Klint Kubiak in the driving seat

The Seahawks appear close to naming the current Saints offensive coordinator to replace Ryan Grubb. He’s reportedly taking a second in-person interview tomorrow. I discussed in a piece earlier this week why it might be trending towards Kubiak becoming their main target.

There has since been talk of a possible in-person interview with Hank Fraley too. The problem is, if the Lions win this weekend — that won’t be possible for another week or even two weeks. How prepared are the Seahawks to wait if the Lions start winning in the playoffs? They’d run the danger of missing out on Kubiak and there’s always a chance Fraley could have a change of heart.

Nothing about the hiring process in the NFL is ideal. My guess is if Kubiak and Mike Macdonald really hit off on Friday, he’ll get the job. They’ll know after the meeting how much they want to wait a few days to see if the Lions lose to the Commanders.

I like the candidates the Seahawks identified for this role. There wasn’t a ‘home-run’ hire. They’ve had to look around. My only hope is that if Kubiak is appointed, he’ll be prepared to embrace some of the adjustments Sean McVay has made to his blocking scheme. He’s abandoned a lot of the zone/perimeter based system in favour of size and power. I want the Seahawks to be big, aggressive and play downhill in the running game. I want to go after big-bodied finishers, not look for smaller finesse blockers.

The good news is — who was New Orleans’ first round pick last year? Taliese Fuaga, a 6-6, 324lbs violent beast of an offensive lineman. He’s the opposite of finesse. That’s an encouraging sign.

Quinn Ewers turns pro

I’ve always hated people judging a player’s decision to turn pro or not. Now we have this horrible spectacle of $6-8m offers being made to keep quarterbacks in college and people slamming them for turning down the money. It’s ugly.

Ewers has been criticised for not transferring somewhere else and guaranteeing a big pay cheque. Good for him, I say. Apparently he wants to be remembered as a Texas Longhorn, not someone who finished somewhere else. He’s clearly motivated by something other than money, which is a good sign. I’m not sure going somewhere else to play would’ve tremendously boosted his stock anyway.

There’s a lot of online dislike for Ewers which I think goes a bit over the top. He does have natural talent. His whip-like release remains attractive. His deep throw against Alabama last season is one of the three best throws I’ve seen in college football, alongside passes completely by Lamar Jackson and Kyler Murray.

His 2024 season started very well and he looked on top form. However, injuries derailed him. An oblique and then an ankle problem took away significant velocity in his arm and his mobility evaporated. He became indecisive and flustered in the pocket. He struggled, with only flashes of quality breaking out game-to-game. He failed to play consistently well for a full four quarters in pretty much any contest post-injury.

I don’t think he’s shown he belongs as a starter in the NFL. He lacks great size and doesn’t have a major physical trait to make up for it. However, the arm talent is clear. It’s not a cannon — but his ability to flick the wrist and the ball just fizzes out does warrant a comparison to Aaron Rodgers’ delivery. He doesn’t have Rodgers’ elusiveness though, or his ability to throw ‘wow’ passes downfield on the run.

Ewers was once a major recruiting talent, viewed as a generational High School prospect up there with the likes of Jadeveon Clowney. He received higher grades than Caleb Williams. He might’ve failed to live up to the hype in college but teams in the NFL have been tracking him for some time.

I think he can be effective in a Kyle Shanahan type scheme. One that requires the quarterback to be a facilitator rather than a one-man show. The Seahawks might be about to appoint a Shananan-tree coach in Klint Kubiak to run their offense.

I’m not making any bold prediction here. The Seahawks might’ve been put off Ewers with the way he played. John Schneider witnessed a tough outing against Georgia in person during the regular season.

However, there is growing pressure on Schneider to draft a quarterback. I don’t think it’s beyond the realms of possibility he looks at Ewers on day two of the draft and brings him in as a developmental project.

A final quick note — both Todd McShay and Rick Spielman said this week there’s growing buzz within the NFL for Jaxson Dart. That’s something to keep in mind as we prepare for the Senior Bowl, where Dart will participate.

Later on I’m going to be recording my first prospect interview in the 2025 version of my draft series. I’ll be speaking to UNLV receiver Ricky White III. Check it out on Friday. Earlier today I also appeared on a UK-based Seahawks podcast called the 12-Talk Podcast. We went over a number of topics. Check it out below: