Tyler Linderbaum — not a fit for every team but seemingly a fit in Seattle
By now you all know what I’d do in this draft. There are very appealing defensive options and I like the idea of the Seahawks trying to build a great defense as the foundational start of this rebuild.
But there’s no point just talking about that for a month.
Think back to 2010 and 2011. Seattle spent first round picks on Russell Okung and James Carpenter, plus a third (after trading down from round two) on John Moffitt. Serious investment in the offensive line. They also used a second round pick on Golden Tate.
Even in free agency their big investments were on offense — Sidney Rice, Zach Miller, Robert Gallery.
I’m not sure any of this is particularly indicative of anything for this year. Maybe it’s interesting, though?
Certainly it doesn’t feel beyond the realms of possibility that O-line could again be the focus. And frankly, I wouldn’t have an issue with that.
‘We are going to invest in the offensive line’ is hardly a statement to pick holes in.
Really it’s just about making sure you invest in the right offensive linemen.
For some reason I seem to have been bombarded by the Charles Cross fan-club on Twitter over the last 24 hours for simply pointing out his athletic limitations (26 inch vertical, bang average agility testing, lack of great size).
I don’t think he’s anything close to a top-10 pick — but neither does Daniel Jeremiah. He ranked him as the 23rd best player in the draft. Lance Zierlein has him at #18. I have him generally going in the late teens in my mocks.
I don’t think he’d be a good fit for the Seahawks and I don’t think he has the physical profile to interest them.
Trevor Penning does have the physical profile but he’s also not someone I would want to take too early. He showed a need for real technical refinement at the Senior Bowl and I fear he might end up kicking inside. If I’m taking a tackle in the top-15 I want to think I’m getting a potentially great tackle. With Penning I think there’s just too much of a question mark there.
That doesn’t mean I dislike him as a player. I rate him fairly highly. I just don’t want him at #9.
I don’t think this is a draft to target the left tackle position. For me the top two guys — Evan Neal and Ikem Ekwonu — are both guards. There are some intriguing projects later on but that’s about it.
If the Seahawks want to go after the offensive line in this draft then the reasonable way to do it will be to build inside out. That’s where the talent is.
I do think they will like some of the options and I want to talk about a couple of players in particular we’ve debated recently — plus some other positions.
Zion Johnson (G, Boston College)
It happens every year. You end up talking a player down because the hype becomes too much.
At the Senior Bowl people were talking about Johnson like he was the offensive line equivalent of ‘the Beatles’. He had a decent week. He had some rough reps and some good reps.
You end up arguing against a player just to try and find a grounded reality. The same thing happened with Tyler Linderbaum. I like Linderbaum. Yet all the mocks putting him in the top-10 made you rub your eyes. By pushing back, you sound like you don’t like a player.
In the case of Johnson, now I think the opposite is happening. People have moved on to hyping up the quarterbacks or Charles Cross. We’re missing what he actually is.
Johnson’s the ninth most explosive player to enter the league in the last seven drafts. His TEF score (3.33) is superior to Creed Humphrey (3.25) and Alijah Vera-Tucker (3.31). He’s only a notch below Rashawn Slater (3.37).
Then you keep adding to his profile. He ran a 4.46 short shuttle at 312lbs, which is exceptional. He also has 34 inch arms.
You’re basically talking about a flawless physical profile. That doesn’t mean he’s a flawless prospect but he has every physical tool required to be an outstanding player.
Then throw in the fact he was a two-time captain at Boston College and seemingly has A+ character — and there’s every chance he will go higher than people think. I can’t imagine there’s any way he gets beyond New England at #21.
Carroll’s comments at the owners meeting also felt like a huge accidental tell. Casually dropping out there that Gabe Jackson’s competing for a job felt like a huge honking alarm that Jackson’s not for long in Seattle.
Drafting Johnson, a left guard, would also allow you to move Damien Lewis back to his best position, right guard.
If you don’t want the Seahawks to launch a rebuild by drafting a guard, I appreciate that. I do wonder, though, whether the Seahawks think the best thing to do is to get the top offensive or defensive lineman on their board with their first pick. Honestly, that could be Zion Johnson. For all of the reasons noted above.
Tony Pauline reported last week that Seattle’s preference is to trade down from #9 to acquire more stock. If they move down into the teens, this would be the kind of range where Johnson makes sense.
Tyler Linderbaum (C, Iowa)
Sometimes the obvious is staring you right in the face.
Austin Blythe is a classic hedge. Yes he’s costing $4m — but that’s hardly breaking the bank. They’ve paid a bit more to get someone who knows the line-calls and the blocking scheme.
Let’s just recap what’s happened here. They’ve signed the guy Kansas City hedged Creed Humphrey with. Carroll spoke this week about adjusting to shorter players at center. He hailed Blythe’s wrestling background.
Linderbaum is virtually the exact same size — in height, weight and length. He was known for defeating people like Tristan Wirfs during a dominating High School wrestling career.
If the Seahawks want someone like Blythe at center (and they do, because they signed him) then they’ll love Linderbaum. He’s basically just an upper-echelon version of Blythe.
A lot of teams don’t want a 6-2, 296lbs center with 31 1/8 inch arms. Clearly, the Seahawks are now among the teams who will consider a player like that.
I’m not saying they’re definitely going to draft him or anything. That’s the point of signing Blythe. If the opportunity doesn’t arise, you’ve already got someone who can do the job.
It just feels like, based on what they’re now looking for, that Linderbaum could be a key target for them.
I’ve always felt his stock had to be couched because he’s so scheme specific and unspectacular in terms of size. Other people feel less precious about that. Lance Zierlein, for example, has Linderbaum graded as the eighth best player in the draft. If the Seahawks feel that way about him too — it makes sense for one of the handful of teams prepared to draft a smaller center to be incredibly interested in acquiring him.
Nobody’s going to argue that left guard and center are premium positions — especially when you’ve got big gaps currently at left and right tackle and you need another pass rusher. I’ll be honest though, part of me wouldn’t hate it if their first two picks were Johnson and Linderbaum.
Back-to-back interior offensive line selections would be a big talking point. Think about it though. What does this team want to do? Run the ball, convert third downs, play a connective brand of football.
As noted already, one of the first things Carroll and Schneider did when they arrived in Seattle was spend high picks up front.
They might do that again.
I can imagine a scenario where they view Johnson and Linderbaum among the top players in the draft and that adding them would be more impactful than reaching at other positions or drafting players with question marks.
Given recent reports from Tony Pauline that Linderbaum’s stock is trending towards round two — both players might be in range.
Matt Corral (QB, Ole Miss)
I think the Seahawks should embrace what they are and just build up the roster this year and plan to draft a quarterback next year.
If they’re bad in 2022 and end up with a top-five pick, no problem. You can’t rebuild a team in one off-season.
I also completely appreciate recent reports from Brady Henderson suggesting the Seahawks will wait on this position and draft someone later on. For me, that makes sense and if they prefer to select a Jack Coan or Kaleb Eleby in round four — that’s fine with me.
However, I also think whatever Seattle’s plan is — we aren’t going to find it out. They will keep it private. Why tell anyone anything? Your best leverage in this upcoming draft is nobody knowing what you’re planning at QB.
Without wanting to go over old ground too much, here’s a quick recap on why I think the Seahawks might like Matt Corral.
His throwing mechanics are the best of the top passers in this draft, enabling him to launch the ball with great velocity and torque. This will appeal to both Carroll and Schneider. His pro-day session was quite impressive in terms of his throwing base, release mechanics and use of accurate footwork.
He’s a good distributor and knows how to play within scheme and keep things on track. His mobility means he can operate a lot of play-action and bootleg runs, which work within the Shane Waldron scheme. He can also make plays as a runner. If the play-call asks for him to read his keys and get the ball out, he’ll do it. He’s been well drilled by Lane Kiffin.
Corral is immensely competitive and was reckless proving it at times with the way he tried to run over defenders. He’s got a bit of a spark to him — which has sent him on an emotional rollercoaster in the past. I’m not convinced the Seahawks will shy away from that. They’re still run by Pete Carroll and John Schneider.
The Seahawks have drafted from Lane’s system before (Alex McGough) and I do believe there was something in that combine photo with everyone having a nice little get together — the Kiffin’s, Carroll and Corral.
Remember — Carroll trusts his guys. One of his guys is Ed Orgeron. Two others are Monte and Lane Kiffin. Lane loves Matt Corral. He is likely not going to put Carroll off with his review. Monte also works for Ole Miss. If they are speaking positively about him as a person and a player — that might be sealing the deal.
Perhaps they fully intend to draft a quarterback without the intention of starting them right away? That would explain the relentless Drew Lock and Geno Smith positivity.
All of the QB’s in this draft are ill-prepared to be year-one starters. So you talk up the other two guys because you know, in all honesty, you’re going to need them.
This doesn’t prevent you from taking a quarterback early next year. But it does mean you’ve started the process of trying to find the next guy.
The Seahawks need to start taking some shots. John Schneider has admitted that. So even if Corral might not be the perfect prospect — he might be someone they bring in to see if he can be the future.
I could imagine them trading back into the first round to get him. I can imagine them selecting him early in the second. I can imagine Tennessee, Tampa Bay and Detroit looking long and hard at him too.
If an opportunity arises I won’t be surprised if they make a move on Corral. I think it will need to be a situation where they realise there’s a chance and they take it. I doubt it’s going to be a ‘we can’t leave the draft without him’ type scenario.
Yet if they end up with a whole bunch of high picks, they’ll be in position to use one on a shot to nothing at quarterback. If they trade D.K. Metcalf they might have six or seven picks in the first two days of the draft. If they then trade down from #9, they’d have even more.
I wouldn’t be shocked if they trade down from #9 then trade up from #40 (back into round one). Essentially moving around to get whichever guys they like.
Running back
Some Seahawks fans will complain like a bear with a sore arse if they spend a second or third round pick on a running back. Yet it’s fairly likely, you’d think.
It’s unclear if Chris Carson will continue his career. Even if he does, you can hardly rely on him can you? Rashaad Penny played well at the end of last season but has had a pro-career filled with injury problems.
Travis Homer and Deejay Dallas have not shown to be anything beyond role players.
Carroll quite firmly admitted they needed another runner. And they do.
The Seahawks’ running game has been at best inconsistent and at worst a shambles since Marshawn Lynch departed. One of Carroll’s principles is to run the ball well to connect the whole team together. It seems almost fanciful to imagine he’d be prepared to go into next season with so many injury trapdoors lurking.
