on-field drills. So I’ll say it one more time. Either move it back next year, or swap it for the powerball toss.

Forty yard dash times (defensive linemen)

10-yard splits in brackets. Elite splits are 1.5 for edge rushers, 1.6 for inside/out types

Nik Bonitto — 4.62 (1.61) & 4.60 (1.59)
Matthew Butler — 5.04 (1.73) & 5.06 (1.75)
Zach Carter — 5.03 (1.73) & 5.05 (1.74)
Jordan Davis — 4.82 (1.68) & DNP
Noah Elliss 5.62 — (1.88) & DNP
Neil Farrell — 5.42 (1.88) & 5.46 (1.90)
Haskell Garrett — 5.25 (1.85) & 5.13 (1.82)
Logan Hall — 4.94 (1.73) & 4.88 (1.68)
Chris Hinton — 5.27 (1.74) & 5.32 (1.81)
Travis Jones — 4.90 (1.76) & DNP
DeMarvin Leal — 5.01 (1.74) & 5.06 (1.75)
Jayden Peevy — 5.42 (1.92) & 5.35 (1.84)
John Ridgeway — 5.42 (1.81) & 5.32 (1.80)
Perrion Winfrey — 4.86 (1.68) & DNP
Devonte Wyatt — 4.84 (1.66) & 4.80 (1.66)

A quick reminder that the national media and draft twitter had Jordan Davis rated in the mid-rounds as a run-of-the-mill nose tackle last summer. This blog told you he would test through the roof. And he just ran a 4.82 at 341lbs, with a stunning 1.68 split.

The time for Travis Jones was equally expected but running a 4.90 at 325lbs is ridiculous too. His Senior Bowl was outstanding. He is powerful, huge and an elite athlete. If he’s there at #41 (perhaps not likely) — he would be a great pick for Seattle.

Devonte Wyatt, as expected, ran in the 4.8’s. He added a 1.66 10-yard split which is elite for a 304lbs defensive tackle.

Perrion Winfrey appeared to injure himself at the end of his initial forty yard dash. He didn’t attempt a second run, although even with the injury he still ran an unofficial 4.86 with a fantastic 1.68 split.

There were several impressive performers in the wave drill. Nobody looked better than Travis Jones. He sprinted from side-to-side, changed direction with ease and just looks like a freakish athlete. Jordan Davis, unsurprisingly, also looked fantastic. Matthew Butler, Haskell Garrett and Logan Hall also performed well. Devonte Wyatt tried to guess on a couple of moves but his quickness and agility is unbelievable for a defensive tackle.

Matthew Butler looks superb running in and out of the bags. I’ve been projecting round three for him and he isn’t disappointing. He might not be Davis or Jones but he’s still extremely athletic, he shows compact movements and he can stay low.

Logan Hall is put together. Big, sturdy and moving very well in and out of the bags.

Travis Jones just fell over during his rep in slightly embarrassing fashion. Devonte Wyatt moves like a bloody linebacker. At 304lbs.

Official forty times for the first group of D-liners

Devonte Wyatt — 4.77
Jordan Davis — 4.78
Perrion Winfrey — 4.89
Travis Jones — 4.92
Matthew Butler — 5.00
DeMarvin Leal — 5.00

Those are incredible times from Wyatt, Davis, Winfrey, Jones and Butler.

The defensive tackles are now doing a drill where they have to slap and spin away from bags, then bend around a bag, change direction and finish. I’ve not seen a workout like this before. It feels like an all-star show. This is the Harlem Globetrotter equivalent of combine workouts.

Linebackers in defensive tackle bodies.

Travis Jones excelled in the figure-8 drill just as he did at the Senior Bowl.

Otito Ogbonnia injured himself running the figure-8. Perrion Winfrey hasn’t done anything since pulling up during his forty.

They just showed a montage of Jordan Davis’ drills. Simply incredible. That was a pleasure to watch. To think people were saying mid-rounder last summer and late first as recent as last week. He is going to go very, very early.

Here are some vertical jumps from the EDGE rushers:

Dominique Robinson — 41
Arnold Ebiketie — 38
Amare Barno — 37
Kingsley Enagbare — 36.5
Aiden Hutchinson — 36
Travon Walker — 35.5
Tyreke Smith — 34
Myjai Sanders — 33
Sam Williams — 32.5
Isaiah Thomas — 31.5

Sam Williams’ 32.5 is well below expectations.

Broad jumps:

Arnold Ebiketie — 10-8
Joshua Paschal — 10-3
David Ojabo — 10-2
George Karlaftis — 10-1
Aidan Hutchinson — 9-9
Michael Clemons — 9-8

Forty yard dash times (EDGE rushers)

10-yard splits in brackets. Elite splits are 1.5 for edge rushers, 1.6 for inside/out types

Amare Barno — 4.37 (1.54) & DNP
Thomas Booker — 4.95 (1.69) & 4.96 (1.71)
Michael Clemons — DNP
Arnold Ebiketie — DNP
Kingsley Enagbare — 4.92 (1.72) & 5.00 (1.78)
Jeffrey Gunter — 4.79 (1.64) & 4.72 (1.63)
Aidan Hutchinson — 4.75 (1.62) & 4.78 (1.62)
Tyree Johnson — DNP
George Karlaftis — DNP
Jesse Luketa — 4.89 (1.69) & DNF
DeAngelo Malone — DNP
David Ojabo — 4.60 (1.64) & 4.60 (1.65)
Esezi Otomewo — DNP
Joshua Paschal — 4.82 (1.62) & 4.82 (1.64)
LaBryan Ray — DNP
Dominique Robinson — 4.78 (1.67) & 4.77 (1.69)
Myjai Sanders — 4.73 (1.62) & 4.71 (1.62)
Tyreke Smith — 4.82 (1.67) & 4.80 (1.65)
Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa — 4.87 (1.71) & 4.88 (1.72)
Kayvon Thibodeaux — 4.65 (1.62) & 4.66 (1.59)
Cam Thomas — DNP
Isaiah Thomas — 4.76 (1.67) & 4.75 (1.66)
Travon Walker — 4.60 (1.64) & 4.59 (1.62)
Sam Williams — 4.52 (1.61) & 4.52 (1.60)
Alex Wright — DNP

That’s a fantastic 10-yard split of 1.62 for Joshua Paschal, who is a power-defender.

Myjai Sanders is 228lbs at the combine, which is significantly less than he did at the Senior Bowl.

This wasn’t the freak show that was expected. There were only two 1.5 10-yard splits. The standout was Amare Barno. From a Seahawks perspective, Sam Williams is perhaps the most appealing and the most likely to be a target at #41. His 4.52 forty and 1.60 split is enticing.

Jesse Luketa injured himself running his second forty and didn’t complete the run.

Travon Walker’s 4.59 at 272lbs is impressive, as is his 1.62 split. It’s unlikely he lasts to #41.

Kingsley Enagbare looks very stiff in the wave drill, off the back of running a 4.92. He isn’t elevating his stock here.

Several players are doing the on-field workouts but didn’t run a forty, including DeAngelo Malone (who looks well put together with the extra weight).

Kayvon Thibodeaux is creating unnecessary drama. He ran a forty but has weirdly decided to just shut it down, despite telling everyone last week he would do everything at the combine. The concerns about his attitude and decision making won’t go away after this. Go and compete man. He told the NFL Network he isn’t doing on-field work because he ‘wants to do linebacker drills too at his pro-day’.

Sam Williams looked a bit stiff in his wave drill. That shows on tape. He’s not quite as good with the change of direction as some of the other pass rushers in this draft.

Dominique Robinson and DeAngelo Malone both ‘look’ like the type of pass rushers Seattle likes. Joshua Paschal moved well on the bag/shuttle (despite tripping on a bag) and Sam Williams also showed well here.

The linebacker jumps are coming in…

Vertical:

Jeremiah Moon — 40.5
Chad Muma — 40
Malcolm Rodriguez — 39.5
Jesse Luketa — 37.5
Brandon Smith — 37.5
Devin Lloyd — 35

Broad:

Troy Anderson — 10-8
Leo Chenal — 10-8
Chance Campbell — 10-7
Damone Clark — 10-7
Brian Asamoah — 10-4
Darrian Beavers — 10-4
Jesse Luketa — 9-6

DeAngelo Malone looks terrific with the extra weight. I hope he does agility testing because I want to know how athletic he is. It seems he isn’t doing timing tests due to the extra weight. He’s probably spent the time since the Senior Bowl eating and working in the gym to bulk up.

On tape, Travon Walker isn’t much of an edge threat. He’s a powerful, violent defender who has quickness but bending and straightening to the QB with lean and balance isn’t what he’s good at. It’s worth remembering during all this NFL Network hype.

As mentioned a moment ago. Sam Williams is a little bit stiff. He’s a good player and an option for Seattle. But he is what he is. He can attack the edge but he’s not that freaky lean/bend edge rusher.

Based on what we’re seeing here — free agency feels like the area to target a partner in crime for Taylor.

Amare Barno is a very interesting player though. I liked his tape but had no idea he was a 4.3 runner and he’s shown athleticism and bend here. I liked his figure-8. Jeffrey Gunter has shown well during drills. He’s in good shape and moves well.

Joshua Paschal had a tremendous figure-8 drill. He is bigger than a lot of these guys but his agility, balance and power is impressive. Dominique Robinson also showed well — he kept close to the ring, rounded well and looked tight and in control.

Sam Williams’ stiffness showed again as he slipped twice in his figure-8.

Defensive tackle jumps are coming in and it’s crazy news again…

Broad jumps:

Jordan Davis — 10-3
Matthew Butler — 9-4
Devonte Wyatt — 9-3
Travis Jones — 9-2
Phidarian Mathis — 9-1
DeMarvin Leal — 8-10
John Ridgeway — 8-5

That’s a new record for an offensive or defensive linemen in the broad jump, set by Jordan Davis.

Vertical jumps:

Eyioma Uwazurike — 33
Jordan Davis — 32
Matthew Butler — 32
Devonte Wyatt — 29
Travis Jones — 28.5
DeMarvin Leal — 27.5
Haskell Garrett — 24
Phidarian Mathis — 23.5
Neil Farrell — 21.5

The official forty times are in for the EDGE rushers too:

Amare Barno — 4.36
Sam Williams — 4.46
Travon Walker — 4.51
Nik Bonitto — 4.54
David Ojabo — 4.55
Kayvon Thibodeaux — 4.58
Myjai Sanders — 4.67
Jeffery Gunter — 4.70
Isaiah Thomas — 4.70
Dominique Robinson — 4.72
Aidan Hutchinson — 4.74
Joshua Paschal — 4.77
Tyreke Smith — 4.86
Kingsley Enagbare — 4.87
Logan Hall — 4.88
Zach Carter — 4.99

Sam Williams’ 4.46 really helps him. Stiff or not — he can get after it off the edge and he’s perhaps the most likely EDGE target for #41.

