Time for a new mock draft. This one includes trades (detailed below), a second round projection and a full Seahawks seven-round mock.
Let me know what you think in the comments section.
#1 Cleveland — Josh Allen (QB, Wyoming)
#2 NY Giants — Sam Darnold (QB, USC)
#3 NY Jets (via Ind) — Baker Mayfield (QB, Oklahoma)
#4 Cleveland (via Hou) — Saquon Barkley (RB, Penn State)
#5 Buffalo (via Den) — Josh Rosen (QB, UCLA)
#6 Indianapolis (via NYJ) — Bradley Chubb (EDGE, NC State)
#7 Tampa Bay — Quenton Nelson (G, Notre Dame)
#8 Chicago — Denzel Ward (CB, Ohio State)
#9 San Francisco — Tremaine Edmunds (LB, Virginia Tech)
#10 Oakland — Leighton Vander Esch (LB, Boise State)
#11 Miami — Minkah Fitzpatrick (S, Alabama)
#12 Denver (via Buf, Cin) — Derwin James (S, Florida State)
#13 Washington — Vita Vea (DT, Washington)
#14 Green Bay — Marcus Davenport (DE, UTSA)
#15 Arizona — Lamar Jackson (QB, Louisville)
#16 Baltimore — Mike McGlinchey (T, Notre Dame)
#17 LA Chargers — Roquan Smith (LB, Georgia)
#18 Cleveland (via Sea) — Kolton Miller (T, UCLA)
#19 Dallas — Calvin Ridley (WR, Alabama)
#20 Detroit — Da’Ron Payne (DT, Alabama)
#21 Cincinnati (via Buf) — Justin Reid (S, Stanford)
#22 Denver (via Buf, KC) — Harold Landry (DE, Boston College)
#23 New England (via LA) — Jaire Alexander (CB, Louisville)
#24 Carolina — Rasheem Green (DE, USC)
#25 Tennessee — Sam Hubbard (DE, Ohio State)
#26 Atlanta — Maurice Hurst (DT, Michigan)
#27 New Orleans — Rashaan Evans (LB, Alabama)
#28 Pittsburgh — Jessie Bates III (S, Wake Forest)
#29 Jacksonville — Taven Bryan (DT, Florida)
#30 Minnesota — Isaiah Wynn (G, Georgia)
#31 New York Giants (via NE) — Will Hernandez (G, UTEP)
#32 Philadelphia — Austin Corbett (G, Nevada)
#33 Seattle (via Cle) — Ronald Jones II (RB, USC)
#34 New England (via NYG) — Mason Rudolph (QB, Oklahoma State)
#35 Cleveland — Carlton Davis (CB, Auburn)
#36 Indianapolis — Kerryon Johnson (RB, Auburn)
#37 Indianapolis — Joshua Jackson (CB, Iowa)
#38 Tampa Bay — Derrius Guice (RB, Tampa Bay)
#39 Chicago — Tim Settle (DT, Virginia Tech)
#40 Denver — Sony Michel (RB, Georgia)
#41 Oakland — Hayden Hurst (TE, South Carolina)
#42 Miami — James Daniels (C, Iowa)
#43 New England (via SF) — D.J. Moore (WR, Maryland)
#44 Washington — Nick Chubb (RB, Georgia)
#45 Green Bay — Isaiah Oliver (CB, Colorado)
#46 Cincinnati — Frank Ragnow (C, Arkansas)
#47 Arizona — Mike Hughes (CB, UCF)
#48 LA Chargers — B.J. Hill (DT, NC State)
#49 Indianapolis — Ronnie Harrison (S, Alabama)
#50 Dallas — Malik Jefferson (LB, Texas)
#51 Detroit — Connor Williams (T, Texas)
#52 Baltimore — Billy Price (C, Ohio State)
#53 Denver (via Buf) — Geron Christian (T, Louisville)
#54 Kansas City — Donte Jackson (CB, LSU)
#55 Carolina — Christian Kirk (WR, Texas A&M)
#56 Buffalo (via LAR) — Harrison Phillips (DT, Stanford)
#57 Tennessee — Rashaad Penny (RB, San Diego State)
#58 Atlanta — Courtland Sutton (WR, SMU)
#59 San Francisco (via NO) — Royce Freeman (RB, Oregon)
#60 Pittsburgh — Andrew Brown (DT, Virginia)
#61 Jacksonville — Dallas Goedert (TE, South Dakota State)
#62 Minnesota — Josh Sweat (DE, Florida State)
#63 New England — Brian O’Neill (T, Pittsburgh)
#64 Cincinnati (via Sea, Cle, Phi) — Tyrell Crosby (T, Oregon)
Just missed: Braden Smith (G, Auburn), D.J. Chark (WR, LSU), Arden Key (DE, LSU), Orlando Brown (T, Oklahoma), James Washington (WR, Oklahoma State), Mike Gesicki (TE, Penn State), Lorenzo Carter (LB, Georgia), Dante Pettis (WR, Washington)
Trades
Buffalo trades #12, #22, #53 & 2019 R2 to Denver for #5
Cleveland trades #33, #64 & #150 to Seattle for #18
New York Giants trade #34 & #108 to New England for #31
Cincinnati trades #77 & #112 to Seattle for #64
Today the Rams traded the #23 pick to New England for Brandin Cooks.
Seven round Seahawks mock
R2 (33) — Ronald Jones II (RB, USC)
R3 (77) — Luke Falk (QB, Washington State)
R4 (112) — Shaquem Griffin (LB, UCF)
R4 (120) — Kameron Kelly (DB, San Diego State)
R5 (141) — Quenton Meeks (CB, Stanford)
R5 (146) — Leon Jacobs (LB, Wisconsin)
R5 (150) — Will Dissly (TE, Washington)
R5 (156) — Natrell Jamerson (S, Wisconsin)
R5 (168) — Chase Edmonds (RB, Fordham)
R7 (226) — Poona Ford (DT, Texas)
R7 (248) — Khalid Hill (FB, Michigan)
So, why a quarterback in round three?
We’re just running through scenarios here. This is one we haven’t talked about.
The Seahawks currently don’t have a backup on the roster. That’ll likely change before training camp. A veteran backup is necessary, even if they draft a rookie QB.
In the next 18 months the Seahawks will likely begin negotiating a new contract with Russell Wilson. Last time it ended up being trickier than expected. Wilson didn’t agree terms until right before training camp. I think they were surprised how long it took, how much Wilson’s agent dug in. All’s well that ends well — but they need to be prepared for round two.
The chances are Wilson will agree an extension and will continue his career in Seattle — possibly until he finishes playing. You don’t take a franchise quarterback for granted. It still makes sense for the Seahawks to cover their bases. Draft a quarterback, have them under contract for four years and buy yourself some security.
Quarterbacks generally don’t lose value. Mike Glennon is a good example. A year ago Chicago paid him a fortune to be a bridge to Mitch Trubisky. So even if your young QB isn’t a valuable trade chip, comp picks are a possibility down the line.
Is it a little rich to spend a third round pick on a quarterback during a transition?
Possibly.
However, consistent winning teams have often planned ahead at quarterback. The New England Patriots drafted Ryan Mallett and Jacoby Brissett in round three and spent a second rounder on Jimmy Garoppolo during the Brady era. Green Bay drafted Aaron Rodgers in 2005 as the presumed heir apparent to Brett Favre. Yet in 2008 they also spent a second round pick on Brian Brohm — the year Rodgers took over from Favre. Again, they were covering their bases.