Further to that, Penny’s back in a contract year. So there’s no guarantee he’ll be around beyond 2022.
The chances are they will draft someone on day two. There are players worthy of consideration, their salaries would be inexpensive and they’d insure the Seahawks against further health problems.
Breece Hall and Kenneth Walker have the physical profiles to warrant consideration at #40 or #41. Hall in particular tested so well, you wonder if he has Jonathan Taylor upside.
I do think, however, that round three might be the more likely range. And I think Dameon Pierce or Zamir White could be a big target.
Pierce plays with the same kind of intensity as Thomas Rawls. He’s a runaway train-type runner — banging into defenders, driving through contact and finishing. He produces dynamic cuts and change of direction — he’s highly explosive and his play lifts his team mates.
We saw at the Senior Bowl how he energised the other players there. In many ways he is a typical Seahawks runner. It won’t be a shock if they make drafting him a priority. He’s been screaming ‘Seahawks’ for a while.
I also think White is a strong option. He’s had a life of adversity, he’s battled so much at Georgia and he’s had success through sheer grit and determination. He’s loved by team mates for his toughness and his ability to drive through contact while also producing elusive shiftiness and acceleration to pick through small gaps.
In order for the Seahawks to complete Carroll’s vision — they need to be able to block up front and run the football.
Having a draft where they select what they might consider to be the best two offensive linemen available and a great running back more or less ticks that box — with the potential added bonus of taking a shot at a quarterback.
It might not be what a lot of fans want but it’s a plan. And I think all you can ask for as a fan is to see a clear draft vision executed.
If you missed my interview with Mike Florio yesterday check it out below. It’s also available on Spotify and Apple.
If you enjoy the content on Seahawks Draft Blog then please consider supporting us via Patreon (click the tab below)…
It will be really interesting if the Seahawks do take Tyler Linderbaum. The Hawks need to sign Duane Brown. Pay him his money.
I love D.K. Metcalf. But to pay him in the 25-28 million dollar range is extremely questionable. Sounds like a strength in the upcoming draft is wide receiver. So logically it just makes sense to move Metcalf for the RIGHT deal.
If the Seahawks are going to tank (Pete will never tank), that would include dealing DK. But if you’re moving DK and tanking, it makes no sense to sign Brown. That’d be wasted money on an old player in a season that won’t end in the playoffs anyway (and could prevent you from drafting as high in the following draft as possible). If it’s a youth movement, it should be Forsyth/Curhan at OT. And really who cares if they suck? They’re only protecting crap at QB anyways. It’s not like we have anyone on the roster (at QB) worth protecting.
I don’t agree here Bobby.
Trading DK will be about moving resources to other areas of the field so that you can build the team you want to build.
That doesn’t mean you have to have a really bad left tackle situation.
Bringing Brown back would give them a better chance to see what they have in Lock. There’s no way to assess him if his blind side is constantly under assault.
100%
I feel one of the keys to rebuilding is to have just good enough players at key positions. They can’t have a complete turnstile at tackle, corners who can’t cover, or absolutely zero pass rush. It’s kills the confidence of the team and stunts development if we can’t play the whole playbook, etc.
Doesn’t have to be Brown per se, but we need a few options at least.
It’s not just about needing a decent LT to make the offense work either. Duane Brown was the leader of that line last year and a real leader on offense. If you watch a lot of the Seahawks’ practice and game day mic’d up videos you always see Duane leading and guys gravitating around him And that was with veterans like Russ, Gabe Jackson and Shell. If they go even younger on Oline, I can’t think of anyone better to help lead the offense through what is going to be a long difficult season.
Regardless of who’s the QB, having a good player protecting qb’s blindside is the right thing to do.
I could see it. In fact, I could see it with both lines. I know Seattle has stocked up on the defensive side but I don’t see anyone that would preclude taking BPA on the DL, especially if a Wyatt/Leal type slides, like when Jarran Reed unexpectedly slid to us in Rd 2.
A theoretical trade partner that could put them in a position to draft the likes of Zion, Corral, or possibly one of the second tier of pass rushers if that’s the way they want to go, could be with the Eagles.
They need a second Corner to pair with Slay and all three of Sauce, Stingley and McDuffie could be gone by their first pick.
So what I propose is the Eagles trades for #9 and #40 to go and get a CB, sending back picks #15 and #19. Seahawks could pretty confidently draft Zion at 15 and Corral (with a bit of a reach, but if that’s a QB your targeting) at 19.
I can’t see any team in this draft giving up 40 to move up a few spots
Depending on how the Bolts view their situation at RT with Jaimes and Norton competing for the job, I think they’ll do almost everything to strengthen their last weak spot… defending the run.
When I try to make that trade in PFN’s mock engine, I spend #17, #79, #123 plus the 2023 2nd rounder, either to Seattle for #9 or Jets for #10.
The Bolts would get a surefire starter and possible DROY candidate, and start the rest of their picks at #169, filling out the roster in the process. Then, they can return to FA and get a vet ILB on the cheap.
The Seahawks could roll back into a Trevor Penning, Devonte Wyatt, Boye Mafe or Matt Corral range, add valuable picks in R3 and R4, while adding trade power to their 2023 bid for a top QB.
Your last part is the case to trade DK. If they trade him this year you could realistically be looking at an revamped oline and two really good defensive players in one draft.
Another fantastic blog post Rob. The Seahawks have become interesting again, and you keep delivering.
Great point tying together interior line and drafting a RB, as well as needing Drew and Geno anyways this year.
I don’t think Corral will be available late in the first but I could be wrong.
Why would fans be unhappy if the Seahawks drafted a RB early? A good one playing well and staying healthy can turn around a season in a hurry. He could also help carry a middling (Geno) or developing (Lock, Corral) QB. This gets me fired up to dig into these RBs in the draft this year.
If the scenario written about here plays out and they get 3-4 offensive players and no major name on Def in the first 2 days, I’d hope for another splash on Def maybe when they cut Jackson and others later.
“Great point tying together interior line and drafting a RB” I agree.
I had forgotten that Rusell Okung and James Carpenter & Moffit were drafted back-to-back years. They had also traded for Marshawn Lynch in 2010 and drafted Golden Tate in the 2nd round in 2010.
So, if Pete and John use the same roster building formula, it makes sense if we see them addressing o-liine and RB early and often in this draft. Even though I really want defense.
If it’s true they want to trade down from #9 then maybe they do something like the following…
#15 OG Zion Johnson
#40 RT Abraham Lucas
#41 RB Breece Hall
#57 (from 1st rd trade down) OC Dylan Parham
With all the draft capital they have this year, they build the foundation of the offense.
That’s far too early for Parham
I think they’ve got their eye on Linderbaum
If you are right and Linderbaum falls to the late 1st or early 2nd, then I would be happy to move up a some to get him. I would be fairly disappointed if he fell and was drafted a few picks before #40.
In my opinion. In this draft the Seahawks top needs are:
1) Pass rusher
2) Cornerback
3) Offensive Tackle
4) Running Back
5) Linebacker
Everyone knows that QB is a need. But in my opinion not in this draft. I want to see what Drew Lock is now entering his 4th NFL season. This may be his last shot. So it’s now time for Lock. Brock Huard said that Drew Lock is better than any QB in this draft. Who am I to argue that he is wrong. The Hawks can take a flyer on a QB in rounds 4-6. The above listed needs are pretty big needs. Actually the Hawks could use at least one offensive tackle and another player on the offensive line.
One mid-to-late round intrigueing prospect is QB Kaleb Eleby. He is definetly not NFL ready. But I saw him on the NFL Network. I was impressed by him. He seems to have the mental makeup to be an NFL QB. Tony Pauline has Eleby ranked 109 on his big board. The guy needs at least one year. Maybe two years.
How is Brock Huard a God whose opinions we take as gospel? I’d rather trust an actual NFL franchise like the Denver Broncos (who’ve won a Super Bowl more recently than the Seahawks). They think Lock sucks so bad that they’re willing to trade him, a couple other players, including a former #1 pick, along with a pair of #1 draft picks and another pair of 2nd round picks… because their QB situation, led by Drew Lock, sucked so badly. That’s how bad an NFL team thinks he sucks. This is the same stuff that happened year after year in the 1990s. We fans (fooled me once, can’t fool me twice) would always talk ourselves into McGwire being the guy, Mirer being a future HOFer, John Friesz being ready, old man Warren Moon having one last hurrah, etc. We were stupid. I was one of them. Can’t be fooled that way again. Been there, done that. Lock sucks.
Agreed. Hackett came in took a look around and said “nope not for me,” on Lock.
If they thought there was anything there they’d be getting stoked on a ninth overall pick right now and the chance to marry high capital with a new offensive vision.
Bob, I love you man. And I get that Lock is not likely to be the future at the position for the Seahawks.
But he’s basically one of two options as a bridge to the future, which will be drafted this year or next. And I don’t think we need to go OTT hammering the guy all the time.
You have been OTT the past few years about many things related to Carroll and Schneider, especially the horrible off-seasons concerning their pass rush. And you were right. But it’s your blog and I love you too – so I’ll lay off Lock. I think people know how I feel about him:)
I look at Lock like this;
We roll with him and worst case scenario he sucks as bad as you say. That would translate to a 0-5 win season and we would have a top five pick next year in a better QB draft.
He is ok. We win 6-8 games. We still end up with a top ten pick and the draft Capitol to get whoever we want next year. Also, when someone adds him to their roster as a backup I think we get a comp pick the following year. Might be wrong about that.
He is good. We end up 9-11 wins and lose in the first round. That would indicate we are much closer than I think any of us believe we are to contention. We still have the draft Capitol to get a QB and would have less needs than thought. Comp pick? Or sign Lock on a bargain deal for a starting QB.
Final scenario, he is actually good and we finish >12 wins and second round berth. You can still sign him at a bargain because he only has 1 good year of tape.
Okay they’ve had the best look at him so far but is it that cut and dry? Only time will tell. Since the Broncos were getting Wilson, an established commodity and the Seahawks had been high on Lock in the draft, he had to go. He also was part of organizational dysfunction, like switching OCs, Covid, not starting fairly or otherwise.
I wasn’t a Seahawks fan during the Rick Mirer days, but did those guys have the arm talent (besides a 40yr old Moon), SEC production, two sport background and upside Lock does?
For some reason I’d like to hope Lock is decent, even though Matt Corral looks good this year. John Schneider was involved in drafting Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson so maybe he’s onto something?
Say what you will about Brock Huard but the guy is a football lifer. He’s watched all of these guys over time as an analyst. He knows his stuff. Does Lock have more potential than the QBs in this draft? Who knows.