Forty yard dash times (linebackers)

Troy Andersen — 4.41 & 4.46
Brian Asamoah — 4.61 & 4.71
Darrian Beavers — DNP
Terrel Bernard — DNP
Darien Butler — DNP
Chance Campbell — 4.63 & 4.70
Leo Chenal — 4.57 & 4.61
Damone Clark — 4.62 & 4.65
Nakobe Dean — DNP
JoJo Domann — 4.64 & 4.66
Jeremiah Gemmel — DNP
Isaiah Graham-Mobley — 4.69 & 4.72
Jake Hansen — DNP
Aaron Hansford — DNP
Christian Harris — 4.44 & 4.46
D’Marco Jackson — 4.60 & 4.57
Drake Jackson — DNP
Jermaine Johnson — 4.58 & 4.62
Nate Landman — 4.85 & DNP
Devin Lloyd — 4.71 & 4.74
Boye Mafe — 4.57 & 4.62
Zakoby McClain — 4.69 & 4.72
Micah McFadden — DNP
Jeremiah Moon — 4.81 & 4.85
Chad Muma — 4.66 & 4.64
Malcolm Rodriguez — 4.57 & 4.58
Mike Rose — DNP
Josh Ross — 4.81 & 4.87
Jack Sanborn — 4.76 & 4.83
Nephi Sewell — 4.66 & 4.69
Brandon Smith — 4.57 & 4.61
Baylon Spector — 4.64 & DNP
Channing Tindall — 4.53 & 4.54
Quay Walker — 4.59 & 4.57
Tre Williams — 5.15 & DNP

I’ve been saying for some weeks that Devin Lloyd is being overrated by the national media. He had amazing production at Utah but I don’t think he’s a special athlete with amazing upside. He jumped only a 35 inch vertical and ran a 4.71. I’ve been listing him outside of the first round.

Channing Tindall running a 4.53 is quicker, funnily enough, than I expected. He flies around the field but I thought he’d still be a 4.6 type. That’s an impressive time.

Boye Mafe and Jermaine Johnson both ran in the 4.5’s. For some reason, despite their 10-yard split being as important as any of the other pass rushers, we don’t get to see it just because they’re in the linebacker group. Thanks, NFL Network. It’s the same every year.

Troy Andersen looked superb running the forty and timed in the 4.4’s. His wave drill was also silky smooth.

Damone Clark looked sensational running the wave drill. What an athlete. He still looks like a Greek God, as he did at LSU. Leo Chenal has quite an unusual frame — stocky but short. I’m not sure if that might impact how teams view him. He’s not a prototype in terms of frame.

Drake Jackson looks heavy. He didn’t run a forty but is doing on-field drills. He is dressed like it’s five degrees below zero in the Stadium.

Boye Mafe looks superb. He is in amazing shape. He looks like a top-tier NFL pass rusher should look.

Here are some more linebacker jumps:

Vertical:

Channing Tindall — 42
Leo Chenal — 40.5
Damone Clark — 36.5
Nate Landman — 36.5
Quay Walker — 32

Broad:

Christian Harris — 11
Chad Muma — 10-9
Channing Tindall — 10-9
Leo Chenal — 10-8
Damone Clark — 10-7
Quay Walker — 10-2
Nate Landman — 9-11

Channing Tindall said he was a freak of nature. That has been confirmed.

During drills he has equally excelled looking quick and exciting. Leo Chenal has also impressed, along with Damone Clark.

I’m completing today’s live blog. My recap article will be up shortly so stay tuned. Don’t forget to join us for the final day of combine coverage tomorrow. Robbie and I will do another live stream, followed by the usual live blog and recap post.

Abraham Lucas was the star of the day

For the last six years I’ve been calculating explosive traits among offensive linemen. We created a formula (TEF) based around an ideal physical profile suggested by Tom Cable many years ago. The vertical jump, broad jump and bench press results are used to measure explosive athleticism.

Even following Cable’s departure, the Seahawks have continued to select explosive linemen. Frankly, the rest of the league has to. It’s a league-wide trend.

Before getting into the 2022 TEF results, I want to go against everything the formula stands for and bang the table for Washington State’s Abraham Lucas.

For months I’ve been talking up Lucas. In my horizontal boards I’ve graded him in round one. In my mock drafts I’ve been projecting him in the top-15.

He showed at the combine why all of the praise is justified.

Lucas looked exceptional during on-field drills and stood out among the first group. He started by running a 4.92 forty and the momentum just built from there.

His kick-slide and wave drill were controlled with athletic, subtle foot movements, great body position and he just looked the part. He didn’t have a single bad rep.

The coaches consistently praised him as he worked from drill-to-drill, executing with the same balance and control while also flashing excellent athleticism.

In the agility drills he continued to excel, leading all offensive linemen with a 4.40 short shuttle. His three-cone was tied fastest (7.25) with Trevor Penning.

If you want a highly athletic, ideally sized pass-protection specialist at right tackle — Lucas is your man.

The thing is, he isn’t explosive. He’s a 2.73 TEF scorer (which is OK, not terrible).

We’ve discussed the Seahawks transitioning away from bigger, explosive linemen following the departure of Mike Solari and the promotion of Andy Dickerson to a more significant role. As you can see below, the Rams’ league-leading pass-pro unit (where Dickerson and Shane Waldron originate) hasn’t prioritised explosive traits:

Brian Allen — 2.63
Austin Corbett — 2.55
Rob Havenstein — 2.36
David Edwards — 2.19
Joseph Noteboom — 2.62

The thing is, the Seahawks are retaining the ‘Solari personnel’ in Damien Lewis and Gabe Jackson. So it’ll be harder to transition to the converted tackles LA have been using at guard (for example).

I hope Seattle is prepared to draft Abraham Lucas early if the opportunity arises. I don’t think he’ll be there at #41 but I’m confused why he doesn’t get more attention nationally. It’s something I’ve talked to Jim Nagy about and he agrees. Lucas should be getting more love.

If he somehow does last, he should very much be on Seattle’s radar. He would be a fantastic pick, tying down the right hand side of the offensive line potentially for years to come.

The Seahawks can find a center in this draft

Cameron Jurgens, Cole Strange and Zach Tom are three blog favourites I’ve graded in round two and all excelled today.

Strange had a remarkable day — he ran a 5.03 forty, he’s a 3.42 TEF scorer (comparable to Tristan Wirfs 3.47) and then he recorded a 4.50 short shuttle. He’s brilliantly sized at 6-5 and 307lbs with 33 inch arms.

Based on today’s performance and his Senior Bowl display, Strange is going to be a second round lock.

Jurgens didn’t do any jumps or agility testing (injury?) but he did run a 4.92 and he excelled in drills, flashing great knee bend and athleticism. We know he plays with fire but we also now have it confirmed that he carries a ton of upside. He’s 6-3 and 303lbs with 33 3/8 inch arms. If he’s there in round three, he would be a fantastic option.

Zach Tom stood out on tape at left tackle for Wake Forest but he looked undersized. That’s why we (and others) projected him to center. Today he ran a 4.94, he projects as a 3.33 TEF scorer and he ran a 4.47 short shuttle. He’s 6-4, 304lbs and has 33 1/4 inch arms. He’s an incredibly impressive talent and would offer a great development opportunity at center, potentially as high as rounds 3-4.

TEF scores — 2022

With the NFL foolishly opting to force players to do the bench press on the same day as their on-field drills, many of the offensive linemen opted not to bench.

This has been an incredibly frustrating and unfathomable schedule change by the NFL and it’s high time someone regained control of this event. We need to create an environment where players can put out their best performance and feel comfortable doing everything.

Either dump the bench press and go with the powerball toss used at SPARQ, or move the bench press back to its original place on the schedule.

Only 13 linemen did a full set of tests to gain a confirmed TEF score. What I’ve had to do is take the average number of bench press reps from the 13 who did test (it worked out at 26 reps) and offer a ‘projected’ TEF score for those who didn’t bench.

If/when they bench at their pro-days, we’ll readjust these scores.

How and why do we test explosive traits?

In 2016 we created a formula called TEF (Trench Explosion Formula). For a full breakdown of what the formula is and why we use it, click here. Essentially, any prospect scoring 3.00 or higher is an explosive athlete.

Here’s the formula we use:

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

Confirmed 2022 TEF scores

Cole Strange — 3.42
Bernhard Raimann — 3.37
Zion Johnson — 3.33
Nick Zakelj — 2.98
Alec Lindstrom — 2.95
Marcus McKethan — 2.94
Dawson Deaton — 2.82
Abraham Lucas — 2.73
Cordell Volson — 2.63
Zach Thomas — 2.48
Kenyon Green — 2.46
Obinna Eze — 24.5
Bill Dunkle — 2.45

Projected 2022 TEF scores

Zach Tom — 3.33
Sean Rhyan — 3.10
Matt Waletzko — 3.08
Logan Bruss — 3.08
Kellen Diesch — 3.07
Luke Wattenburg — 3.06
Dohnovan West — 2.96
Trevor Penning — 2.95
Chasen Hines — 2.95
Ja’Tyre Carter — 2.93
Charles Cross — 2.92
Austin Deculus — 2.91
Ickey Ekonwu — 2.90
Blaise Andries — 2.89
Chris Paul — 2.86
Andrew Rupcich — 2.85
Dylan Parham — 2.82
Joshua Ezeudu — 2.80
Braxton Jones — 2.79
Spencer Burford — 2.77
Justin Shaffer — 2.76
Tyler Smith — 2.73
Max Mitchell — 2.71
Luke Tenuta — 2.69
Cade Mays — 2.64
Nicholas Petit-Frere — 2.62
Luke Fortner — 2.58
Andrew Steuber — 2.57
Thayer Munford — 2.57
Marquis Hayes — 2.56
Vederian Lowe — 2.56
Darian Kinnard — 2.54
Tyrese Robinson — 2.48
Ed Ingram — 2.47
Myron Cunningham — 2.36

How does this compare to previous combines?

Players scoring a 3.00 or more:

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

Players scoring at least a 2.85:

2016 — 9
2017 — 8
2018 — 8
2019 — 15
2020 — 15
2021 — No combine
2022 — 22 (projection)

Is it an explosive offensive line class?

Provided the projections hold up, then yes it’s a more explosive O-line class than previous years.

In particular — Cole Strange, Bernhard Raimann and Zion Johnson should see their draft stock significantly benefit from their scores. Players who test as well as they have today generally gain a significant boost in terms of stock. Raimann’s short arms (sub-33 inches) are a concern but he has shown a top-level testing profile at the combine.

Here’s the combined top-10 testers from 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2022 (in bold) for comparisons sake:

Iosua Opeta — 3.62
Jason Spriggs — 3.54
Braden Smith — 3.52
Tristan Wirfs — 3.47
Cole Strange — 3.42
Bernhard Raimann — 3.37
Zion Johnson — 3.33
Zach Tom — 3.33 (p)
Kolton Miller — 3.31
Connor McGovern: 3.29
Hakeem Adeniji — 3.27
Cesar Ruiz — 3.25
Forrest Lamp — 3.23
Phil Haynes — 3.22
Wyatt Teller — 3.22
Scott Quessenberry — 3.22
Austin Jackson — 3.21
John Simpson — 3.20
Chris Lindstrom — 3.18
Connor Williams — 3.18
Ezra Cleveland — 3.16
Garrett Bradbury — 3.15
Andre Dillard — 3.13
Nico Siragusa — 3.13
Sean Rhyan — 3.10 (p)
Alex Redmond — 3.10
John Molchon — 3.09
Matt Peart — 3.08
Matt Waletzko — 3.08 (p)
Logan Bruss — 3.08 (p)
Kellen Diesch — 3.07 (p)
Luke Wattenburg — 3.07 (p)
Quenton Nelson — 3.07
Joe Haeg — 3.06
Joe Dahl — 3.05
Erik McCoy — 3.05
Will Hernandez — 3.04
Joe Thuney — 3.04
Kaleb McGary — 3.02
Elgton Jenkins — 3.01
Garett Bolles — 3.00

There was no combine a year ago, meaning players only tested at their pro-days in a very different environment without three days of meetings, interviews and medicals beforehand.