The Seahawks haven’t drafted a quarterback since taking Wilson in 2012. Now might be the time to start some forward planning.
So why Luke Falk?
The main reason is because he’s the best one available in this mock. The top five go in round one as expected and Mason Rudolph comes off the board in round two. After that there’s not a lot left.
Falk is a very different quarterback to Wilson but so was Charlie Whitehurst, Matt Flynn and Austin Davis. Ideally you’d draft a player with a similar skill set to avoid too much change if Wilson gets hurt. Unless Lamar Jackson suffers a dramatic and unexpected fall that isn’t going to be possible here.
I’ve liked Falk for some time. He’s a gutty quarterback, willing to sit in the pocket and deliver accurate throws in the face of pressure. He’s intelligent, measured and has dealt with a lot in his college career. He did have some ugly games but he also elevated Washington State into contention in the PAC-12 North.
It’s not an unfair criticism to suggest he didn’t quite take the next step in 2017, pushing himself firmly into the round two range. Yet he hardly had a bad year either. In the third round you’re not taking much of a gamble. Falk has talent in a league desperate for good quarterback play. If he isn’t starting for the Seahawks in five years, he might be starting for someone else.
Why waste a pick on a QB this early though?
There aren’t many alternatives. Seattle’s lack of picks is a problem and likely a main reason why they’re willing to contemplate trading Earl Thomas for a bounty.
At pick #33 in the mock above a lot of the best pass rushers were gone. So I had them take a running back, addressing their self-confessed biggest need (fixing the run). If I’d had them passing on a runner at #33, they would’ve missed out on the top eight altogether.
Sometimes the board falls this way. Ideally I would’ve had the Seahawks taking a runner and a pass rusher. It didn’t work out. So I had them trading down from #64 and thought it’d be interesting to bring up the possibility of taking a QB.
What happens to the pass rush though?
A few key points here:
— The Seahawks do have Frank Clark, Dion Jordan, Barkevious Mingo and Marcus Smith. Cliff Avril is expected to retire but as of today, remains part of the roster. It hasn’t been completely ruled out that he’ll play again. There’s also at least some possibility Malik McDowell will return this year.
— In 2010-11 the Seahawks relied heavily on Chris Clemons to provide a pass rush, aided by Raheem Brock. In 2012 they added Bruce Irvin. It wasn’t until 2013 that they signed Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril. They waited for the right players to become available. They might be willing to roll with Clark, Jordan, Mingo and Smith this year.
— The 2019 draft class looks like it could be a defensive line special. You’ve got the Clemson quartet of Dexter Lawrence, Clelin Ferrell, Christian Wilkins and Austin Bryant. Nick Bosa (Joey’s brother) is eligible to turn pro. Houston’s Ed Oliver has already stated he’ll be declaring for the draft. Michigan’s Rashan Gary is eligible. Teams plan ahead and it won’t be a surprise if the Seahawks are thinking 2019 could be the year to focus on pass rushers.
It’s also possible the draft falls a bit differently in round one and the Seahawks find a way to draft a pass rusher with an early pick. I’m not ruling it out — I’m just looking at a different scenario today.
And for what it’s worth, I do have them adding Shaquem Griffin and Leon Jacobs on day three. Griffin is a nickel linebacker and pass rush specialist. Jacobs is capable of acting as a SAM/LEO and providing some edge pressure.
Why Ronald Jones II?
You can make arguments for and against the pick. On the positive side, Jones II is truly one of the most dynamic players in the draft. A legit top-20 talent. His aggressive running style, vision, incredible suddenness and ability to make a deadly cut and explode to the second level is highly impressive. Simply put, his tape is fantastic. He has genuine star potential and the comparisons to Jamaal Charles, as we’ve said many times before, are warranted.
On the negative side of things, he’s only 205lbs. That’s below Seattle’s apparent prototype for the position. He was highly productive and tough at USC but at the next level he might need to be part of a duo. Which is fine. Think Mark Ingram & Alvin Kamara. Seattle’s version could be Chris Carson & Ronald Jones II.
Even so, if you want a reason to be wary of taking Jones II — that’s it. And the Seahawks might prefer someone who is bigger (such as Nick Chubb or Kerryon Johnson). Jones II is incredibly talented, explosive and dynamic and the type of athlete they’ve added in the past. But it doesn’t mean he’s a guaranteed fit.
If the Seahawks were wavering on his size, this could also be a factor:
Now heard from more than one team who has been turned off by how "dismissive" Ronald Jones has been during their discussions with him. Caught both teams way off guard.
— Lance Zierlein (@LanceZierlein) March 22, 2018
When you aren’t an absolutely perfect fit (and Jones II isn’t because he’s not a sturdy 220lbs) — you don’t want to give a team another reason to pass.
That said, he’s not a bad guy. This isn’t a true character ‘flag’. It’s just a thing that, as Lance notes, caught teams off guard. Because he comes across as a good talker and a personable, determined character.
Jones II is a special player with a ceiling that includes greatness. He has to be a consideration.
Why no offensive linemen?
It’s quite simple. In the last two years the Seahawks have spent a first round pick on Germain Ifedi, a second round pick on Ethan Pocic, a third round pick on Rees Odhiambo, a second and a third round pick on Duane Brown and they extended the contract of 2014 second round pick Justin Britt.
The Seahawks have poured resources into their O-line. And alone it hasn’t been a solution. Pete Carroll and John Schneider drafted these players and it appears they still believe they’re capable of forming a cohesive group.
They’ve changed coaches. They’re tweaking the scheme. They’ve signed D.J. Fluker. They’ll be getting George Fant back. More highly drafted rookies aren’t always the solution. This group needs better guidance to execute and communicate and function. Now it’s up to Mike Solari to deliver.
Final thoughts
Predicting what the Seahawks will do is even harder than usual this year because of their lack of picks. We’re not just projecting possible targets — we’re also trying to guess how they’ll move around the board to fill the gigantic hole between pick #18 and #120.
I do think they will target a running back early. It doesn’t have to be their first pick but it’ll probably be one of their first two. I think they will look to add speed across the board. I think they will also target players with strong special teams value.
That’s what I’ve tried to do with this projection. From Ronald Jones II to Shaquem Griffin to Leon Jacobs to Natrell Jamerson — there’s a lot of speed. The Seahawks would be a faster team on both sides of the ball.
I’ve also tried to identify players with grit, toughness and intelligence.
There are always names you’d like to include too. Isaiah Wynn, Austin Corbett, Christian Kirk, Maurice Hurst, Andrew Brown, Jessie Bates III. All intelligent, tough players with high talent. I’ve grown to appreciate Dallas Goedert more after further study this week. Nick Chubb and Kerryon Johnson are both appealing alternatives at running back and there are players like Nick Nelson that don’t fit Seattle’s prototype but still jump off the screen.
With the draft just over three weeks away we’ll continue to look at different scenarios and possibilities.
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Luke Falk.. barf. Not gonna lie, I would be extremely disappointed if they decided to go that route. Obviously not a fan. I think Shaquill will be going undrafted or late rounder. My 2 cents, but thanks for mock, very interesting to see your take.
With his great on-field and combine performances, including all the hype AND his NFL invite to the draft, he will go undrafted? That is a white-hot (hotter than red hot ) take. 🙂
Did Falk have a good combine? I thought he threw poorly compared to the other guys. Had some ducks and accuracy issues. Nice anticipation but suspect arm. Career backup and unworthy of a 3rd round pick for a rebuilding team.
Seattle can’t afford risks with this draft. They need solid over sexy. Griffin and Falk are too risky, though Griff is probably a decent gamble in round 4.