I think you’re overthinking why DEN would make the trade (because Lock sucked so bad). They’ve got a roster of talented players, in the toughest division in football, haven’t made the playoffs in a while & want to make a splash. That’s why you make this trade.
Lock may indeed suck but in ’22 it’s about stocking young, inexpensive talent. Lightning in a bottle with Lock?
Lock may surprise us but let’s not forget that Denver chose to start weak-armed immobile TeddyB over him. We’ll see how he plays but I’m betting he’ll be just a placeholder for the Hawks next QB.
I believe some pundits are looking back at his last two years at Missouri thinking the right coach and scheme could bring back that magic. Completion percentage wasn’t exactly great, but his 2017 TD rate was amazing.
I don’t think he will, though. If they limit him to a very particular scheme to limit his turnover potential, then he would be fine as a bridge to this or next year’s QB draft pick. Just as Rob noted, he’s here for the short-haul. Save draft capital and money by not grabbing the likes of Mayfield.
I actually DON’T trust Denvers assessment on QB’s. I trust Huard more.
Agreed.
Brock’s a great mind but you don’t trust the gm and head coach who have been with the team for one year and zero years? Seems a bit too soon to see if they know anything yet.
Drew Lock will have a chance to show what he can do even if they take a QB early. As mentioned, none of the draft QBs are ready to start year 1. So Lock could start this season and get extended if deserving even if they draft a QB early who’d have a cheap contract. The next season, he’d have to win a battle against that drafted QB. If he can’t beat out others in the next 2 seasons, there’s your answer.
I think RB is a higher need than that but due to the devaluation of the position they can wait until the 2nd or 3rd. The Seahawks playoff decline kind of coincided with along with Marshawn Lynch’s
If they take Corral how many games before Lock is sitting on the bench?
The concern with Corral is who is he sitting and learning from? There is a value from watching how an established player gets through their day and the field decisions they make.
I like Corral quite a bit though not as much as a pass on qb this year early and wait for next year. I worry that when a combo of Lock and Smith play the way they have in their careers he’s (corral,) is getting pushed out on to the field early.
Let’s remember though Pete, this is a coaching staff that has been patient to the point of extreme stubbornness in terms of starting younger players recently.
I don’t think they’d have any problem benching Corral until he’s ready
That is a great point. That PC doesn’t get swayed for right or wrong like other coaches would.
I actually like Corral quite a bit and getting him a strong line and a runningback hopefully one that can catch passes could be pretty fun to watch.
A few snaps here and there against the lesser teams, like Atlanta.
You know how fans are. Rob’s calmy guiding us through the forest of lowered expectations and rebuilding.
But “regular,” fans have no patience. That’s why it’s a good point that Rob brought up that Pete doesn’t care and will sit on a player if necessary.
I’m holding out hope that Drew Lock can be our Steve Young (former 49ers QB). Young was talented and athletic, but he was considered a bust. So Young was traded to the 49ers and went on to have a good career.
More than good! Steve Young was great. In my opinion, he was almost too tough. He ran the ball far too much and suffered multiple concussions.
If only Lock is half the QB Young was…
I’m a big proponent of giving Lock a chance, understanding that it’s a long shot for him to become a many year starter in the league.
Injuries. 2013 and 14, huge seasons and SB appearances. After that, he never played a full season for Seattle again and they never got back. Just like Carson and Penny haven’t stayed healthy enough to turn that trend around.
Heaps likes Corral and Desmond Riddle as Day 2 picks.
I have no problem with the drafting an offensive lineman in R1 as long as the intent is to build a unit with the potential for continuity. That means going with a blue chip talent and not reaching because they are locked into drafting the position.
I would absolutely be okay with a 2nd or 3rd round RB. I also want at least one of our three early picks to be on an OL.
Why would I be fine with that?
If this is ‘the great rebuild’ in an off-season that isn’t allowing us to add a quality QB, then I believe it’s more important to develop the OL first and foremost. Offense is so much more about building continuity on the OL and timing on offense in general. It takes longer to perfect. You don’t have to spend as much time ‘developing’ defensive players. You do, but it generally doesn’t take as long (as many respected NFL coaches have said). That can be added later because 2022 isn’t going to mean anything anyways.
I’d also rather our ’23 draft pick QB to be put in a position to be better protected by properly investing in the OL this year… so guys like Linderbaum, Penning, Jurgens, Lucas, Johnson, etc. are what I’d like now.
I know the Seahawks won’t do it. As has been said, the defensive hires were probably told proper investment will be made on that side of the ball. But if the goal is to compete to actually win a Super Bowl in 2024… I think the best thing to do now would be to trade DK (help get draft stock for ’23 and getting ‘their’ QB) and invest in the OL this year.
Won’t happen, but it should, imo.
If they trade down and get Johnson and move Lewis back to RG that’s an immediate upgrade on the line.
Per the defensive coaches. Signing nwosu abd getting Harris is a bit of an upgrade at least for a new system. By trading back a bit for Johnson that would leave them with two 2’s and probably two 3’s. If you split, offense/defense, that you could reason a good bit of resources with picks and cash…Diggs, Nwosu…would bbe put into the defense.
Two seconds and thirds still leaves a player like Tindall on the board and safety Bryan Cook in the third. Before you spit out your coffee three safeties are probably the way of the future and I’m not even dogging on Adams here but I don’t trust a twice injured player with injuries that directly effect his game.
I generally agree. An offensive line takes longer to get and it would be good to have it moderately functional when we add a QB of the future, hopefully next year. The focus should be on creating a roster that allows a young QB good developmental opportunity in 2023, and aim to be a playoff team in 2024. Going into 2023 with a better o-line would help a lot.
But if course identifying and acquiring the right players is more difficult than just stating a general preference to building the o-line than the D
I meant longer to “gel”, not longer to “get”.
“Gel” or “get”, you ain’t wrong!
I see this draft as an opportunity not only to address positional needs – but to re-establish the culture of the franchise.
If Pete/John want a roaster of BAFMs – they can start with this draft.
Having both Penning and LInderbaum could set a tone for the franchise for years to come.
If there’s an opportunity to get Corral and/or Tindell as well? Even better.
Build a roster of players who enjoy smash mouth football.
Linderbaum has some Dwight Stephenson qualities to him. He’s undersized, but the athleticism is insane. Could last to us in the 40s because of said size.
Penning
Haynes
Linderbaum
Lewis
Curhan/Forsyth
That could actually be the OL that helps our QB and Kenneth Walker lead us to a Super Bowl in two years. I really doubt the Seahawks would go that young on the OL this upcoming season though.
Hopefully Rob can clarify but it seems like Penning might kick inside? Like Scherff did. Or am I sensing this incorrectly?
Penning has the athleticism to play OT but he does lack laterally movement and he doesn’t always anchor well. He would probably be more of a monster inside.
I think his “floor” is playing in “only” a couple Pro Bowls at guard during his career.
I would say the tackle combination of Penning at LT and Curhan at RT would make for the greatest run blocking tandem of Seahawks tackles in team history (better than Okung/Breno). Curhan needs definite growth in pass pro, but I don’t see RT as a position of need. He’s a second year guy on a rookie contract who can already maul in the run game. That’s NOT a guy I want for depth. I want him starting. When I see people saying we need a RT – I chuckle inside because I believe in him that much (we can agree to disagree if you feel RT is a major need in comparison to some positions).
No offense to Big Walt, but Sean Locklear was not a mauler in the run game (he was straight finesse) and that was the best tackle Walt was ever teamed with.
I’d love Penning/Curhan. I just don’t want Penning at 9. I do want him in the early-teens though.
On 3rd & 1 we went left every…single…time behind Walt & Hutch. And it worked every single time.
For the first time in many, many years I am anxiously awaiting the draft.
We don’t know what Pete and John’s true plan is, and that is contributing to my excitement.
Thanks to your hard work, Rob, I will have the horizontal board in front of me, sitting right beside my triple shots of Nespresso on days 1 & 2.
Hmm so what all do the Seahawks need to do this next season? They need to draft and play a bunch of good youngsters while also tanking hard enough to get to pick top 3 for a QB in 2023 and possibly finally getting a new HC and GM. They’ve got their work cut out for them. No guarantees they can pull it off without Stephen Ross as owner… it seems Jody Allen does support PCJS and want to win. We’re “not” rebuilding and not tanking…guess we’re getting a Todd Gurley or Zeke Elliott type and running the ball a lot. Geno is Mr. Backup/Bridge if he comes back, so where does that leave Lock?
It’s not a great roster yet but pete has his ways and I could see them winning 6 games so not quite a tank.
I’m actually neither pro nor con on Lock. He just seems like a guy. But i think he has more spark than Geno so obviously I hope he’s starting next year.
I do think RB is a bigger priority than some fans would argue. I know there’s a 1000 tweets and thinpieces about getting running backs anywhere. But the second round or very early third round is where a first round talent at a devalued position starts to match up.
Unless something really stupid happens and a guy falls to #9 they just have to have… I’m hoping for some trade downs. I think extra 3rd and 4th round picks in this draft are going to be gold. There are so many holes on this roster. You’re right about not trusting a twice injured Adams. I would be thrilled with a 3rd or 4th round SS. But you can’t really do that with all the other more pressing needs. But if they could really add picks… like the San Francisco 49ers did in that one draft in the 1980s where they kept trading down and trading down and trading down, they could really revolutionize this roster. Then they could be ready to get their QB next year and we could party like 2012 next year.
Oops. Meant as a response to Peter.
No worries. I catch your meaning.
Pretty pathetic we trade a pair of #1 picks for a position and we don’t even think that position is good.
Thankfully that quagmire is almost over.
still not soon enough
+12
Guard, Center, Backup RB, and a reach at QB doesn’t sound sexy but might be the prudent approach given the total lack of talent left on this team. It is going to be a brutal season. This type of draft = 3 rushes and a punt or another set of rushes. That would speed up the game clock and make losing at least faster and with a lower score differential. The Hawks have 3 playoff teams ahead of them in their division. In all honesty they are competing but with the Lions and the Jags for a top pick – but those teams a have better Qb’s.
Looked at the RBs, I think there are only 3 that suit us. Based on running style, and physical characteristics: Hall is the guy I want, then White/Pierce if that can’t happen. But admittedly I didn’t look at the less well known names who will go in the late rounds.
Another late round gem like Carson would be great.
I was hoping you’d do a piece with this perspective and bam, there it is! Giving a quarterback(Corrall?) and an o line a year to work together is a smart move. Then bring in the defensive game wreckers in next years draft along with a splash FA or two.
