You’re going to hear quite a lot about Seattle’s front office keeping people guessing. But how true is it?
By now we know what they like. The SPARQ chart matters. They want explosive, unique athletes. They don’t want guys who sound passive when they talk and play with a similar attitude. They want competitors with a point to prove. “Smart, tough, reliable” — that’s how John Schneider put it in his day three press conference. Not to mention players who can, in his words, “survive” in Seattle’s locker room.
Let’s break down why this draft class isn’t really that unpredictable.
Round 1 — Missing out on Dominique Easley
It appeared there was at least some disappointment in the war room live feed when New England selected Easley at #29. Ian Rapoport later appeared to confirm Seattle’s interest on Twitter.
He just looked like a Seahawk and that’s why we spent so much time discussing him. Explosive off the snap, unique athleticism. He fought through the adversity of two serious knee injuries. He’s a team captain who commanded respect from his team mates and coaches. Great personality. It didn’t take an expert to realise why he’d be an option at #32. New England got a great pick.
Round 2 — Taking Paul Richardson
The Seahawks love speedy competitors at receiver who high point the football and make big plays. We didn’t spend much time on Richardson because he’s only 6-0. I wrongly assumed the Seahawks would want a bigger receiver to compliment what they already had. That wasn’t the case. They took another one of ‘their’ guys. Richardson ran a 4.40 at the combine officially but managed a hand time in the 4.3’s. He had a 38 inch vertical jump. He’s a classic Hawks receiver.
In hindsight I should’ve been open to the idea they’d go for this. I had Richardson graded in round two and in a two-round mock draft put together after the combine, I had him going to the Jets with the 49th pick. Seattle took him at #45. It’s only a surprise because we didn’t consider a receiver of this size.
Round 2 — Who is Justin Britt?
That’s the question many people asked when Walter Jones announced the name of Seattle’s pick at #64. Morgan Moses was still on the board and they’d already passed on Joel Bitonio and Cyrus Kouandjio. Mike Mayock said he gave Britt a 5th round grade. Other people claimed he was a late rounder at best. It was an unpredictable pick.
However — the Seahawks needed to draft an offensive tackle. And that means Tom Cable gets to pick his guy. You know, the same Tom Cable that scouts possible defensive line converts. He knows what he wants. It would’ve been more surprising to see him go after a sluggish tackle like Morgan Moses. Instead he gets the high school wrestler with a 45-0 record. That’s a Cable guy. And while ever he’s part of Seattle’s coaching staff he’ll continue to hand over his list of targets, rather than just selecting the next big name on the board.
Round 4 — Seahawks go for Marsh, Norwood & Pierre-Louis
We discussed both Marsh and Norwood on the blog. Marsh met with the Seahawks on April 11th. Pete Carroll recruited him during the USC days. We noted he had a solid 10-yard split of 1.66. A surprise pick? Not at all. A week ago I wrote this piece talking about Norwood’s excellent fit in Seattle. They ticked almost every box — athletic, gritty characters, competitive.
Anyone who follows the Field Gulls writers on Twitter will be familiar with Pierre-Louis and his SPARQ rating. He’s a fantastic athlete. A typical WILL linebacker for Seattle’s scheme. With Malcolm Smith a free agent next year it’s no surprise at all they made a pick like this. In fact out of all the linebackers in this class — Pierre-Louis screamed Seahawks the most.
Rounds 5-7 — Taking a shot
They did what they usually do in this range. They drafted an athletic, tall defensive back (Eric Pinkins). They took an interior defensive lineman (Jimmy Staten — pronounced the same as Staton incidentally). They took a SPARQ demon (Garrett Scott) and a running back/full back (Kiero Small).
Perhaps we weren’t overly familiar with the names, but you could write down a list of day three targets and DB, DL, OL and RB would be on it. The Seahawks have consistently looked at these areas for depth later in the draft.
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All of the players in their own way are extremely ‘Seahawky’. In every draft class there are going to be a lot of prospects who fit the bill. We can identify them on an athletic level. We can look at need areas they might target.
But if we actually want to project accurately who they might take we need to sit in on their meetings. We’re going to need feedback from their psychologist. We’ll need injury reports. Because the determining factor won’t be a forty, a three cone or a vertical jump. That just gets you through to the next stage of consideration. Now it’s about fitting and “surviving” in that ultra competitive locker room.
We have little chance of projecting who they’re going to like or dislike based on Youtube interviews. It helps — because you only have to listen to Paul Richardson speak and then Martavis Bryant to see a major difference. But it’s an interview. On Youtube. It’s hardly a detailed session with the club shrink.
Essentially it boils down to this. We know what to expect. This is an incredibly Seahawky draft and even if the names aren’t what we were expecting — when you break it down it is fairly predictable. There’s not some unbeatable code to work out. Yet we’ll never nail it completely. We can talk about likely targets as much as we want — we’ll never be able to go deep enough into personalities and character to know if they passed the ‘Win Forever’ test.
But we can make an educated guess on who they’ll like.
Thoughts on the draft overall
It’s at this point we should probably remember the keys to this off-season:
1. Re-sign Michael Bennett
2. Extend Earl Thomas’ contract
3. Extend Richard Sherman’s contract
All three of the top goals were accomplished. Anything else was a bonus.
It would’ve been nice to add Jared Allen to replace Chris Clemons. It would’ve been nice to add Dominique Easley to the pass rush. It wasn’t to be. There’s still enough of a threat within that front seven and the opportunity is there for the likes of Mayowa, Scruggs, Hill, Boatwright and now Marsh and Staten to have an impact.
However, I don’t we should put ourselves in a position where we never question the front office. Why eliminate debate in favour of blind faith?
There are still two areas that concern me following free agency and the draft:
1. The offensive line
The Seahawks are down a starter from last year after Breno Giacomini — one of the better right tackles in the league — signed with the Jets. Seattle did suffer with injuries last year and that had a major impact on the overall performance of the line. But Russell Okung is an injury-prone left tackle. Right now he’s still recovering from a toe injury that hampered his 2013 season.
The depth of the line has to remain a question mark. It’s clear they have a lot of faith in the young players and also coach Tom Cable. Yet who plays left tackle if Okung goes down again? Is Michael Bowie good enough to start at right tackle permanently? How does Justin Britt fit into the equation — and if he doesn’t beat Bowie out, haven’t you just wasted a valuable second round pick?
They’ve lost a veteran starter and put almost all of their faith in Cable’s youth project and remaining healthy at key positions. Considering this was a clear need area going into the off-season, can anyone say with any conviction that a pretty average line (at best) has improved? Has it possibly got worse? And let’s not forget — they have to play the Niners front seven twice, Arizona’s defense twice and Robert Quinn/Chris Long/Aaron Donald twice.
2. Red zone
According to this study the Seahawks ranked 14th in the red zone in 2013. It’s not bad but you get the sense they could be better. There were missed opportunities last season.
Part of the issue is the lack of a bigger receiver. They don’t have anyone you can just throw a fade to in the corner of the end zone. Zach Miller’s never been a prolific touchdown maker. Getting Anthony McCoy should help.