I know this is Rob’ s out-of-the-box mock draft but it would shiver me timbers if PCJS are remotely considering some of these guys. Not a RoJo fan either.
I’d love to see Cleveland draft Allen and Barkley though. Allen is a fascinating player.
It’s not out of the box. It’s a new scenario. I think it’s realistic.
Luke Falk in round 3 is FAR too rich. I look at Falk as a bully against bad competition (he statpadded against bad teams his entire career at WSU), but when he played good teams, he always shrank from the moment. In big games, he was TRASH.
Plus, he has significant injury concerns.
Maybe if Falk was there in the 5th-6th round, but at that price, I’d honestly rather have Quinton Flowers as a backup.
He won’t last to round five or six. No way.
The reason he’ll be there in round three is due to some of the issues you’ve raised. He has a lot of potential though. Very accurate, willing to stand in the pocket and deliver. Struggled in some key games, yes, but also won others (eg USC in 2017).
To me he’s the very definition of a R3 quarterback pick. The type well worth taking a shot on. Not sure what people expect really from a QB in that range. If you don’t have issues you’re going in R1.
I would recommend going back and watching some of the tougher match ups WSU won (vs USC). 2016 is a better sample size – WSU receiving corps was VERY young and inexperienced in 2017.
I’m very curious to see what team Falk goes to and how his career develops.
At initial glance, I don’t like the idea of Falk in Round 3, even though the “prognosticators” seem to think Round 3-4. I don’t see Tom Brady in him, I see Mike Glennon. Then I go on NFL dot com’s player tracker and who do they have as Falk’s comp? Mike Glennon. He was a 3rd round pick if I remember right. One thing that kind of immediately dissuades me from thinking Seattle will draft a QB like Falk is, his lack of mobility. Literally every QB they’ve had in their program after Hasselbeck has had way better mobility than Falk.
Then again, Seattle does need a back up QB. There’s a couple ways they could go about it.
1. Sign a veteran guy to a 1 year deal at about $1-2M. This QB will pretty much have little to no developmental upside. He already is what he is. Think Austin Davis.
2. Draft a guy like Falk in Round 3 or 4. They’d have a cost controlled QB for 4 years on a rookie deal for about $900K per year, with a year one cap hit of about $600K or less. Maybe he ends up not developing into what anyone would consider a starting quality QB, but who knows, maybe he does?
It obviously depends on where Seattle values Falk on their board. If they have a higher grade on him and sees him “fall” to them in Round 3 or 4, I could see them drafting him. They need a back up, and again, there’s value in a cost controlled player at that position that also has potential for development. I just don’t see it being Falk.
My take is that they will go the veteran backup route. Even if they draft a QB they will still add a veteran. Because in the past they have shown a preference for a veteran backup. And why shouldn’t they? They have had actual pro game time experience.
“Because in the past they have shown a preference for a veteran backup.”
While this is mostly true (i.e. Tarvaris Jackson), they did roll with UDFA rookie Trevone Boykin as their back up in 2016 – which was also Wilson’s “unhealthiest” season.
I think they bring in a veteran at a low to no guarantee contract and a rookie. That way if they want to cut the veteran and keep the rookie, there’s not much of a cap hit. Specifically, if they take a rookie as high as the 3rd round, he should be expected to win the back up QB job.
Anyone here know what round Russel Wilson was drafted?
Everyone thought Manzel was going to be one of the “greats” same with RG3. Likewise, everyone thought RW was too short and wouldn’t make it. Point is things don’t always play out how people thought they would.
For all we know, Falk in the 3rd round is a steal. I thought Rob made some great points about Falks games. Did he have some inconsistency, yes. But that can also be attributed to a number of factors. Such as injury, depleted receiving corps, coaching and/or gameplans etc etc.
I think the potential Falk has warrants a third round pick. And think of this, a lot of players “projections” are weighted by their final year performance. Lot’s of players have bad years or bad luck. Doesn’t mean their bad players and is kind of harsh to judge them on one year and discount the previous three years.
Just Sayin’
My family’s best friends’ daughter is engaged to Luke Falk. Mum n Dad had dinner with him this summer and there takeaway was that he was all about football. At one point during the evening my Dad asked him what he’d do if he wasn’t playing football and Luke apparently didn’t have a good answer. It’s what he loves most in life.
Sounds like a fit to me.
He’s a genuinely nice guy! He gave autographs at the Oregon Ducks game this last season and tossed up his gloves signed at the tunnel for the kids to have. It was awesome, Cody O’Connell was jumping and giving ‘High FIve’s’. It was quite impressive, he can give a high five at the tunnell without jumping lol
Luke Falk has everything you want in a franchise QB except for freezing in the pocket. I expect that the patriots will grab him though.
Which would be a dream come true for him. He’s a massive Tom Brady fan.
My concern is that there were plenty of suspicions that Mike Leach put him or there with more than one undiagnosed concussion in his career. He was battered often. He’s got limited physical upside and he’s tough, no doubt. However, he needs to be checked thoroughly before he gets drafted. Also, he had his worst games against the Huskies. They were in his head a lot. He’s always torched mediocre to bad teams. The good ones he’s been pretty hit and miss. Food for thought. I wouldn’t want him, but that’s ok.
Mike Leach is probably the biggest POS in CFB
I’ll see your Mike Leach and raise you a Bobby Petrino.
Jerry Sandusky?
I think I win.
You may win, but I think in the end, we all just lost… lol.
Luke is the full package strong character, off the charts leadership and a great person – a humble warrior. Put his team first to attend Tyler’s funeral v . Play at senior bowl. As much as I’d Love to see him join Hawks ( Paul Allen and many Cougs in the org.) I know the hooded one who can’t be named isn’t letting him get past NE. I’d actually be ecstatic for him to go there and learn behind TB12. I think singing Kap saves the pick … puts pressure on RW agent and we grab a QB next draft.
I’m not in the “I don’t want him” camp, but I don’t want him in the third. Way too high. If we could get him with one of our 5th round picks, I’d be happier.
No way he lasts to the 5th.
I’m on board with Falk, it’s a shrewd and wise pick! back up QB is our biggest weakness.
I agree about the shrewd pick. Not about backup QB being the biggest weakness. There isn’t a team in the league where ‘backup QB’ is their biggest weakness.
Drafting a backup anything seems like a stretch in rd 3, although I get the insurance angle. There seems to be plenty of starting positions to fill with that pick. I’d love to see a dynamic TE taken there and then a bigger project type QB later, along with Dissly.
There wasn’t a dynamic TE to take
But there will be other value on the board and no need to reach for a projected back-up QB.
Maybe. But it’s an assumption that I picked Falk here and passed over several immediate starters.
And the point of the article was to highlight how this wouldn’t just be about getting ‘a projected backup QB’. It’s about a lot more than that.
Schultz?
Would love it if Luke Falk were to become a Seahawk. I think it would help him to sit behind a quality veteran for a while, and that would certainly be the case in Seattle. Not sure this is the move the team makes with only a couple day two picks, but would not put it past them.
Thanks for the in-depth answer for my question about QBs from earlier today. I don’t disagree with you, but I do find it hard to spend a 3rd round pick on a QB this year..
What are your thoughts on Kentavius Street? Didn’t you mention him on a podcast? I just think it’s weird he doesn’t get more hype. His length may not be ideal, but he still looks pretty good to me. I know you have said there is no value at DE late in this draft, but I feel like Street could be a steal on day 3.