However, for the sake of comparison, here’s last years ‘top testers’ compared to the 2022 group (in bold):

Brady Christensen — 3.72
Sam Cosmi — 3.57
Cole Strange — 3.42
Kendrick Green — 3.42
Rashawn Slater — 3.37
Bernhard Raimann — 3.37
Spencer Brown — 3.36
Quinn Meinerz — 3.34
Zion Johnson — 3.33
Zach Tom — 3.33 (p)
Teven Jenkins — 3.33
Alijah Vera-Tucker — 3.31
Drew Dalman — 3.31
Trey Smith — 3.30
Sadarius Hutcherson — 3.29
Creed Humphrey — 3.25
Landon Young — 3.24
Alex Leatherwood — 3.16
Sean Rhyan — 3.10 (p)
Dan Moore — 3.08
Matt Waletzko — 3.08 (p)
Logan Bruss — 3.08 (p)
Kellen Diesch — 3.07 (p)
Luke Wattenburg — 3.07 (p)
Penei Sewell — 3.04
Dillon Radunz — 3.04
Brendan Jaimes — 3.03
Liam Eichenburg — 3.00

As noted in our combine preview, TEF is not an attempt to determine who is a good or bad offensive linemen. It’s merely a calculation to judge explosive traits.

What about weighted TEF (wTEF)?

Jumping a vertical at 320lbs is considerably more challenging than jumping a vertical at 295lbs. We created a second formula to account for weight:

Weight x TEF x 0.1

We can give players a score that sufficiently emphasises their unique size.

Germain Ifedi — 324 x 2.97 x 0.1 = 96.1

Confirmed 2022 Weighted TEF scores

Cole Strange — 105.0
Zion Johnson — 103.4
Bernhard Raimann — 102.1
Marcus McKethan — 100.0
Nick Zakelj — 94.1
Alec Lindstrom — 87.3
Dawson Deaton — 86.3
Abraham Lucas — 86.0
Cordell Volson — 82.8
Bill Dunkle — 80.4
Kenyon Green — 79.5
Obinna Eze — 78.6
Zach Thomas — 76.4

Projected 2022 Weighted TEF scores

Zach Tom — 101.2
Sean Rhyan — 99.5
Chasen Hines — 96.5
Matt Waletzko — 96.1
Trevor Penning — 95.9
Logan Bruss — 95.2
Austin Deculus — 93.4
Kellen Diesch — 92.4
Chris Paul — 92.4
Luke Wattenburg — 91.5
Ja’Tyre Carter — 91.1
Andrew Rupcich — 90.6
Ickey Ekonwu — 90.0
Tyler Smith — 89.7
Charles Cross — 89.6
Blaise Andries — 89.0
Dohnovan West — 88.2
Dylan Parham — 87.7
Justin Shaffer — 86.7
Braxton Jones — 86.5
Joshua Ezeudu — 86.2
Luke Tenuta — 85.8
Thayer Munford — 84.3
Spencer Burford — 84.2
Andrew Steuber — 83.5
Max Mitchell — 83.2
Nicholas Petit-Frere — 82.8
Cade Mays — 82.1
Darian Kinnard — 81.8
Marquis Hayes — 81.4
Vederian Lowe — 80.4
Luke Fortner — 79.2
Tyrese Robinson — 78.6
Ed Ingram — 75.8
Myron Cunningham — 75.7

Here are the top-10 wTEF scores from 2016-2022 combined:

Tristan Wirfs — 111.0
Braden Smith — 110.9
Iousa Opeta — 109.0
Cole Strange — 105.0
Spriggs, Jason —- 104.9
Phil Haynes — 103.7
Isaiah Wilson — 103.6
Zion Johnson — 103.4
Austin Jackson — 103.4
John Simpson — 102.7
Kolton Miller — 102.3
Bernhard Raimann — 102.1
Scott Quessenberry — 101.4
McGovern, Conner —- 101.4
Zach Tom — 101.2 (p)
Marcus McKethan — 100.0
Cesar Ruiz — 99.8
Forrest Lamp —- 99.8
Nico Siragusa —- 99.8
Quenton Nelson — 99.8
Sean Rhyan — 99.5 (p)
Will Hernandez — 99.4
Hakeem Adeniji — 98.8
Andre Dillard — 98.6
Ezra Cleveland — 98.3
Matt Peart — 98.0
Chris Lindstrom — 97.9
Damien Lewis — 97.1
Teller Wyatt — 96.9
Chasen Hines — 96.5 (p)
Garrett Bradbury — 96.4
Ifedi, Germain —- 96.1
Matt Waletzko — 96.1 (p)
Trevor Penning — 95.9 (p)
Kaleb McGary — 95.7
Isaac Asiata —- 95.6
John Molchon — 95.5
Logan Bruss — 95.2 (p)
Max Scharping — 94.8
Shell, Brandon —- 94.4
Connor Williams — 94.1
Nick Zakelj — 94.1
Vaitai, Halapoulivaati —- 93.8
Nembot, Stephane —- 93.6
Austin Deculus — 93.4 (p)
Elgton Jenkins — 93.3
Michael Jordan — 93.3
Dahl, Joe —- 93.2
Joe Haeg —- 93.0
Erik McCoy — 92.4
Kellen Diesch — 92.4 (p)
Chris Paul — 92.4 (p)
Thuney, Joe —- 91.6
Robertson, Dominique —- 91.5
Luke Wattenburg — 91.5 (p)
Taylor Moton —- 91.2
Ja’Tyre Carter — 91.1 (p)

Other notes

— There’s been so much hype around Ickey Ekonwu, with people (including the NFL Network) talking him up as a potential #1 overall pick. He ran a 4.93 at 310lbs so he’s clearly athletic. However, I still think he’s a guard. And a 4.73 short shuttle to go with a projected TEF score of 2.90 doesn’t scream ‘first overall pick’.

— Zion Johnson is another player who is a bit overrated for me. I think he’s a very solid prospect, worthy of a day two grade. With his explosive testing numbers though (3.33) he has an extremely legitimate shot at going in the first round.

— Trevor Penning running a 4.89 will secure his place early in the first round. Teams will see the size, the athleticism and the intensity and believe they can mould him into something special. The top-10 is a possibility.

— It’s remarkable how many people were projecting Kenyon Green as a first round pick. I never had him higher than round three — and that was clearly generous. His TEF score of 2.46 along with his heavy frame and lack of any kind of positive physical aspect surely has to be the end of the hype?

— Several big names had poor workouts including Max Mitchell, Nicholas Petit-Frere and Darian Kinnard. Tyler Smith didn’t pull up any trees either. All will drop on my horizontal board.

— I still really like Obinna Eze as a viable tackle for the next level. However, his testing numbers will require me to drop him down a round or two. He wasn’t explosive enough to justify a high grade — although he does have +36 inch arms and a 5.17 forty isn’t terrible.

Three-cone and short shuttle times

Agility testing is often touted as important for offensive linemen but it’s not something the Seahawks have focused on. For example, Germain Ifedi ran a 4.75 short shuttle and was taken in round one. Justin Britt ran a 4.69. Russell Okung ran a 4.80.

— Here are the top-10 short-shuttle times:

Abraham Lucas — 4.40
Kellen Diesch — 4.43
Zion Johnson — 4.46
Zach Tom — 4.47
Bernhard Raimann — 4.49
Dawson Deaton — 4.49
Cole Strange — 4.50
Logan Bruss — 4.55
Joshua Ezeudu — 4.56
Luke Wattenburg — 4.57

– Here are the top-10 three-cone times:

Abraham Lucas — 7.25
Trevor Penning — 7.25
Zach Tom — 7.32
Zion Johnson — 7.38
Zach Thomas — 7.40
Cole Strange — 7.44
Luke Wattenburg — 7.45
Bernhard Raimann — 7.46
Alec Lindstrom — 7.50
Dawson Deaton — 7.52

Identifying running back targets for Seattle

The Seahawks have a type. They’ve consistently drafted players with a similar physical profile. It’s made it fairly straight forward to figure out who they might like. Here are the players we identified from the 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2020 combines as probable targets:

2016:

C.J. Prosise — 6-0, 220lbs, 35.5 inch vert, 10-1 broad
Kenneth Dixon — 5-10, 215lbs, 37.5 inch vert, 10-8 broad

2017:

Christopher Carson — 6-0, 218lbs, 37 inch vert, 10-10 broad
Brian Hill — 6-0, 219lbs, 34 inch vert, 10-5 broad
Alvin Kamara — 5-10, 214lbs, 39.5 inch vert, 10-11 broad
Joe Williams — 5-11, 210lbs, 35 inch vert, 10-5 broad

2018:

Saquon Barkley — 6-0, 233lbs, 41 inch vert DNP broad
Kerryon Johnson — 511, 213lbs 40 inch vert, 10-6 broad
Bo Scarborough — 6-0, 228lbs, 40 inch vert, 10-9 broad
Nick Chubb — 5-11, 227lbs, 38.5 inch vert, 10-8 broad
John Kelly — 5-10, 216lbs, 35 inch vert, 10-0 broad
Lavon Coleman — 5-10, 223lbs, 33 inch vert, 10-0 broad
Rashaad Penny — 5-11, 220lbs, 32.5 inch vert, 10-0 broad
Royce Freeman — 5-11, 229lbs, 34 inch vert, 9-10 broad

2020:

Jonathan Taylor — 5-10, 226lbs, 36 inch vert, 10-3 broad
Cam Akers — 5-10, 217lbs, 35.5 inch vert, 10-2 broad
Deejay Dallas — 5-10, 217lbs, 33.5 inch vert, 9-11 broad
AJ Dillon — 6-0, 247lbs, 41 inch vert, 10-11 broad
Zack Moss — 5-9, 223lbs, 33 inch vert, DNP broad
James Robinson — 5-9, 219lbs, 40 inch vert, 10-5 broad
Patrick Taylor — 6-0, 217lbs, 34 inch vert, 10-3 broad

They drafted a player from each of the groups — Prosise, Carson, Penny and Dallas. They eventually added Bo Scarborough too and admitted significant interest in James Robinson as an UDFA (John Schenider recently said he was on the brink of signing with the Seahawks, before opting for Jacksonville).

Generally speaking they like running backs who are approximately 5-10-to-6-0 in height, weigh between 215-225lbs (give or take a few) and have strong performances in the vertical and broad jump.

So who are the potential targets this year?

Breece Hall — 5-11, 217lbs, 40v, 10-6b
Brian Robinson — 6-2, 225lbs, 30v, 9-11b
Dameon Pierce — 5-10, 218lbs, 34.5v, 9-11b
D’Vonte Price — 6-1, 210lbs, 34v, 9-11b
Isaih Pacheco — 5-10, 216lbs, 33v, 9-10b
Jerome Ford — 5-10, 210lbs, 31v, 9-10v
Kenneth Walker — 5-9, 211lbs, 34v, 10-2b
Kevin Harris — 5-10, 221lbs, 38.5v, 10-6b
Leddie Brown — 6-0, 213lbs, 30v, 9-10b
Snoop Conner — 5-10, 222lbs, 29.5v, 9-10b
Rachaad White — 6-0, 214lbs, 38v, 10-5b
Tyler Allgeier — 5-11, 224lbs, 33v, 10-0b
Tyrion Davis-Price — 6-0, 211lbs, 30v, 9-9b
Zamir White — 6-0, 214lbs, 33.5v, 10-8b

Hassan Haskins, Keontay Ingram, Max Borghi, Abram Smith and Zonovan Knight all fit the size preferences but didn’t participate in the vertical and broad jump.

It’s a strong list in terms of depth of numbers.

