Denver has agreed to trade four-time Pro-Bowl OT Ryan Clady and a 7th-round pick to the Jets for a 5th-round pick, league sources told ESPN.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 9, 2016
Fresh from an epic 16-hour round trip (should’ve taken six) in my ‘day job’ — here’s a very quick post tonight on some good news for the Seahawks.
With D’Brickashaw Ferguson retiring on Friday, it created a gaping hole at left tackle for the Jets. They’re tight under the cap and still need to re-sign Ryan Fitzpatrick — so all signs pointed to the #20 pick being spent on an offensive tackle.
Not any more.
Trading for Clady is a bit of a shocker. He has a horrendous injury record and a reasonable salary under his re-worked deal. It’s a risk by the Jets, especially if they swap places with Denver as the team paying him to be on injured reserve.
They might still go O-line at #20 (possibly a guard who can play tackle — like Germain Ifedi). Yet at least now there’s a realistic chance they don’t go O-line in round one.
There aren’t many teams between 17-25 that are expected to look at players like Ifedi or Jason Spriggs — so this could be a boost to the Seahawks assuming their #1 priority in this draft is to spend an early pick on a lineman.
Nice good news
Jets have like 20,000 in cap space. Wilkerson deal (or cut) coming soon? Also, Broncos now have some space for Kaepernick…
They almost have to deal Wilkerson now. Just really hope it’s not going to be to an NFC West Rival.
I heard that they are trading Wilkerson to the Eagles.
Mo Wilkerson did play at Temple U, so I can def see Philly being interested (not that him playing there would be a significant reason, it’s just a natural fit for him).
Probably go to the Rams. There in deep need for DT’s.
Eagles are switching to a 4-3. Wilkerson and Cox playing inside together? Man, that would be scary.
Yup.
Rob,
Perhaps we have already answered this question, but what are the chances that the Seahawks consider themselves set at tackle? If they want a quality tackle, they probably need to take one in the first round.
On the one hand, they have signed two tackles in FA, and stated that Webb will start at RT and Gilliam will compete for the LT with the other FA (name escapes me). That gives the Seahawks 4 tackles (counting Britt).
On the other hand, they generally will sign guys so that they have more options in the draft, so the signings may be primarily for competition.
And yet, based on their attitude concerning offensive linemen out of college, they likely won’t want to start a rookie at RT or LT.
Even so, they could take a guy they really like (Spriggs or Ifedi) in the first, without a felt need to start them in 2016.
Also, you have convincingly argued that Seattle is more concerned about the interior, and that mediocre tackles are fine, given the mobility of Wilson.
To me, this is the key question in this draft, because if they consider themselves set at tackle, the first round is wide open, because they can draft quality interior linemen later.
So what is your level of confidence one way or the other? 50/50 tackle or not, or something else?
“And yet, based on their attitude concerning offensive linemen out of college, they likely won’t want to start a rookie at RT or LT.”
I disagree here — they started Okung, Carpenter and Britt as rookies and Gilliam was virtually a rookie in 2015 too. All the evidence actually suggests they would start a rookie tackle.
I think they will draft a tackle in round one or two who can also play guard and they’ll work it out between the rookie and Webb in camp as to who starts where.
Do you think Webb could start at LG if he loses out to say Ifedi/Coleman/Spriggs at RT?
Or is he strictly a tackle?
Webb played RG for the Raiders last year, so if the take a tackle high, there’s a good chance Webb competes with Britt at LG. He has the mammoth size they like there.
He’s best at LG according to Madden anyway, lol
Webb has experience at tackle and guard
Good point about starting rookies. They do it, despite their concerns.
“I think they will draft a tackle in round one or two who can also play guard…”
Does this point strongly towards Ifedi and away from Spriggs?
They didn’t go after any FAs on the O-line for a reason.
Instead they’re putting their faith in guys that could be a bettr fit in their scheme than others. Like Webb and Sowell.
Possibly. Spriggs could play guard but he’s not as good a fit as Ifedi IMO
Personally, I think Ifedi is the stronger target. If you can get a player that comps strongly to Osemele, you grab him and plug him in at LG, IMO. Then you can have Britt compete with Webb at RT. Spriggs most likely competes at one of the tackle spots, but I kinda think their bigger need is inside.
The Seahawks have consistently gone into draft day without glaring holes. There are always upgrades possible, but never an absolute need.
I know I’m not the only one that thinks the reason they signed guys like Webb and Sowell, is because they like this class of O-lineman.
You mean as opposed to more expensive/higher tier options? Could very well be. I suppose if they felt they had to have one of the more expensive guys, they could have made other adjustments.
I don’t really know why people suggest this though Mark.
They had major needs in 2010, 2011, 2012 and now 2016.
In 2013 and 2015 they spent their first round picks in free agency to address needs before the draft.
In 2014 they had to replace Breno Giacomini with someone and did so with Britt.
The Seahawks have often gone into the draft with glaring holes that need to be addressed — and when that has been the case they’ve aggressively attacked those needs early:
2010 — wanted an OT, a S and a playmaker early
2011 — needed to improve the league worst run game so drafted two specialist run blockers with their first two picks
2012 — needed speed in the front seven to make the DEF scheme work so drafted Irvin and Wagner
2014 — needed a right tackle
Very few teams enter the draft without big holes to fill in fairness.
They had a major need at QB, until they got RW….. I still think there are some big needs on the Seahawks, such as RB and perhaps LB and of course DT. The OL has been getting all the press, but there are other areas which concern me for 2016.
Long story / short, I agree with Rob.
People thought they didn’t have a need at QB, though, because of signing Matt Flynn for good money.
I believe they also specifically drafted Glowinski as a replacement for Sweezy…they just drafted him a year early because they wanted a year to work with the 4th rounder. Glowinski definitely filled a glaring hole, they were just planning ahead a bit.
If you look at their roster break down on their own webpage, they have only 2 players listed as guards. Maybe I am putting to much stock in how they listing there players, but on my computer screen, it seems they have a very glaring need at guard.
I think we’ll see two — maybe even three — players drafted that can play tackle and guard (and center).
Then a wide open competition between several players to determine who starts at LG, C and RT. Gilliam and Glo likely have the fast track to LT and RG.
OK so here’s my take. As a run oriented team and described as “we need to become a bully on offense” by Schneider on 710. We haven’t gained any ground this offseason to putting that bully mindset into fruition.
EVERYONE always says when you Zig, Seattle Zags. When we draft a lineman it’s always athleticism and position versatility. When we drafted Carpenter he was supposed to be our bully Tackle, but his weight hindered his athleticism. When he moved to guard there were definitely bully moments but most of the time those glimpses were erased from memory due to injuries, penalties, and a false perception for what we had hoped he’d become.
MAYBE JUST MAYBE we Zag for once, and this would be a pretty big zag. Considering the depth at Guard and the drop off cliff at Tackle in the draft. Maybe we try to re-create Carpenter(The Guard). Whether we can get a trade back into the 2nd and gain a pick or not, let’s draft a bully.
Joshua Garnett, no position versatility, not athletic enough to crack the 3.00 TEF (Which is brilliant) at 2.83 and a piss poor broad jump. Thr questiin remains WHO are we running behind comfortably when it’s 3rd & 3, when we need to move the chains and open the offense up by keep the defense honest? Garnett is that bully that WINS at the LOS. Him next to Gilliam could be a classic Yin&Yang. IMO without Garnett, Kyle Murphy wouldn’t be considered a mid round selection, that strength next to him helped Murphy focus on outside contain, while locking down the inside. All the while helping McCaffery shine.