If he hadn’t pulled his hamstring during the 40 at the combine, I think he could have turned some heads there. He had a monster work out a year ago:
475-pound Bench Press
700 pound squat
40 vertical
4,58 40 yard
9-foot-11 Broad Jump
And he is reportedly the most flexible player in the N.C. State program.
Do you think it helped or hurt him playing on that dominant N.C. State D-line? It may be easier to shine when teams have to focus on Chubb, Hill and Jones as well as Street, but could he be overlooked because there were so many great players around him?
I like Street’s potential. Very explosive. Powerful. Flexible. Could be an option.
I still like Kentavious Street as a potential FB/DT like we used Will Tukawafu. Street can absolutely move for a bifg dude and I would be willing to bet there might be some LB’s who might make business decisions to not get run over by that guy.
Unfortunately it’s been revealed today that Kentavius Street has suffered a serious knee injury.
Wow.. ACL tear? I feel really bad for the guy.. I hope he come back from it. What happens to a guy like Street now? If an early round prospect has a serious injury, someone will still take a chance on him. Will Street even be on a roster this year?
To me that represents an opportunity. A guy like that would be worth rolling the dice for with a late round pick, like we did with Walter Thurmond.
Thurmond featured in 14 games as a rookie though. It sounds like Street might miss the whole year if it’s serious. Like him but this makes his situation extremely complicated. UDFA who might need to pass a medical before he gets signed.
Still, you wouldn’t throw a 5th or a 7th, even if it means waiting a year?
If he falls as far as one of our 7s, it would be great to get him so low. He tore it up at the Shrine game practices according to Walter Football: “Street (6-2, 287) has speed and athleticism to go with his thick frame. All week, he has performed well in practice with wins in the one-on-ones and in the team scrimmage. Sources say that Street is going to test extremely well in the leadup to the 2018 NFL Draft. He has mid-round potential in a draft class that does not have a lot of early-round edge talent. Street used his speed to put steady pressure on the quarterback throughout the game. ”
They also had great reviews of our hopefully future safety pick Jamerson of Wisconsin: “Wisconsin safety Natrell Jamerson has gotten his hands on a lot of passes this week, and that continued Wednesday afternoon. During the team scrimmage, Jamerson flew over to track down an overthrow in the middle of the field for an interception. He showed good instincts and speed to get over the top on the receiver. In the red zone team scrimmage, Jamerson had a good hit to separate the ball from a receiver to get an incompletion. Jamerson has illustrated good ball skills and the ability to get in position to make plays in coverage throughout the week. He has really helped himself at the East-West Shrine. Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett fumbled on a sack throwing behind a screen. Wisconsin safety Natrell Jamerson scooped it up and raced down the field for a 70-yard touchdown. It was poor play by Barrett and a nice play from Jamerson, showing good awareness to pick up the ball while others thought it was an incomplete pass. Jamerson created turnovers all week with multiple interceptions in practice, and he followed it up on Saturday. He has good instincts and stays around the ball. Even though he took the ball away a lot during the week, Jamerson didn’t get much media attention. He could be a sleeper and a steal on day three of the draft.”
Another guy who helped himself at the Shrine game and proved he has plenty of speed to go with his size and sure hands is Penn’s Justin Watson. “Another wide receiver who has impressed team sources is Penn wideout Justin Watson. They say that Watson had a lot of good tape in college, but considering his level of competition, teams were eager to see if he could be as good against more talented defensive backs. Watson has proved up to the task this week, producing quality sessions each day. The 6-foot-2, 215-pounder is built solid and runs all for his size. Watson was very good in the one-on-ones and the seven-on-seven session. He is a tough receiver who runs the staple routes of the west coast offense with slants, digs and crosses. Watson has run-after-the-catch skills and is good to shield the ball from defenders. Not many Ivy League players get drafted, but Watson could be a third-day pick in the 2018 NFL Draft after his strong week in Mobile.” And at Tony Pauline’s Pro Day Reports: “Watson, who impressed scouts at the Shrine Game and participated in the Senior Bowl but did not receive a combine invitation, measured 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds. He completed 20 reps on the bench, touched 40 inches in the vertical jump and reached 10 feet in the broad jump.
His 40 time was a blistering 4.39.
Watson was known for his reliable hands coming into the workout and proved today that he has the athleticism for the next level.
Rob, one nose tackle/DT I really hope we get with a mid-round pick is PJ Hall of Sam Houston St. The main focus after bolstering the running game according to Pete and your great analysis is getting more speed on the team, and this guy seems almost Aaron Donald fast and explosive. According to Tony Pauline’s pro day reports: “Hall, who was dominant for three days of Shrine practice, measured 6004 and 308 pounds. He touched an impressive 38 inches in the vertical jump, reached 9-foot-8 in the broad jump and completed 36 reps on the bench.
His first 40 time clocked under 4.8 (4.76 on a few watches) into the wind while his second attempt, with the wind, was under 4.7 (4.68 on a few watches).
I’ve spoken with some over the past 24 hours who believe Hall had one of the best pro-day workouts of any non-combine defensive line prospect from the past 10 years. Hall tested well and transferred that athleticism to position drills, easily moving around the field and looking good in zone-drop drills. This comes as no surprise to anyone at SHSU, as Hall entered the school’s football program as a 260-pound tight end.”
Finished with 86 tackles for loss and 42 sacks for his career, strong with a 700 pound squat to his name, his 14 career blocked kicks is unheard of.
NFL.com just did an article on him Wed., but have been meaning to post and ask about him since seeing his crazy pro day numbers early last week on Pauline’s site, and this for a shorter DT like Grady Jarrett with like I mentioned earlier, close to Aaron Donald speed, but I don’t think Donald can jump 38 inches at 308 pounds like this guy!
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000924808/article/2018-nfl-draft-hustle-fueling-pj-halls-undertheradar-climb
https://www.hudl.com/video/3/2739254/5792e734eae10c43e0023569
Check out at 2:35 of the 2nd highlights video him chasing down speedy RB Troymaine Pope from across the field and 60 yards away, catches up and is side by side, then is helped by the JSU QB trying to block him, pushes him into Pope for the tackle. Can line up at DE and chases down RBs, QBs and spin-throws them down like rag dolls in the video.
Really hope we can draft several speedy talented players at a variety of positions like Hall, Jamerson, and Watson above, also of course Ronald Jones of USC, LB/Edge Jacobs of Wisc. as Rob has mentioned, and a few others. Have always loved Earl Thomas being a Seahawk and if we had tons of cap space would want to keep him at maybe a 3 yr. 40+ mil. cap friendly deal, but it’s obvious unfortunately we’re trying to trade him. Have seen at over the cap.com that the Cowboys only have around 2 mil. available and couldn’t afford him. Heard rumors that JAX let some players go to have the room and have 18 mil., would love to have their 1st, or the colts have 50+ mil., their 2 high 2nds would be great – they have 3 2nds after the trade with the Jets I believe.
Sorry so long. On a side note and request Rob, can you e-mail me or tell me where the link or address to paste into my browser is to contribute to your site at patreon? Can see the twitter, facebook, and many other links, possibly my ad blocker or computer isn’t showing it or maybe just don’t know what to look for. Have been reading this for over 2 years, and you just keep getting better and better with more and more detail-oriented articles. Don’t know when you find the time with a full time job and family. Thanks so much for all you do, the podcasts with Kenny, Seahawkers, etc. are all great too.
Forgot to mention we really need to draft as Rob said, the speediest and most inspirational, highest character of them all, Shaquem Griffin, he can play multiple positions with that sub-4.4 speed and would be excellent as well on special teams and in the locker room, always smiling and positive.