It really depends on what the Seahawks are looking for. If they lose Rashaad Penny they might target a quicker back who can present a similar skill set. That could mean drafting someone early like Kenneth Walker (who ran a 4.37) or Breece Ball (4.39). Or they could look at Isaih Pacheco (4.37) later on. Zamir White (4.40), Tyrion Davis-Price (4.48) and Rachaad White (4.48) could also appeal.

If they need to replace Chris Carson, the clear option is Dameon Pierce. He’s extremely violent and physical, runs through contact and provides the same tone-setting emphasis as Carson. Zamir White can also be used in this category. He doesn’t run with Pierce’s violence but he’s battled through injuries to become a permanent team captain at Georgia and was a key leader on the National Championship squad.

There’s every chance Walker and Hall elevate themselves into a solid top-50 placing after running as well as they did. I didn’t see either time coming and will need to adjust my gradings. They ran as fast as Jonathan Stewart and while they aren’t Stewart — you can do a lot with their combinations of size and speed.

Walker in particular just looked outstanding. He’s in tremendous shape and looked like a league-leading NFL back on the field.

Pierce won’t go as high as I thought he might with his testing profile but that’s not such a bad thing. He should last a bit longer and provide good value.

Final thoughts

The Seahawks have shirked drafting a center, or investing in the position at all. This draft, once again, will provide options — particularly in the form of Cole Strange and Cameron Jurgens. We’ll see if they make the position a priority this year.

The offensive tackle options are less appealing after this combine, at least in terms of depth, unless someone like Abraham Lucas makes it to #41. That would be a home-run pick but I sense the league will rate Lucas higher than the media.

If the Seahawks want to draft a running back they will have an opportunity to do so in this draft. It seems unlikely they’d target a Kenneth Walker type early, because they’d probably need to take him at #41. He certainly looked excellent during drills and his frame is mightily impressive. If they prefer to wait until later — there will be options.

Join us again tomorrow for the important defensive line drills. I’ll be hosting a live stream with Robbie Williams at 8:30am (PST) reviewing today. The live blog will then start up once more and we’ll have the usual recap at the end.

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Welcome to the 2022 NFL combine coverage on Seahawks Draft Blog.

Throughout the event I’ll be reacting live to everything happening in Indianapolis with daily live blogs and post-workout reaction articles.

We want you to get involved too so use the comments section to have your say on everything happening at the combine.

On top of that, my podcast partner Robbie Williams is attending each day at Lucas Oil Field. We recorded a stream (see the video above) reviewing day one.

Keep refreshing this page for updates.

Offensive linemen reject the bench press

Regulars will know by now how the NFL has ruined the combine by moving drills to late at night (meaning many players don’t do the agility testing) and by shifting the bench press to the same day as on-field workouts.

It means only three receivers did the bench. That’s not such a big deal though. We don’t need to know how many reps a receiver can bench 225lbs.

For offensive linemen, though, it plays into our TEF calculations and is used to help judge explosive qualities.

Many of the O-liners refused to do the bench today, probably because they don’t want to run around Lucas Oil Field with DOMS.

This really is one of the stupidest decisions ever made by a league that is increasingly losing its grip on this event.

Here are the select few who did bench:

Only 18 players did the drill. Five years ago in 2017, 40 offensive linemen did the bench press. This follows the news that only 13 receivers ran the three-cone, compared to 40 in 2017. Again, the NFL is ruining the combine.

We’ll have to wait until pro-days to fill in the gaps.

Here are the running backs who realistically could be in Seattle’s size ball-park:

Abram Smith — 6-0, 213lbs
Breece Hall — 5-11, 217lbs
Brian Robinson — 6-2, 225lbs
Dameon Pierce — 5-10, 218lbs
D’Vonte Price — 6-1, 210lbs
Hassan Haskins — 6-2, 228lbs
Isaiah Spiller — 6-0, 217lbs
Isaih Pacheco — 5-10, 216lbs
Jerome Ford — 5-10, 210lbs
Kenneth Walker — 5-9, 211lbs
Keontay Ingram — 6-0, 221lbs
Kevin Harris — 5-10, 221lbs
Leddie Brown — 6-0, 213lbs
Max Borghi — 5-9, 210lbs
Rachaad White — 6-0, 214lbs
Snoop Conner — 5-10, 22lbs
Tyler Allgeier — 5-11, 224lbs
Tyrion Davis-Price — 6-0, 211lbs
Zamir White — 6-0, 214lbs
Zonovan Knight — 5-11, 209lbs

It’s a decent list. Let’s see how they test in the broad and vertical.

Here are some interesting O-line measurements…

Zach Tom is 6-4, 304lbs and has 33 1/4 inch arms plus 10.5 inch hands. These are great numbers for a centre convert. I’m a big fan of his.

Even better news. Cameron Jurgens has 33.5 inch arms and 10 inch hands. Ideal.

Tyler Linderbaum is 6-2, 296lbs with 31 1/8 inch arms. Don’t be surprised if he lasts into round two, especially given he isn’t testing at the combine.

Bernhard Raimann has been measured as having only 32 7/8 inch arms.

Obinna Eze has 36 1/8 inch arms. Rasheed Walker and Nicholas Petit-Frere both have 33.5 inch arms.

Evan Neal isn’t doing anything at the combine. Another one. ‘Prime time’ combine strikes again.

Forty yard dash times (offensive linemen)

10-yard splits are in brackets

Blaise Andries — 5.17 (1.79) & DNP
Logan Bruss — 5.33 (1.82) & 5.33 (1.83)
Spencer Burford — 5.24 (1.83) & 5.22 (1.80)
Ja’Tyre Carter — 5.14 (1.80) & 5.13 (1.79)
Charles Cross — 4.93 (1.73) & 5.00 (1.74)
Myron Cunningham — 5.34 (1.88) & 5.45 (1.93)
Dawson Deaton — 5.13 (1.75) & 5.15 (1.76)
Austin Deculus — 5.13 (1.76) & 5.12 (1.78)
Kellen Diesch — 4.92 (1.70) & 4.93 (1.70)
William Dunkle — 5.46 (1.85) & DNP
Ikem Ekonwu — 4.97 (1.76) & 5.00 (1.78)
Obinna Eze — 5.17 (1.79) & 5.24 (1.80)
Joshua Ezeudu — 5.24 (1.84) & 5.25 (1.85)
Luke Fortner — 5.25 (1.81) & 5.31 (1.84)
Kenyon Green — 5.29 (1.81) & 5.31 (1.80)
Marquis Hayes — 5.31 (1.83) & 5.32 (1.84)
Chasen Hines — 5.21 (1.73) & 5.27 (1.76)
Ed Ingram — 5.04 (1.74) & 5.06 (1.73)
Zion Johnson — 5.25 (1.80) & 5.28 (1.80)
Braxton Jones — 5.03 (1.77) & 5.03 (1.74)
Cameron Jurgens — 4.91 (1.71) & 4.93 (1.72)
Darian Kinnard — 5.35 (1.82) & 5.42 (1.86)
Alec Lindstrom — 5.18 (1.75) & 5.23 (1.77)
Vederian Lowe — 5.25 (1.78) & 5.31 (1.84)
Abraham Lucas — 5.00 (1.77) & 5.00 (1.76)

Terrific times for Cam Jurgens and Abraham Lucas, as we’ve been talking about for a long time. Two highly underrated players who are far better than the media will have you believe.

Ikem Ekonwu looked very athletic during the wave drill. I hope he does the broad and vertical. Abraham Lucas looked incredibly smooth again. Cam Jurgens looks like easily the quickest player on the field.

Austin Deculus looks like Meatloaf is doing the combine.

Obinna Eze is a blog favourite so I’m likely to praise him but to me he looks the part out there. Athletic enough, long and has a NFL tackle frame.

Braxton Jones and Zion Johnson looked very smooth running the pull drill.

Abraham Lucas looks fantastic. Great wave drill, superb long pull. This is an outstanding performance. Ikem Ekonwu pulling from a two-point stance admittedly also looked fantastic. His movements are just so sudden and fluid with almost no wasted motion. He did mess up his down-block. Eze did a better job here.

Cam Jurgens and Abraham Lucas both ran official 4.92 forty’s. Lucas on his down block was again sensational. What an athlete. The star of the first session by far — despite the NFL Network doing what they always do and talking up Daniel Jeremiah’s ‘guys I knew I was going to talk about before the drills even began’.

Obinna Eze has received some decent praise for the way he’s operating. He had a nice rep on the pad, retreat and slide.

Kenyon Green gets loads of praise online and some people think he’s a top-20 pick. I’ve never understood why. He looks heavy.

Sorry if I sound repetitive but wow, Abraham Lucas. His kick-slide on the pad, retreat and kick-slide was OUTSTANDING. Yes, I’ve cracked out the full-caps. I’ve been blown away by how good Lucas looks here.

Here are the official forty times for the first group:

Kellen Diesch — 4.89
Cam Jurgens — 4.92
Abraham Lucas — 4.92
Ickey Ekwonu — 4.93
Charles Cross — 4.95
Braxton Jones — 4.97
Ed Ingram — 5.02
Austin Deculus — 5.08
Blaise Andries — 5.10
Dawson Deaton — 5.12
Ka’Tyre Carter — 5.13
Obinna eze — 5.17
Alec Lindstrom — 5.18
Zion Johnson — 5.18
Joshua Ezeudu — 5.19
Spencer Burford — 5.19
Luke Fortner — 5.21
Vederian Lowe — 5.22
Chasen Hines — 5.22
Kenyon Green — 5.24
Marquise Hayes — 5.30
Darian Kinnard — 5.31
Logan Bruss — 5.32
Myron Cunningham — 5.38
Bill Dunkle — 5.44

There’s a new report saying Washington made a big offer for Russell Wilson:

How serious are the #Commanders in their search for a QB? Sources say they made a strong offer to the #Seahawks on Russell Wilson. It didn’t go anywhere. But a sign Washington is ready to deal. And given what they have on their roster, they may be a QB away.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 4, 2022

Would love to know what it was.

Ekonwu’s mirror drill (at least what I think they’re calling the mirror these days) wasn’t good, he just didn’t move enough. He is clearly a fantastic athlete but to me he still looks like a guard.

Eze was a lot better, looked really light on his feet and moved well. Kenyon Green did a better job in this drill and moved well.

Jurgens was superb here showing great balance, control and movement. Braxton Jones did an excellent job too. Surprise surprise, Lucas was excellent again. Tippy-tappy feet, really light, subtle movements. Controlled. He is destroying the field.

Alec Lindstrom has looked more athletic than expected.

The broad and vertical jumps are coming in for the other group.

(Please don’t calculate your own TEF scores and post in the comments though)

Vertical jumps:

Sean Rhyan — 33.5
Zach Tom — 33
Bernhard Raimann — 30.5
Matt Waletzko — 30
Luke Wattenburg — 29.5
Nick Zakelj — 28.5
Trevor Penning — 28
Cole Strange — 28
Dohnovan West — 28
Marcus McKethan — 27.5
Tyler Smith — 27.5
Andrew Rupcich — 27.5
Chris Paul — 27
Dylan Parham — 26.5
Luke Tenuta — 26
Cade Mays — 26
Justin Schaffer — 25.5
Cordell Volson — 25
Max Mitchell — 25
Nicholas Petit-Frere — 24.5
Andrew Steuber — 24.5
Zach Thomas — 22.5
Tyrese Robinson — 22.5
Thayer Munford — 22

Broad jumps:

Cole Strange — 10-0
Zach Tom — 9-10
Bernhard Raimann — 9-9
Luke Wattenburg — 9-5
Matt Waletzko — 9-5
Dohnovan West — 9-4
Trevor Penning — 9-3
Marcus McKethan — 9-2
Sean Rhyan — 9-2
Nick Zakelj — 9-2
Chris Paul — 9-1
Dylan Parham — 9-0
Andrew Rupcich — 9-0
Zach Thomas — 8-11
Justin Shaffer — 8-11
Max Mitchell — 8-10
Tyler Smith — 8-9
Luke Tenuta — 8-8
Cordell Volson — 8-8
Thayer Munford — 8-8
Nicholas Petit-Frere — 8-7
Cade Mays — 8-6
Andrew Steuber — 8-5
Tyrese Robinson — 8-4
Lecitus Smith — 8-3

There are some big names with lousy explosive numbers there. However, it’s great to see Zach Tom be as explosive as he is. Wow. He has been a favourite of mine for a long time but we had no testing or measurement hints. Now we know he’s highly explosive and has +33 inch arms.