Closing argument, Garnett Is a stronger, more intelligent, functionally sound player at the Guard position and could help Gilliam grow into what we all hope, just by being that PURE Guard and inside presence just by knowing his position and fits.
Only because I wrote this up and don’t feel like finding a place for it and haven’t really posted one my personal mock goes as follows. (With Hopeful trade back and gaining a 4th).
2nd: Josh Garnett OG
2nd: Jeremy Cash SAM
3rd: Tyler Ervin RB
3rd: Joe Dahl OL
Received 4th: Alex McAllister DE
4th: DJ Reader DT
5th: Rashad Robinson CB
6th: Aziz Shittu DT/DE
7th: Superback Vitale FB/TE
7th: Joel Heath OL Convert
Garnett is a guy my mind keeps wandering towards as a potential target in round 2 or 3. There is a lot to like.. and if you could pair him up with Ifedi in the first….. could be a very strong OL for 3-4 years.
Garnett doesn’t fit athletically with what the Hawks like to do with early OL picks since Cable’s been coaching the line, doesn’t offer versatility, but they did meet with him during the combine. JS did, almost famously now, say after the season that in fixing the OL is wasn’t necessarily find the best talent, but smart gritty players that work well together. They has also worked out Boise St’s Rees Odhiambo, he is more versatile than Garnett, but not a big TEF guy.
“EVERYONE always says when you Zig, Seattle Zags.”
Except many people don’t, including Rob, even right up there ↑↑↑ . Lots of national sportswriters think that, but they’re not paying attention to Seattle thinks, they’re paying attention only to what they think it’s “obvious”.
Good this can get fun, (for or against my post) in my post above I list all of your guy’s reasonings, not athletic enough, lack of position versatility, and one dimensional, and not meeting the TEF requirements. The Zig and Zag comment after i re-read it, did read in a broad overview sense vs what it meant in my head. Maybe PCJS Zig from where they usually Zag, Ala coveting position versatility and the athleticism you get when you draft a player that doesn’t fit at Tackle and moving them inside. But how well have those players worked out, these Tackles that kick inside to Guard. Explosion is definitely a valuable commodity and coveted, also the fact that we haven’t drafted lower than a 3.00 in 5 years IS condemning and by history will Not happen. But a blog is majorities of hypotheticals and arguments for and against scenarios and situations. But as listed above, what Tackles have we successfully converted to Guards? That and our current line as its constructed, is my focus.
When we need to move the chains who’s Manning up, which side of our line right now is commanding more attention than the other? Position versatility or not, our OL outside of Breno, Sweezy, Unger, Okung, and hopeful as of now for Glowinski and Gilliam are the only Success’s we’ve had at OL. What are all of these players? Breno is 6’7″ mammoth TACKLE, Unger a CENTER, Okung a TACKLE, Glowinski a GUARD, Sweezy converted DL to play ONE position Guard (Couldn’t of played elsewhere on the Line), and Gilliam college TE with Tackle experience(Tackle Versatility). Outside of them who has been “successful”? What do we consider failure? Getting beat more than your not and penalties. Well why are you drawing penalties? Because you’re getting beat in your matchup, well then why are getting beat? You don’t have the natural position strength from transitioning, also i’d say when you’ve spent time at a natural position you learn the different ways besides being stronger, to beat the man across you. Athleticism and explosion are tremendously coveted by Seattle and again hasnt been drafted against in 5 years.
But my conversation is about failed experiments and the THOUGHT of drafting a pure position player (a sound position player) in this year’s “best” Run Blocker and a player we’ve net with. Yup, the still obvious need at Tackle is apparent to us, but maybe they are fine with Webb and the thought of Britt/Sowell/or a Dahl/Odhiambo stepping in as neccasary.
The reason Seattle looked for explosive athleticism on the O-line wasn’t to set a trend or to be contrary.
They went for that plan out of necessity because all the much more explosive players are playing defense.
I cannot see any way they draft a one-dimensional, pure guard who doesn’t measure up physically to the type of players they’ve been drafting. He not only fails the TEF test, he didn’t jump a 9″ broad either.
I know it hasn’t happened before, but I do think a player like Garnett could be an exception. Certain athletic abilities are obviously the most important criteria for the Hawks, but a guy like Garnett has a lot of other qualities going for him. He’s really intelligent. He would be really good for the team. And he has the experience and success playing GUARD in college.
I agree with 12thmanderson above to an extent…I’d say though that they don’t necessarily have to trade back. If they go into this draft with the strategy of using pick #56 for Garnett if he happens to be available, they might do it. I think there’s a decent chance that Garnett’s avilable at #56. I don’t think he’d be worth trading down for, but if he happens to be there waiting at #56, it could happen. If he’s gone by #56, they lose nothing….I guess they could trade back at #56. I think the 50-65 tier is rather weak anyway, unless Martin is available at #56…I’d probably take him.
I know someone grittier and cheaper, but plays center. If we’re making athletic exceptions, i wany evan boehm
I would love Boehm and McGovern. Gives us a pure C and they keep playing together, bringing their chemistry with them from MO.
Yeah, I agree with all that, Rob.
Way off subject but Rob this Anthony Joshua kid just took the heavyweight title for British!
Yeah he’s a talent for sure
I also am a BIG boxing fan, noticed the result for that fight as well. Seems like almost all the big-name heavyweights are from the UK!
F the jets and the airport!
Why shouldn’t the Jets consider a QB like Paxton Lynch when he’s more than likely be there, with their obvious hole at the position as well?
Lynch will be gone by #20
Maybe Mo Wilkerson will be a chess piece used to move up, ahead of the Rams, to take Paxton?
Yeah, I think so too. I think the Browns would be a great fit, with the expectation he wouldn’t need to play day 1.
Deal details; 1 year 3 million guaranteed 6 mil base could increase to 7.5 based on incentives playing time/honours
7th round pick to Jets
5th round pick to Broncos
Gut feeling that Schneider would take Ifedi over Spriggs. Ifedi can play multiple positions on the O-Line.
The big question is do the Hawks take Ifedi over Bullard? Gut feeling is that Pete Carroll would want to take Bullard over Ifedi. But Schneider/Carroll would pull the trigger on Ifedi. However I think if Ifedi is off the board. The Hawks take Bullard over Spriggs.
I personally would take Bullard over Ifedi for sure, and over Spriggs but not as overwhelmingly sure. I think Bullard is a very safe, very good and versatile DE/DT. On top of that, he seems like a high character guy.
I’m still flip flopping between all three
What the Hawks should probably do with their 26th pick, assuming Bullard, Spriggs, and Ifedi are all available. I’m not including Rankins as being available at 26 because that’s totally unrealistic. Ranked from most preferable to least:
1: Trade down (completely out of the 1st round). Hopefully a team wants Connor Cook or another player badly enough that they want to trade back into the 1st.
2: Draft Bullard, the safest, most polished between him, Spriggs, and Ifedi. The bad news is that he won’t start because Mike Bennett already does the same DE/DT thing.
3: Draft Spriggs, although you would be taking him primarily to play RT. Spriggs is not a realistic option for LG. I personally also think center is a place he could potentially play.
4: Draft Ifedi, the least polished between himself, Bullard, and Spriggs. His biggest benefit is that he fits the profile of both RT and LG, but he needs a lot of technique work.
As much as I would love to see them land Bullard or Butler at 26, I think they would take Ifedi there if he was available, maybe look at Willie Henry at 56. IMO, I think Ifedi is too much of a dose of what they need on the OL to pass up. If Spriggs was there, I think they might go DL instead, but that’s just me. I just see interior OL the more pressing need.