Rob. Any thoughts on potential defensive game wreckers available for next years draft?
With the third pick in the 2023 NFL draft the Seattle Seahawks select Will Anderson.
If we could get our QB next year AND Will Anderson somehow… that would rank up there with the 2012 draft when we got our franchise QB in Wilson and a future HOFer MLB in Wagz. That’s how you go from worst to first.
It’s possible. I’ve crunched draft charts and even if Denver gets to the playoffs I think Seattle will have a native top five pick and Denver’s somewhere in the twenties they could pull a big balls pete and get anderson and trade on back to the top ten for Levi’s. Or other as the college season plays out.
And if Wilson gets hurt next year, like he did this past season, there’s a chance we could get Anderson with our pick AND a QB with the Denver Top 10 pick. Can you imagine that scenario AND still having a pair of 2nd round picks too boot? That’s how you totally change the fortunes of a franchise to us knowing we’re terrible now to being optimistic about an upcoming season.
Wow. BobbyK may have just smiled a bit at that thought! Lol. It nice to have a little hope!!!??
Absolutely! Life is so much better with hope. I just know what ’22 is going to be – so the only hope I have is for the ’23 draft. It’s so hard to have hope if you don’t have a QB though. You just know you’re doomed before you even start. My focus will be on the ’23 draft (after this draft). I’ll simply endure, and probably laugh about, this upcoming season. No sense getting mad when you know your team is bringing knives to gun fights.
Anderson at Alabama is a potential legend in the making
This team is so bad with so many needs, like
LT, RT, C, LG, RB1, CB1, maybe CB2, LB, EDGE, QB
That no matter what they do, they’ll be pretty bad this year.
I wouldn’t mind any draft, but my preference would be a thematic draft.
Trade back, get an LG (Johnson) or RT (Lucas), C (Linderbaum or Jurgens), RB
That’s a run focused draft
Or get a CB (Stingley), trade DK, get a DT, and an EDGE and LB in R2.
That would be a cool defensive draft.
Or you could trade back, get Johnson, Corral, Lucas and White/Pierce which would be a decent offense based draft.
With all these, you could at least pumped about a section of the team. Yeah, we finished 5-12 but hey, our secondary is pretty good and our passrush get better. We need to fix the offense which might work next year.
Or “yeah, we suck at passing, and our defense has holes, but our running game is top3 in the league”
Obviously I’m fine with JJ/KT, Linderbaum/Jurgens and Corral (after trading 41 to maybe 55 or something like that) also if they go BPA.
But I don’t want reaches all over the place. Either BPA or concentrate on a topic/theme.
Drafting Mafe #9 then trading #40 and #41 for late R1 to pick Corral would suck badly
There are so many players I’d be excited to draft this year that it’s become essential to gain more early picks. Lay a solid foundation in the 2022 draft & set the table for an aggressive move up in 2023 to draft a Grrrreat QB. OL has long been the Achilles’ heel of this FO. I’d be ‘pumped’ to get some real dudes playing up front. Would also be happy to nab Hall or Walker III at RB in R2. Forge an identity. As BobbyK mentioned above, an offense takes longer to ripen than a defense so it makes sense to get that OL gelling asap.
Looking at pass rushers I’m going to pattern John & Pete based on past drafting & predict their next target.
2012 R1, Bruce Irvin
Physical freak with red flags due to legal issues & age.
2015 R2, Frank Clark
Physical freak with red flags due to legal issues.
2017 R2, Malik McDowell
Physical freak with red flags due to character concerns.
2020 R2, Darrell Taylor
Physical freak with red flags due to medical history.
Here’s who I think they target this year;
2022 R2, Sam Williams, Ole Miss
Physical freak with red flags due to legal issues & age.
6′ 3 5/8″ 261lbs 9 7/8 hands 33 1/8 arms 80 1/4 wingspan
4.46 40 32.5 vert 10’3″ broad
12.5 sacks, 15 TFL, *4* force fumbles in 2021
Pete can get all the info he needs from his Ole Miss peeps on the sly. While he’s publicly looking at QB Matt Corral, he’s privately deep dive scouting Sam Williams. Don’t be shocked if Sam ends up a Hawk. He would certainly fit the pattern.
If we added 2 OL, 1 RB & an EDGE in the 1st two rounds I wouldn’t cry in my beer.
Additional numbers for Sam Williams;
1.61 sec (10 yard split)
25 bench reps,
4.33 sec (shuttle),
6.93 sec (3 cone),
36” vert jump (pro day)
Solid combine. The depth at pass rush is the only reason my blood doesn’t boil when we talk about selecting anything other than a pass rusher at #9. Williams is one to keep any eye on.
If red flags are the trend then Adam Anderson is also likely to be on the Hawks’ radar (as Rob has mentioned). If his legal case (alleged rape and separate sexual assault) gets dropped (have no idea if that is likely or not) then he’s a high target as well. Court stuff aside, Adam Anderson is Taller and leaner than Williams. He also appeared to be the lead pass rusher on that vaunted Georgia defense before being suspended mid season when the allegations were made. He got exceptional burst and good bend. With Anderson, it feels like Frank Clark draft plan 2.0 — red flag causes a drop in draft stock, leads to Hawks acquiring talent in rd 2 or later that would otherwise never be available so late. Then JS talks for 2 minutes with a serious face saying they did their homework and everything checked out. Then Hawks win a few games and all is water under the bridge.
Kind of a strange frame. 6’5″ 230?
Cons: i hate the allegations
Pro: i at least can appreciate him voluntarily turning himself un.
Overall seems like a big risk and might not get drafted. I’m with Rob seems more likely to focus on those that are currently draftable.
He’s 240lbs
Would be a top-15 pick without the charge
If the case is dropped he will go R2 latest. If it’s not dropped, he has no future in the league
I didn’t see his pro day results just Georgia’s site.
The undrafted part is there’s 4 weeks to make a decision on two investigations. Right or wrong these cases seem to be decided by the time of events but we’ll see.
My understanding is he’s only been charged on one count but I could be wrong. I think the other was an allegation
You’re correct. the first allegations is still under investigation with the sheriff department.
Rob from a purely physical and on field standpoint as an Lb / Edge rusher in the new scheme the Hawks want to run do you prefer Adam Andersen or Sam Williams?
Once again ignoring the off field stuff which I know it is hard do do. Anderson reminds a little of Brian Burns coming out.
Anderson seems like a more obvious scheme fit as a 3-4 OLB.
Williams seems a bit big for a 3-4 OLB & a bit small for a DE. 🤔
I tend to agree. If they miss out on Johnson / Thibodeaux as expected and Anderson gets the legal / off field issues resolved and maybe they go Georgia LB in round 2 with Tindall and round 3 with Anderson.
The defence would certainly look a whole lot faster next year.
Hawks are in position where they can’t miss out in the draft. There is no way they can fill all positions of need. I would prefer they choose players who fit their scheme and are good players irrespective the draft order or immediate need.
So if that players are interior OLine so be it. Less than month to go, and I’m very nervous and excited at same time.
“There is no way they can fill all positions of need. I would prefer they choose players who fit their scheme and are good players irrespective the draft order or immediate need.”
Which is why not signing anyone for the Tackle positions is so frustrating.
Looks like hawks have pinned down on Brown, they should look for alternatives as he is 37.
I’m increasingly impressed with the talent that will be on the board at 40/41. Guys that could just easily be justified to be picked in the 20’s this year will be there at 40. I’m trying really hard to not get too attached to favorites like I did the last couple years.
If there’s early run on linebackers there will be great O-line options and vice versa. Almost like they can’t miss with either group.
Rob I really enjoyed your Florio interview, though I must admit some slight disappointment when I stated listening on podcast then switched to the youtube channel because I wanted to watch you play the lottery scratcher, but saw only Mike 🥴
But seriously, great stuff!
I know, my zoom for someone has stopped recording my end even without a pin
I held the card up and everything
If Seattle come away from this draft with Zion Johnson, Linderbaum (or Jurgens) and one of Dameon Pierce or Zamir White (who by the way has jumped up to RB #3 on Lance Zierlien’s board), I won’t complain.
An OL of Brown-Johnson-Linder/Jurgz-Lewis-Shell(Curhan) with Penny and Pierce running behind them…sign me up.
Something else about Matt Corral, he (kind of) played with DK at Ole Miss. It seems the rage to unite drafted QBs with their WR and RB college teammates.
Anyone else see Broncos stadium on fire a week or 2 ago? My guess was Russ was taking the “Let Russ cook” movement too literal.
It seems successful to pair Burrow and Chase, but I think that has more to do with their respective talents than just simply their chemistry. Same could be said of Tua (who I don’t believe will get an extension) and Waddle.
As for Metcalf and Corral, I’m not sure how much they were actually on the field together. Would they have only overlapped 1 season? But if they were, would the same rationale apply to Tennessee with Brown?
If early chemistry for young QBs is a real thing, I’m more inclined to draft Wandale Robinson this year and pair with Levis next year.
If they draft Wan’Dale it will be exciting for that very reason
Wan’Dale is so quick and sudden. Would also be exciting to see him paired with Eskridge.
Denver Hawker, I put the (kind of) there because Corral was a Freshman and wasn’t really playing in the last season DK was there. They should still have some familiarity from practicing together. I’m sure Corral wouldn’t object to having DK as his WR.
I think Chase and Burrow would’ve been great on different teams. I think putting them together helped them achieve their greatness sooner.
I think Corral to DK is a connection with a ton of potential. Slants, go routes, crossers would be looking good.
Some NFL teams have a salary cap.
For the Rams and Saints the salary cap is merely a suggestion.
I’ve never been given a clear answer on what the exact punishment even *is* for not getting under the cap.
Fines or (potentially) draft picks seem to be the usual guesses.
I mean, a team could hypothetically just decide to go over the cap and accept whatever punishment the league dokes out, right?
There’s levels to it.
When teams sign a player they have to submit the paperwork to the league office. It is not an executed contract until the league approves it. That’s the biggest piece of the puzzle. The league has a lot of authority in that area.
If a team submits a contract that puts them over the cap, they have 7 days to make a corresponding move to get back under the cap.
It’s important to note, during those 7 days they cannot submit any other contracts that would add to their cap. So they’re really limited.
Most teams keep at least a couple million dollars of breathing room so that situation doesn’t occur.
Teams that are tight on the cap typically submit both the new contract at an adjustment pretty close together in order to avoid any chance of having a problem.