Also misspoke saying DT Hall chased down RB Pope from 60 yards away. But he did have to come from the opposite side of the field after Pope had already broken through the line, and chased him for almost 60 yards until he caught him, didn’t give up on the play even though they were way down in the 2nd half, describes it better in the NFL.com link:
“One of coach Keeler’s fondest memories of Hall’s career came at the end of a 54-yard run in the third quarter of a blowout playoff loss to Jacksonville State in Hall’s sophomore season. Speedy running back Troymaine Pope, who would be in the NFL with the Jets and Seahawks the next year, took off up the left sideline and raced deep into Bearkats territory. There was Hall — originally lined up on the back side of the play, about 75 pounds heavier, with his team 31 points behind — actually gaining ground on Pope and making the stop at the 10-yard line.”
Don’t like watching Jones. He has wr legs, not rb legs. Maybe he will be great, though. I wish Damien Harris had declared. I’d take him over anyone else.
I’d also prefer Martez Carter to Chase Edmunds.
I should say I especially like the Griffin and Ford picks
I recall reading an article in which Jones’ fellow USC running backs marveled at his incredible leg strength, and it shows up in his running. He powers through arm tackles as well as anyone. Looks may be deceiving in this case.
Fair enough. I just have a “type” when it comes to RBs. I trust Rob’s study a whole lot more than mine, though…if you can even call it that in my case (hint: you can’t)
That made me actually laugh!
Well done Lewis!
Go Laughter
Whatever legs he has, I can’t believe there’s anyone who doesn’t like watching him. He’s electric.
It’s interesting. I just watched the highlight video again. He doesn’t seem to have an “extra gear” so to speak. I don’t think top end speed is his strength (and he gets caught from behind sometimes) HOWEVER, it seems to me that he has great acceleration and gets to his top speed very quickly. Seems like that acceleration and field vision could be what makes him special.
If you accelerate as quickly as he does and gets to top speed with such incredible speed, you don’t need another gear. See: his long TD vs Washington State.
Yes, that was my observation. I’m not being critical here.
People call Jones II the Texas Tesla. Teslas have one gear, but they accelerate faster than any super car.
Lol, nice. Those electric motors have all their torque at any rpm.
I agree regarding his transmission. I think he goes right from second to fifth. Screw the rest of the gears.
Jones’ legs are the thickest part of his body whereas he get’s his power from. Edmunds reminds me of Marshal Faulk. I saw a little of Curt Warner in his running style. He has good hands and can really stick his foot in the ground and find the crease while exploding into the next level. he has elite vision when traveling at full speed. He was rookie of the year as a freshman. Entering his SR. season he had already accumulated 65 TD’s. Walter Football now has him in the 3rd. round. He is moving up baby….
I have been pouring over tape for the last couple of week’s. That’s what I have been doing since 1969. I used to subscribe to Street & Smith, Avalon, ESPN, Kipper’ mag. And Rang’s draft Scout when you had to pay for it. That’s When I found SDB. I really appreciate Rob, V12, OB-Slow and other commentators on this site. I learned to make a comparison if I could. That’s how I comped Donald to Randle before anybody else. Before the SR. Bowl and the combine. I remember getting getting neg. feedback. Rob can search it if need be. It was about 2 weeks later when some network guy made the same comparison. Somebody was lurking. 🙂
I have pouring over the QB’s for a fit for the Hawks. Somebody mentioned how much they liked Nick Shimonek. He had good receivers at Texas Tech. which I took into consideration. I came away seeing he made those receivers better. He is able to adjust the flight and speed of the ball better than any college QB I have seen in a long time. What he has over Wilson is he does not miss open receivers. He is decisive and trusts in his guy’s. My NFL comp. ( a more polished Tony Romo coming out) Just as athletic but a little tougher. Another comp… Kyle Allen- Brett Farve. Gun Slinger…. GO HAWKS!!!!! More Later….
To be fair, Rojo has developed a Power element to his game only this season. The highlights posted were his career highlights. In his Frosh/Soph he was mainly a HR threat, outside zone guy.
Lewis, how does 5’8″ and 200 lbs strike you in a RB? A pass because that’s too short and wimpy? Those were Barry Sanders measurables.
Sometimes it’s more about what they can do on the field than how they measure.
No, I actually love shorter backs. Maurice Jones-Drew is a favorite of mine. Loved getting to see him play when I lived down there. Closest I’ve seen to a guy like that in this draft is Martez Carter. Damien Harris is a bit taller, but looks like a fire hydrant (which is why I said I wish he had declared). He and RoJo are the same height but Harris carries another 15+ pounds and to my untrained eye Jones has a lot more length in his legs. His center of gravity looks much higher.
Rob: I see you have the Hawks taking Ronald Jones II at 33. Hawks can’t go wrong with Jones. Jones can make an offensive line better than what it is(i.e. Marshawn Lynch). However, I am ALL IN on Dallas Goedert. I think Goedert is a player that comes around once every ten years. You have Goedert at 61. Maybe I am wrong about Goedert I will have to do some more reading on him. Geodert has the idea frame of a Tight-End. He can do it. Route running, hands, size, blocking, attitude, he creates match-up problems for both linebackers/safetys.
Nice article Rob. A counterpoint to the Seahawks relying on Clemmons in 2010-11 is that after the Falcons loss Carroll vowed never to be caught so short of pass rushers. And they haven’t been since. However, your point about Griffin and Jacobs is spot on, IMO. Seattle is unlikely to find a good pass rushing DE in this draft. Adding players in the back seven may be the way to increase your pass rush options.
I also think this year with the lack of day two picks, and with several needs, it is less likely than ever that they take a QB early. Worth talking about as a scenario though, as you point out. If we exit this draft with Jones, Griffin, Jacobs, Dissly, and Ford, I’ll be very happy, almost regardless of how the other picks play out.
The Falcons loss in fairness was 2012 when Clemons was absent with a torn ACL. So I think Carroll was referencing that having lost their only true pass rusher, they needed more. Already this year they have Clark, Jordan, Smith, Mingo and possibly Avril and McDowell.
For sure – Carroll talked about the impact of losing Clemmons after the loss. He did tell Bradley, if I remember correctly, that he’d never leave him so short of pass rushers again. We can count on Clark, and Jordan and Smith give some hope. Mingo is mostly unkown, and at this point I think you have to put Avril and McDowell are long shots.
Ultimately I think your analysis is correct – they are likely to add supplementary pass rushers instead of drafting a DE.
If you take Goedert that will create HUGE issues for defenses. Now you have Goedert, Dickson and Vannett. New England has FEASTED on multiple tight-end offenses. When you have multiple tight-ends you can BOTH pass/run out of two/three tight-end offenses. The Eagles turned their running game around by using more two/three tight-end formations.
I’d love to see us using more multiple TE sets, but I think this team looks at TEs like I’d look at a welding torch (no idea how to use it).
Great word picture. 🙂
It all depends on what your offensive coordinator is comfortable with. Bevell sure didn’t favor multiple tight end sets. How aggressively we go after tight ends may answer your question.
Sounds good to me- just curious-
when you do these mocks-do you do the whole 7 rounds?
Just wondering what other QB’s were available at 77?
I just do the two rounds and with this one added a Seahawks seven rounder to make it more interesting (because Seattle only picked once and we’ve talked a lot about Ronald Jones II).
Sub Ito Smith in for Chase Edmonds and I’ll be happy. Although, with Ronald Jones, Ito wouldn’t be necessary. I would like to see them tap into the depth of the OG class, wait on DE.