I’d probably agree
For me it’s
Ifedi
Bullard a close second
Spriggs
At 26
Could trading our first rounder (again) for Wilkerson be a possibility? He would be the push up the middle our defensive line sorely needs…
Not sure they have the cap space to get that one done or how Bennet would feel if they brought him in and gave him a new deal. I sure would like to see him in a Hawks uni though if they could pull it off and redo Bennet’s deal at the same time
Nah, Mo is understandibly looking for a mega-deal.
FWIW I think Daniel Jeremiah or Bucky Brooks compared Vernon Butler to Wilkerson on their podcast the other day. Not sure I’d personally go that far but his testing results show he might be more explosive than Wilkerson. Not as agile or fast.
I would rather have them draft Butler at 26 than trade for Wilkerson.
Agreed. Get the less proven guy for sooo much cheaper. This might just be remnants of my disappointment still echoing from the Percy Harvin trade…
WE COULD HAVE HAD HOPKINS!!
Remember how we all said “wow we got percy harvin, nuk hopkins was the best wr option where we picked, got a pro bowler instead of a rookie.
Seems like Rankins would be a unanimous pick, but what if Butler or Billings were available at 26 along with both Ifedi and spriggs? Who ya got?
I think the would take Ifedi any of the others. They might take Butler over Spriggs. Not sure if they would be into Billings at 26, I think Butler would offer more as a DT.
Guess I should’ve thrown Bullard in there too. I think I like any of the DTs first then do whatever it takes to maneuver in rounds 2-4 to pick up the interior O-linemen they’re after.
Highly unlikely unless the package an expensive player to the Jets. Are you going to part ways with Bennett, or Chancellor, or Thomas for Wilkerson? Then you are taking away a core player for your team to add a core player. I don’t see how that makes your team better, especially with a draft that is absolutely loaded with DTs.
That wouldn’t happen since the whole reason the Jet’s are thinking about trading him is to clear cap space…
But for the record, if they wanted to give us Wilkerson straight up for Kam, I’d be all over that trade.
It’s tempting for sure, but highly not going to happen though, especially with Bennett craving more $.
I’d rather see them go Butler/Bullard at 26, McGovern/Dahl at 56, or Ifedi/Spriggs 26, Henry/Kaufusi at 56. Draft young blood on OL and DL high in a year when linemen on both sides of the ball is deep rounds 1 through 3. Get upstart talent cheap. Keep your core vets happy.
They won’t be able to afford him, he’d want Olivier Vernon money
Nich: The Hawks don’t have cap room for Wilkerson.
Rob, we have been zeroing-in on Germain Ifedi and Jason Spriggs R1, but with the Jets unlikely to spend their R1 pick on an OL, there could be more available for the Seahawks than previously thought. It is more likely than it appeared a couple of weeks ago that one of Taylor Decker or Jack Conklin could fall to #26, so we need to re-visit them?
Also, Rob Rang, on KJR radio this week, did a good job of convincing me that the Seahawk’s biggest weakness in the OL was at C, and not at OT. He pointed out all the times that a top pass-rush DT would utterly disrupt our offense due to poor pass pro by Nowak and/or Lewis. He is convinced that the best move for Seattle is to go for Ryan Kelly. Kelly did not give up a single sack the past two years playing against the best of the SEC and in the national title games, and he appears to be the best bet of all the OL likely available to the Seahawks to be a long-time Pro Bowler. Your thoughts?
It is hard to argue with that and I thought Kelly might be a target as well but he does not seem to fit the athletic profile they look for.
I wish they’d take a look at trading for Nick Easton from the Vikings. Last year, the Seahawks picked Kristjan Sokoli in the 6th round. He was said to be our future Center, even though Sokoli had never even played O-Line. Kristjan Sokoli was the #1 Sparq O-Line guy…in fact, he had the highest Sparq score ever.
Just behind Sokoli at #2 Sparq for O-Linemen in 2015 was Center Nick Easton. Easton went undrafted last year after playing Center at Harvard University. He was picked up as a UDFA by the Ravens after last years draft. In the 2015 preseason at Center, Easton had the highest PFF grade of any player on the Ravens team. His preseason grade of +9.1 was the highest of any Center in the preseason, and it was the 7th-best grade of all players in the preseason.
The Ravens then proceeded to trade Easton to the 49ers for a 2016 7th round pick. The 49ers then traded Easton and a 2016 6th round pick to the Vikings in exchange for LB Gerald Hodges when the 49ers lost one of their LB’s. The Vikings acquired Easton to be a backup Center. The Vikings starting Center, John Sullivan, needed back surgery in October 2015 and he was placed on the IR. Backup Center, Joe Berger, replaced Sullivan, and that’s when they got Easton as backup for Berger. It turned out, Berger received all kinds of accolades for a breakout year. Easton never ended up playing last year.
So anyway, Sullivan will be back as starter for the Vikes in 2016, and Berger will once again be his backup. This leaves the Vikes with an extra Center. I think it would be an awesome idea to work out a trade for Nick Easton. The Hawks could likely get him for very little value…probably a 7th round pick. If the Hawks could put this together before the draft, it could save them a 2nd or 3rd round pick, and they could still use a pick to get a G/C and have Lewis, Easton and that draft pick compete for Center in TC. Maybe that G/C could also compete at LG. Someone like Dahl or McGovern.
Easton is a Sparq BEAST. His NFL percentile was at 97.3%. To compare to 2016, Connor McGovern is #1 O-Line Sparq at an NFL percentile of 89.6%…Ryan Kelly is #18 at 55.4%. In pSPARQ, Easton had a 126.6, McGovern a 117.9, and Kelly a 105.2. And Easton’s 9’4″ Broad Jump would definitely qualify for the Hawks emphasis on that event. His 1.64 in the 10-yard split also indicates that he has incredible horizontal burst for an O-Line guy. Not even one O-Line prospect in 2016 has anything close to a 1.64 10-yard split. And the only OL prospect in 2015 with a 10-yard split better than a 1.64 split was Kristjan Sokoli, the king of SPARQ.
Easton also has a TEF score of 3.20. Compared to the 2016 OL draft class, Easton would be 3rd behind only Spriggs and Mcgovern. Easton has only two flaws in his resume. His VJ was only 30.5″, and his arms are only 31.13″. Of course, the one position where 31.13″ arms would be the least important is at Center.
I think he’d make a great Center for the Hawks, and he’s a Harvard grad. He’s got to have at least above-average intelligence. And I think a smart Center is paramount to the success of an offensive line. I really wish this would happen.
You have to wonder why he has been traded so much though.
He ended up being on the depth chart of teams that had really good Centers. That doesn’t mean he wouldn’t be as good as those Centers. He just hasn’t really had a chance yet.
I agree with Rob Rang on this entirely, in terms of interior OL being the biggest need, whether it is a top guard or center prospect, to me, almost makes no diff. When Seattle had Hutch, they had a very average but solid center in Tobeck. That line was BOSS when Hutch was in down, and got very average to bad in a hurry once he left. This is why I dig Ifedi, and I really dig McGovern, and Dahl. With Ifedi you can potentially land a dominant LG. With McGovern you can get a crazy athletic guy to play center or guard. With Dahl you can get a who’s probably pretty close to McGovern. Kelly I like a lot too, though. But I think the Seahawks might want more TEF in the OLinemen they select early.
Yes, he probably doesn’t fit their athletic profile, but here’s the thing.
They’ve never drafted a pure/true C under PC/JS.
So it’s kind of hard to say, no?
Sokoli and Morse (who they probably wanted last year) are different animals.
If they want to keep converting LTs into C’s, which makes sense and is probably the way they’ll continue to do things, then Kelly probably isn’t their guy.