Sometimes you hear Schefter report a deal and the team won’t announce it for a week or something. Fans asking what’s the holdup are told they’re working out some of the paperwork. I would imagine this cap compliance process is part of that delay.
If the 7 day grace period passes the team is subject to fines (it was $5million per if i remember correctly) and loss of draft picks. If it continues the league could exercise its contract authority and terminate contracts.
If they had to go down that road, would they pick a contract with just enough of a cap hit to make them compliant and terminate it, making that player an immediate free agent? That’s the most likely scenario I can think of. To my knowledge, it’s never gotten that far.
Thanks for that explanation, Cha.
Seems like having a creative (and clever) cap guy is one of the more underrated aspects of a front office.
Clearly some teams have been a step or two ahead of the game.
You’re welcome.
The creative guys are important but the owners with the big checkbook are critical. Every single time the Saints or Rams restructure a big contract, that means converting salary to bonus money.
Which in turn means an owner writes a check for millions weeks or even months earlier than they are scheduled to do.
Whatever direction the hawks choose…. I hope there is a clear game plan that aligns with being a physical team wanting to impose their Will on the other team. Offense or defense this year is very unclear because all the holes on the roster. Thought this was a fun video to watch!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=n34EgVMNLkI
This one is a bit longer displaying ton of hand fighting
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=j71an3jv7s0&t=9s
Guarantee the Seahawks LOVE this
Seattle never really recovered from shipping Unger. Russ had life much easier with a C who could call protections. IIRC our offensive ppg output was 7 pts lower when Max was out of the starting lineup.
A great Center & running game will help whoever we bring in at QB. Give them a fighting chance.
Rob do you see any chance of Ikem Ekwonu being available at #9?
That trade for Jimmy was just disaster at every level. It’s on PC he didn’t know how to utilize Jimmy.
Yep terrible. Took Petey 3 years to quit trying to make Jimmy something he wasn’t, an inline TE. That said, it still wasn’t as bad as the Adams trade.
only the saints knew how to use him because he has been average at best, and that is being generous
Just want to extend my thanks for this excellent content. I appreciate it is a hobby but i.t is done with dedication and devotion. It also makes draft season so much more enjoyable. Thank you
Thank you — and thanks for reading
Could Matt Corrall turn out to be a Dak Prescott level qb? They seem similar players to me.
I do expect them to go offense with a number of their picks. They always seem to go against the grain , good defense class so we’ll pick offense etc. It is wise to pick offense first in rebuilding as many (outside of rb obviously) positions can take a good year or two to develop.
“They always seem to go against the grain”
It’s not the only reason, but some of that has lead to some shitty drafts
I think it is a win/win with Drew Lock. If it works out GREAT. Micheal Bumpus likes Lock. If he works out we we can save our premium draft picks for the defense OL/DL running back etc. etc. That is a win.
If he doesn’t work out. No problem. Why? If he doesn’t work out the Hawks will be in prime draft position for a QB in the 2023 NFL draft. That is a win. Either way is a win/win.
Even if he works out, he’ll cost a good amount but not the ridiculous rates that the top QBs go for.
The team should protect it self by giving a shorter deal than long term.
Before I forget. Mike Florio had some insights that I found very interesting.
I agree Trevor Penning at #9 would be too high. I’d be comfortable with him in the last teens, early 20’s if the Hawks decide to trade down.
He strikes me as the type of physical player Pete covets. Yes, definitely some “fake tough guy” stuff there but I’d love to get back to the Hawks being the “bad guys”. Penning along with the likes of DK, Adams, etc. they could possibly start to do that.
I don’t think we’ve really ever recovered after Breno left.
I always enjoyed watching Breno. He always played right up to the echo of the whistle. He made DEs earn their paycheck when going against him. Dude was a bully on the field.
There were a handful of Breno flags that took a few years off my life but overall loved that presence and that feeling that 1-11 on both sides of the ball would punch you in the mouth.
Bring the attitude ERA back!!
Yup that is a fun style to watch. Love me some smash mouth football! Different kind of explosive.
There are some real serious attitude dudes in this draft. Tone-setters. Just off the top of my head. I am sure there is plenty more.
– Dameon Pierce
– Sauce Gardner
– Trevor Penning
– Jermaine Johnson
– Damarri Mathis
– Smoke Monday
– Ickey Ekwonu
Dameon Pierce Yes please! Just watched a few of his YouTube videos. Definitely requires a defensive player to make a business decision!
Pierce is a classic Seahawks runner
Wouldn’t be surprised if they already have his name written on a card
From nfldraftbuzz.com
Bruce Feldman had Pierce at No. 21 on his “Football Freaks” list, which highlights the athletically gifted players in the nation. According to Feldman, Pierce squats 705 pounds, benches 390 pounds, has a 37-inch vertical jump, and has been clocked at 4.50 in the 40-yard dash.
Wow!!
Is one truly awful season like 3-14 worth it? The 49ers seem to be benefiting greatly from their bad seasons… And could you see it happening in spite of Pete’s commitment to win? Hawks look fairly weak except at wide receiver. Last season’s late push didn’t seem to change much except their draft position.
Can we outdraft the 49ers and Rams? The Seahawks have 3 picks in the top 41, the rest of the division has 1 total (Cards). The Rams and 49ers have plenty of draft picks. The Rams have 8 picks with the first at 104, a special comp pick. 4 comp picks! Crazy. The 49ers have 9 picks, the first at 61. Again, 4 comp picks. Cards 8 picks with 3 comps. 49ers got special comp picks in the 3rd round in 21 and 22 for their minority coaches getting hired.
The next QB may not have Russ’s Houdini tricks. In my opinion, the last several drafts haven’t done enough to address the fact that the Rams have Donald and they’re kicking our butts. The 49ers Dline has been loaded and the Cards had Chandler Jones (good riddance). No first round picks have been spent by the Hawks on the Oline since Iffedi and he was the only one in the last 10 years! I wonder if Russ noticed. With what the division has to offer that’s not good enough.
Here’s to hoping to see higher picks or free agent money invested.
The NFL INTENDS to improve the officiating.
Implement a Sky Judge and then we’ll talk.
That’s all…..?
Sky judge.
86 the taunting rule and use grown up common sense as to what is actual taunting.
After a decade just decide once and for all what a catch is.
Be less obvious about which qb’s the league favors when it comes to forward motion fumbles vs. Incompletions.
Maybe make pass interference half the distance or 15 yards whichever is greater instead of a free hit “stat less,” long strike.
Come to reality about leading with your helmet. If the ball carrier turtles up then it’s not a penalty.
Out of interest, why do you see both Neal and Ekwonu as guards rather than tackles?
Both better suited to inside. Ekwonu’s footwork and the way he handles edge rush means he has to kick inside for me. Not confident at all about him playing tackle at a high level but square up 1v1 inside he can very good. Someone I trust implicitly compared Neal to Brandon Scherff and I agree. His ceiling at tackle is ‘decent’ his ceiling at guard is ‘excellent’.
Interesting, thanks. How did you feel about Sewell and Slater last year?
Slater was one of the most explosive testers to enter the league in recent history and was well placed to go as early as he did and succeed. Sewell equally was explosive — didn’t have the ideal measurable for the position. He fell about as far as he was ever likely to fall.
As usual, impactful commentary by Rob. I have two comments:
1. Mike Holmgren once was asked about his first couple of years in Seattle. He said that if he had to do it again, he would draft heavily on the defensive side and go get who he wanted on offense in free agency. His reasoning was you get a bunch of young kids on defense and tell them to go full attack mode. He felt it always took offensive players a year or two to become proficient. I’ve always remembered that interview.
2. Shy of absolutely tanking this year, there are way too many variables in any draft to be share of getting a specific player, let alone a quarterback. If Corral is your guy, go get him, maybe not at #9, but don’t wait or you may end up taking a quarterback you really didn’t want.
As usual, awesome work Rob, you don’t get enough praise and thanks in my book.
Thank you
Appreciate you posting that Holmgren comment. Makes a lot of sense too.
So it sounds like the Rams are paying Wagner $6.5m this year with an easy out in 2023:
https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2022/04/02/the-official-bobby-wagner-contract-details-remain-elusive/
5-years $50m… yeah right
As we’ve been saying for a long old while — his play declined rapidly. And this is indicative of it.
The Seahawks paid him $13.15m last year in salary.
The Seahawks’ allocation of resources is often baffling. It still blows my mind that we traded away a young, rising Frank Clark & kept our aging LB core until well past the expiration date.
Don’t a lot of Super Bowl winners put a large part of their cap into LB and S?
Haha. Sure…
Trade your Center & let your LT walk…
Bygones though. Just do it right from here on out & I’ll be cool about it.
If you build it, they will come.
Rob,
I don’t think I’ve seen you write anything on possibility of Jerome Ford being a Seahawks option at running back. 5’11’’, 220 lbs, sub 4.5 40 and the limited game tape I’ve seen of him looks good. Also see him mocked in the 3rd or 4th round in a lot of mocks. Curious if there is something about his game you don’t like.
Thanks!
He’s more 210 ish. Was expecting a bit more at the combine
Just not really the type they’ve gone for. Not particularly explosive and doesn’t run through contact. I’d be surprised if he went that early
Here’s me abusing the draft simulator & my free time.
For 2023 we’ve got picks;
R1 New Orleans, Denver, Seattle
R2 New Orleans, Denver, SF, Seattle
R3 New Orleans, Indy, LV, LAR, LAC, Seattle
R5 Detroit, New England, TEN, WAS, Seattle
R6 ATL, Seattle
R7 SF, TEN, LAC, Seattle
(pssst, we’re getting our QB!!!)
2022 additions;
54. Arnold Ebiketie EDGE Penn State
76. Kyler Gordon CB Washington
90. Leo Chenal LB Wisconsin
96. Quay Walker LB Georgia
98. Cam Talyor-Britt CB Nebraska
104. Kaleb Eleby QB W. Michigan
113. Cameron Jurgens OC Nebraska
120. Rasheed Walker OT Penn State
122. Nick Cross S Maryland
123. Darrian Beavers LB Cincinnati
131. Dameon Pierce RB Florida
142. Zamir White RB Georgia
143. Charlie Kolar TE Iowa State
145. Chasen Hines OG LSU
187. Neil Farrell Jr DT LSU
189. Percy Butler S Louisiana
205. Bo Melton WR Rutgers
The rumor IS that we want to trade down…
It was either this or work on filing my taxes.
LOL.
This would be amazing to actually see happen.
From a curiosity standpoint, I would love to see a team test the limits of the “quantity over quality” philosophy. In your case 17(!) picks would be an amazing test case.