Neither Paul Richardson and Kevin Norwood are red zone targets. They’re basically more of what Seattle already has. And that’s fine. But you can’t help but wonder if it’s an area that needed to be addressed one way or another. Unless, of course, Cassius Marsh’s touted H-back role is going to be the shock find of pre-season.
Seattle’s UDFA class
Here it is so far, although this is yet to be confirmed. Some of these guys will merely be getting a try-out at mini-camp:
Dion Bailey (S, USC)
Keith Price (QB, Washington)
Andu Pulu (T, Eastern Washington)
Garry Gilliam (T, Penn State)
Camren Hudson (S, Troy)
Jackson Jeffcoat (DE, Texas)
Zach Zulli (QB, Shippensburg)
Brock Coyle (LB, Montana)
Demonte Mcallister (DT, Florida State)
Chase Dixon (TE, Central Arkansas)
John Martinez (G, USC)
Bronson Irwin (G, Oklahoma)
A.J. Harmon (T, Cumberland)
Adam Taalat (DE, Gallaudet)
Tavita Woodard (DE, Hawaii)
Jimmy Legree (CB, South Carolina)
There are more than a handful of names on that list with the potential to stick on the roster. It appears Seattle’s decision to release a ‘sales brochure’ to prospective UDFA’s worked a charm.
Brandon Coleman ended up signing with the Saints while Antonio Richardson landed with the Vikings. Both players had knee issues in college and it looks like they were taken off many draft boards.
Over the next few days we’ll look at the players Seattle added and get into the tape.
I feel the pain from missing out on Easley. He would have been a comparable to Donald and keep us abreast of theRams impressive list of acquisitions.
Did you hear the plan is to have Bailey back up Okung with Scott In training.
How would you rate our divisions draft grades 1-4?
#1 Rams
#2 Seahawks
#3 Cardinals
#4 Niners
Hard not to put the Rams at the top purely due to the additions of Robinson and Donald alone. I like Mo Alexander and Tre Mason who they also drafted.
I like Arizona’s moves. Bucannon very solid. Niklas has potential, as does Kareem Martin — although both will need to toughen up a bit. Ed Stinson a steal in the 5th but more than anything I like the fit of Bruce Arians and Logan Thomas — getting a chance to learn that system behind Carson Palmer.
I’m not convinced the Niners made the most of their haul. Twelve picks, got some decent guys but none are particularly scary. Surely they could’ve packaged picks to move up? Out of their choices I like Carlos Hyde, Chris Borland, Marcus Martin, Bruce Ellington and Kaleb Ramsey the most. Still — it’s not the most exciting group. Nobody’s trembling over this haul.
You’re not asking me but the Rams seem like the biggest threat with the best draft. Despite the 9ers obvious challenge, the Rams probably played us better and the point differential for the last two seasons probably proves the Rams play us tougher than the whiners. The 9ers have beaten us at their home, but tend to get blown out in Seattle (except nfc championship). Wonder if the 9ers will keep up or if the Rams won’t overtake them as our biggest challenge. It also is a matter of match-ups and whether coaching or personnel the Rams have given us all we can handle. The NFC West as a whole is gonna be mean and tough four deep. But if the Rams figure out how to beat teams they should beat, they’re gonna be it, just behind Seattle. And frankly, I think they can compete at the top this year with or without Bradford.
“with or without Bradford” Really?
Their pass rush IS incredible, but if Kellen Clemens (he of the career 68.6 passer rating) leads them to a division championship in the best division in recent memory… Well that would be quite surprising indeed!
Good point. I suppose I mean if they acquired another average or better qb with their d. Trent dilfer type.
OL thoughts:
Bailey backing Okung is a good thing. Okung has shown the inability to stay healthy and if that continues, having a possible successor if Okung is not retained is vital. The drafting of Scott could show to potentially be the backup/swing tackle. I was also reading something that said he could possibly look to play C.
I think the Bowie/Britt battle will dictate the future setup of our OL. If Britt wins the starting job, that would relegate Bowie into a similar role as to what McQuistan played (backup T, possible starting G).
Carpenter is clearly in a PROVE it year. Even though he was not 5th yr optioned, it doesn’t mean he won’t remain in SEA. They just weren’t going to pay him $7M (who could blame the FO?), not me…
IMO this is what the OL will look like in 2014:
LT:Okung/Bailey
LG: Carpenter/Bowie
C: Unger/Jeanpierre
RG: Sweezy/Schilling
RT: Britt/Scott
It cut off my first line…
I think the OL this year will be MUCH better than last season. Getting an athletic OT that Cable “Hand-picked” will be exciting.
Agreed. Carpenter, Unger, and Okung will be healthier. Sweezy will have finally made the full conversion to offensive lineman. They’ve all been through the playoff trenches together, should be a great year for them and a better offense because of it.
We should be fine.
They may very well be deep too.
I don’t want to be fine. I want people to be freaked out about our O-Line’s dominance. We’re not there yet, and we passed on guys like Bitonio and XSF and Yankey who could have put some fear into defensive coordinators. I hope Britt’s as good as those guys, but I’m skeptical.
Cable can probably only keep 9 OLs, since 6 WRs will likely be retained. Schilling will drop off. Lem can be the 4th OG if needed.
I agree w/your OL depth chart
Rob-
For years I have been an avid reader of your blog.
Cheers!
Nice work. Always Compete!
That right side of the future with Sweezy and Britt should be our version of Road Warriors, from the old WWF. I want Marshawn/Christine running right.
That’s good because st.louis will be running left over Long and Robinson, the no. 1 and no. 2 picks respectively…..with their new double headed monster of stacey and mason…….yikes
Cheers Rob. Thanks for the long nights and tireless coverage. Watched a ton of your google thingey but didn’t sign up to comment, however really appreciated it and this blog. Mildly bummed about Coleman, particularly hoping they’d bring him in as an undrafted fa. Oh well. Also know those things aren’t final either, but still have no idea if the Hawks even tried to get him as UDFA. Curious about that.
Thinking back to 2012, I seem to remember Sidney Rice helping in the Red Zone quite a bit (like when he got knocked out cold) and other memorable RZ tds. Maybe he’ll help some, we’ll see.
Glad to see Keith Price’s name on the list. Rob, you wrote he deserved a shot. Well, this is it, and I am happy it’s with the Seahawks.
Me too!
Could Price be moved to 4th RB and punt returner?
Is this a serious question?
Well the answer is yes, if Price can manage to do the following things:
1. Gain 20 lbs.
2. Add a foot to his vertical jump
3. Shave half a second off his 40 time
4. Drastically improve his agility, balance and power
5. Learn how to pass protect and/or catch the ball well
6. Learn to read the development of a play to find running lanes
7. Give up dream of being NFL Quarterback
Rob thanks for all your coverage of the draft again this year! You are awesome! Go Hawks!
Rob – I agree.
When we walked away from Bitonio I was surprised. Justin Britt – just can’t get my mind around him yet. We’ll see soon enough – I guess.
However, apparently late in the season the team was getting happier with Carp. Okung is healing up nicely. Unger is getting needed rest, Sweeney could easily take a step forward and Bowie and Britt have a date in four pre-season games to see which one becomes a full timer.
There are others as well (Scott, Gilliam, etc.)…but…it still seems to be a bit underwhelming.