Here’s Cam Jurgens running the mirror drill:

Cam Jurgens mirroring pic.twitter.com/eQ4l2jzKnO

— Billy M (@BillyM_91) March 4, 2022

Forty yard dash times (offensive linemen)

10-yard splits are in brackets

Cade Mays — 5.29 (1.86) & 5.30 (1.87)
Markus McKethan — 5.34 (1.85) & 5.33 (1.87)
Max Mitchell — 5.40 (1.83) & 5.34 (1.83)
Thayer Munford — 5.43 (1.86) & 5.49 (1.88)
Dylan Parham — 5.00 (1.74) & 5.02 (1.74)
Chris Paul — 4.92 (1.71) & 4.94 (1.73)
Trevor Penning — 4.91 (1.71) & 4.95 (1.70)
Nicholas Petit-Frere — 5.17 (1.81) & 5.24 (1.83)
Bernhard Raimann — 5.12 (1.73) & 5.11 (1.75)
Sean Rhyan — 5.28 (1.80) & 5.29 (1.79)
Tyrese Robinson — 5.24 (1.85) & 5.29 (1.89)
Dare Rosenthal — 4.99 (1.73) & 4.93 (1.74)
Andrew Rupcich — 5.35 (1.85) & DNP
Justin Shaffer — 5.19 (1.76) & 5.22 (1.78)
Lecitus Smith — 5.19 (1.81) & 5.25 (1.80)
Tyler Smith — 5.04 (1.71) & 5.11 (1.79)
Cole Strange — 5.03 (1.73) & 5.04 (1.76)
Luke Tenuta — 5.41 (1.88) & 5.45 (1.86)
Zach Thomas — 4.97 (1.67) & 4.96 (1.68)
Zach Tom — 5.00 (1.70) & DNP
Cordell Volson — 5.26 (1.80) & 5.31 (1.81)
Matt Waletzko — 5.06 (1.73) & DNP
Luke Wattenburg — 5.25 (1.77) & 5.28 (1.77)
Dohnovan West — 5.34 (1.82) & 5.28 (1.78)
Nick Zakelj — 5.18 (1.72) & 5.17 (1.72)

I can tell you now — Cole Strange is a second round lock. Potentially top-50. With these runs, his length and his incredible explosive testing numbers, he is one of the big winners of the day.

Zach Tom and Cole Strange looked particularly impressive in the wave drill. Tom in particular looked incredibly athletic. Luke Wattenburg moved better than expected.

Unsurprisingly Bernhard Raimann moved well in the pulling drills. His shorter arms (sub-33 inches) are a concern though.

There are too many commercials breaking up the drills. It feels like we’re missing so much. They just cut to ads during the mirror drill.

Either most of the O-liners didn’t do the vertical jump, or NFL.com has stopped updating their testing results.

Forty yard dash times (running back)

Tyler Allgeier — 4.64 & 4.66
Tyler Badie — 4.49 & 4.56
Kennedy Brooks — 4.59 & 4.66
Leddie Brown — 4.73 & 4.73
Ty Chandler — 4.45 & 4.46
Snoop Conner — 4.66 & 4.69
James Cook — 4.50 & 4.58
Tyrion Davis-Price — 4.58 & 4.56
Jerrion Ealy — 4.50 & 4.55
Trestan Ebner — 4.48 & 4.47
Jerome Ford — 4.51 & 4.54
Tyler Goodson — 4.47 & 4.53
Breece Hall — 4.44 & 4.46
Keontay Ingram — 4.60 & 4.59
Zonovan Knight — 4.62 & 4.58
Sincere McCormick — 4.61 & 4.61
Isaih Pacheco — 4.47 & 4.45
Dameon Pierce — 4.66 & 4.67
D’Vonte Price — 4.44 & 4.49
Ronnie Rivers — 4.62 & 4.64
Brian Robinson — 4.63 & 4.65
Pierre Strong — 4.39 & DNP
Kenneth Walker — 4.46 & 4.50
Jaylen Warren — 4.56 & 4.59
Rachaad White — 4.53 & 4.51
Zamir White — 4.47 & 4.47
Kyren Williams — 4.72 & 4.70

Here’s Mike Florio’s take on the report that Seattle has turned down an offer from Washington for Russell Wilson:

The agility testing results are coming out for the O-liners. Abraham Lucas ran a sensational 4.40 at 315lbs. For me, he’s the star of the day. And the NFL Network hasn’t mentioned him once.

Here are the top times:

Abraham Lucas — 4.40
Kellen Diesch — 4.43
Zion Johnson — 4.46
Zach Tom — 4.47
Bernhard Raimann — 4.49
Dawson Deaton — 4.49
Cole Strange — 4.50

Watching the running back drills, I’ve been impressed with Tyler Goodsen’s quickness. For me, Breece Hall has looked a bit stiff. Isaih Pacheco looks sharp, Zonovan Knight has had some good reps and Tyrion Davis-Price is looking lean and quick.

Kenneth Walker looks in fantastic shape. He looks the part.

Isaih Pacheco’s official forty is a 4.37. His backstory is harrowing and he plays his heart out. He’s a player to root for, wherever he lands.

I am completing the live blog today. My reaction post will be up shortly including all of the TEF scores, running back targets and more. Join Robbie and I for another stream on Saturday at 8:30am (PST).

The Seahawks’ likely options at tight end

In our big combine preview, we highlighted how critical agility testing is in projecting potential Seahawks picks at tight end.

Here’s a recap of all of the short shuttle and three cone times of the players drafted and signed during the Pete Carroll 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)

You can see that three cone’s in the sub-7.10 range are a trend. A short shuttle under 4.50 is also preferred.

Here are the players who fit that criteria who tested at the combine today:

Austin Allen — 4.26 (ss), 7.00 (3c)
Chase Allen — 4.43 (ss), 7.03 (3c)
Jake Ferguson — 4.48 (ss), 7.03 (3c)
Greg Dulcich — 4.37 (ss), 7.05 (3c)
Daniel Bellinger — 4.47 (ss), 7.05 (3c)
Cole Turner — 4.41 (ss), 7.06 (3c)
Curtis Hodges — 4.28 (ss), 7.14 (3c)

Peyton Hendershot (4.25) ran a short shuttle but not a three cone.

If you want a comparison on how good these times are, here’s the agility testing for a select handful of receivers who took part:

Jalen Tolbert — 7.08 (3c)
Alec Pierce — 4.28 (ss), 7.13 (3c)
Skyy Moore — 4.32 (ss), 7.13 (3c)
Jahan Dotson — 7.28 (3c)
Khalil Shakir — 4.21 (ss), 7.28 (3c)
Treylon Burks — 7.28 (3c)
Garrett Wilson — 4.36 (ss)

There’s your perspective. Greg Dulcich ran a faster short shuttle than Garrett Wilson and a faster three cone than Alec Pierce. Jake Ferguson might’ve run a 4.81 forty but his short area quickness and agility is superior to several of the receivers who ran a 4.3 or 4.4.

Trey McBride, Jalen Wydermyer and Jelani Woods disappointingly didn’t do the agility testing. Isaiah Likely — who I thought looked terrific during on-field workouts — only ran a 4.57 short shuttle.

Jeremy Ruckert and Cade Otton didn’t test.

It’s not a long list of options. Hopefully pro-days will add to it. Clearly Ruckert and Otton are very capable of being high picks when healthy.

It’s long been billed as a deep, talented tight end class. And it is — compared to previous TE classes. However, I suspect the small list here increases the chances of Gerald Everett returning to Seattle, or the Seahawks pivoting to a player such as O.J. Howard on a cheap prove-it deal.

Greg Dulcich would be a terrific option but I think with him you’re talking about #41 or not at all. He stood out during drills. He showed a great release into his routes, a burst of acceleration and he looked like a natural athlete who can be a terror in the passing game. He had a 10-2 broad jump, the second best among TE’s.

I’ve been grading him as the top tight end and talking him up as a potential second rounder for months. There’s a very good chance he’ll be the first player taken at his position, likely in the first half of round two to a team like the Jaguars or Jets.

Jake Ferguson, a blog favourite for three years, ticked the agility boxes. He’s a terrific player who is being underrated. Running a 4.81 forty might keep him on the board into round four, where Seattle have a pair of early picks.

One thing Ferguson lacks is great length. Chase Allen is 6-6, 251lbs and has 34 1/8 inch arms. He was the first player I watched on Thursday night. He is an extremely willing blocker with plus athleticism who can play in-line on any call. He does a good job working to the second level and playing to the whistle to find space and an outlet for the quarterback. Allen is useful latching on to blocks in space on WR screens and he’s a grafter at the LOS, giving as good as he got against players like Kayvon Thibodeaux. I was seriously impressed with his tape and think, paired with his agility testing, he could be a very useful player at the next level. You need guys like this.

Austin Allen is even bigger at 6-8 and 253lbs with 33 5/8 inch arms. I watched him next. He’s adept at blocking down initially then releasing into a route to provide a late target or safety valve. He’s long and lean and moves well — occasionally playing H-back and then advancing on a route uncovered. He’s fearless catching in traffic and absorbs a lot of hits (likely due to his long, big target of a frame). He presents his hands to the ball well, catches away from his body and can high-point way above defenders. Allen is deceptively quick and can break free of coverage to provide an option on scramble drills. He has untapped red-zone potential.

Cole Turner is strictly a passing TE at this point but he does that job well and was a reliable target for Carson Strong.

It was a shame to see Isaiah Likely have a less than stellar short shuttle. During drills he was aggressively attacking his routes, making difficult catches and he just looked the part. Tre McBride equally made an impression and looked incredibly smooth running routes and catching the ball.

We’ll have to check in on their pro-day numbers.

Jelani Woods didn’t do any agility testing or jumps either which is a shame given his combination of sizeable frame and 4.61 speed. He looked good today and I’ve been grading him in round three. We need to see him do some of the missing tests at pro-day to get a fuller picture of what he can be at the next level.

The receivers put on a stunning show of athleticism

For all the attention the tight end class has received over the last few months, this has always felt like a deep rather than exciting receiver class.

Not any more.

Several players outperformed expectations. We’ll come on to that in a moment.

Firstly, let’s focus on Seattle.

Pete Carroll has only drafted three receivers who haven’t run a 4.4 forty or faster:

Kenny Lawler — 4.64
Chris Harper — 4.50
John Ursua — 4.56

The rest all cracked the 4.4’s:

Paul Richardson — 4.40
Golden Tate — 4.42
Tyler Lockett — 4.40
Kris Durham — 4.46
Kevin Norwood — 4.48
Amara Darboh — 4.45
David Moore — 4.42
D.K. Metcalf — 4.33
Freddie Swain — 4.46
Dee Eskridge — 4.38

We have enough data now to say definitively — unless a player runs a 4.4 or faster, the Seahawks are unlikely to consider them until the later rounds.