I think it is imperative to get a QB in the draft, not to take Wilson’s Job(unless the QB won the job), but talent character and depth is important. Especially when Tarvaris and Treyvone had their Character issues.
Smith can’t hold a candle to Edmunds…
Why imperative? Is a potential back-up QB this year going to be the difference between getting to the Super Bowl or not? I think we can limp by with an established back-up like Mark Sanchez or Austen Davis this year, and draft someone to groom next year when we have more draft capital.
Nobody I paired with Seattle in round three was going to be the difference between Super Bowl or not.
The Hawks aren’t going to the Super Bowl next year, with or without Falk. All I’m saying is Falk has no chance to contribute this year. Another pick in the third might. Considering the lack of draft picks this year, I’m just saying this isn’t a good year to draft a QB (unless we manage to trade Earl).
Again, I wouldn’t think of this as just a 2018 situation.
I really like the pick at 33–I honestly think it will come down to Jones or Chubb. I have an awful feeling that Jones may not escape the top 25…he’s that dynamic. His upside is unreal.
Last night I went back and watched all of Chubb’s games last year…the guy just screams Seahawks. He can run out of shotgun, he can run out of single back, he can run out of i formation—he can do it all. We know that Seattle is going to put an emphasis on the FB position…I think drafting a RB that already knows how to read holes from that formation is key. Michel doesn’t have that talent at all. Kerryon Johnson doesn’t have the same experience there either. Both were used heavily in shotgun formations.
Chubb is a very appealing option.
Rob,
A lot of these trade down scenarios we have run we have Jones available the beginning of round 2, what happens if he goes the end of round 1? In this scenario would you just target the next running back on your list or another position?
Not Rob, but yes, I think you go with Chubb there. If Chubb ain’t there, then Kerryon Johnson.
Or if you have Chubb, Johnson, and Guice rated similarly, trade back a few spots.
Chubb or Kerryon… or trade down again.
That’s my exact thought when looking over your draft scenario. If they can trade down another 10 spots or so & still get one of the top RB’s, they’d be a lot better off.
Any idea what they could get in that scenario? A 3rd? A 4th?
Man, I hope they wait until later to grab RB and focus on DL. If Davenport somehow falls to our 1st pick we better take him and abandon trading down.
And abandon fixing the run too
I agree with Rob here. Fix the run this year rather than reaching for a Davenport. Next year will be loaded with quality DEs much better in quality and in need of far less coaching up than Davenport.
RB this year’s draft class when the quality and numbers are there. Then load up on DEs next year in a draft class has the quality and numbers for that position.
Not if you miss out on the RB’s you like
I’m not a big fan of either of the Washington or Washington State Quarterbacks. Falk looked pretty good till they had to play Washington. I thought it would be the first apple cup in years worth watching. Unfortunately no= another one sided game = and not in Falk’s favor.
Maybe in next weeks mock you can put a field goal kicker there, they would be more useful and score more points for the team.
I’d have to magic up a FG kicker worthy of a draft pick first.
One thing that wasn’t mentioned is Falk played most of the season with a hard cast for a broken wrist. It had to partially affect him.
I was wondering about this- there were stretches in 2017 where Coach Leach sat Falk for Hilinski (rip). I couldn’t figure out if they were due to injuries or if he was simply benched. Just curious what happened there.
Oh, now you need to get your fact’s straight man…
Are you saying he didn’t play with a hard cast?
Not most of the year…
Falk didn’t play in the apple cup this year. Hard to blame him for that.
Oops – no wonder that game went so poorly!!!!
I looked around awhile at other QBs. I can’t really find a better one in the third round or later. I still don’t like his value in the third round, Seahawks have found some late round types in the past. Falk has as much a shot at becoming a productive pro as any other late round QB.
Hawks are going to own the 5th round this year.
One possibility is to package some of those picks and maybe a 7th (so 3 total picks) to move up again in to the 3rd round for a player they really like.
In the ’15 draft they traded 95th, 112th, 167th, and 181 to move up to #69 to draft Lockett. That’s a huge jump and they dont have the picks for something that big but I could see them packaging their 4th with one or 2 fifths to move up into the back end of round 3. Especially if they collect more picks by trading #18.
This draft they have 120(4th) 141, 146, 168 (5th) and 226, 248 and 250 (7th).
Is there one person you like in the third who’s an absolute lock to make the team and contribute right away? If not, let’s keep our picks and bring in numbers. We have a lot of holes to fill.
I wish they could come away with a couple second round picks. I’d love if they were to walk away with any rb to be honest, Kirk, and Josh Sweat. I know wr isn’t the biggest need but I love Kirk.
But WR is a need, I agree. Right now the position looks pretty thin (or at least unproven).
We already have “any” RB on the roster. I agree with Rob about the top priority need to get a really special RB.
Rams trade away their #23 pick to New England for Brandin Cooks. There goes one SEA trading partner…
Bad trade for the Rams if you ask me.
There goes OBJ’s market. Damn, I was really hoping he’d go there and turn that locker room into chaos.
Cooks isn’t exactly an asset to most locker rooms. Though he’s not as bad as some either. They could definitely implode. Or go 15-1.
I agree, the media needs to sell tickets in LA so they are hyping them up and their rookie coach is being a bit arrogant,he thinks he has changed coaching but the reality is homeboy got coached out of his shoes by Mike Zimmer, Dan Quinn, and with a healthy roster Pete Carroll. I highly doubt they bolster a top 5 offense or defense this season, people would be disappointed if the Hawks traded a 5th for a 32 year old CB with a recent gunshot wound.
Either way they are all in on this season and I don’t think I’ve ever seen paper Champs win a super bowl, especially when they don’t have a legit QB.
Are they really relying on a 35 year old left tackle? Who is providing edge pressure? They traded Quinn and have no first rounder to rebuild the line. Big names=/=Big wins. More than likely the Rams just shot themselves in the foot for the next two years.
Donald isn’t going to get you that pressure from the edge and neither will Suh.
Lets be real you don’t see a guy who is a difference maker get traded twice in two years.
I don’t follow. Who says NE might not want to move up from 23?
I agree. Maybe they want to get the QB of the future.
OTOH, if they do want a QB, they probably want to get in front of Arizona.
Touche.
Dang, L.A.’s being aggressive. I wouldn’t want my team to give up a first for him, but he theoretically makes them better next year. They want a championship.
I’m going to laugh so hard if the Rams go all in this year on the Dream Team 2.0 and miss or get bumped out the playoffs….
….I hope.
They already have gone all in, if they don’t win a superbowl this year they have no shot in the seasons to come as they will have no money to fix their offensive line which is relying on veteran presence .
NE shafted the rams big time, they don’t have the resources to make a complete roster in the years to come.
yeah, that does seem like an overpay for Cooks.
But what did JS pay for Percy? 1st and 3rd, and a big new deal?
The Rams are going for it, let’s hope they fall on their face. They have some holes still on the team and will have to start paying or losing guys soon. Plus they are adding guys who have had problems.
MAYBE WE CAN DO A KICKSTARTER TO BUY THE RAMS ATVS?
They will have money.
They have been fairly smart with what they have spent.
Cooks is on the last year of his deal.
Talib is an easy cut with 13 mil saved next year
suh is a one year deal.
Just that is what …35 million??
I think they will be fine money-wise
What I get out of it more than anything is… Patriots being Patriots.
Acquire him for 32
Get a season out of him, get to superbowl
Trade him for 23.