I think, Richardson, Marsh, Norwood, Pierre-Louis and Pinkins are almost sure locks. I really like what each of them brings. But still – that OLine nags at me. As my carpenter friend would say, “That OLine just seems a half a bubble out of plumb to me.” To me too…
Well, first let me say I know nothing about who the Seahawks will draft!
The one thing I come away with is – Tom Cable better be right! If he isn’t, I fear for Russell’s well being. AZ/STL just got better and better on D – and SF won’t likely take a step back with their D line.
I do like that we made moves to make the offense better and more explosive. The running game may suffer a bit, but if we can get the passing game from the mid 20’s that has to help.
Seriously – Tom Cable, I hope you are right
I see where PC signed 5 UDFA offensive linemen to go with Cables two draft picks. I’m sure they will find some players they like.
I think there is a pretty good change that the 49ers DO take a step back at D-line (or front 7). Justin Smith turns 35 in September, and Aldon could very well be serving a suspension or even jail time this season. Add in the Bowman injury and it’s not looking all that rosy for them. Too bad St. Louis took another huge step forward with the addition of Donald. I yelled very loudly at my TV when that pick happened.
i yelled very loudly too, one word… began with an f and ended with ck. it felt like someone had a voodoo doll of me somewhere and poked me in the eye…. bad things
Completely agree.
I really hate posting this… But SF drafted Corey Lemonier last year (was my guess for are 1st pick last year) and have an extra bad-ass OLB. He’s on the top of my list of guys I don’t want sacking Russell.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-IvI-cmcpA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCS5oW_JRsE
I still don’t know what they’ll do about Smith, He’s coming down with a serious case of the old.
tank carradine was an IR redshirt last season and looks to work in the rotation this year and be the long term replacement for Justin
Any thoughts on Seattle’s QB room Rob? I think you said before the draft you expect TJack to be the backup. Talk about competition though. There’s a ton of young guys and Price has such good rapport with Russell. Any thoughts on which 3? might make the roster and/or practice squad?
Pryor is #3 and could push for #2 with a great camp, Price or Daniels will be PS.
Sounds reasonable.
Paul Richardson and Percy Harvin make the Red Zone start at the 40 yard line.
That will be fun! Let opponents try to put 8 in the box to stop Lynch. We’ll see how that works out for them.
I think this is a good point. Having Richardson will make defenses keep 2 high safeties opening lanes for Lynch or Wilson.
Too bad the Seahawks cannot take advantage of their speed. Unfortunately, the Seahawks have a weak armed game manager quarterback.
P.S. I heard this as late as last week on ESPN 710 by some national pundit.
Rob, you killed it again this year! Thanks man.
I think Paul Richardson can explode in this offense, for his whole career at Colorado, he basically was the offense, he accounted for approx 50% of catches, yards, receptions. And he still made plays while against the opponents top CB. not they were NFL quality CBs, but still no.1 on team.
Watching his tape he took a few shots that left me wondering how he got up so fast (keep in mind he played at 150-160lbs in college). Now he is 183, aiming for 190. Which is same weight as Baldwin. So he isn’t too skinny..
But considering how he was basically the only player on his offense, I can’t wait to see what he can do when he has several other good players lined up next to him.
I know a lot of you guys really doubt him, but I say look for him to shine these next few weeks, months, pre season games
Well written piece, thanks for all your timely and provocative posts this draft season.
On the offensive line, I think it will be greatly improved this year. First, the incumbent guys will play better.
JR Sweezy, the project is going to be JR Sweezy, the man this year. Expect big things.
The other incumbent guard, the infamous strongest Seahawk is dancing for his life. He is now officially in a contract year. Last year he missed all of training camp due to injury and started the year out of playing shape. He came to week 1 very sluggish and played his way into being in shape for the big game at the end of the year. Again, expect a different guy, perhaps even the guy they envisioned when they drafted him. An offseason with his legs working will make a big difference.
Unger played like an All Pro two years ago. He played injured last year and it showed badly. Expect him to play like he did in 2012.
Okung is also hoping to playing more games this year and understands that his upcoming contract may be his last chance at a big one. Expect him to have a pro bowl year as soon as he gets his foot healed up.
Giacomini was slightly better than replacement level at RT, they will miss him but they have a chance to improve upon him at that spot. The Seahawks have high hopes for Bowie, if he had had a more stable college career he might have developed into a high draft pick. He should be greatly improved this year. At this point he is probably the favorite over the rookie but it will be a great camp battle and that competition will lead to a stronger RT, and a stronger O-line.
Garrett, Bailey, Hauptmann, Van Roten, Smith, Schilling, Jeanpierre, and the newly announced Gilliam, Pulu, Martinez, Irwin, Harmon offer plenty of lotto tickets to find a gem.
But overall, offensive lines (like defensive backfields) play better when they are all on the same page. These guys have been together now through the playoff trenches. And as a group they will be improved because of that.
Of course, I could be wrong but I can honestly tell you that as offensive lines come together and improve year after year, this one is in line to be much stronger this year. Maybe not as much from the influx of talent but from the additional year of experience and the opportunity for many key guys to be injury free or at least headed that way.
Pretty rosy analysis….hope your right. I kinda hope Bowie starts at LG and Britt wins RT job….
I did not get a single pick right in my Seahawks mock draft but I love what the team did. A very Seahawk draft. When I heard Baldwin explain why we needed to draft a guy like Richardson and then we got him, I felt it was going to be a good draft. A couple more D-linemen to compete for spots in the rotation, a perfect Hawk linebacker in KPL, another potential stud for the LOB, some big versatile athletic O-linemen to compete at RT and LG, team captains, mean guys, SPARQ demons, and some guys who will bring some spice to special teams; this draft had everything I was hoping for.
I thought they would get another big red-zone receiver but they must feel that either Rice or Matthews will fill that role because they had plenty of chances to get a big receiver and they didn’t seem concerned about passing them over.
I love the trade backs even more when you think about who we got and don’t forget to include Terrelle Pryor when you consider our haul.
I did hope for Adham Talaat as a UDFA and I think he has a chance to stick.
Have you seen this phone of Adham with Derrick? http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/shutdown-corner/nfl-draft-division-iii-adham-talaat-doesn-t-000422461–nfl.html
Yes. Thanks for posting the link. That article was what first put him on my radar. I heard good things about his pro day and was able to confirm a Hawk scout was there so I was hoping for this. If he has Brandon’s fight, he could be a player.
If anything, we’ve come a lot closer, as fans, to being able to find guys who the FO is legitimately looking at. Easely is probably the first guy I’ve ever seen and said, “this guy is a potential Seahawk” and actually turned out to be right.
Here are my thoughts:
Starters (maybe)= Paul Richardson (Tate’s replacement), Cassius Marsh (young new improved D-Line), Kevin Pierre-Louis (BEAST), and Eric Pinkins (If he works out at CB… \o_0/ )…
Competitors (starters in a year or two)= Kevin Norwood (If Kearse leaves, he’s up), Justin Britt (jack of all trades/RT), Garrett Scott (pass protector), Kiero Small (competes to be starting FB)…
And then you have Jimmy Staten who I think will be a backup for a while…maybe?
Overall I think that this was a great draft (better than 2011), and I see most of these guys sticking around for a long time.