An incredible nine players ran a 4.3 or faster at the combine today. In total, 18 qualify in the 4.4 or faster category.

A general rule in the modern NFL is you’re only as good as your #3 receiver. Spending a high pick on Dee Eskridge likely rules out another top pick being spent on a receiver. The Seahawks also have a cluster of other needs. However, there are players that could and maybe should be considered among this list:

Tyquan Thornton — 4.28
Velus Jones — 4.31
Calvin Austin — 4.32
Alec Pierce — 4.33
Danny Gray — 4.33
Bo Melton — 4.34
Christian Watson — 4.36
Garrett Wilson — 4.38
Chris Olave — 4.39
Skyy Moore — 4.41
Isaiah Weston — 4.42
Jahan Dotson — 4.43
Khalil Shakur — 4.43
Kevin Austin — 4.43
Wan’Dale Robinson — 4.44
George Pickens — 4.47
Braylon Sanders — 4.48
Jalen Tolbert — 4.49

A large chunk of this lot are going to go in the first three rounds.

If the Seahawks are going to take a receiver — there’s a decent chance they’re named above.

If they believe Eskridge will ultimately develop into a top WR3 — then the fact the receivers showed so well is good news for Seattle. If the league taps into this position early and often, it increases the chances of good players at other positions (offensive and defensive linemen perhaps) lasting to Seattle.

I didn’t expect Ohio State pair Olave and Wilson to run as well as they did. They will almost certainly go in the top-20 after this. They were always polished and productive. I thought they’d test only reasonably, limiting their stock to the top-40.

That was clearly a significant misjudgement.

Given the lack of clear top-10 options this year, it shouldn’t be a surprise if either play moves into that range after running this quickly.

I’ve been a big fan of Alec Pierce, Wan’Dale Robinson and Calvin Austin. I’ve rated them higher than most and the way they ran and went through drills likely means, if anything, I should’ve bumped them even higher.

Pierce led all receivers with a 40.5 inch vertical, with Austin just behind at 39 inches.

I think the trio tick a lot of boxes for Seattle if they last into range in rounds three or four.

Pierce gets downfield, wins at the red-line and high-points. It felt easy to project Gary Jennings to Seattle a few years ago. Pierce feels like a bigger, faster, more explosive version.

Robinson has a sturdy frame and he competes like crazy. He reminds me, at least in terms of how he’s built, to Golden Tate.

Austin is dynamic and shifty. He’s not Tyler Lockett but they can do similar things.

Other names that stood out today were Christian Watson (a truly dynamic downfield receiver at North Dakota State), Jahan Dotson (who looked very smooth, polished and quick) and Skyy Moore (perhaps a tad overplayed on the broadcast but he still performed well).

I might have 10-12 receivers graded in rounds 1-2 after this. There are names on the 4.4-runner list I need to go away and study.

One receiver who struggled was Treylon Burks. He looked heavy and like he was carrying bad weight. His frame is unrefined. He will fall based on this performance.

A final note on the receivers. If you want a clear example of the impact of the change to prime-time and messing with the schedule, here it is:

Receivers running a three-cone in 2017: 40
Receivers running a three-cone in 2022: 13

Receivers doing the bench press in 2017: 45
Receivers doing the bench press in 2022: 3

Thoughts on the quarterbacks

The production, frequent commercial breaks, forced banter from the on-air talent and camera angles made it difficult to assess the QB’s. Here are a few thoughts anyway.

Malik Willis showed the strongest arm and biggest ‘wow’ factor physically. He also showed an ability to throw with comfort and control when he shifted down the gears. Willis had a nice ‘deep throw’ duel with Carson Strong but he was the winner. He might’ve separated himself from the other QB’s here.

With the veteran quarterback market being colder than expected, Willis could end up being drafted a lot higher than is perhaps justified. Teams can sell the idea of going for him on physical talent. Carolina and Washington could be options in round one. Pittsburgh could trade up for him.

To max-out his talent, though, I think he needs to play in a Greg Roman-style offense. He struggles to read the field, he sets off when the first read isn’t there, he doesn’t do a good enough job with his hots and he had a lot of turnovers largely due to poor mechanics.

Regardless, this was a good day for Willis. He has the creativity, the arm and the improvisation teams love in the modern NFL.

Kenny Pickett looked fine. There was nothing particularly wrong, just nothing that spectacular either. He looked very comfortable. I didn’t like the two hitches he used on some of his throws, throwing against thin air. It won’t be a surprise if he goes in round one too because again — there’s a huge QB need this year and teams will convince themselves that Pickett can be a Derek Carr type.

Desmond Ridder the athlete was sensational. He ran a 4.52, jumped a 36 inch vertical and a 10-7 broad jump. His physical profile is by far the most appealing and that could put him in the top-40. However, some of his accuracy issues showed up again during drills. He was throwing inside too much on passes intended to be closer to the sideline. He was a fraction off sometimes. He also had some really good throws too.

Carson Strong showed off his arm (and he needed to after a mediocre Senior Bowl). However his accuracy was hit and miss and he bizarrely threw low on several occasions. Nerves? Pressure?

Sam Howell was poor for me. He’s nothing special as an athlete and his accuracy and ball placement wasn’t that good. To me he’s a poor man’s Baker Mayfield and looks like a very average prospect.

Jack Coan, however, looked decent. Reasonable arm. Decent accuracy. Delivered some nice passes with a variety of touch and velocity. He’s also a better athlete than expected — jumping a 33 inch vertical and a 9-7 broad.

Tomorrow the running backs and offensive linemen perform. It’s ‘TEF’ day at Seahawks Draft Blog — and we know what Seattle likes in a running back too. Join us for our live blog producing constant updates throughout the day. Then we’ll have another end-of-day recap (including all of the TEF scores).

If you enjoy the content on Seahawks Draft Blog then please consider supporting us via Patreon (click the tab below)…

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Welcome to the 2022 NFL combine coverage on Seahawks Draft Blog.

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

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

We want you to get involved too so use the comments section to have your say on everything happening at the combine.

Keep refreshing this page for updates.

Before we get started, check out the podcast below I recorded this week with Brandan Schulze from the Seahawkers podcast:

Injury news

It has been revealed that Tyler Linderbaum will not be doing any testing as he recovers from an injury. It’s already been announced that Derek Stingley won’t be doing any drills either.

I’ve since discovered several other key names will not test:

Jeremy Ruckert (TE)
Malik Willis (QB)
Matt Corral (QB)
Nakobe Dean (LB)
Hassan Haskins (RB)
Drake London (WR)
Carson Strong (QB)
Andrew Booth (CB)
Sam Howell (QB)

Hopefully there won’t be many more names added to the list.

Horizontal board

I’ve made slight tweaks before the start of the combine.

Click the image to make it bigger:

More Russell Wilson talk

A quick digression from the combine talk. Mike Florio raises an interesting point:

Neither John Schneider nor Pete Carroll dismissed outright a Wilson trade when they spoke yesterday. Their language was very carefully considered.

Carroll:

“At this time of year, there are conversations about everybody. We talk about everybody. It’s commonplace to have conversations with other teams about all of the players, particularly marquee players, and that’s not changed. It’s been the same every year we have been here, so it’s the same as it’s been. We have no intention of making a move there.”

Schneider:

“I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t listen to it, if I just blew people off. When it’s out there in the media and all that, of course if I was with another team I’d call and be like, ‘Hey, what’s up with Russell Wilson?’. Just because you field those calls and questions doesn’t mean we are out there actively shopping him.”

I don’t think any of this is going to mean anything. I don’t imagine any scenario where they trade Wilson because ultimately, there are not alternatives and the Seahawks can’t afford another bad season. Neither are they in a position, with Carroll approaching 71-years-old, to launch a long-term rebuild.

Trading Wilson to enter the Mitchell Trubisky market isn’t realistic. Thus, no deal is going to happen this year.

However, I think both men were keeping their options open. You could even say they encouraged people to get in touch by not squashing the whole thing.

After all, Andy Reid would slam the phone down if someone called about Patrick Mahomes. I doubt he’d be telling the media ‘it’s commonplace to have those talks’.

Perhaps if the Seahawks are blown away by an offer, they’ll consider it? Wilson would still have to agree to a trade but we all know by now that he too is keeping his options open. Is there still an offer that could tempt Seattle, somewhere?

They keep talking about ‘difficult decisions’, after all.

Florio raises a good point. Wilson and the Seahawks will need to talk contract next year. Those talks will happen a year after Aaron Rodgers signs a deal worth +$45m a year. If the Seahawks have no intention of matching or topping that contract, then trading him in 12 months is very realistic anyway. So if a great offer comes in now, you might as well weigh up your options.

Of course, I still think they’ll determine ‘going for it’ with Wilson in 2022 will be better and they’ll kick the can down the road.

Eventually, they’ll have to pick that can up though. So they might as well see what Denver, Washington and others are willing to spend now.

Wilson is due a $5m roster bonus on March 20th so this is likely a 16-day window for talks. I get the sense Seattle’s top brass are on a fact-finding mission this weekend, even if they ultimately rebuff any offers.

The NFL is ruining the combine

The move to prime-time was asinine and counterproductive. A lot of prospects won’t do the short shuttle or three cone because they’ll be asked to do it at 10pm.

This year they’ve decided to move the bench press to the same day as on-field drills.

It’s the dumbest thing they could do.

Just one wide receiver did the bench press today. The rest skipped it. Why? Because why the heck would you want DOMS from benching right before you do drills, when you’re a speed/skill player?

There’s nowhere near enough recovery time. These receivers are being asked to bench 225lbs when they weigh about 200lbs. It’s a lot easier for offensive linemen who weigh +300lbs (although the test ends up being cardio for them, not a true test of power). It’s about time they switch to the powerball throw (which can easily be done on the same day as drills).

These days we’ve got a prime-time combine with loads of key players not testing, or not doing a complete test, and several position groups likely to skip certain workouts.

Great job, NFL.

They are destroying this event. For teams and fans.

Forty yard dash times (tight ends)

Austin Allen — 4.79 & 4.84
Daniel Bellinger — 4.63 & 4.68
Grant Calcaterra — 4.63 & 4.63
Greg Dulcich — 4.61 & 4.73
Jake Ferguson — 4.77 & 4.82
Jeremiah Hall — 4.79 & 4.98
Peyton Hendershot — 4.80 & 4.83
Connor Heyward — 4.73 & 4.77
Curtis Hodges — 4.83 & 4.86
Chigoziem Okonkwo — 4.54 & 4.52
Cole Turner — 4.76 & 4.77
Jelani Woods — 4.61 & 4.62

The following players did not run a forty:

Trey McBride
Jalen Wydermyer
Isaiah Likely
Charlie Kolar

All four are doing field workouts but didn’t run a forty.

We also know Jeremy Ruckert isn’t doing anything.

My list of ‘combine complaints’ are starting early.

The music they are playing at Lucas Oil Field is incredibly irritating. It’s so faint in the distance and echoing around the empty stadium. Rich Eisen compared it to elevator music because it’s just the type of standard ‘NFL music’ you hear on commercials for the league.

I do not care about Peter Schrager’s opinion when the tight ends are running their forty yard dashes. Nobody watching this wants to hear his overall assessment of the draft class. If you are watching this you are a NFL geek. You don’t want this to be ‘Good Morning Football’.

The sled is back and several are the tight ends struggled with it. Unsurprisingly, Tre McBride had the best rep. He’s the best blocking tight end and combines power with leverage. Many of the other TE’s were stood up by the sled. Jelani Woods also had a good rep, after running well in the 40.