But, if they want a true C, the Pouncey brothers don’t come along often, they typically aren’t overly athletic.
Good points! It is worth noting also, IMO, that they did not draft but did see the value and extended Unger, who I don’t think is necessarily considered a highly athletic center, just a really good center, kinda what Kelly is projected to be.
It’s also kind of interesting that they have been looking at some interior linemen who aren’t all the TEF’d up. Rees Odhiambo, Landon Turner, A&M center Mike Matthews.
That’s a great point too.
This goes with what I was thinking, they might be willing to stray from their previous parameters to field the best line possible.
I think it was cable who said he prefers his lineman to be 6’4-5″, because they tend to move better is the context it was spoken in.
But then they went out and added two guys that are 6 foot 7, they’re the tallest lineman we’ve had since Gallery
He said he likes his guys tk be tall like that.
I’m getting ready to BBQ, but later, I will look up where I seen it, it was last off season, but no way did he say he like 6 foot 7 guys or guess who we would have been drafting the Las few yrs?
We would have been drafting tall guys if Cable liked them so much.
I guess Breno was also tall like that, but my preference is taller tackles that’s why it jumped out at me.
Unger also played guard his rookie year so he was a little more versatile than just a pure center
Unger played guard terribly his first year.
Smokescreen. Those guys aren’t TEF enough. 😉
Could surely be.
Conklin will go top-15. I think Decker might make it to #26 but he is the antithesis of what they’ve drafted at OT based on our research last week and I don’t expect them to even consider drafting him.
Kelly is really overrated IMO. Prefer Nick Martin. I think they’ll possibly (probably?) go after Connor McGovern who is a much more explosive player than Kelly.
Do you think theres any chance they’d go after last year’s draft prospect Center Nick Easton in a trade with the Vikings? Easton’s 3.20 TEF last year would put him in 3rd place for OL this year. The Vikes are getting Sullivan back off the IR and they won’t be needing a 3rd Center. I think he’d make an awesome Center for the Hawks.
I think that’s possible. Vikings have been a good trading partner for Seattle.
If we hadn’t spent a year training up Sokoli then yeah trading for Easton would make sense. We protected Sokoli for a reason, not to give up on him after 1 year.
Maybe it’s just me on this, but I am still pretty skeptical of Sokoli projecting at center. On the team webpage, they have him listed as a center/guard with Lewis, Nowak, Pericak listed as centers. With Sokoli being an athletic DT/OL convert much like Sweezy was, I wonder if they have him compete with Glowinski at RG, not give up on him, but give him less on his plate to adjust to.
Carroll said at the end of the season they’ll be keeping Sokoli at center.
When Nowak was starting at C we had Lem on the active roster, not Lewis, because he could backup at both C and G. This shows how much we value positional versatility for backup OL. There are only so many active roster spots available. Having Sokoli listed at C/G is a good sign that he actually suits up next year, backing up the interior OL spots.
If it didn’t work for him at Baltimore, San Fran and Minny — I’m not convinced the Seahawks will be rushing to make a move.
After all, TEF is just an indicator of who we can rule in or out for Seattle. It’s not a case of a high score equals a great player.
Rob, I believe we may have to view the center position as somewhat of an ‘outlier’ regarding the TEF measure? Like the QB, the C may be a position where the intangibles are more important than the measurables. Qualities of leadership, smarts, understanding the game, etc, contribute far more to the success of a center than his explosiveness. The best centers in the game have possessed similar qualities to the best QBs, and they are rare breeds with a unique make-up. Ryan Kelly’s 2.84 TEF is actually pretty good among the centers (Martin is 2.67 and Glasgow is 2.66), but it is his other qualities that made him such a superior center in college football, playing at the highest level. Certainly, McGovern and Dahl have a superior TEF score, but do they have the right stuff to play center, or would they be yet another failed project who must move back to guard? We know that Kelly has the right stuff, and Rob Rang may well be right that is what the Seahawks need to slow down the Aaron Donald’s of the world, of even more value than a high-SPARQ, high-TEF OT or OG? I am warming to the idea…
Finally, in terms of Kelly’s game tape, he basically played perfectly for the past two seasons… no sacks given and I think just one penalty. His grades from the Alabama coaches were basically flawless. He does not have a splash game, but he completes his assignment every time, after making the correct assignment calls, and surely we need that to fix our OL even more than improved play at right OT?
I disagree wholeheartedly that center has to be an outlier.
The Seahawks just drafted the single most explosive athlete to enter the league in a generation and are focused on converting him from defense to center. Not defense to right guard like Sweezy, or any O-line position. Center. Carroll has specifically stated that Sokoli stays at center.
There is a reason why they are putting this 3.75 TEF monster at center and it’s not because it’s an easy position to learn. It’s because that position is directly facing the Aaron Donald’s every snap. Donald himself is a TEF monster (3.63). You are not going to stop Aaron Donald with leadership and smarts. He is a physical freak of nature. You cannot ‘outsmart’ Aaron Donald. He will play you like a drum because he as an unbelievable, unique physical talent.
I hope the rest of the league continues thinking guys like Kelly are the antidote. That’ll be good for the Seahawks. I’m very satisfied that this team instead appears to be much more interested in Mitch Morse types (3.45 TEF) to provide an answer. That’s what they need. And he didn’t lack for leadership or smarts either.
With the recent buzz surrounding Cook as a possible 1st Rd pick, as graded by SF, and the raves of Gruden about the guy, could Dallas, Denver & SF be a match for him in the late 1st to early 2nd Rd?
I was hoping that either Dallas, SD or SF would trade back into the 1st ahead of Denver if they don’t pick a QB early. I still think Cleveland goes with Wentz regardless of the RGIII acquisition. Geoff could go to SD, Dallas or SF. The Jets may even be looking at QB if not all of the aforementioned 3 pick QB now that they have a LT.
The point that I am trying to make is that there may be a trading partner for the Hawks in the early 2nd Rd, if the value is not there @ 26.
Wall: Good question. Their is a very good chance that someone will trade back into the first round for a Quarterback. However that doesn’t mean that Seattle would be the trading partner. Although it is no secret that John Schneider has a history of trading back out of the first round.
I actually would favor this outcome over drafting Ifedi in round 1.
I concur. Trading down would also provide the option for a RT/LG/LT in Coleman. Ifedi’s future is more inside or at RT in the NFL. Coleman is more versatile being able to play the blkg TE in short yardage sets. He could even compete for the starting position @ LT, much less RT.
It all depends upon whom they value on their board. At least there could be an option by trading down to get their guys.
Cook is bad IMO
Can’t see him going in R1
I think Connor Cook weirdly comps to the QB Seattle was after in the flick Draft Day; all the prototype measurements, arm, etc.. but really off between the ears.
Some analysts see him going at the end of R1. Or that’s where Lynch could go. We’ll see, I guess.
Lynch goes top-15. Book it.
Three QB’s in round one this year, all in the top-15.
Agree 100%. No way L.A. lets Lynch pass them at 15.
Forgive me if I’m wrong, but can’t Dahl play LG?
Would like to see Dahl at LG and McGovern/Sokoli C.
Keep Ifedi at RT unless content with Webb, and go BPA or trade down for ammo to trade 56 up and still BPA.
There is no guarantee that Ifedi is going to be sitting on the board at 26. If the Hawks trade down their is even a greater chance that Ifedi will be off the board if the Hawks trade down.
Correct.
I guess what I meant to say is that BPA/trade down could be preferable than Spriggs/Ifedi if they like Webb and the BPA(DL most likely).
Not sold completely on Spriggs or Ifedi like I am McGovern.