Did you mean to list Pinkins as a potential year one starter, or is that sarcasm?
I agree. From the sounds of it his 4.4 time at the combine is really a poor time for him. I think his 4.28 electronically timed 40 he clocked on Jan 3rd this year is closer to the in game speed we’ll see from him. Deon Butler never flashed the kind of promise PRich does. He was Colorado’s only weapon and likewise received all the attention by opposing D’s on every play, Butler can’t hold a candle to that.
That reply went to the wrong post Michael M. What I meant to say to your post is that it is hard to understand how Pikins will be anything be a PS project this year at a position he’s never even played full time in college let alone the pros.
I think Pinkins has a shot at least getting rotations in at CB, but I think he will be on special teams primarily for the first year, and he played the “warrior” position…but having had more time to look closer at the picks I would probably switch Norwood and Pinkins around…and add Britt as a potential starter…
I could see a similar situation with this years class as last years. 1-4 guys see the field with any regularity and everyone else is redshirted or waived.
PT goes to Richardson. Norwood will be in the rotation as will Marsh. I could see the rest at best playing ST if not redshirting.
I’m curious to see if Bowie and Britt rotate at RT.
Toomers will have to keep pierre louis behind him for backup will LB.
Seems a bunch of depth/developmental positions on D are up for grabs. Guys like Staten, Boatright, jefferson, simon, Pinkson, Brock, etc
Small is a curious case. He could seriously challenge at the FB spot as a lead blocker and pocket protection guy.
I have no opinion about most of our UDFA’s.
Our drafts seem to be stocking depth for the future mainly .
Exactly what I think, mainly future players here (2-3 years they’ll e starters), unless they out compete everybody else…I see this playing out a lot like last draft, but this draft was much better in my opinion.
The positional battles at WR and in the defensive backfield should be most rigorous. Won’t we have like 12 receivers going for 6 spots.
Haven’t heard of most of the UDFA’s. Whom do you see as candidates to find a spot on the TC and final roster?
Makes me wonder if the Richardson pick was partly due to the O-Line. Richardson has shown the ability to get quick separation and the ability to come back to the QB when scrambling. Add those characteristics with the X-factor of running plays and Percy lining up alongside him and you give yourself better quick hitting chances.
One way to neutralize a pass rush is to get the ball out very quick. I wouldn’t be surprise in the least to see more WR runs, more screen passes featuring Christine Michael, more WR slants and more gadget plays. I think the offense is going to be a little faster moving this year to keep the defense on its toes.
Not going to pretend that some of the picks weren’t big surprises, but I’m really liking this class. Plenty of question marks, like is PRich Deion Butler or Desean Jackson, but there’s a lot of potential and they checked off their needs nicely. Should be a fun training camp and preseason.
P. Rich is not Deon Butler, I think we can throw that out the window. Deon Butler was 5’10, 175, P. Rich is 6’1, 183 supposedly. Size isn’t the only difference, P. Rich is running WIDE open against the entire Pac-12 in his tape, he gets open and plays faster than 4.40. Butler was timed surprisingly fast at the combine, which fooled Ruskell into seeing DeSean Jackson, he was never that. At PSU, Butler was the possession guy to his better teammate’s playmaker (he aslo flamed out after being drafted in the 3rd round, but forgetting his name). It’s very similar to the teammates the Rams drafted out of WVU last year (Austin and Bailey). Bailey ran surprisingly fast, but that’s a Deon Butler clone. I dare Russ to overthrow P. Rich… I bet it can’t happen, that dude flies and avoids the press like ADB. He’ll get a lot of practice too trying to shake Max and Sherm.
I agree. From the sounds of it his 4.4 time at the combine is really a poor time for him. I think his 4.28 electronically timed 40 he clocked on Jan 3rd this year is closer to the in game speed we’ll see from him. Deon Butler never flashed the kind of promise PRich does. He was Colorado’s only weapon and likewise received all the attention by opposing D’s on every play, Butler can’t hold a candle to that.
Brandon Coleman undrafted.
Remarkable. Same story as Mark Harrison after all. Intriguing on paper but very little interest from GMs.
I was sweating Coleman being gone before 64. His knee must be thrashed. maybe he shoulda came out last year after all. or did he go back to Rutgers to rehab it.
I wonder if we even put in a call to his agent?
What make you think there is anything wrong with his knee? Brandon Thomas was drafted in the third with an ACL injury. If he had any potential he would have been drafted. His problem is not his knee but his hands.
I think you’ll find his reconstructed knee is the issue actually. Neither he or Antonio Richardson are UDFA caliber players based on talent. Nobody would seriously try and argue that.
I do! Don’t make statements like this. You do not speak for everyone. Your evaluation of this draft has been consistently flawed.
Dude chill out man.
Where’s your evaluation of the draft Rock? If you have one let’s do a side by side comparison and see who was less flawed.
Rob, You’re certainly right about his knee bring the issue. 6’6″ 240 4.5 receivers are unique talents worthy of serious draft capital.
So it just begs the question. What the difference between his injury and say the niners Lattimore who had one of the worst knee injuries ever seen and yet still was drafted in the middle rounds.
Yeah Rock, I totally agree. Why would anyone take a chance on a 6’6, 225 WR who averaged over 22 YPC and ran a 4.56 40 time? Oh, and with one of the most mediocre passing offenses in the league.
Seriously dude, you need to relax. Telling the man who runs the website what statements he can and cannot make is insulting and totally unnecessary.
Why would anyone take a chance on a 6’6, 225 WR who averaged over 22 YPC and ran a 4.56 40 time?
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Because his tape looks mediocre. How many starting receivers in the NFL have stats as poor and tape as poor as Brandon Coleman? You guys overlooked this simple fact all along, using his QB as an excuse. Well yeah maybe the QB wasn’t good, but he wasn’t very good either.
I also expected him to be drafted in the later rounds, where you can take a flyer on an athlete, but given the depth of this draft it’s not shocking he wasn’t drafted at all. The difference between a 6th round pick and an UFA is not that big.
To clarify I don’t agree with Rock’s message regarding Rob’s analysis, I agree only for this particular player.
I don’t use stats at all to judge a player. Stats are 90% irrelevant because there are so many factors outside of that player that dictate how he gets them.
The tape says Brandon Coleman, indeed, was not very good. His measureables and physical traits indicate you’ve got a potential stud there. What he will become is entirely more important than what he is, and that’s my basis for concern. A guy like him should’ve NEVER been undrafted. The fact he was still there after round 5 is baffling.
Something is up with his knee.
I think he’s just very over rated by some of us, to begin with. He has always looked like his former teammate, Mark Harrison, to me. intriguing size/speed, but rigid as an athlete, bad routes, and poor hands and lack of a sense of timing to take advantage of his size. I took the more positive view when others beamed about him, but I have never really seen it.
Rock – Really? You’re sorta getting me a bit hot under the collar…
With all due respect, “Seahawks Draft Blog” IS Rob. Rob is WHY we all come here (YES – {impertinent though I might be} I’m speaking for everyone (possible exception of you).