But remember, most of that money goes away if they want to extend Gurley and Donald. Looking at their UFA’s in 2019:
Donald, Saffold, Brown, Suh, Cooks, Havenstein. and Joyner (I’m going to ignore Austin..because…well…you know)
Gurley’s and Peters cap (if his last year option is picked up) increases quite a bit.
That’s a lot of starters to replace.
The good news for them is they have almost $100M in cap space next year.
NE at #23 increases value of pick #18
How’s that work? Just curious, hope it’s true!
I’m curious, too. At least if NE is the trading partner, moving up from 23 to 18 requires less compensation than moving up from 31 to 18, and the Hawks want all the comp they can get out of this pick….
No, but having #23 makes it less painful giving up #31. I think NE would be happy giving up #31 and a second rounder to be sitting at #18 and #23. NE has a lot of holes to fill as well, including LT, QB (Brady won’t last forever), WR, and potentially TE if Gronk goes.
Not necessarily…
Man, I sure hope we wouldn’t take Falk with our 2nd pick. I don’t have anything against him, but as we’ve discussed… there are a lot of holes to fill. Using our 2nd pick on a guy who should never see the field seems like it would take the wind right out of my sails.
I’d rather take Chark at 64 and then miss on either Griffin or Kelly. I’d even rather trade it for a 2nd rounder next year, or keep trading down. Give me a WR and a LB in the 4th over Falk. Kellen Clemens can be the backup, or get Vernon Adams from the CFL.
As noted in the piece, it’d be wrong to merely see Falk as ‘just someone who never sees the field’. It could be a vital pick up for different reasons.
Chark would be fine as long as you’re willing to live with his frustrating inconsistency, especially in big games.
Well, ok. Still; as a contingency for Wilson’s contract talks, an injury hedge and a comp pick in 4 years… I just don’t see it. We’ve been talking about the need for finding value in this draft with our limited picks, and this doesn’t seem like a value pick at all. I could see them taking a QB, but hopefully not this early.
I get it, and the fact that I don’t like it makes it all the more likely the Hawks would do something like this. Every year, I’m surprised by who they take and where they take them.
I also get that we’re discussing some options that we haven’t considered. Otherwise each mock draft would look very similar. It doesn’t mean I have to like it though 🙂
It can be a value pick though. What if he ends up becoming the starter? What if you trade him for a R1 down the line? What if Wilson gets hurt?
After all, plenty of people questioned the Russell Wilson pick in round three because they’d just signed Matt Flynn. If there’s one position that generally retains some value it’s QB.
I’m not saying this should happen. But in terms of potential value to this team, it’s a lot more than a #2 or #3 tight end (which is what I probably would’ve gone with as an alternative) or reaching on a defender.
All good points. Damn your logic man!
Luke Falks TD to interception rate 3:1
Russell Wilson at Wisconsin 8:1
That’s why Wilson is successful.
If only it was as simple as that.
just for comparison on TD to interceptions in last year
Josh Allen 3:1
Baker Mayfield 7:1
Sam Darnold 2:1
Which reminds me = I was excited to see you are recognizing Mayfields value.
Mayfield, Shimonek, Allen with a lot of work.
These ratios don’t really tell us anything though Alaska.
Other than Mayfield played in the Big 12.
To be fair Falk had something like 10ints in two games. I think those are mostly outliers.
I excoriated (perhaps unfairly) someone in the last thread for suggesting SEA take Lamar Jackson with their first pick, for basically these same reasons.
I feel compelled to say I think these reasons are eminently valid, and my criticism wasn’t that they aren’t. Rather, that SEA’s first pick in this draft is too important for this particular set of needs. SEA need a backup QB, and why not take a flier on someone with tangible upside like Falk. Right now I think a R3 pick is pricey to do this with, but mostly because of other more pressing needs. I acknowledge it’s entirely possible that a R3 for Falk may seem like a bargain at some point in the future. He’s a decent prospect.
A round 6 or 7th Falk would be an even better bargain. I really don’t think he is going as high as you all think he will. He hasn’t faced the competition that some of the other QBs have faced (and neither has Josh Allen), yes he’s a gunslinger but the accuracy isn’t that great, and he has negative rushing yards. Do you really think Seahawks want a QB with negative rushing yards??
what? Accuracy is known to be Falk’s best asset. And I’m not sure how you can say he hasn’t faced the same competition. You do realize he played in the very same conference as Rosen and Darnold right? And that Wazzu beat those teams multiple times?
While I agree that 3rd round seems a tad high, I find no fault in any of sdcoug’s arguments.
I’m not down in the scenario, it’s all about looking at possibilities that can make sense, but you don’t see Dalton Schultz as more than a future backup?
Didn’t say that. Just that he’d be the #3 this year at least.
Agreed. Same would be said for Falk though. Again, not down on the scenario as viable, just in terms of evaluating it based on my sensibilities I would definitely rather get a future starter at TE. Hope they go that route if given the opportunity. I’m sure there’s a mock for that, too.
That was kind of the point though. If you’re taking a guy in round three who isn’t starting anyway, the value difference between two positions is minimal. At least with a QB there’s a chance you get a big return down the line. And as we’ve seen with GB and NE, it pays to take a few shots at QB even if you have a good one.
Just curious Rob. What would the benefit be of drafting Falk in round 3 vs picking up someone like JT Barrett in the low rounds? I just don’t see the benefit of drafting Falk outweighing drafting another position of need in round 3 and picking up a lower round QB that’s more of a scheme fit.
I’m not a Falk fan for the NFL level
Necessarily, but Barrett is a terrible passer. He’s like a streak shooter in hoops. His accuracy is all over the place. He’s mechanically poor and I can’t stand watching him play QB.
Barrett’s just a name I’ve heard being tossed around. I’m mostly just asking why Falk in the third and not a cheaper guy that can plug into the scheme in case of emergency? There’s some logic to the invest and trade point Rob mentioned, but I’m not sure all QB’s appreciate in value and why not just invest in someone that has a good chance to play for us?
If Russell goes down and he eventually will go down, it won’t ruin our chances at SuperBowl. Philly is a perfect example.
Well that was a huge outlier. How many times has that happened? Jeff Hostetler taking over for Phill Sims… I cant remember many. Russell masks a ton of holes for this team. If we were to lose him, we would have to employ a veteran, former starter under center to have a shot. However, most teams don’t have that. The Eagles had a good team around him and they caught lightning in a bottle.
Seahawks won’t use cap space for back up QB that’s who they are! Therefore the best chance to acquire a back QB is the draft. This draft is a good QB draft Hawks tend to draft according to strength of draft.
I absolutely love Carlton Davis, I think the upside for him in Pete’s defense is huge. But it would go against their trend of not drafting CBs that high, so I’m not getting my hopes up.
I do think Goedert and Rojo are unique and you’d have to wait a few cycles for similar prospects to come available. I would be all for James Washington at 64.
With the foundational positions secure – QB, LT and MLB – I’m all for adding the best football players possible, as you won’t regret having them. They’ve reached for need in the past – interior pass rush (Malik), Oline (Ifedi), RT (Britt, salvaged by a move to C) andthe results haven’t been great.
I really would not mind Goedert/Washington in this situation. It doesn’t address the run game or defense, but sure helps the QB.
Big Carlton Davis fan too! Agree that its hard to imagine a situation where we could draft him.
How about Rojo/Gesicki? Explosive RB and a big athletic TE/WR.
Its hard to know how much draft influence Scotty had when he was OC at NYJ. They did spend a 1st on a TE with speed in Dustin Keller, although that didnt really work out very well.