I think Ifedi probably fits best what they want out of LG, but Dahl could play LG, as well. He would be smaller than what they have used there in the past. Dahl comps to TJ Lang for the Pack, who has played both LG and RG.
I do think that their is a really good chance Spriggs will be on the board at 26. Even if both Ifedi /Bullard are gone, Spriggs will still be sitting their at 26.
In that situation I probably would just take Spriggs there (at 26).
This is my one of my first mock drafts I’ve provided two here one more diverse the next is more offensive line heavy. The Hawks have met with laraven Clark who might not merit a first round grade but if he slides into the second he could.compete with Webb for the starting right tackle job and for left guard. I could see the draft unfolding a multitude of ways.
Round 1
Derrick Henry
The Hawks value the running back position and I’m sure Pete Carroll is excited by the prospect of 2 fully capable 1000 yard backs on the roster. I also think the Hawks might look at Carolina and Denver behind them and decide that sweetens the deal for Henry.
Round 2
Connor McGovern or La’raven Clark
Both meet the criteria the Seahawks like unfortunately Clark is a bit raw but has the ability to block and finding a way even without technique is important I suppose. He’s a huge project could be good on the interior. McGovern is also a freak athlete and has multi position experience which could make the Hawks turn their heads
Round 3
Joe Dahl
He will start at left guard this year
round 3 comp
Hassan ridgeway
This guy is huge and jacked 300+ pounds drives the pocket back he is everything Pete Carroll seems to like fantastic bull rush collapses the pocket, plus he is 6-3 with 33 inch arms with mebanes declining play over the last year he could be an improvement in the run game and possibly could be a 3 down kind of player the way he play
Round 4 Jatavis Brown
Kid is a good football player extremely fast and just like Russell Wilson he is 5’10 could be a late round steal had huge numbers 130+ tackles 10 sacks could be an Irvin replacement.
Round 5
James bradberry
6 feet tall 33 and 3/8 inch arms
40 YARD DASH: 4.50 SEC
BENCH PRESS: 16 REPS
VERTICAL JUMP: 36.0 INCH
BROAD JUMP: 124.0 INCH
3 CONE DRILL: 6.91 SEC
20 YARD SHUTTLE: 4.21 SEC
60 YARD SHUTTLE: 11.49 SEC
He’s fast tall and rangy also considered by some teams a safety he would fit well in Seattle’s cover 3 zone scheme
Round 6 Brandon Bryant
This is another Hargrave like prospect played in a weaker conference but had terrific tape
Round 7
D line convert
My alternative draft
Round 1
Germain Ifedi (Sheldon rankins)
Round 2 La’raven Clark
Round 3 Connor McGovern
Round 3 comp
Willie Henry if he isn’t there hassan ridgeway or Javon Hargrave
Round 4
Joe Dahl
Round 5
Deiondre hall
Projected to be a round 6 selection a slow 40 time that he will likely improve at his pro day and 34+ inch arms I think the Hawks will want him
Round 6
Marshaun coprich
He reminds me a lot of Doug Martin with the way he runs could provide competition for Rawls he is a very complete back
Good job clearly watched your tape.
What’s your take on Dahl and are you a Wasu fan?
Not a wazzu fan I like to see local guys succeed though but I think dahl is good in pass protection and could develop into agreat run blocker. When he was given the opportunity to run block he did fairly well but obviously he’ll need reps to understand the system. I could see him starting at left guard if he is drafted simply because Britt has struggled so much in pass protection that dahl would likely be an immediate upgrade. It would also give the Hawks a lot of flexibility because he fits their profile for right guard that if glowinski fails he could shift positions. I spoke a bit prematurely by saying he’d start at left guard but I’m convinced he would contribute. Personally I think it would benefit the Hawks the most to go with the second draft given that it gives them two players that areally 6’6 with 33+ inch arms and incredible athleticism two guys who have the tools to be an all pro left tackle it would fill the line with rookies. In the long run it could make one of the best o lines in football because the team would have so much continuity for the next 4 years.
The line would probably look like this
Gilliam-Clark-McGovern-glowinski-ifedi
That would give a huge amount of lineup flexibility with Britt and Dahl on the bench
That’s a hell of an investment in the OL
I think Clark and Ifedi could be switched imo
Ifedi will make a great pro guard.
I like Deiondre Hall as well. Unique traits.
Yeah, I would flip those two, for sure. Gill-Ifedi-McGovern-Glow-Clark. Although, I kind of think Clark projects to LT maybe better than RT, but either way, raw as #$%.
Thats why i had clark starting at guard Ifedi also started at right tackle for A&M. I think thats fair though Ifedi is kind of like an osmele clone and Clark isn’t guaranteed to start because he is so raw but he is just as big as Jamarcus Webb and a ton more athleticism and upside. I figure that a starting offensive line like that would probably struggle early in season because of all of the rookies but ultimately i think that the size and athleticism would allow the hawks to run over teams especially with rawls and michael in the backfield. The Seahawks have more explosive play makers than Carolina, New England and Denver and a great offensive line would give everyone more time.
Dahl will not be there in round 4
I actually think round 3 might be a bit of a reach for him he could be sitting there on round 4 in my opinion if teams opt for more tackle prospects to convert to guard
? Dahl is a OT prospect who will likely convert to OG.
He started at guard and tackle he wouldnt really be considered a tackle option at all for most teams unless they were in a serious pinch there are other prospects in the draft that were maybe more pure tackles in college than dahl was that teams may consider to shift inside is more what i meant i should have explained further
Ah ok you could be right.
Hey rob
On draft day could you post a voting poll for position the hawks choose at 26?
A. Offensive lineman
B. Defensive lineman
C. Wildcard any other position (no trade)
Really interested to see how many people we can get and what everyone thinks.
D) trade down
I’m going wild card all the way.
Or it would be cool to do a poll of a few different prospects and see what everyone’s think. Looks like Ifedi is getting 75% of all the nods so far
Rob do you think hassan ridgeway is a big Seahawks target? He plays faster on his tape and has tremendous strength his conditioning is an issue but pairing him with another d table selection could give the Hawks so much depth
Ridgeway’s agility tests were so bad — like bottom of the class bad.
The Seahawks have sought agility on the D-line (Hill 4.51 SS, Howard 4.47 SS). So for that reason I think there are other probably more preferable options.
Ridgeway’s agility tests were bad at the combine, but he significantly improved upon them at this pro day:
Combine – 8.28 3-cone, 4.82 SS
3-Cone – 7.37 3-cone, 4.69 SS
That 3-cone of 7.37 is awesome for his size, and the Hawks value the 3-cone a little bit more than the SS for defensive linemen. When you plug in his new agility numbers, he scores similarly to Rankins (125 Sparq vs. ~123 Sparq).
The Hawks could be all over Ridgeway, potentially in the 2nd round.
ugh, *Pro day*, not “3-cone” in that second line of stats
I wonder what happened at the combine. I hadn’t seen the improved numbers.
With something like the 3-cone it could just be a slip going around the cone that blows up the time.
Now that his proday numbers are improved could you maybe see it? He seems to do his job unless its a clear passing situation. I’ve never seen a player get sacks so well in a 3 man rush the way ridgeway does especially since he can move the line of scrimmage back making Clemons and Bennetts jobs easier. I get the feeling however that more likely than not the hawks have their hearts set on one dt in the first 3 rounds and then will pickup an athletic project later. I have no idea who the DT might be but i just have a good feeling about the d line depth next year especially at DT with rubin and whoever else
The tape I saw of Ridgeway was poor.