The Hawks don’t follow the crowd, they don’t select for style, they select guys for what they can do, not reject them for what they can’t. They look at “what they can do” they compare it to who we’ve got on the team – and the skill sets we need – and then they draft. They pick guys no one else heard of because they teach and train guys to maximize whatever their unique special skill is. There is no harder team in the league to predict the draft for than the Hawks. The team has a squadron of scouts, possibly hundreds of bird dogs and they research literally thousands of players – every year. Rob researches by himself, as best he can – understanding the Hawks as he does – I for one am amazed, impressed and delighted by the breadth of his research, his insights and his fearlessness in putting it all out there for all of us to accept or reject.
Rob is WHY I come here. Rob is why I check in to this site (at least) once a day – year round.
Rob rocks – more so I think – than you do.
Wow
Great comment Rock! Your gonna need one to hide under if you keep that up!
I’m glad they picked a fullback in the 7th round instead of taking a chance on Brandon Coleman. Who needs a 6’6″ WR anyway?
Hey Rob, If field gulls doesn’t tackle it, would you please consider doing a post about the udfas?
Round 8
After hearing Coach Pete speak sincerely about how the UDFA process is an important part of the draft I think we should start calling it “Round 8” to give it a catchier name than UDFA. And it will drive other fans crazy when we are constantly reminding them of all the great players we got in Round 8.
In Round 8 of the 2014 draft, we got some good guys; Jeffcoat, McAlister, Price. You know some of these guys will stick based on Seahawk history.
Rob, regarding the redzone, I think one thing that can’t go overlooked is the signing of Chris Matthews. He’s a 6’5″ WR and was dominant in the CFL, earning Rookie of the Year award. We’ve seen guys (Browner & Cameron Wake) come into the NFL after a very successful CFL career and transition extremely well to the NFL. I think it’s too early to count Matthews out. On the same note, it’s too early to rely on him as your potential go-to guy in the redzone. Let’s not forget about him though.
On a side note, I’m really disappointed that we wouldn’t bring in the Colt Lyerla as a UFDA. I realize the off the field issues, but his talent is absolutely worth bringing him in for a tryout. This kid is unbelievable and would have been a first round pick if he wasn’t an idiot.
Nice work again Rob…love coming to this site!
But Lyerla is an idiot. Talent is only part of what makes a player; judgment, reliability and attitude are also important.
I think Mathews will have to play well enough that they move on from Rice (and phil Bates who is still on the roster.)
That or Mathews goes to the practice squad this year if not picked up by someone else.
With Richardson and Norwood locks, thats already 5 WR including Baldwin, kearse and percy. That leaves 7 guys fighting for 1 spot plus 1-2 PS. He’ll have an uphill climb.
Kearse (6’1) was our best red zone target at the end of the year.
Considering how Mathews played in pass happy Canada he has a strong shot at making the team.
I agree that Mathews is going to have a real tough time making this roster.He’s probably going to have to be better than Rice in pre season. That’s a tall order.
I wouldn’t call Richardson or Norwood locks. Chris Harper was neve react locked in. Gotta play to get paud. With so many small we quick guys here I imagine Richardson will find it difficult to separate himself enough to show critical value. He better round his game off a little better and show some promise and value beyond speed
There is a huge difference between Norwood/Richardson and Harper. Both of the guys we got this year are good WR’s with starter/captain qualities. Harper was a physical beast that they hoped could learn the position because of his physical traits.
I am not saying that they will be starters/captains on this team, but the comparison is not realistic between them and harper.
your comment suggests you know nothing very little about richardson. he has an incredibly well rounded game and runs the full route tree. He has Baldwin’s foot quickness at the snap. He runs routes as cleanly as any of the WRs in this class. He absolutely runs away from defenders. He has a few focus drops on his tape, and at the combine dropped two easy catches, but he has + hands. And his head is on straight.
yes, he has to get better, but he is absolutely a lock to make the team.
Personally, I think OL and Red Zone struggles are the same basic issue. At the core our offensive philosophy is “We’re running it right at you on 3rd and 3. Everyone knows it. Go ahead and try and stop us.”
Problem is our OL is mediocre, and so decent defenses basically just said “Okay” and then stuffed us. I don’t think drafting a 6’5 WR would help our red zone issues nearly as much as massively improving our run blocking.
Bravo, Rob….your best season yet! You enabled us to keep our game faces on all the way from the Super Bowl to OTAs, although your blog is a daily read for me all year long.
And thx to all the 12s who post here, for keeping this place respectful and fun, filled with great ideas and interesting debates, with not a hint of the rude rubbish on almost all other blogs.
Hear, hear! I echo these sentiments! Thanks to Rob, and thanks you all!
Thanks for all the coverage Rob.
My take is that we have a lot of potential in our picks. I was initially disappointed in Richardson but have quickly swung around to liking him. He doesn’t offer anything new, we already got small fast receivers. But that’s okay. I’m disappointed they didn’t get a tall receiver or a possession guy like Boldin. Just have to see but on the surface nobody special for the red zone. Wait, maybe that 7th round fullback is the key.
Anyway the UDFA tells the story of PCs confidence in the draft. He invited a lot of DE, tackles and guards. That tells me he doesn’t know who will win those positions. No clear first round talent in our picks. It will just come down to training camp and whichever one succeeds. With that in mind I’m not falling in love with the two linemen that Cable picked. I’m also not falling in love with Sweezy or Carpenter as they are both easily replaced by the next 7th round/UDFA that shows ability.
Overall an average draft considering we started with only 6 picks. We probably lost ground in our division, but maybe our offense will get a lot better with a solid line.
I do not think you are reading this the way that the team does. You are dismissing the lineman, JR and Carp because they signed several other players at those positions. Then, by that way of thinking, they do not think much of Russell Wilson as they have added three QB’s in the last week.
The Seahawks like competition and think every single roster spot is important. They sign players, make evaluations fast and move onto the next player.
I’m simply taking a reasonable view that guards are easy to replace and the last few years the replacements have been found in late rounds.
Just watched a few highlight catches by Norwood. He has great hands and can jump for the ball. I like him a lot, he looks like a good red zone receiver.
P Richardson likely had a 1st round grade (from this team), Norwood likely a 2nd…
Britt seemed like a mid third and (Schneider said) several teams called and notified Schneider that Britt was going to be their next pick, so more likely rated high 3rd – picking him at 64 is good spending of draft capital because they could only move down a minimum of 4 spots (compensatory picks), there is a good chance someone grabs him – Morgan Moses went immediately after – that could have been Britt. The dropoff in talent and readiness after Britt and Moses was pretty significant. Moses was the superior power blocker, but Britt fits the zone concepts we have, and those aren’t changing anytime soon (every player we have is selected and groomed for a ZBS system, if we change it, we basically have to replace all but 2-3 linemen)
Personally I think they expected Jack Mewhort to be there and when he wasn’t, they took the next highest rated tackle on their board. They had to fill that need and couldn’t afford to wait until round four.
Great final breakdown Rob. But hears the thing… Your just too dammed persuasive. Your incredibly well researched articles so convincingly built up cases for the “perfect” seahawky choices that I couldn’t help being disappointed when these strange names kept pooping up on my tablet! Obviously I should have had more faith in the resident brain trust in hawkville. Now that I’ve had a chance to review and reflect I am now utterly convinced that the latest batch of all pro “steals” has landed at the friendly confines of Qwest feild!! Kudos Rob, I humbly await your unmatchable blog for 2015!!