McBride looked really good in the gauntlet too. He’s making his case to be the top-TE. Chigoziem Okonkwo was incredibly hesitant during his rep. Isaiah Likely’s catching looked sharp — he had a really nice catch away from his body.

Jalen Wydermyer caught a lot of balls close to his body but arguably looked the smoothest athlete running his gauntlet. Greg Dulcich’s second rep was also impressive and Jake Ferguson caught a very difficult pass well over his head, showing great hands.

Isaiah Likely just looks the part. So does Tre McBride.

Dulcich is an incredibly quick, smooth athlete as everyone should’ve expected. He’s running with purpose and suddenness. This is why I’ve had him as a second round pick since early in the college football season. With his profile he will challenge opponents with his athleticism.

Okonkwo is running his reps far too carefully. He’s way too tentative.

Official forty times (tight ends)

Chigoziem Okonkwo — 4.52
Jelani Woods — 4.61
Grant Calcaterra — 4.62
Daniel Bellinger — 4.63
Greg Dulcich — 4.70
Connor Heyward — 4.72
Cole Turner — 4.76
Peyton Hendershot — 4.80
Jake Ferguson — 4.81
Austin Allen — 4.83

A quick reminder — the most important testing result for this group is the short shuttle and three cone.

Some of the passes on these tight end drills have been horrendous. Give the guys a chance.

Dulcich again on the comeback drill. He just looks fantastic out there. Fluid movements, good hands, everything just connected and natural. Jake Ferguson is fighting things a bit and doesn’t look as good as hoped.

Charlie Kolar has a quick change of direction but is a bit of a coaster on his routes. McBride and Likely continue to look terrific. They, along with Dulcich, have impressed the most with their movement skills.

Ferguson has a better rep on the corner route drill and looked quicker than he has done so far. I’m really, really impressed with Likely. More than I expected to be. Smooth again from McBride. It’s the same names popping up on every drill. When they switched the drills to the other side — Dulcich sprinted into his route with great speed and then adjusted, without losing any momentum. Superb.

They’ve turned the music off. Hallelujah.

Another fantastic route from Likely, tracking the ball brilliantly. Serious crush based on what he’s showing here.

Dulcich shows a really quick release off the snap and gets into his routes far quicker than any other tight end is showing. Curtis Hodges just had a really nice high-pointed catch. Likely got his body twisted on his but still came up with it. McBride had a really nice grab, as did Cole Turner. Jalen Wydermyer went for a nice one-hander.

That concludes the tight end drills.

I’m really hoping with the tight ends finishing first today, most will do the shuttle drills and three cone. Keep your fingers crossed.

Some of the receiver jumps are coming in.

Treylon Burks jumped a 33 inch vertical with a 10-3 broad. That’s only a so-so result.

Calvin Austin, who I’ve been grading in round three, had a 39 inch vertical and an 11-3 broad.

Jahan Dotson managed a 36 inch vertical and a 10-1 broad.

Forty yard dash times (quarterbacks)

Jack Coan — 4.87 & 4.93
Dustin Crum — 4.79 & 4.74

That’s it. Two quarterbacks are running from this group. There are two quarterback groups.

Forty yard dash times (receiver)

Calvin Austin — 4.32 & DNP
Kevin Austin — 4.37 & 4.43
David Bell — 4.64 & 4.62
Slade Bolden — 4.63 & 4.62
Treylon Burks — 4.55 & 4.50
Dai’Jean Dixon — 4.66 & 4.58
Jahan Dotson — 4.41 & 4.47
Dontario Drummond — 4.65 & 4.61
Ty Fryfogle — 4.55 & 4.49
Danny Gray — 4.33 & DNP
Johnny Johnson III — 4.62 & 4.51
Velus Jones Jr — 4.34 & 4.32
Bo Melton — 4.39 & 4.34
Skyy Moore — 4.39 & 4.41
Jalen Nailor — 4.47 & 4.46

Not great times for Treylon Burks. Yes, he’s a bigger receiver. But I’m not sure you can justify an unofficial 4.50 and a 33 inch vertical in the first round — let alone the early first round.

Calvin Austin and Velus Jones — two players I had rated in round three, both ran superbly. I will need to adjust my grade on David Bell after two disappointing runs in the 4.6’s.

Jahan Dotson looked terrific running the gauntlet. So smooth, so confident.

The receiver jumps have been published.

Vertical jumps:

Alec Pierce — 40.5
Calvin Austin — 39
Ty Fryfogle — 39
Kevin Austin — 39
Christian Watson — 38.5
Bo Melton — 38
Jalen Nailor — 38
Erik Ezukanma — 36.5
Jahan Dotson — 36
Wan’Dale Robinson — 34.5
Braylon Sanders — 34.5
Skyy Moore — 34.5
Dontario Drummond — 34
Da’Jean Dixon — 34
Danny Gray — 34
Kyle Phillips — 33.5
Charleston Rambo — 33.5
George Pickens — 33
Velus Jones — 33
David Bell — 33
Treylon Burks — 33
Slade Bolden — 32
Chris Olave — 32
Johnny Johnson — 32
Makai Polk — 31
Reggie Robinson — 29

Broad jumps:

Christian Watson — 11-4
Calvin Austin — 11-3
Isaiah Weston — 11-3
Devon Williams — 11-1
Kevin Austin — 11
Tyquan Thornton — 10-10
Jalen Nailor — 10-8
Ty Fryfogle — 10-7
Erik Ezukanma — 10-6
Danny Gray — 10-6
Skyy Moore — 10-5
Mike Woods — 10-5
Dai’Jean Dixon — 10-5
Khalil Shakir — 10-4
Garrett Wilson — 10-3
Jalen Tolbert — 10-3
Dontario Drummond — 10-2
Treylon Burks — 10-2
Velus Jones — 10-1
Jahan Dotson — 10-1
Bo Melton — 10-1
Braylon Sanders — 10-1
Johnny Johnson — 10-1
David Bell — 9-10
Wan’Dale Robinson — 9-10
Charleston Rambo — 9-10
Slade Bolden — 9-8
Tre Turner — 9-5

Here are the jumps from the tight ends…

Vertical jump:

Isaiah Likely — 36
Chig Okonkwo — 35.5
Curtis Hodges — 34.5
Daniel Bellinger — 34.5
Austin Allen — 34
Greg Dulcich — 34
Chase Allen 33.5
Trey McBride — 33
Connor Heyward — 32.5
Peyton Hendershot — 32.5
Jake Ferguson — 31.5
Jeremiah Hall — 29
Cole Turner — 27

Broad jump:

Daniel Bellinger — 10-5
Greg Dulcich — 10-2
Austin Allen — 10-1
Cole Turner — 10
Jake Ferguson — 9-10
Curtis Hodges — 9-9
Chase Allen — 9-9
Peyton Hendershot — 9-9
Trey McBride — 9-9
Jeremiah Hall — 9-3

Not a great set of jumps from the TE’s.

I like the way Jack Coan is throwing. Kaleb Eleby is throwing a little too hard at times.

It’s very difficult to track who is catching the football during these drills. The camera angles are poor and they keep splitting the screen to do interviews. Thus, the presenters are not talking about the players.

Bring back Mayock next year, please.

Treylon Burks looks like he’s carrying too much bad weight. He looks heavy and sluggish.

Sam Howell isn’t doing anything to convince me he’s little more than a fourth rounder. Cole Kelley looks better. Even on the deep-out he threw out of bounds, then short and incomplete. Just poor.

Skyy Moore had a really nice grab on his deep route, completing the catch with his fingertips at full stretch on the run. I think Coan has done the best job throwing deep so far. He just had a superb fade pass, perfectly placed.

That ends the first group session of quarterbacks and receivers. The NFL Network coverage has been unimpressive. Too much time interviewing a child about his podcast and taking the piss out of Michael Irvin’s polo-shirt. Not enough time assessing what we’re actually seeing on the field and — given the camera angles — who we’re seeing.

Here are the quarterback jumps:

Vertical jumps:

Desmond Ridder — 36
EJ Perry — 34.5
Kenny Pickett — 33.5
Jack Coan — 33
Bailey Zappe — 30
Brock Purdy — 27
Kaleb Eleby — 25.5

Broad jumps:

Desmond Ridder — 10-7
EJ Perry — 10-3
Kenny Pickett — 10-1
Jack Coan — 9-7
Skylar Thompson — 9-4
Kaleb Eleby — 9-3
Bailey Zappe — 9-1

Fair play to Jack Coan. Not only did he throw the best from group one, he’s a better athlete than anyone expected.

Forty yard dash times (quarterbacks)

EJ Perry — 4.60 & 4.68
Kenny Pickett — 4.67 & 4.69
Brock Purdy — 4.81 & 4.76
Desmond Ridder — 4.50 & 4.49
Skylar Thompson — 4.89 & 4.86
Bailey Zappe — 4.83 & 4.78

Desmond Ridder looks in fantastic shape and is having a big-time day in terms of testing. That will make a difference in a class with no clear QB1.

Forty yard dash times (receivers)

Chris Olave — 4.26 & DNP
Kyle Phillips — 4.50 & 4.53
George Pickens — 4.43 & 4.40
Alec Pierce — 4.33 & DNP
Makai Polk — 4.50 & 4.59
Charleston Rambo — 4.53 & 4.51
Wan’Dale Robinson — 4.38 & DNP
Braylon Sanders — 4.42 & 4.47
Khalil Shakir — 4.35 & 4.40
Tyquan Thornton — 4.21 & DNP
Jalen Tolbert — 4.50 & 4.44
Tre Turner — 4.44 & 4.50
Christian Watson — 4.28 & 4.31
Isaiah Weston — 4.39 & 4.43
Devon Williams — 4.63 & DNP
Garrett Wilson — 4.37 & DNP
Michael Woods II — 4.55 & 4.50

Didn’t expect that from Chris Olave. Wow. He’ll be a first round pick with that time. He might as well go home now. Ditto Garrett Wilson.

Alec Pierce and Wan’Dale Robinson are two players I’ve been rating higher than most. They both ran superbly too.

Tyquan Thornton’s 4.21 — if it stands — is a new combine record.

The tight end agility testing results are coming in…

Three cone:

Austin Allen — 7.00
Chase Allen — 7.03
Jake Ferguson — 7.03
Greg Dulcich — 7.05
Daniel Bellinger — 7.05
Cole Turner — 7.06
Curtis Hodges — 7.14
Jeremiah Hall — 7.43

Those times under 7.10 are the ones to focus on. They will be the players on Seattle’s radar.

It’s very disappointing how few players did the three cone.

More did the short shuttle:

Peyton Hendershot — 4.25
Austin Allen — 4.26
Curtis Hodges — 4.28
Greg Dulcich — 4.37
Cole Turner — 4.41
Chase Allen — 4.43
Daniel Bellinger — 4.47
Jake Ferguson — 4.48
Isaiah Likely — 4.57
Jeremiah Hall — 4.62

Back to the WR/QB drills — I like the way Alec Pierce cupped his hands to the ball during the gauntlet. Garrett Wilson’s technique was a bit odd. He jumped to catch every gauntlet pass.

Wan’Dale Robinson’s body type reminds me a bit of Golden Tate. Very thick, sturdy. He just made a fantastic low catch on a bad, low throw from Carson Strong (who, for some reason, keeps throwing low).

Kenny Pickett has started well in this throwing session.

Malik Willis and Carson Strong both showed off strong arms in the deep-passing drills. Kenny Pickett’s were a bit flatter. Not bad just nothing special. Ridder’s second deep throw was a lot better than his first, that was too inside and fluttered.