Interesting. That’s another big improvement at a pro day for another touted DT. I’ve seen him comped to Kawaan Short, so that’s interesting. Only thing knocks I’ve seen on him is conditioning and injury. Interesting, I think those were some of the concerns with Short. If the Short comp is close to actuate, and they nab Ifedi at 26 and Ridgeway at 56, that’s a really fantastic draft, regardless who they get rounds 3 through 7.
Ridgeway could last until R3 as well. I expect the Hawks to consider him as early as the second round, while likely seeing him as a great value if he falls to them in the third.
Yeah, but kind of like the argument against getting too cute going away from OL early, any DL, especially interior, that can project as eventual 3 down players over 2 down or rotational, you probably want to grab as quickly as you can, Bullard, Butler, Rankins, .. Ridgeway projects this way, probably Willie Henry.. etc. Seems like a good enough draft for those, but you probably want to go early, even if there are other nice players there at other positions. At 90, you’re probably looking at 2 down or rotational Jordan Hill types.
Where did all the love go for UCLA RB Paul Perkins?
I think it went out the window during the combine.
Draft speculation can be such a fickle mistress. I still like Perkins, but I’m not sure how the team values him. Seems like an ideal third down back or as a guy in a RBBC. He’d be a nice choice in the 4th, but might be a stretch in the 3rd depending on who is still on the board. Daniel Jeremiah recently had him graded as being a 4th or 5th round player, but then he went on to say that he isn’t very elusive. Try telling that to the Stanford defense, lol.
I’d be really happy with his selection in the mid rounds.
I usually agree with what DJ has to say, but to say that Perkins isn’t very elusive completely misses the boat. Think elusiveness is his most intriguing skill. Lacks top end speed, size/power and pass blocking are question marks. Perkins makes people miss consistently and has good looking hands. Personally I think we look for a 3rd down back who has strong pass blocking skills, so I’m not as high on Perkins or Ervin for what the Hawks need. Both do have great playmaking ability though.
Perkins was the most elusive back in the draft, according to Tony Pauline’s (IIRC, might not be him) grades/numbers.
Underrated toughness, underrated pass protector, good receiver, great jump-cut, some of the best eyes I’ve seen outta this RB class, his ability to make defenders miss by creating angles and getting lw to the ground is second to none.
Has a high football IQ too and a great feel for the position. Can sense and find his crease before they even open.
Better size and length than Ervin.
Might not have top end speed, but his ability to make guys miss without slowing down is next level stuff.
The love went to Irvin.
Ervin look the part of a legitimate third down back/KR/PR stud, but I personally am still high on Perkins as well. It all depends on how the draft shakes out.
I love DJ Foster late or undrafted as well.
My Proposed 2016 balance of Free Agency and Draft Plan
Free Agency
#1 Sign Former Giants tackle Wil Beatty to a 1 year prove it deal. He is coming off an injury but when healthy was solid in pass pro and a great run blocker. He would view Seattle as a place to come in and start. I think he would be an ideal RT and great insurance if the draft does not allow one of the guys Cable wants to be there when we pick.
#2 Extend Doug Baldwin and redo Bennett’s deal. Any remaining cap space should be used to accomplish these two are not only great players but true leaders on this team.
#3 (Cap Space Permitting) Sign Arian Foster if medicals check out. Think Fred Jackson with a lot more left in the tank. He would be the perfect complement to Rawls and Michael and would fit perfectly in our locker room. If he wants to win an SB he might be signable. I prefer to draft Tyler Ervin but given the recent hype I think he could be gone earlier than people think. If not then he would be a good 3-4th round option as well.
2016 Draft
Rd#1 BPA ( Position / College Unknown) IMO the only true OT in this draft who is a lock to be a quality day#1 starter is Larmey Tunsil. We have all mocked guys like Germain Ifedi and Spriggs to the Hawks because of the need to upgrade the OL but neither of these guys are special with first round grades. Ifedi is likely going to be a LG and Spriggs is an ultra-athletic developmental LT. I would prefer that at #26 they simply take the best player on their board regardless of positon. It is rumored that the Hawks only have 10-12 Rd 1 grades. If that is the case and one of these guys falls to us for example (Rankins, Darron Lee, Keanu Neal, Will Fuller, Ezikel Elliot) then they should be the pick. The way to keep an elite roster is to keep adding special talent. I think this is what JS will do if he follows the lead of his mentor Ted Thompson (Aaron Rodgers pick at end of Rd#1 even though you have Brett Farve)
Rd#2 Shon Coleman (alternative Connor Mcgovern)- His age. medical history (cancer), and not being workout will cause him to fall to the 2nd or 3rd round IMO. That being said this is one tough SOB who profiles to be the perfect RT in our system. He is already and athletic and nasty run blocker who will only improve in pass pro. I think he would start the next 6-8 years at RT and be a huge upgrade to anyone the Hawks have had at RT in the last 10 years.
Rd#3 Javon Hargraves (Alternative Ron Blair)- I love this guy as a penetrating 3 tech DT and think he would be a situational pass rusher in year #1 with the potential to develop into much more. He would be a huge upgrade to Jordan Hill and much more durable.
Rd#3 Joe Dahl (Alternative Joe Haeg)- Love this guy. Fits the athletic profile and can play all over the OL. Would like be backup year #1 but could compete for the starting Center spot year #1. He would be a huge upgrade over Lewis in year #2 if not.
Rd#4 Jatavius Brown (LB Akron- My favorite small school prospect in the draft. Undersized and fast with a monster size chip on his shoulder. All this guy does is make plays. IN the mould of Russ and Earl I think the Hawks would be getting an undersized but athletic player who could end up being the steal of the draft. His one weakness on tape is sometimes tackling too high and no one teaches tackling better than the Hawks.
Rd#5 Tyrone Holmes (Edge, Montana) I am not sure why this guy is not getting more love. Great production and tested really well. He would be an ideal pass rush prospect and insurance in case Clem just does not have anything left in the tank. He is rated a late round guy but I could see someone taking him in the 4th or 5th round by the time draft day rolls around. If not run to the podium to get him JS.
Rd#6 Ricardo Louis (WR, Auburn) I never hear anyone talking about this guy and I am not sure why. 6-2 215lbs with 4.45 speed and good hands. His production was not great beause of poor QB play at Auburn but his 46 catches for 716yds wer over 30% of Auburns passing offense. He is a sudden guy with great deep speed and seems like an ideal 5th receiver to who could end up being much more than that.
Rd#7 David Oneymata (DL Manitoba)-Of all the development guys in the draft I think he has the most upside. Incredible athlete for he size at 6-4 and 310lbs with really good movement skills. He has only played football for 3 years and in a year or two with NFL coaching could be special.
Rd#7 Robby Anderson (WR/DB Temple) – He will be this year’s long, athletic WR to DB convert.
I think this would be a prefect free agency and draft to fix the OL and add some development guys with potential to be game changers. PC/JS said the off season goals were to fix the OL and get tougher. This draft would go a long way to solving those problems.
I have slotted everyone either where they are rated to be drafted or a round earlier since the Hawks draft at the end of the round.
Also the UDFA portion is huge for the Hawks and they always find 1-2 players a year who become contributors. I will post some guys I like in UDFA when we get closer to draft and have full list of VMAC visits.
2016 OL
LT Gilliam, LG Webb C Dahl, RG Glowinski, RT Coleman
That would be a hell of a draft class
Really great plan. In my eyes you nailed it. I would only adjust for the case that all Seahawk First round BPA’s are gone with trading down maybe 6 to 10 spots to get an extra 4th round pick to use on a big TE like Vannett, Higbee or Braunecker.