*here’s
yes, but I’d like to think that he really meant “pooping.”
Haha. I can’t believe I didn’t catch that…
I caught that originally but it fit to good to change. So yes I meant pooping!! And really, Michael m, have you nothing better to do then spell check??
Can I say one thing here? There is no fan base more informed than than us. OK, so we didn’t get a lot of these picks right. At the end of the day, are these guys who we want on this team? Um, yeah!
What did we get right?: SPARQ. Hawks chose SPARQ studs in this draft. Athletes.
What did we overlook?: Accountability. The Hawks chose players who were team captains. They were leaders.
Once again, Pete Carroll and John Schneider give us a new dynamic to look at.
Thank you Rob, I know it takes a lot of personal time to do this and we appreciate your work.
Overall I am underwhelmed and disappointed about the Seahawks draft.
It would have been good to get someone who was widely regarded as a 1st rd grade in any position, but it seems we filled our draft with 3rd tier talent. I understand when picking at #32 in each rd it limits your choices. It seems there were missed opportunities.
I get the value of speed that Richardson brings, but Moncreif also recorded a 4.40 time and is 2 inches talle, longer arms and larger hands. Why not take him?
Latimer posted a 4.39 and a 4.43 at his pro day and he is 6’3 and physical. He is known for high pointing the ball and catching everything. The speed is almost the same but the catching radius is a lot more. This is who they should have taken.
The Hawks already have Harvin and Lochett for speed, get a possesion guy for the red line and end zone.
Thank goodness Norwood was picked, perhaps he will be the possesion WR.
I am feeling better now after I read that Norwood posted a 4.44 at his pro day. Richardson could substitute with Harvin on one side, while Norwood is starting on the other side.
Norwood starting on the other side? Getting a little ahead of ourselves here. Don’t forget that both of these guys are merely additions to our pretty decent WR corps, and they’ll have to fight to pass Kearse and ADB on the depth chart to be considered “starters”.
you mean our “mediocre” WR corps. I think this is the preferred way to address them, am I right.
I don’t really think that’s true. Harvin, for the most part, isn’t a “deep threat”. He’s the type of WR that you get the ball to him in open space, and let him do the work. Lockette is a deep threat, but he’s not a dependable catcher.
Richardson finally gives the Seahawks a dependable deep threat speed WR.
You under rate what Richardson has already proven he can do. He absolutely explodes off the line at the snap and his quickness completely negates press coverage, he runs by guys even when they give him a 10 yard cushion, and he beats high/low double teams by running past the safety. He also is a very natural catcher of the ball.
In comparison, Moncrief is clearly two tiers below Richardson: he does not explode off the line like Richardson despite a similar 40 time (although Richardson ran an electric timed 4.28 and no evidence that Moncrief ever ran better than 4.4 – clearly separate classes of speed that very clearly show up on tape), Moncrief exhibits much less elusiveness, is not polished when it comes to route running, nor is he a natural catcher of the ball. Moncrief’s hands are barely bigger than Richardson’s (8.875 vs 9.125″). So basically, if you are judging the two on all important WRs qualities, Moncrief is taller and heavier and probably better at winning a jump ball, while Richardson is much better than Moncrief in everything other thing, speed, quickness, technique, hands, professionalism.
Latimer is also sluggish off the line, but has better hands than Moncrief, likely a push with Richardson. Still, Richardson is better at every other aspect of being a WR except being taller/bigger and better at jump balls.
Richardson is the real deal – think a sane Marvin Harrison or a professional and sane DeSean Jackson.
Tony Pauline seemed to be high on Jeffcoat gave him third round grade number 70 on his big board, interesting he fell to UDFA. Quote below via Tony Pauline
“Jeffcoat was a silent assassin and moves towards the draft as one of the better pass rushers who will be available on the second day. He comes with the versatility to line up as a one-gap defensive end or a 3-4 outside linebacker and possesses the athleticism to make plays in reverse as well as the skills to disrupt the action moving forward. “
I really think Jeffcoat has a good chance at making our roster. He’s the UDFA i’m most excited about seeing in action! Him, Marsh and Mayowa are going to battle to see who backs up Avril.
I still think Irvin is primed to move back into the 3rd down pass rush mode.
I think there is a good chance Irvin plays SAM in base defense and resumes pass rush duties in the nickel and dime packages.
Stuff:
1) Carpenter’s prove-it status strikes me as the biggest factor in this draft, and the biggest test for Cable. So many pieces fall into place if Carp answers the call.
2) Norwood is the always-compete message to Baldwin.
3) Fear the Rams. Fisher is all in for smash-mouth. They’re our younger evil twin, minus the secondary. However, Bradford is not RW, and I think we’re still ahead on offense – barely.
4) Arizona’s secondary is officially terrifying. The Honey Badger is the only serious comp for ET. I suppose they should scare me more, but I don’t trust Carson Palmer.
5) 49ers – I don’t understand what they’re doing. It feels like standing pat with no adjustments. What odds would you give that they finish last in the division? Let us pray.
6) Manning to Cody Latimer. My god. Eric who?
7) Prediction: Tom Brady will never win another ring.
8) Prediction, NFC South: Carolina regresses badly, Saints regain control, Atlanta better but still wimpy.
9) I’m so sorry, and I can’t believe I’m saying it, but I hope Dallas gets better.
Tom Brady can not win another ring. He suffers from the Gissel curse. There is a rule in heaven – Thou shall not be married to a top medel and SB champion. Ever since he married her he lost his chance.
LOL…that should have been TOP MODEL…
We’re “barely” ahead of the Rams on offense?
I still think their WR corps is pretty questionable, despite the level of investment in recent years. and like you said, Bradford is not RW… You’re damn right he’s not. With Greg Robinson on the right side and the addition of Tre Mason to compliment Stacy they should be better running the ball, but I think we’re still solidly ahead of them overall.
I am not sure I would put the Honey Badger anywhere near the same level with Earl Thomas. They also are different types of players (if anything, Mathieu is closer to a rookie ET, so maybe he will get there). Mathieu has great instincts and an incredible nose for the ball (ET shares those as well though with much better speed and knowledge of offenses, etc.).
I fear the Cardinals as well. They can beat you any given day, but my Seahawk loyalty shows a bit with the Mathieu-ET comparison.
I don’t think it takes loyalty at all to see that ET is way way better than Mathieu (not to say he is bad, but ET is the best in football at his position).
We are way ahead of STL offensively and STLs secondary is not very good. Their DL is great but I think they will be susceptible to power run games. I love Aaron Donald, but the thing I noticed about a lot of his TFLs in the run game were when opposing teams got cute with pulling guards. He can flat out beat them with quickness. Can he, however, take Sweezy or Carpenter Mano y Mano in a smash mouth run game? To be determined. Don’t get me wrong, STL has a scary defense, but they don’t have a QB and are missing tons on offense.
Norwood is much more along the lines of Kearse, no?
Baldwin kinda stands alone in our WR corps – incredibly quick, technically polished slot. He’s on the tier below Welker amongst slot guys, with Amendola.