Strong and Willis threw the last two passes and launched them downfield. Strong needed to show off a bit after a mediocre Senior Bowl. Willis matched his deepest throw in terms of distance.

On the second set of deep-balls, Pickett looked a bit stronger. Ridder ripped it downfield on his second rep. Strong underthrew his first and then overthrew his second on the throws to the right hand side of the field. Willis was the star on the deep throws overall — he was the most consistently strong in this areas. He appears to be separating from the group due to his physical upside.

Daniel Jeremiah treats the broadcast like the boys are having beers and tries to crack too many jokes.

I wish we’d seen more of the drills during this second session. It felt like there were more commercials.

That concludes day one of the combine. I’ll end the live blog for today. Stay tuned for my reaction article (posted soon) and don’t forget to join us tomorrow for live coverage of the running back and O-line drills (TEF day).

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

Pete Carroll had his combine press conference today

I thought it was Carroll’s best media appearance in a long time. Some of the old energy was back. He didn’t insult anyone’s intelligence like he did last summer, claiming the Russell Wilson saga was a media creation.

His answers were direct and to the point. I liked the way he answered the question over Wilson’s future. He didn’t shirk anything. There was a degree of humility involved (admitting they’d been ‘arrogant’ with their approach to defense).

To me this was a very positive press conference and was a good way to begin the off-season churn.

There were noteworthy comments. He suggested the Seahawks want another Darrell Taylor type player. Taylor didn’t do any combine testing due to injury but he measured at 6-4, 267lbs with 33 inch arms. It’s worth looking to see who weighs and measures in this range. I’m going to discuss some candidates below.

It’s perhaps also worth noting that Chandler Jones is 6-5 and 265lbs, with a lot of experience in the kind of role Seattle is looking for as a 3-4 rusher within their system. I still firmly believe he will (and should be) a key target. Jadeveon Clowney and Von Miller have also, of course, played this role.

Carroll stated they needed to develop the interior pass rush. Again this was encouraging. To me it seems pretty clear they intend to add at least one EDGE and one interior rusher. There are plenty of options in free agency and the draft. Given Carroll also talked up the existing DT’s on the roster (including free agent Al Woods) I suspect he might be looking for either a complementary inside/out rusher to kick inside on third down, or a specialist interior rusher.

It certainly seems like their main aim is to ‘keep their own’ on the offensive line. That was perhaps the least encouraging comment. I have no issue with retaining Duane Brown but was hoping for upgrades at center and right tackle. We’ll see how this plays out. Given Carroll also mentioned how ‘well’ he thinks they’ve managed their cap over the years — rather than be creative to spend a bit, it seems like they might view O-line retention as a cost-effective measure so they can spend elsewhere.

It was certainly positive to hear Carroll’s totally non-committal answer on Bobby Wagner. He mentioned it was a time for difficult decisions but offered more hope than assurance that Wagner would be back.

For me, Wagner is a shadow of his former self. He has become old, expensive, hesitant, he avoids contact too much and he doesn’t make anywhere near enough splash plays. I want to move on, without any fresh agreement. Yet I feared the Seahawks would crack on, paying a fortune based on sentimentality. Carroll’s answer felt a lot like a ‘say the respectful thing now, do the necessary thing later’ approach.

They save $16.6m by moving on. Spend that money on the trenches and tap into this excellent linebacker class between rounds 2-4. I feel more confident than I did yesterday that this might just happen.

Players I want to see perform at the combine

I’ve written out a collection of names that particularly intrigue me for the Seahawks ahead of the start of testing on Thursday when the tight ends, quarterbacks and receivers kick things off.

Dameon Pierce (RB, Florida)
For me, he’s everything the Seahawks look for in a running back. They want aggressive runners who fight for yards after contact. He screams ‘Seahawks’. He also fits their size ideals and he’s expected to be an explosive tester — having jumped a 37 inch vertical at Florida. He might not land in Seattle but Pierce is pretty much the prototype for what they go for.

Tyrion Davis-Price (RB, LSU)
Nobody talks about him and I don’t get it. We’re talking about a big 6-1, 225lbs brute who can take contact and make extra yards but also shows deceptively quick feet to avoid tackles. He was excellent on a bad LSU team. At SPARQ he ran a 4.53, jumped a 34 inch vertical and ran a 4.40 short shuttle.

Alec Pierce (WR, Cincinnati)
Gary Jennings was such an obvious ‘Seahawk’ in 2019 and it wasn’t a surprise they took him in round four. He had everything they look for — playing style and testing profile. I think Pierce fits the same bill. He can get downfield and he’s expected to run in the 4.4’s. He can win at the red line and high-points well. He’s a multi-sport athlete and a willing blocker in the running game. He’s going to do brilliantly in the jumps.

Kyle Phillips (WR, UCLA)
There’s just something about Phillips that stood out on tape. He gets open, he makes plays, he’s quick. He’s a smaller receiver but there’s a natural talent on show. I want to see if he can test well enough to get on Seattle’s radar.

The tight end class
Can it live up to expectations? It’s such a strong group but until they get out there and perform you just don’t know. I can’t wait to see the agility testing numbers (short shuttle, three cone) to get a proper feel on the potential on offer — and discover who could be on Seattle’s radar.

Abraham Lucas (T, Washington State)
Another very underrated player who looked like one of the best athletes on the field at the Senior Bowl. He ran a 4.30 short shuttle at SPARQ and ran a 5.03. If he puts up those numbers again — and is an explosive tester in the broad and vertical — he’ll go as early as I’ve been projecting (round one).

Obinna Eze (T, Memphis)
A forgotten man in this class with vines for arms and a terrific physical profile for the left tackle position. How does he test? Is he explosive? I’m eager to find out.

Tyler Smith (T, Tulsa)
He’s become a big favourite of draft twitter thanks to his highlight reel blocks but I still think there’s a rawness to his game and I want to find out how good his physical profile truly is.

Cameron Jurgens (C, Nebraska)
Yet another wildly underrated player. Jurgens plays with his hair on fire, is reportedly up towards 300lbs and ran a 4.98 at SPARQ with a 33 inch vertical jump. He’s a great prospect who combines attitude, physicality and superb athleticism. He should shine in Indianapolis and finally get the attention he deserves.

Cole Strange (C, Chattanooga)
Strange had a big Senior Bowl and has a chance to be this years’ Quinn Meinerz if he tests well at the combine. I want to see how quick and explosive he is.

Zach Tom (T, Wake Forest)
He’s undersized and might need to kick inside to center but I thought his tape was terrific and I’m looking forward to seeing measurements and testing results.

Boye Mafe (DE, Minnesota)
I’m afraid he’s too good to last. When the Seahawks talk about getting another Darrell Taylor, they probably mean this guy. He’s 6-3, 255lbs and bends and straightens like Taylor, plays with aggression in his hands and wins in multiple ways. If Seattle still had the #10 pick I would’ve written an article championing Mafe to be their choice. I don’t think he’ll last to #41 but he’ll be fun to watch anyway — just in case.

Sam Williams (DE, Ole Miss)
If Mafe isn’t there (and several others are gone too) then it might be that Williams presents an intriguing alternative. He’s a little bit more rigid that Taylor when attacking the edge but he plays with a strong motor, great attitude and he has a similar backstory to Taylor (has a young child). Ole Miss listed him at 265lbs (which was Taylor’s weight at Tennessee) but at the Senior Bowl he weighed in at 250lbs. It’s said he can run in the 4.4’s and jump a 40 inch vertical. Keep an eye on him because he’s an option for #41.

Dominique Robinson (DE, Miami-OH)
I really liked what he showed on tape and he could be a sleeper for Seattle. Supposedly he can run in the 4.6’s and deliver a short shuttle time of 4.31. He was 254lbs at the Senior Bowl with good length. There’s something about him. He’s a receiver convert so needs room to grow but he fits the bill of a Taylor-type.

Myjai Sanders (DE, Cincinnati)
He was only 242lbs at the Senior Bowl so he’s a little light. Yet his lean frame and length did make him look like a Seahawks pass rusher. He’s supposedly capable of a 4.10 short shuttle which would attract Seattle’s attention. He’s also expected to jump a 35 inch vertical and a 10-2 broad.

Jordan Davis & Devonte Wyatt (Georgia)
Watching these two massive humans train for the combine was a breathtaking experience. They are incredible. This will be pure entertainment (although neither will be available at #41).

Perrion Winfrey (DT, Oklahoma)
I want the Seahawks to play with more aggression and violence on defense and that’s how Winfrey approached the Senior Bowl. There are no testing numbers available for him from High School or college so let’s see how he gets on. His inconsistent play and the challenging scheme in Oklahoma could keep him on the board at #41. I wonder if he could be another Chris Jones.

Travis Jones (DT, Connecticut)
Time and time again he drove people into the backfield in Mobile but he’s also a terrific athlete for a nose tackle. He’s being touted as a 4.57 short shuttle runner which would be insane at 326lbs. He showed those movement skills in the figure-eight drill at the Senior Bowl and he was always viewed as a great athlete at UConn.

Josh Paschal (DE, Kentucky)
One of my favourites. Paschal just plays with an explosive attitude and sets the tone. He ran a 4.30 short shuttle at SPARQ at 253lbs and added a 39 inch vertical. He’s not a defensive end who will scream off the edge but he could be a tremendous chess piece who showed at Kentucky he can drive interior blockers into the backfield when he kicks inside and make countless TFL’s in the running game. Love him.

Logan Hall (DE/DT, Houston)
Another potential inside/out rush candidate. He was hailed at Houston for his change of direction skills and speed so let’s see how it translates to testing.

Channing Tindall (LB, Georgia)
A self-confessed ‘freak of nature’ — Tindall ran a 4.19 short shuttle at SPARQ and jumped a 40 inch vertical. Recently this list was brought to my attention — it’s the top High School discus throwers who are attending the combine:

196’08 – Cameron Jurgens
187’11 – Otito Ogbonnia
183’01 – Austin Deculus
182’00 – Darian Kinnard
176’03 – Luke Wattenburg
171’06 – Logan Bruss
167’07 – Tyler Smith
166’03 – Channing Tindall
166’01 – Tyler Linderbaum
161’09 – Haskell Garrett

You’ll recognise certain names we’ve discussed already — such as Cameron Jurgens at the top and Tyler Smith. Yet among that hefty group of big offensive linemen is Channing Tindall, who was 219lbs in High School. Impressive.

Leo Chenal (LB, Wisconsin)
On tape he works upfield and is always attacking the LOS. If you didn’t know his athletic profile, you’d think he must be limited because everything is blitzing and trying to break into the backfield. Yet he’s been timed running a 4.00 short shuttle. If he emulates that at the combine, he’ll be on Seattle’s radar.

Montaric Brown (CB, Arkansas)
A former four-star recruit who I think is a tremendous, underrated prospect but I have no testing or measurement numbers so I want to see what he does. He had five picks in 2021 and stood out on tape.

Cam Taylor-Britt (CB, Nebraska)
He’s such a physical, aggressive cornerback but to play man coverage in Seattle’s shifting defensive scheme he’ll need to show he can run too. Fingers crossed for a good forty and some smooth transitions during drills.

Kerby Joseph (S, Illinois)
Another player with five picks in 2021 and I like his combination of size, range and ability to roam around and fly to the ball. He was only a three-star recruit and I have no testing numbers again, so he’ll be one player I watch closely.

Bryan Cook (S, Cincinnati)
A heart and soul player who will go earlier than many of the national sites are projecting. I’m keen to see if he has a strong enough physical profile to justify that prediction. He missed the Senior Bowl due to injury so he might not test.

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