If Pete stays to his “always compete” philosophy and gives 17(!) draft picks an actual opportunity, chances are you get AT LEAST a few solid starters, with maybe a superstar somewhere in the making (especially if you draft on upside). if you go that same output with standard rounds 1-7 picks, that would be a GREAT draft.
And that doesn’t even factor in the RIDICULOUS ’23 draft wealth you created.
Jabroni any blue chips in that laundry list of draft picks or just a whole.lot of decent?
All of John’s trading down has led to a meh roster, year after year, propped up by their lucky/brilliant finds years ago (Wagner and Wilson). Can a host of pretty good players compete their way to greatness?
Shotgun method to the extreme. For entertainment purposes only.
How did you get to 17 picks and all those next year? Was everybody traded? Did you trade Blitz? Make sure to trade Pete next time.
“Make sure to trade Pete next time.”
If only…………
I loathe trading down to get picks. It should only be done if the other team offers you a deal you simply can’t refuse imo and all too often we seem to be wanting to trade down so earnestly that we end up with meh trade returns.
I’ve read somewhere that John Schneider was rated the 2nd best GM when it comes to trading drafts picks (picks for picks). He has gotten good value, going off draft trade chart, when he has made draft day trades.
Whom he has selected with those draft picks is a different story.
I think as Hawks fans in order to be happy about the team we’re just going to have to trust that they know what they’re doing. I’m not sure I even believe what I’m saying but as Rob stated they do have a plan, love it or not. Mounting mistakes are balanced vs. The winningest period in franchise history. I really want to hope that they’re drafting better, like the early days when Pete seemed to have the inside track on a lot of prospects he’d recruited (I know not everyone buys into that theory).
I think Gabe Jackson gets cut for sure.
My best guess is that it’s more of a vote of confidence for Haynes though and less a pursuit of Zion in RD1. I think it’s more likely they pursue Linderbaum. We should also remember that Blythe was an effective RG before he was an OC.
I doubt they’d have that much faith in Haynes. They cut him before last season.
Maybe we should also remember that Lewis was an effective RG before they moved him to LG
Exactly. Just let the RG be the RG and see how that works.
It never made sense to move Lewis as a second year player, when Jackson was a veteran who had played both positions. In fact, I seem to remember reading that Jackson actually graded higher at LG than RG.
So frustrating.
I hope that’s not true about Jackson grading higher at LG…..that’s that foundational rot that has people talking about top five picks right there.
Even if untrue such a stupid decision. Trade for a guard who everyone knoes will be cut when RG is already working. From a team that already eight years earlier did that to a RG.
Solari was like Cable in that he wanted a massive RG and a LG who could pull. I’m hoping that’s all that was behind moving Lewis to LG, and now that Solari is gone they will move him back to RG, but so far Carrols words throw cold water on that notion…
The talk is Lewis is moving back
Why is it that the Rams are able to get a corner and a QB for their first rounders but the Seahawks get a gadget/slot/return man, tight end and box safety? Are they shopping at different stores?
Yes the store is called hubris, found on the corner of bad judgement and desperation.
I kept trying to cone up with something else Lifer, but I couldn’t You covered it. Kudos.
I hope we draft Borghi. I had a lot of fun watching him since his freshman season, Coug fans were stoked about getting him. His play is electric and is definitely worth a shot. My big complaint was how WSU would rarely run the ball. I know the air raid (and the run n shoot under Rolo) doesn’t put any focus on running the ball but in all honesty, Borghi should of chose a different program. My intuition tells me that he’ll be drafted by the Patriots.
Coug fan here too. Agree about Max. Fun guy to watch the last few years.
He seems Chargers to me.
Coug here. I love Max, but wouldn’t wish Pete on him. He needs an offensive coach to utilize him to the MAX.
It seems like the effectiveness of Pete’s philosophies (run the ball half the time, limit turnovers) hasn’t diminished as much as I thought in today’s NFL. For example, in 2020 teams with a 100 yd rusher won 73.6 % of the time vs about 55% for 300 yd passer or 100 yd receiver, according to (source:https://mobile.twitter.com/mikejurecki/status/1433156072122970112) .
Teams with 200+ rush yds have won 87% since 2000.
Source:
https://www.the33rdteam.com/what-wins-football-games-in-todays-nfl/
I think part of this speaks to the fact that if you’re behind much in the game, you have to kind of abandon the run (or at least a lot of teams seem to). Basically if you’re winning, you run. Chicken or egg?
When the Seahawks were a true contender they were number one to number four in the NFL in run %.
When Marshawn got injured, that was the year Walsh missed the chip shot FG to sink the Vikings’ ship. Of course the Seahawks acquired him 2 years later. 2015 was kind of the end of the Seahawks’ playoff relevance.
Does Peteball still work today? If R.Penny got 6.75 million, to me that means we’re banking on 6-7 solid games from him using my advanced KISS formula. He only produced in a contract year so maybe we can just keep giving him one year prove it deals. Carson could be out or limited so we still need half a season of RB1 production to be balanced and give us a shot to win, Pete style.
If true, where is that production coming from and how high would we need to draft a RB? Do you think the Seahawks believe in Penny’s health enough to wait until a later round?
I think Pete/John would be foolish to think Penny plays a full, mostly healthy season, however he showed outstanding ability at the end of last season. Hence the one year deal at a decent salary.
And I can’t imagine they are putting much (any?) faith in Carson coming back healthy and ready to contribute this season. Even if he makes it back, how long before he’s on the shelf again? And unfortunately, Dallas and Homer just don’t seem like they type who can carry a significant load.
It seems very clear they need another runner capable of producing right away. I’ll be shocked if they don’t target a back in the first three rounds.
My philosophy on runningbacks and nearly any position is weighted against how viable a team is in it’s current form.
Example from Rob: if you were the Chargers and you were almost set to make a run then there’s almost no spot where “finishing,” their dline with Jordan Davis wouldn’t make sense. For Seattle a 3-4 two down nose tackle feels a year at best away from taking at nine.
Take Marshawn Lynch. In an alternate timeline if the LOB was gelling, they had that nasty oline rolling, and a young Wilson for me you could justify taking Lynch in the first if you felt his style and swagger were getting you to the promised land. People (Twitter,) would cry and site Alfred Morris. Or type out the phrase “runningbacks are fungible,” so much you would think they were trying to summon BeetleJuice. But I wouldn’t care.
For this team? With low expectations? And lot’s of building block pieces for a team with almost no building blocks. I think third round at the highest. Unless they trade DK and are wheelin’ and dealin’ and they are looking at say two 1sts, three 2nds, two 3rds, then I’d be cool with a second round RB.
And you can’t trust Penny. You can hope and what he did when the season was done and dusted was cool. Where was he when Seattle put up 34 yards rushing with Wilson the “lead back,” with 16 yards?
Good points made. I haven’t watched much film but there seems to be a drop off after Breece Hall and Kenneth Walker. Dameon Pierce: not sure he has home run speed. More of a Chris Carson type. Zamir White does have that speed but he’s had both ACLs already. So hopefully Hall or Walker.
It’s tough because tou want to compete. So you want a run game to help Lock. But if some goofy drop happens to a player like Logan Hall, just an example not that I think he falls much but you never know, do you take a RB just cause or do you continue to try to make a weak spot forever, interior pass rush, better?
The Bolts happen to be my AFC affiliation since 1993. Getting Jordan Davis would be a dream come true for this franchise. But, at the same time, when I mock them @PFN, I get far better drafts if I let the draft and expecially Devonta Wyatt come to me.
They absolutely have to believe, that at this size Davis can be special, much better and far more certain to make it than Wyatt or Leal. They have to be sure he is the last piece to become a contender. At the same time, they have Tillery on a make it or break it season, with him having a far better 2021.
It also depends on how much they view their RT situation fixed. Norton and Jaimes competing for the job is not too bad, but they will be intrigued by Penning or Raimann, even Lucas.
I also think, they would want to add another playmaker. Jameson Williams or Drake London could be in play.
Either davis or wyatt i don’t think the bolts can go wrong. Could be a nasty front. Heck if they get into trading maybe travis jones is in play to just shovel dudes into the qb.
Finally got around to watching Wan’Dale Robinson. Wow, one of the most entertaining watches of any prospect. His RAC acceleration and refusal to go down easily is incredibly exciting and reminiscent of a smaller Deebo Samuel. Probably shouldn’t be drafting a WR that early unless we trade DK, but he was just so fun.
Also Will Levis can ball, sucks he didn’t come out this year.
No it’s good that he goes to the draft next year. With two firsts we should have the ammo necessary to go get him.
Here’s hoping we don’t need the ammo to go get him, as it would be nice to not have to give up assets to move up.
I agree.
I don’t want to spend a bunch of picks to move up from, say, 8 to 1.
We’re still going to have many needs to fill next draft as well.
You think this team is going to have the 8th pick?
Even if they manage a 7 win season. There’s still Stroud, Young, Will Anderson looking like some combo if 1-2-3 for the next draft.
I think with this roster and playing against the AFC west it’s very likely Seattle has atop five pick next year.
💯
That AFC West thing is a legit problem. Very good chance Seattle goes 0-4 in those games.
That would mean going 2-15 this year to get #1pick.
True.
It would mean completely tanking to ensure the #1 pick.
Right now it’s impossible to know how competitive the top of the draft will be for QBs, but it *appears* as if it will be extremely so.
I guess it depends on how important it is that we get “our guy”, whether that is Levis or someone else.
I could see the Seahawks bristling at taking a top 10 QB, to be honest. Or, at least, not forcing the issue.
Why would they bristle? You either have a good qb that can contend during the dance or you don’t.
If you’re building your team right a top 10 qb at a great price for 3.5 years should be an easy decision to make to finalize your team and get after it.
Well you’re gonna miss a lot drafting a QB in the top 10. “Start taking shots” as Rob said. Those could very easily require multiple.years. They might bristle at investing heavily year after year but they are kind of stuck in purgatory unless the rest of the roster is good enough to carry an average one. That will also take multiple years. Im not sure the current regime has the luxury of waiting to “finalize your team” which Russ kind of did. So we can hope Lock turns out as good as they say he is. A QBs career trajectory depends on the strength of the organization they go to. Can any of these QBs “pan out” before the Hawks turn their roster around? What would the narrative on Wilson have been without the dominant running game and defense in place when he came in?
Rob’s not wrong on taking shots. Unfortunately those shots if the team trends downward will at some point be first round and top ten picks.