I agree, and do not think Norwood is really there for ADB. I think Baldwin will get his extension and be a Hawk for the next 5 years. Kearse will be here through 2015 as he will be Tendered. Guys, look at our WR corps. I think Norwood 6’2″ is also comp for Rice 6’3″.
Through 2015 we are all but guaranteed to have the following players
1) Harvin 5’11” 2) Baldwin 5’10” 3) Kearse 6’1″ 4) Richardson 6’0 5)Norwood 6’2″
I would be happy with this group and this range of size. And if they remain consistent for to years imagine the level of growth they will experience together with Wilson.
and in 2014 we still have a position open for competition for big WR.
It’s over.
Rob, nothing I can say now will fully express how much I love and value your work. I’ve been a reader for years and joined the comments this year. Your work is invaluable for us fans, your dedication and perspective has made it very special for us all. Thank you again for everything.
As for the draft itself and it’s effects on the team, a few elements seemed obvious to me:
1. Cable and the OL – Being a hard core ZBS Gibbs disciple, Cable will be Cable. He will pick and train his guys – smart, gritty players with size, strength and fast feet. He will value attitude and dedication over almost everything. He won’t touch anything close to “entitled” players. He believes that garbage men can become OL players with a year of training. His OL will never be great protecting the QB. They are built to support a run first and play action passing first and foremost. It’s part of a philosophy we should learn to embrace. When it works it keep the defenses in a run first mode and prevents the “pin your ears and rush the QB” mode. It will keep predicting OL picks almost impossible without being privy to the inside information regarding character/mental attributes.
2. Once the 1st 10-20 picks are off the table the “ranking” gets tighter and the leading parameters to separate them are more in attitude, competitiveness, team first mentality etc. In years to come look for the hints – work ethics, dedication, leadership, preparation, team captains etc.
3. SPARK counts. When in doubt in later round look for the top spark demons.
4. The Tate/Harper lesson was learned. The very talented Tate took over 2 years to run routes and play as legitimate NFL receiver. Noorwood and Richardson excel in those departments – hard workers with knowledge and understanding of the game. (Like….Mathews…)
5. Speed creates separation. Fighting for the contested catch comes 2nd.
6. Red zone – We are ranked 14th, better then our overall pass ranking. Whatever is broken may not be the lack of tall targets. If we left this draft class without any receiver over 6-2, tall can not be the no. 1 parameter for anything. Rice, Norwood, Willson and Kearse are all 6 feet plus targets, put all of them in together and they should draw enough attention for Harvin or Lynch to run it in.
7. State of the OLine – We lost Breno. He was ok, not one of the best by a long shot. He was the guy we picked of the GB practice squad. Bowie and Baily had their year to learn what is expected of them. In their 2nd year they should be highly productive. (If you buy into Gibbs and TC). Carp will have his first year with a full pre season to prepare and play healthy. If we manage to avoid the injury epidemic of 2013 I believe we’ll be very pleased with OL this year. Harvin and Richardson will prevent the 8-9 men in the box on defense. That should help.
8. My pick of the draft – March. I didn’t know him before so I rushed to find something about him. Everything I read screams – I’m a Seahawk. He is not as tamed as Breno and will probably have a flag with his name on it but he is a truly “smash you in the face and kick you when you are down” player with a consummate “give it all for the team” and “have your back” attitude.
Ohhh, I almost forgot…Every time they had the Seahawks on the clock the lower caption on NFL network started with SB CHAMPIOS and every time the 9ers were on is started with LOST NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME TO THE SEAHAWKS. I think I’ll watch the replays just for that.
I was watching some tape on one of the players drafted (I forget which) and the UDFA Legree had the worst drop I’ve ever seen on what should have been an easy pick.
I think it was the tape of Britt vs. Clowney – our tackle actually look decent against a talent such ad Clowney.. The Legree drop was ugly!
Very impressive tape on Zack Zulli over Field Gulls.
Brock Coyle looks good also.
Coyle looks like a good replacement for Heath Farwell. Back up MLB and core ST
OPPS, Over on field gulls. Mcallister reminds me of Bennett.
When the schedule first came out I was kinda pissed, but now that I think about it, there’s a good chance it works in the ‘Hawks favor. There is going to be an adjustment period with the shuffling taking place on the O-line as guys get the feel for playing together and newer guys learn the system.
I very distinctly remember something Tom Cable said back when he first arrived in 2011. We weren’t running the ball for shit in the first half of the season, and people were getting concerned. I can’t remember if it was an interview with Cable himself, or Pete relaying the info on his weekly Monday radio appearance, but he basically said, “give me 8 weeks before you judge the results”. And he was absolutely right:
2011 Weeks 1-8 rushing YPG: 77.8
2011 Weeks 9-17 rushing YPG: 134.7
Now it shouldn’t even take 8 weeks this year since most of the guys are already familiar with the system and all, but there’s at least a chance for a 40% turnover of the starting O-line, so I’m glad we won’t be facing any of our division rivals until week 7.
There might be something to this thought you have. Also, with guys getting late season surgeries and still being in recovery periods, that early bye week may help.
Rob, did you purposely change the comments section to display the newest ones on top? This isn’t just me right?
not sure what you’re talking about. comments seem normal to me. 😉
Apologies — I switched it for the live blog yesterday and forgot to change it back. I’ll make the switch now.
Rob,
You rock! All year long you kept me engaged and checking on the site 3-4 times a week and, just the epic season’s end by the Hawks, you crushed it. Your analysis is spot on, way more right than wrong and is comprehensive in its assessment of total player acquisition (draft, FA, UDFA, Waiver wire, CFL/AFL and talent development of players already on the roster). Can’t wait for your articles about this year’s crop of new Hawks! It’s probably already been stated but do you see both Jackson Jeffcoat and Brock Croyle as guys who stand a better than average chance at making the squad?
Absolutely. As far as I’m aware the issue with Jeffcoat is medical related. So you’re looking at no gamble at all here. If he performs well in camp and wins a spot, he makes the team. If in a year or two the injuries happen — no biggie. You’ve made no investment. He’s a talented guy, good pass rusher. Can play inside backer, outside backer and rush the edge. Excellent addition.
Coyle I’ve not spent any time scouting but from a physical stand point he’s exceptional. And we know those types have a good chance of making this roster.
Pretty sure Jeffcoat was brought in to rush the passer out of a 3 point stance. OLB is a possibility but ILB…no chance. Was hoping we’d draft him in the 5th-6th excited to see what he can bring to the table! Big 12 defensive player of the year, former 5 star recruit, son of great Cowboys DE, and tested really well athletically. Great get by PC/JS!
No doubt half these cats are going to hit and we will have the depth to dominate over the next couple of years. The defense has tons of young players and it will be fun to watch them develop. I am most hopeful to see what our offense is capable of with a younger, healthier Oline and speed demons Harvin, CMichael and Richardson running all over the league.
I really enjoyed listening to your live draft commentary. And I love this team and this blog – thanks Rob!!
Thanks for the write up.