I want to address the “10-12 first round grades.” I’m pretty sure JS is on record saying that the Hawks have like 15-20 first round grades per year on average. Whether the amount is 10 or 20, this doesn’t necessarily mean the Hawks only view that many prospects as first round talents. PCJS have also said that they approach their draft grades by comparing to the talent they already have on the roster. For example, Wentz and Goff my be considered first round talents, but would not be given first round grades by Seattle since they are both clear downgrades from RW3.
Based on draft tendencies, athletic minimums, and existing talent on the roster, these are the players I believe the Hawks may possibly have a first round grade on:
QB – none
RB – E. Elliot, D. Henry (maybe)
WR – none
TE – none
OL – L. Tunsil, J. Spriggs, G. Ifedi, S. Coleman
DT – D. Buckner, S. Rankins, C. Jones, V. Butler, A. Billings, R. Nkemdiche, J. Bullard
DE – J. Bosa, E. Ogbah, S. Lawson (only if the Hawks think these players can slide inside in nickel)
SAM – L. Floyd
MIKE – none
WILL – M. Jack, J. Smith, D. Lee
CB – J. Ramsey
S – K. Neal, K. Joseph
That’s only 22 players. It’s extremely likely that several of these players do not get first round grades from the Hawks due to injury (Coleman, Smith, Joseph), character issues (Nkemdiche), or scheme fit (such as the DE’s not being projected to play DT in nickel).
So while they may only have 10-15 first round grades, that’s actually a good number. They should have plenty of first round talents to choose from.
Fantastic points, JT.
With respect Trevor, I don’t understand the love for William Beatty.
The Seahawks signed Webb and have passed over, with minimal interest, a collection of big name veteran tackles.
They appear destined to address and focus on the O-line in the draft.
Rob I have no great love for Beatty but when he was healthy he graded out as an above average OT and well above average in the run game. We current do not have a lineman on the roster who can claim that.
By signing him to a cheap 1 year prove it deal he can come in and start at RT moving Webb to guard where he has been much more effective.
If the draft falls correctly and we get a great rookie tackle who can beat him out and win the starting spot there is very little to loose. If it does not and the tackle prospects are gone they can focus on the interior of the line in the draft and feel pretty comfortable with Gilliam and Beatty at OT with Webb providing an upgrade to Britt at LG.
That is my thinking. I am no way saying Beatty is an all pro and the long term solution but he is better than any options currently on roster. If you disagree I challenge you to watch 2014 tape of Beatty and Webb when both played tackle.
Beatty to me is just the next name on the list. Everyone wanted Okung or Penn or Beachum or Clady etc.
Now it’s Beatty — and the Seahawks have chosen Webb and will likely add some draft competition (a guy who can play tackle or guard) and let Webb and the rookie just battle it out.
Great mock Trevor. Arian Foster would be a perfect fit as a 3rd down back. Think he’d rather go to a team that has more touches available, but you never know.
Great Breakdown. I agree with the BPA strategy at 26 also. You never want to fight the draft with your first pick especially if your the Hawks who always will be picking almost last every year. Our biggest needs are OL, DL, OLB. Its simple draft the highest rated player on your draft board at any 3 of these positions. Then with our remaining picks fill needs @56 and our two third round picks depending on where we went at 26. Nothing will go as planned, you have to be able to free style it as it goes. Having three positional groups of need gives us flexibility at 26.
Leicester wins again in EPL! Wow they are going to pull it off this year amazing story.
It’s almost all but over. There up 10 points on second place with 6 matches left for them. I they win 1 of there next 5 that could seal the deal.
Rob, what’s your feeling on Shawn Oakman? Seems like a career revival kind of guy. Really turned his life around. From being homeless to stealing sandwiches at Penn State. Now a day two prospect, is he on our radar, or is he just going to be a 3-4 end
Shawn Oakmont has legal issues. He had been accused of rape.
Isn’t he under investigation for rape now? This guy’s career might be over before it begins.
Seahawks talked to him at the Senior Bowl and asked him how he would feel about adding weight. Never been that excited about him, maybe as a project player in the mid rounds, but with this rape accusation stuff coming out, very unexcited about him now. If they want to go with a big long DE, would much prefer Bronson Kaufusi, and have an athletic Mormon coach’s son.
Great points C-Dog i was not aware of the recent rape allegations. Obviously a serious concern that drops his stock substantially.
Oakman to me is a giant waste of space.
Even without these awful character concerns, i would tend to agree.
Very little push forward. Very stagnant player. Impotent pass rusher
I’m starting to think that the hawks are comfortable with their tackles. Webb isn’t as bad as people are making him out to be. I think we will go defensive line in the 1st round guard or center in the 2nd and I think that they will draft a developmental athletic tackle later in the draft.
At the least, Webb wouldn’t be worse than Gilliam was last season. Gilliam improved a lot but was dreadful for at least the first half of the season.
They will add competition. Webb can play G/T, they will add one or two others who can do the same. Then open up the competition to see who fits where. The Seahawks will not be settling on ANYONE being a presumptive starter. This is going to be a wide open battle.
Rob: Normally there is a drop off in talent after the third round. How would you compare the talent in rounds 4-5 this year compared to prior years?
Also do you think that Moritz Boehringer is on John Schneider’s radar?
I think there’s a drop off after round three. I would expect the Seahawks to go into classic ‘priority UDFA’ type mode after round three, scooping up major athletes who fit their profile.
Germain Ifedi OL Texas A&M
Connor McGovern OL Missouri
Tyler Ervin RB San Jose St.
Austin Johnson DT Penn St.
Travis Feeney OLB UW
Rees Odhiambo OL Boise St.
Deandre Elliott CB Colorado St.
Andy Janovich FB Nebraska
BPA
Ifedi is the reach pick. lets hope he can stay healthy and can start RT or LG spot.
McGovern is easy. Want a center but this guy will push for RT or LG spot. He’d be a stud guard for sure.
Ervin is that pick Seattle can’t resist. Speed and vesatilty
Johnson I think will slip enough to grab him but if not I take a Willie Henry. pick 97 is more the area Seattle picks its DT.
Feeney is the wounded warrior project pick. Has the performance but can he stay healthy. I’d prefer a Nick Vannett personally if he dropped here for more help on the OL.
Obhiambo this is another talent that drops due to injury and if he stays healthy I think he’ll find a way on to the team.
Elliott or a another CB here for the competition and talent. I feel better to pick here because of lane signing.
Janovich we need FB with Coleman gone and we need a FBwho can play special teams.
the last pick is BPA but a QB sure wouldn’t hurt going forward.
Its not just the offensive Line that needs addressing in this post Lynch era.
Great looking draft.
I like this draft, but I’d replace Feeney with Jatavis Brown at LB. Feeney’s a great athlete, but I can’t help thinking he’ll need his own MASH unit at the next level.
If you go FB a round earlier, you could get Vitale instead of Janovich. A 6th round pick is pretty good value wise given what a SPARQ beast Vitale is. They could still try to get Janovich as a UDFA.
The return on Clady is lower then I expected. How does this impact the value to acquire Thomas?
I realize a different scenario with Joe Thomas (no need to trade other then rebuilding with additional picks) when comparing the Clady (needed to be moved) trade but based upon the low return Denver got any chance the cost to acquire Thomas is lower then perceived? Can he be acquired for two back of draft picks (maybe 4th and a 6th)? Rework Thomas contract to lower cap hit in 2016?
Then target Bullard in round 1 at #26 if not available then decision time. Either go Idefi/Spriggs or trade back about 12 picks and acquire additional pick later in draft
If get Bullard, then target McGovern and Dahl.