Smart fans know all too well about bust rates. 75% for qb’s. Ifnot outright bustsguys that didn’t get a ring.
On the other hand. Go back to ’81. Only 8 non first round qb’s have a ring. So you’re hit rate is this impossibly small bullseye.
I’d love to see them take Jack Coan. And for him or Lock to work. Feels like they are going to have to draft often or pull one of these crazy trades and my preference is get a guy in the draft.
As of right now the 2023 QB class looks great. There is a good chance we may find ourselves in a position to where we won’t be able to trade up and draft one of the top-2 rated QBs in 2023. With the players that the Seahawks added in Free Agency, may have put us in a situation to where we win an additional 3 to 4 games. Which of course means we draft later in the 1st round than what we would have.
There are QB needy teams that will probably have a worse record than the Seahawks. The Lions, Panthers, Texans, Giants, and Falcons will probably be drafting ahead of us. Of those teams the Texans and Lions have multiple 1st round picks in 2023.
No shade here, i’m all about the rebuild, but you really think artie burns, blythe, and nwosu are a plus 3 game swing from last year? With two qb’s that have never been as good as a mediocre Wilson.
I would love to be surprised but I think 7-10 is the ceiling as it looks right now. No one in the division got massively weakened (a bit with AZ and chandler jones but not a death blow) and we play the AFC west. That looks like nine losses right there assuming we catch AZ faltering again.
I’m seeing five, maybe six winnable games next year. Those being Falcons home, Panthers home, Lions away, Jets home, Giants home and possibly Saints away. The other eleven games will most likely be against playoff teams.
With their current roster three or four wins wouldn’t be unrealistic.
5-12 in honor of the 12th man?
Okay. That’s pretty funny
And I might add, I will be rooting for Russell Wilson when the Broncos come to town!
That will be a real dilemma. Do we want to lose so our draft pick is higher, or do we want the Broncos to lose so our other draft pick is higher? I know I’ll be rooting for the Broncos to lose every other game next season. Then best of luck to Russ after next season.
That feels about right.
Just to illustrate where seattle is. Take Wilson and Smith’s numbers last year combined:
3,815 yards. 30 tds. 7 picks. That’s actually a pretty solid stat line. Guys like burrows and Allen had more tds but not monstrously so. And both had double the turnovers. So on paper and seattle’s history that stat line should of had them humming along. I know there was lots of hand wringing about Wilson’s play but the run game and defense really need a big time improvement so lock can manage to hold on next season.
Al you are assuming we are going to lose all six games against the NFC West and all 4 games against the AFC West. I don’t buy that.
No not a plus 3 from last year. It’s plus 3 from where the Seahawks roster stood before Free Agency and minus Wilson. I think the current roster could win as many as 7 games this year.
Had they not retained Quandre Diggs and not signed OLB Uchenna Nwosu, CB Justin Coleman, C Austin Blythe, and DT/DE Quinton Jefferson then I think we would have won 4 games.
Back in the day I used to get frustrated with the Sonics because they would never embrace a rebuild. They would sign average players in Free Agency, then go on to win just enough games to prevent them from landing draft picks in the top-5. Then that all changed when the Sonics the owner hired a GM whom embraced rebuilding. Which is how they were able to draft elite prosects in the top-5 for three consecutive years. The players being Kevin Durant (#2 overall), Russell Westbrook (#4 overall), and James Harden (# 3 overall).
Gotcha.
Okay but how do those free agent signings contribute 3 wins to your total? I would say they should have made significant moves on the Oline and Dline as this draft blog recommended.
“Okay but how do those free agent signings contribute 3 wins to your total?” Those signings have upped the overall talent to the roster, that IMO overall adds 3 more wins.
Refer to my comparison to the Sonics. The more overall talent a team has leads to more wins during an entire season.
Any chance Ikem Ekwonu makes it to 9 in the run on edge players or dare I say is worth a trade up if he’s not picked top 5? He seems like a Seahawk run blocking type. Serious power and wrestling background. Kind of like Iffedi in that his best spot is probably guard, but I think he could have the upside to play RT decently. He could become a better Breno Giacomini. He could become their rookie RBs best friend.
Ekwonu won’t last to #9
If the Seahawks keep the #9 pick, I hope it is for Amhad Gardner. I feel that in a year or two he could be a true shut down corner. If you can limit a teams #1 WR in this day and age of pass happy offences, your D does so much better. I still love Linderbaum to the Hawks but feel if they take Gardner they would have to jump back into the first round. I have softened my stance on how early Linderbaum goes but I still think he goes in the first round.
Rob, what are your thoughts on Max Mitchel OT in the mid rounds, a little light but seems to be someone you wouldn” t mind having around.
I’m not a fan of Gardner, his frame seems very thin. It might be OK but bigger and stronger WRs might be able to bully him in the NFL. Seems OK athlete but to me Stingley seems far superior
I think they are both good. Gardner ran in the 4.4s so he’s not slow. But Stingley can run in the 4.3s. Can legitimately match up with almost any WRs and has proven to stay with some of the most difficult WRs in college. I would pick Stingley.
Not sure Stingley will be there at #9 but I would not be disappointed if he was drafted by the Seahawks. I wonder if there are any lingering worries about his injury history.
The more I read, the more I want the hawks to trade dk. Then trade down from the #9 pick. Then possibly trade down again in round 2. Having a lot of picks this year will make for only picking 3 people last year.
The draft sim keeps auto selecting Chad Muma at #40 to the Hawks. Is he a top Lb? Hawks style of player? Good fit in this new Def?
On the O line, is there an opportunity to trade for Mekhi Becton? Should this be something the Seahawks are interested in? If available, what would be his trade value?
For a Fifth round pick and a conditional fifth round pick next year, could he be our starting left tackle?
He graded well in his rookie season and then got injured early last year. Subsequently George Fant played well enough in his place, he’s considered the most likely to start in the Left Tackle position for the Jets this year.
Could an Oline of Becton, Hayes, Linderbaum, Lewis, Lucas become a real possibility?
I liked Becton a lot coming out but what went on last year is concerning.
Still that OL Becton, Hayes, Linderbaum, Lewis and Lucas would be young, athletic and have incredible upside.
I don’t know, but I imagine when a character as large as Becton injures a knee, it must be very easy to put on a lot of excess wait, whilst being immobile? It’ll then subsequently take him a lot of time to get back, and the regular football season isn’t actually that long, barely 4 months.
I would see the Seahawks being interested if he’s available at a reasonable trade cost, because they were looking at a very similar type in Trent Brown, earlier in the off season.
To quote Dean Wormer:
“Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life son.”
It’s been mentioned here numerous times that he ballooned up like 50 lbs. while “rehabbing” and because of that. never played last year when he was supposed to be back halfway through the season. A VERY hard pass.
I see the risk in it, which is why he might be available with a lower risk trade offer like a 5th round pick and another conditional in 2023. I see also why weight gain might be a player specific kind of issue and that a team might need a little luck with regards the player avoiding injuries, but with good luck, there’ll be a lot of upside.
If a trade pays off and Becton plays to his ceiling, then for another 3 years on a rookie contract, this would be a big win of the Seahawks.
I look back at that projected line again MB, PH, TL, DL, AL, and as Trevor points out, I hadn’t really reflected on the nature of their contracts and their youth. By 2023/24 they should be dominant.
People only want Becton because he’s a name and a former high draft pick.
We need to move on. Take the name away from it and the former draft history. This is a guy who basically decided he couldn’t be arsed to play last season and chose to eat a lot instead.
That’s Mekhi Becton.
I also couldn’t be arsed to play last season & made that same decision. I am still hopeful about my NFL chances though & am patiently waiting for the phone to ring. If anyone from the league is reading this, I am willing to undercut Bechton’s salary demands by a substantial margin.
If that’s true, then I stand corrected on trading for him, that is quite a character flaw.
I did however try my own research within the limits of Google, and couldn’t find any credible information that he’d deliberately avoided getting fit? He was some player in his Rookie season, it wasn’t just his draft position, and social media video posts from connections, indicate he’s now getting himself back to full fitness. We’ll see.
I was reflecting on a possible OLine plan rather than a prediction. It’s still concerning Seattle haven’t yet signed a starting LT. I’m not sure they’re going to find one in this draft.
Check out Tony Pauline’s reporting on the matter, including in various interview appearances
I begin to wonder if we shouldn’t roll a dice on Eze in the third round or perhaps Tyler Smith (hoping he drops at 40) at LT and live with it.
Considering the implications of going offense-heavy in the draft:
Pete and JS are basically running out the clock on their tenure in Seattle. Sure – rebuild, re-run, re-whatever, but Jody Allen is trying to help Pete get to the end of his contract with the idea that things are in transition, surely headed for glory again. Pete and JS just need the proper amount of time to get things right. (Time from 2017-2021 apparently does not count.) All is well – just a little patience and don’t mind our mess.
Ok, fine. Begin the process, but more than likely, the team is still going to be a smoking crater when Pete’s contract ends. Surely he won’t be extended at age 73 or 74 – right? Right?
So, my thought about going offense-heavy in this or any subsequent Pete-inspired draft is that his brand of offense is so “unique” to Pete that a new staff (assuming that there eventually will be one) will almost certainly be forced to undertake a complete and total rebuild of whatever remnants this regime leaves. Guys who are “universal” and who could play in almost any system are few on this team – one was just traded and the other seems to be on the block. I can’t say that the $24m back-up TE fits on many other teams or that the perpetually-injured RBs will have a huge market or that the castoff o-linemen cycling through Seattle will ever have demand from other teams. It’s a sad crew.
And he’s going to double down on them over the coming seasons.
The current defense is not – what’s the word I’m looking for? – good. You’ve got a couple of pieces here and there, but overall it’s largely a smorgasbord of banality. If I do have a point, it’s that defense BAMFs are universal to every team and every system and the new regime (should they ever arrive) can almost certainly transition young guys taken in this draft to whatever defense it chooses to run. JJ, Stingley, Tindall, whomever you want to name can play for any team. That may not be as certain for an offense-heavy slew of draftees, should that occur.
I would prefer to draft with an eye on the Post-Pete Era – which is almost certainly why he will go all-in on road graders, blocking TEs, and hard-running backs who are destined to have neck and shoulder injuries within the first month of their career. But the idea should be that they’re building for the longterm, not to win one more game than Jacksonville and lose out on Will Anderson.