My problem with PC/JS is that they are excellent in almost all facets of the game, most notably, player development. They know how to put a team together and get them playing with a singular purpose. I know that sounds like a platitude, but it’s a huge factor in team success. Even when it comes to the draft, they are very good. But it’s obvious that they do have some trouble spots. In the draft, it’s these early picks that they don’t get much value from. Especially early picks on the oline or at the WR position. Right now I can tell you that the DB they selected late, will most likely turn into a star. I am very confident, because they are so good at drafting and then developing the position. But WR, their highest pick was Golden Tate. A 2nd round pick! They ended up having to “buy” their WRs by paying out massive contracts to free agents. It shows the difficulty they have.
And so when you are in the draft and Donte Moncreif and Martavius Bryant are both sitting there —athletic freaks of nature WITH SIZE. These two look like prototypical beast WRs. They are available late, and this front office doesn’t even go after them. A guy like Richardson, a tiny guy that runs 4.4 –these guys simply do not have the potential to be a Josh Gordon or Calvin Johnson. Take the exception to the rule, Desean Jackson –i can’t believe how good this player is for his size/speed combo, but he is still not on the level of the truly elite WRs in this league –Dez Bryant, Josh Gordon, Calvin, Julio, AJ —these guys have the size and the speed to be great. Richardson simply does not.
He may be good, but they should have traded back for some more picks and picked up Donte Moncrief or Martavius Bryant.
I’m going to assume that they believed Moncrief and Bryant would notnlast long in this locker room. After listening to all the post draft stuff, it’s increasingly clear that they have a strict psych profile that is a key to whether or not you make the draft board, especially in the top 4-5 rounds.
Doug Baldwin had an interview before the draft, in which he specifically called out Paul Rivhardson. The biggest takeaway was when he said, “you have to be able to make it in our room.” This is a highly confident and competitive group. If you even hesitate to get up after being thrown on the ground, you will get weeded out quickly. After looking at Seattle’s previous draft “failures,” it’s kinda easy to see that those guys didn’t have the personality/fight to hang.
I didn’t like a lot of picks initially, but after hearing interviews and getting more insight into the psychological aspect, I think you are going to see PC/JS have an even higher “hit” rate on draft picks, because they know who has the attitude to overcome, which is 90% of the battle on an already stacked roster.
I was initially disappointed about Richardson because I hadn’t heard much about him, and then the national media reported that he drops balls. Since then I’ve found out that he dropped 3 balls in 180+ attempts (not sure if that is receptions or catchable balls or what). In other words he has extremely good hands. Also he was half Colorado States offense, and his average reception is over 40 yards. So I’m fine with him now. He fills PCs desire for a fast receiver that catches downfield. He also runs really good routes.
Also Norwood looks like a steal in the fourth round. He is tough, physical and catches the ball well. He will be our Boldin (San Fran).
I think alot of PC/JS picks have to do with mental makeup and willingness to put in the work everyday. I’m sure the Lattimer and other more highly touted picks are great picks, but I’m not sure how much they would have been ready for it mentally (film room, willing to do voluntary practices with team, etc). I’d be curious to sit in on the psychological workup on some of these draftees.
After listening to a bunch of Latimer, I’m willing to bet that Seattle was hesitant on his soft spoken/passive nature. I’m not saying he plays like that. I love him as a player, but it takes a gritty dude to get berated/mugged by the LOB day in and day out. Most importantly, I think Latimer was too much of a “well rounded” player without a truly unique quality (outside of amazing hands).
Mental makeup IS the most crucial factor and unfortunately also our biggest blind spot. We can only guess who will score highly on the evals. Maybe next year we can start with a list of team captains and warrior type guys and then run them thru the SPARQ database to identify seahawky prospects. Seems like a good place to start. I really just enjoy the journey every year. Found this blog 4 years ago and it’s my first stop every morning. Can’t thank you enough for putting this together and for your tireless dedication to the Hawks!
this is a logical place to look if we want to think as the hawks do. A team captain got there for a reason, and probably not simply because he is athletic. In highschool I was a track and field captain. The previous year I had placed in state in the 800 m with a 1:54. What put me on the radar was that athletic ability, however it was not everything. We also had a state champion sprinter in the 100m, 2nd in the 200m and 2nd in the 4 by 100. We were the only two that got a vote from the entire guys track team but the coaches chose me as first captain and him as co-captain because of my leadership/attitude/mental make up versus his superior athletic skill. Obviously I don’t compare athletically to a pro NFL player, but if an elite athlete also has the mental make up of a true captain, they will likely be much more likely to succeed.
Brandon Coleman was a team captain.
He was not drafted.
Probably because of his knee.
I think this is really what it comes down to. As so-called “draftniks”, most of us are focused on the measurables, which are important, but PC/JS prioritize intangibles. Cody Latimer and Martavis Bryant each have supreme physical ability but will they play up to their potential? Would you rather have a Bryant playing at 75% of his talent level or Norwood who always plays at 110%? Who is the better player at that point? The NFL is littered with draft busts who had elite numbers but couldn’t play or didn’t really want to play.
Obviously Pete and John want guys who love the game, are gym rats and are mentally tough. It makes sense. You may not always get the best athlete with that philosophy but you will have fewer busts and field consistently productive players.
After some thought, I love this draft. Not loving the Britt pick butnunderstand the appeal. My 2 favorite picks were easily Cassius Marsh and Kevin Pierre-Louis.
Marsh: his personality is awesome. He will fit in like a glove here and his excitement about being a Seahawkis palpable. I think he could become a poor man’s Jared Allen. Really fun interview and plays with serious edge. Very Seahawky.
KPL: His athleticism is breath taking. Truly an elite athlete. That said, listen to hisninterview and try not to get giddy. He totally understands what this team is about. His mentioning that he needs to be a Special Teams ace before he worries about playing LB means he has his head on straight. Combine elite athleticism with intelligence, work ethic, and elite coaching, and I think we have a future stud on our hands in a year or two. Such a well spoken guy who really embraces the concept that Seattle does things their way.
All in all, just a plethora of awesome personalities and stud athletes. I think 2-3 years from now, everyone around the league will be talking about Marsh, KPL, Pinkins, and how such good players could “fall” so far on draft day. It’s all about development, and these guys look like willing pieces of clay, ready to be molded. So excited.
After Doug made the final 53 after he was drafted a few years ago, I requested a #15 Baldwin jersey for my birthday (in September). I have a strong feeling that my birthday present this year is going to say “Small” on the back.
Anyone who thinks Britt was a reach should watch the tape of him against Clowney. That’s what sold Cable. I have no doubt this kid can handle RT immediately or possibly even LT in the future.
http://www.fieldgulls.com/2014/5/9/5702466/nfl-draft-2014-justin-britt-vs-jadeveon-clowney
But the best part is that if Scott works out, they won’t need Britt on the left side. That nasty streak is typically what you want on the right side. I’m really hoping they can give Russell a bit more time in the pocket this year. I don’t think we’ve come close to seeing what he can do if we give him the chance to set his feet more often.
Considering the whole ‘seahawky’ psych profiles and mentality, Scott has to be the most baffling pick. I’m basing my opinion on the ‘passive’ characterization of his play.
If someone has the best SPARQ score in the draft at there position and it’s the 6th round they can be a little passive. If Cable can light a fire under his ass then we could have something special here. How does a man that big have such a good 3cone time. Wasn’t it like something ridiculous like 7.09? That’s crazy talk!