If get Idefi/Spriggs then target D in round 2 and McGovern in 3rd
2016 OL
LT Thomas, LG Idefi C McGovern, RG Glowinski, RT Gilliam
This would allow Britt, Dahl, Webb, Sokoli, Sowell, and Lewis to compete to fill out rotation.
Thoughts?
The Browns are not trading Thomas on the cheap.
They have zero reason to.
The Broncos traded Clady cheaply because they were probably going to cut him anyway, he’s missed two full seasons out of the last three due to injury and they just signed Russell Okung.
I like many of Rangs top 10 picks for the Hawks at 26/56 in order of his preference by position…DT Billings, Butler, Clark, Ndemdiche, OL Garnett, Kelly, Ifedi, Martin, Wildcard Treadwell, Henry.
Hard to argue with a few of his points he makes. Replacing at the D line will 1) fix a bigger need, 2) make a bigger impact and 3) get us a better, overall prospect talent wise. He likes guys who are the most plug/ play and pro ready which makes sense given the Hawks current SB window; he esp likes interior players Billings, Butler, Garnett, Kelly who he thinks are essential for controlling the interior.
Believes DT class is best since he started covering in 01 and the advantage to the Hawks is there is no clearcut No 1 at the position. Think we have to consider DT first based on recent prospects interviews.
Likewise he views Seattke as focusing on the interior much like the Steelers and likens Garnett to their successful pick of DeCastro; believes Sokoli, Glow will be impact guys and while lLewis is adequate, Kelly might be an upgrade.
I think it’s relatively easy to counter most of this unfortunately.
It’s all well and good saying DT’s like Billings and Butler will control the LOS. Billings didn’t even control the LOS for Baylor. He was a freelancer who did whatever he could to get into the backfield. That’s fine — but it’s counterproductive to controlling the line. We know the Seahawks system and style now which is predicated on taking away the run in base, rotating out two-down DT’s and bringing on the dogs. There’s a reason why the Seahawks have, without fail, not invested big on their DT’s. Because the role they play is minimal, limited snaps. Butler’s another example — a non-pass rusher who in Seattle’s scheme might be a two-down, occasional three-down type. That’s not what they’ve been spending early picks on.
It’s also very easy to pick out three middling or below average athletes on the O-line and say they’re plug in and play. Let’s see how they get on facing athletes two or three times more explosive than they are. There’s a reason the Seahawks are doing what they’re doing on the O-line. And while people can argue against it all they want — but this is the best front office this team has ever had and it will be remembered as one of the best the NFL ever had in time. We need to trust them on this one — and the Garnett’s of this world don’t fit into that equation.
Of the ten names listed here, I’d only think Ifedi is a realistic option.
I really dig Rang’s thinking a lot on this.
Seattle is not in a position to land big name FA additions to it’s D line like it did in 2013. If fact, you may have to penny up for their best DL who has been very vocal about being underpaid. Seattle does not have the talent depth on the DL like it did in ’13. If you want these players, you have to draft these players.
As for OL, get interior linemen. Center would be great.
Seattle’s D-line in 2013: Clemons, Avril, Bennett, Mebane, McDonald, Schofield, Bryant, McDaniel, Hill
Seattle’s current D-line: Clemons, Avril, Bennett, Rubin, Hill, Clark, Siliga, Francis, Marsh
FWIW, McDaniel and Schofield are both still FA’s.
I think it’s one of the single most overstated things that the Seahawks don’t have D-line depth like 2013. It’s very likely they’re going to spend at least one high pick on the D-line in this draft. They have the same pass rush trio of Clemons, Bennett and Avril with Clark thrown into the mix too. Rubin has been praised as Seattle’s best 3-tech under Carroll. The two big losses are McDonald and Mebane but they made their return Super Bowl run in 2014 without both.
Seattle’s D-line is doing just swell with the draft still to come and further possible FA additions.
Yup, get one talented addition to the DL in this draft, or possibly in FA, and I think the comparison concerns to the ’13 line will quickly diminish greatly.
They need a Clint McDonald type.
IMO there’s more guys like that on day 3, then there is early.
I think they will be looking for the McDonald type. With the absence of Mebane, I think they could be considering heavily the addition of a 3 down player, though, if they feel there is one available high.
I think this is a draft that would really maybe a lot of 12s happy campers.
26: R1P26
OT/G GERMAIN IFEDI
TEXAS A&M
56: R2P25
DT HASSAN RIDGEWAY
TEXAS
90: R3P27
G/C JOE DAHL
WASHINGTON STATE
97: R3P34
OLB TRAVIS FEENEY
WASHINGTON
124: R4P26
RB PAUL PERKINS
UCLA
171: R5P32
OT HALAPOULIVAATI VAITAI
TCU
215: R6P40
WR JAYDON MICKENS
WASHINGTON
225: R7P4
DE THEIREN COCKRAN
MINNESOTA
247: R7P26
CB MIKE JORDAN
MISSOURI WESTERN STATE
Here’s what I think we know. Seahawks love to build the OL with TEF players. Seahawks have been scouting and talking with interior DL that they probably few as eventual 3 down linemen. Seahawks have need as SAM and RB depth.
Ifedi, I am going on the limb and telling you, is the OL they most likely won’t pass on at 26, probably are really crossing fingers that the Jets won’t take. Just my hunch.
Giving their special attention to Butler and Bullard, while some might suggest smoke screens, I don’t thing so. I think they want to take advantage of the depth of DL in this class and try to get a 3 down player, if they can. Ridgeway had a much improved pro day performance. Some have comped him to Kawaan Short. If Seattle can get an OL that comps to Osemele and a DL that comps to Short, that is a home run draft, IMO, I really don’t care who else is on the board during those picks.
I completely agree with Rang on upgrading center, and Dahl at 90 probably kicks inside as a tackle/center convert, and would be a steel.
The Seahawks talked with Feeney during the Husky pro day, as Feeney said on local radio. Carroll wants to get the ball back on defense. Great way to do that? Get a penetrating DT and a playmaking LB. Feeney’s injury history is the only thing that makes him not go higher. Ideas of Clark at LB end with this selection.
Perkins can be a decent 3rd down back and add depth, a la Robert Turbin.
Vaitai’s pro day lead to information that provided TEF. he adds competition with Webb at RT.
Mickens provides another smaller WR with good hands, route running, ability to get open quick, grit, and decent speed.. a la Doug Baldwin.
Cockran is an under the radar pass rusher.
Jordan provides depth at corner.
Projected OL starters. Gilliam, Ifedi, Dahl, Glowinski, Webb
Projected DL base Avril, Rubin, Ridgeway, Bennett
Projected NASCAR Clark/Clemons, Ridgeway/Hill, Bennett, Avril
Projected LB, Wright, Wagner, Feeney/Marsh
W. Kentucky TE Tyler Higbee was aressted for 2nd degree assault, intoxication, and 2nd degree evading police.
Ouch.
Might’ve been the best TE in the draft.
Combined with his medical red flag, probably goes undrafted.
One team I am worried about drafting McGovern before 56 is Cinncinatti. Russell Bodine was pretty bad at center last year, and the bengals have shown interest in McGovern already. Cincy picks at 55. Minnesota is at 54. How much would it cost to trade up from 56 to 54? A fifth rounder? A sixth rounder?
I’d be willing to play it out.
What are the chances we sign Will Beatty for tackle depth?
Highly unlikely I’d say.
Ifedi wont be the highest player on the Hawks draft board if he is available at 26.
How do you know?
It’s been brought up a little bit, but what are thoughts on Clemson WR Charone Peake? It seems that there might be a slight motivational issue, but put him in camp with Doug mentoring him, and I think he’ll be just fine. He has all the physical tools to become a great wideout, plus I love watching him run through guys instead of walking out of bounds.