This draft should tilt the other way – defense, defense, defense with an eye on the long-term health of the team and the inevitable transition to a new coach and new GM rather than continue down the same path that has brought us to this glorious juncture. There is nothing worse for a franchise than failed reset/failed rebuild/new regime rebuild, which is where we’re headed – that’s about 12-15 years of crap. But, we’re in Year 6 – halfway there! Maybe.
Again, Pete/JS should’ve been “retired” on Jan 10. That would’ve been so much cleaner and easier to get behind.
Defense, man, that’s where it’s at.
Gross YaToast all the way to the podium, bravo!
What an absolutely awesome post. There is absolutely nothing I disagree with here. That said, you know they’ll do the opposite of what they should do and spend all kinds of time trying to pound square pegs into round holes. They’ will go offense heavy with far too many failures. Prove me wrong Pete, John.
I hate that I now hate Pete Carroll.
Thanks, I feel so much better now…
We aim to please.
John and Pete tend to be in the moment to reactionary with roster building. Really the only thing you can count on them being forward thinking with is their salary cap and they even do that poorly by being too conservative and stubbornly sticking to certain principles in contracts that have shown to be inflexible and can at times handicap us in different ways.
Well said
That tweet is pretty shaded towards the sensational. Watch the video clip and what Fowler says and judge for yourself.
That’s why I posted the link and not just the tweet
https://www.espn.com/blog/new-york-jets/post/_/id/89165/could-a-j-brown-or-dk-metcalf-become-available-jets-ready-to-strike-for-star-receiver
If Pete and John plan on using the same team rebuild template that they used when they first got here, would you want them to trade for Giants RB Saquon Barkley? In 2010 they traded a 4th round pick for Marshawn Lynch. Would you want them to trade a 4th round pick (if Giants would take it) for Barkley?
Giants are currently over the cap and seem kind of desperate to get under the Cap. He is 25 years old, on the final year of his contract and is owed $7 million this year. He still has his quickness and speed, but he a bit soft when it comes to breaking tackles.
https://youtu.be/94YSRjD8ueI?t=2
I feel like there’s a few problems with Barkley:
1. It would be hard to fit hit cap hit this year
2. In the same way as Baker Mayfield, he would be a 1-year rental; that is, if he sucks, we gave up capital for nothing, and if he’s good, we immediately have to sign him to a big deal.
3. He simply doesn’t fit what we need at RB. We already have a dynamic outside runner in Penny. If anything, we need a durable, tough, powerful early down back.
Ok. I feel the same. I just was putting out a feeler for reasons why maybe a Seahawks fan would want to do it.
It was a random thought.
I think we get a little too caught up with positional need in the draft when it comes to analyzing the Hawks likely draft strategy.
From recent memory PCJS always just go from their board and pick the highest ranked player available.
I know this strategy can shift due to us picking much earlier in the draft than usual – so you arguably have a bigger pot to choose from – but I honestly think, if they cannot trade down (which they will try to).
Then they will pick the best player available regardless of position.
For me if Sauce Gardner/Stingley Jr drop to #9 they’re just too good to pass up on. I am not particularly high on the QB’s this year and see it is a bridge year at that position. I’d be looking at Linderbaum / Zion Johnson in round 2 if either were available ahead of any QB in this draft for instance.
1. LJ Collier, Germain Ifedi, Malik McDowell etc say ‘Hi’
2. Zion Johnson will not get by #21 overall and neither should he — his profile is legit top-20
My point precisely Rob regards point 1. we always select players that PCJS rank highly at positions we don’t necessarily see a need at. There’re always a couple players that go early and a couple that unexpectedly drop.
When we reach for positional need, we rarely hit a home run.
I see Zion dropping more than others due to the amount of Interior OL prospects in this draft. A lot of the OT’s seem more natural fits at Guard to me which could mean some players drop. Especially if they only fit a Zone/Power scheme and do not have the flexibility to do both or fit the needs of the teams drafting early. With his local ties though, I agree; he likely doesn’t slip past New England – but stranger things have happened…..
LJ Collier was the definition of them reaching to fill a need.
RT was their biggest need when they drafted Ifedi.
The year they drafted McDowell, the first post I wrote after the season finished was that they needed a proper interior rusher
The only pick in recent years that hasn’t been a focused, clear need was Jordyn Brooks.
I agree with that, 100%.
Players with his physical profile don’t last long.
Let’s also not forget that John and Pete are very quick to point out that players like Jimmy G, Harvin and good ole Jamal Adams were their ‘draft picks’. And they sold out for their needs with said players – we could add Sheldon Richardson and Clowney while we are at it.
I respectfully disagree with your point of view. I’d argue that most people and draft pundits see the Seahawks as reaching for positions of need quite often.
“We always select players that PCJS rank highly at positions we don’t necessarily see a need at”. I’d argue that you can’t know that unless you have insider knowledge and have looked at their board during drafts. It seems obvious looking at their body language at the press conference after they selected LJ Colier, that they knowingly reached on a position of need.
Maybe they the last two years they stuck to their board, but prior 6 or 7 years it seems like they have reached.
I would also argue that the top OTs that have been mentioned as kicking inside to guard is a 50/50 speculation. It is extremely rare for 6’7″ players to be dominate All-Pro or Pro Bowl guards. So, the Trevor Pennings and Evan Neal’s are fighting the odds of being Pro Bowl guards at 6’7″.
Jonathan Ogden wants to meet with you in the back alley.
Considering a majority of OL prospects are under 6-7… I don’t think that means those guys can’t be great. It just means most of the human population isn’t that size (or most NFL prospects aren’t that size either).
Ogden was a LT, not a guard. You had to go back 22 years to prove your point wrong.
I fear that the Seahawks don’t really see themselves as truly rebuilding as much as “patching holes” for next season. They will probably pass on stud defenders to get some 24 year old o-lineman or something. It would be par for the course for Jody Allen and Vulcan.
I feel your concern.
I’m going into the draft as glass half full, as opposed to glass half empty.
I’m like a kid going into Christmas, hoping for GI Joe toys and a BMX bike. As oppressed to socks and underwear.
With the first pick you just know it’s going to be a position/player nobody hopes for.
Matt, I’m sorry, but obviously you’ve never been introduced to “Win Forever.” With “Win Forever,” you win forever. “Win Forever” means being pumped about the upcoming season, jacked about guys who are really busting their tails out there, and always being in on every deal until the end. With “Win Forever” you never lose, you just run out of time. Well, sometimes you may lose, but it’s always because of some mysterious thing like being unable to score points or the game not being like practice – no one can pinpoint an exact reason, but it doesn’t matter because “Win Forever.”
If this season isn’t a success, Pete’s going to point at you, Matt, because you didn’t want to “Win Forever” and you weren’t sufficiently jacked. We don’t even have tackles yet and you’ve already given up. Come on, man, “Win Forever.”
With the 9th pick, the Seahawks trade down. They use the lower pick and the extra pick to get…a safety and a tight end?
That one kinda hits home after the past few wasted seasons and the winningest QB in regular season history deciding to jump ship. 😢
I am tired this morning but Gross Ma Toast’s post is like a shot of energy 😂
Dug a deeper emotional Seahawks hole for me, cuz it’s all true.
VERY funny tho as usual Gross.
When the opposing team does things we haven’t seen them do on film, we should get a do-over.
Same applies when a player is “faster than we thought he’d be.” We get a do-over for that, too. That’s how you “Win Forever.” If you win, it’s because you “Win Forever.” If you lose, it’s someone else’s fault. That’s accountability Jody Allen style.
Ha! Love this post.
Don’t forget the… well, sometimes you may lose but… with WIN FOREVER, you can say things like “I just have no place in my brain for this kind of play” or “My brain just isn’t able to understand it”.. and protect yourself from accepting losses.
I prefer, “it was so uncharacteristic of us”… (for the umpteenth time…)
Here’s a question for folks who follow the draft and player rankings more closely than I do:
I just read an article that states in the ’14 draft we reached for Paul Richardson in round 2 whereas most draft oriented people had him as a round 3 or 4 prospect. To make matters worse, Davante Adam s, Jarvis Landry and Allen Robinson were all drafted after him.
We bemoan the fact that we took Penny over Chubb, could’ve had TJ Watt etc. but if this is true, here’s another example of a draft whiff that ranks right up there. My question is for Rob or anyone else who knows or remembers their draft ranking on Richardson and was it a round 3 or 4 grade?
Oh, and the article states that both Adams and Landry were “projected higher. had stronger household names (irrelevant really), looked more explosives on film and had better college careers”.
The only thing that stands out to me about richardson is Rob writing about him seemingly out of nowhere right before the draft. Like the James Carpenter out of nowhere before that.
*side bar*
Paul richardson. Yet another name to add to the list when we talk about the short/middle passing game. Yet another fast deep threat as opposed to a slot-move the chains WR.
In 2019, 31 NFL teams passed on DK Metcalf; some passed on him twice or more.
Can’t win ’em all Big Mike 🤷🏻♂️
100% my friend, BUT when it’s an obvious pattern (Watt, Chubb, Jonathan Taylor, et. al.) it points to a greater problem (in talent evaluation)
PC/JS has an arrogance on their way to grade player which is clearly different than others. We keep counting the miss like Chubb, TJ etc but PC/JS can refer to DK, Tyler, Sherman, Kam etc as counter. If one of the SDB member becomes GM of hawks overnight we would be drafting players based on Rob’s grading correct?
PC/JC have opportunity do their magic one last time, let’s hope and pray it works.
Which is why I fully expect them to Draft Matt Corrall with their 1st pick. Probably trade down a few spots but seems like a Pete thing to do.
Seahawks should absolute patience and restraint when drafting a QB last time. I expect them to do the same again.
Lol. Literally just khaki pants did the trick, no need to even remove the sticker in case you want to return them to Walmart after the Combine is over.
https://youtu.be/EwP87-IyUz8
And that pass with the NBA logo. Unbelievable.
Looks like Stingley is full go for Wednesday pro day.
https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2022/04/04/derek-stingley-jr-set-to-do-all-drills-at-lsu-pro-day/
The web site Tank-a-Thon has high marks for the J Allen owned Blazers winning only 2 games since the all-star game to give them a 37% chance of drafting in the top 3 this year. Last night they STARTED a lineup: C Ellerby, G Brown,D Eubanks, B Williams, and K Johnson. Pretty funny!
Now onto the other J Allen owned team – The Hawks ( with a QB nobody wants, 2 hurt Rb’s and and OL that is incomplete and would have a hard time starting on a good college team) have only begun to Tank.
Tank a Thon has the Hawks drafting:
#9 S Gardner CB
#40 D Ridder Qb
#41 A Ebiketie Edge
#72 A Lucas