The Rams are going for it all this year. I believe their FO knows we’re re-setting, SF is building and they’ve got to strike now
They have bet the proverbial farm for this year… because as they say… all the “contract” chickens are going to come home to roost in the next 2 seasons.. with MEGA contracts staring them in the face for 8 players.
If they are going to completely wreck their draft stock for this, why not just pay more future picks for OBJ? He’s a much, much more dynamic player than Cooks. Cooks is so boring for having 4.3 speed…
1 first round pick vs 2 first round picks is likely the answer.
Cooks is a good player, but I’m not convinced he was worth what they paid for him draft wise. I’m definately not sure he is worth #1 15-17M / year type of money.
OBJ would scare the hell out of me, since he has had one major injury already…. and you have some off the field stuff that would have to be cleaned up. Then you would be paying him #1 type money on top of all that……….
I also look into the player. Cooks ain’t asking for $20M/yr and from everything I’ve seen, he’s not a malcontent either. The Rams have a young nucleus developing between Goff/Gurley/guys like Kupp. OBJ would just to piss and moan once or twice to screw stuff up
Hmm, I really like cooks and think he is a huge addition to any team.
Cooks is not a great locker room guy. There’s a reason he’s been traded twice in two years. You know?
On paper, Cooks is a stud. No doubt. But as we’re seeing with our very own “reset” button, sometimes the locker room is bigger than highlights on youtube.
Huge distraction maybe…
I’ve been infuriated with the actual Seahawk drafts for a few years now, but I’d be fine with this one.
You were pissed with ifedi and Jarran Reed draft? I remember thinking that they had they had just won the draft by trading up for reed. Hated the McDowell pick last year but other than that I think they have done alright.
Oh I’m sorry I should be more clear…I found it infuriating they didn’t take who *I* wanted! lol.
Great job Rob in highlighting so many different players and positions that may be of interest to the Seahawks. I noticed in this particular mock that no WR is mentioned. Here is a guy that may very well be a “sleeper WR” in the coming draft, that after his pro-day, seems to be getting discussed a little more and may now, at least, be deemed as draft-able in Rd-7 or at least a P- UDFA by some.
The Seahawks have taken players in the Ivy league ranks in the past. Now that Watson has some pro-day #’s that can be used for purposes of comparison, he stacks up rather well vs: other WR’s as a potential Rd-7 (?) pick for the Seahawks. Size, length, speed & his production all add up to a good value to my eyes. I acknowledge that pro-day testing may be a little inferior to combine testing for comparison purposes, but then, it’s all we go to look at. Watson should be drafted in Rd-7 or picked up as an UDFA at the worst – IMO.
WR-Justin Watson, Penn, (FCS), 6-023/215, 9-1/4″-hands, 33-3/4″-arms, 78-1/8″ wingspan.
3/19/18 Pro-day: 4.44/40, 1.53/10-yd, 2.60/20-yd, 20-reps, 40″-vert, 10′-04″-broad.
4.26/20-yd. shuttle = tied, #10, vs: All Combine WR participants.
4.44/40 = tied, #6, — vs: All Combine WR participants.
20/reps = tied, #4, — vs: All Combine WR participants.
40″/vert. = tied, #1 (with WR-Chark), — vs: All Combine WR participants.
7.09/3-cone = 20 of 45 WR’s scored better times, maybe he slipped or something?
10′-4″/broad = tied #4, — vs: All Combine WR participants.
4.26/20-yd shuttle = tied #10, — vs: All Combine WR participants.
— Currently ranked #364-overall at nfldrafrtscout.com & #355-overall at drafttek.com.
2017: 10-games, 81/1083/13.37-ypc, 14-TD’s,
2016: 9-games, 78/1009/12.94-ypc, 8-TD’s,
2015: 10-games, 74/1082/14.62-ypc, 9-TD’s,
2014: 10-games, 42/497/11.83-ypc, 2-TD’s,
Career: 39-games, 275/3671/13.35-ypc, 33-TD’s.
Other WR’s in Rd-7/UDFA range that MAY also be prime potential WR candidates for the Seahawks IMO are: Valdes-Scantling, Callaway, Foster, Coutee, Weah, & Pringle, et. al.
Can definitely see them targeting a receiver on day three or UDFA (or multiple WR’s) and the chances are those players will run at least a 4.4. That’s Seattle’s ball-park.
A Rb Picked 4th overall and 5 rb picked between 33-44, very interesting. Is there like a rule I’m unaware of against picking RB in round one lol. That’s not a knock on Rob, more of a statement of how RB are devalued and QB are over valued. I don’t have a problem with picking a QB round three, but would probably be a PR nightmare, and I’m sure would ruffle the Russell. It all just seemed a bit rich on this mock, a RB that does little to nothing for our goal line rushing issues, a back up QB, a 1 handed LB rd 4, those picks represent our highest chance of finding starters. I think all of them but Jones go a full round later. I wouldn’t bet on Griffin being drafted at all, but know he’d sign here in a heartbeat if he goes undrafted and be a special teams nightmare for us.
I’d recommend watching Ronald Jones II in goal line rushing situations.
He’s a finisher. No issues there at all.
Griffin will be drafted. Not sure when, but he will be.
I find myself questioning Jones fit here as well. Looking back at him vs Washington really shows his size. He gets eaten up and goes like 5 for 10 yards on his first 5 rushes. Goes down to arm tackles by DTs.
Love the talent, one of my favorite players in the draft, but I feel like Chubb and Kerryon are the better fits.
If Ronald Jones II went down to an arm tackle, it was a one-off and the sun was probably in his eyes.
He is aggressive, dynamic, tough and drives through full tackles, let alone arm tackles.
There is absolutely zero reason to worry about this side of his game.
Whether you want him pounding it up the middle 25 times a game, that’s a different question. Used properly in a double headed monster like the Saints do with Ingram and Kamara — that’s the way to turn him into a star.
Yeah I totally get that, I think I like him nearly as much as you do, but Seattle might be looking for a bigger, workhorse type back imo. I would be super happy to draft Rojo, just wonder what Seattle really wants.
He does seem to get in more like Marcus Allen used to in goal line situation, tremendous vision and decisiveness. I’m a bit biased against him do to a lack of combine performance, I’m not saying he has to rival Christine Micheal or Barkley but it would be nice to have some numbers verification that he has the raw physical tools to compare to guys that have found success at the NFL level.
Dude. He is like Marcus Allen in his running style. They both also take little chip hits to bounce off people.
Man, Rojo might be a mix of Shady, Allen and Charles.
Looks like Charles or cj2k to me. Don’t see the shady comp personally.
That washington game was 1.5 years ago.
I doubt the NFL invited him to the draft anticipating he would go undrafted. That would make them look very bad.
I don’t like the idea of the Patroits trading with the Rams. For a number of reasons. First of all that is one less trading partner for the Seahawks. Also the Rams with be improved. Don’t like that idea. I think it was a good trade for both teams.
I think I know what the Patroits want. They are probably going to go with their 23rd pick OT(Anyone heard of Kolton Miller). With the Patroits 31st pick I see them taking Mason Rudolph. Folks I am not the only one that likes Mason Rudolph. Sean Salisbury was giving Rudolph high praise today. Salisbury also likes Luke Falk.
The Patriots acquiring an extra pick does not mean they won’t trade with the Seahawks.
Good point Rob, I had not thought of that. Perhaps it is part of the plan to use the Ram’s pick (or probably Patriots pick) to trade for ET and still have a first rd pick.
Do you really think the Pats will be interested in ET and the contract he’s gonna want/need?
I would love to see The Hawks 18 for 23, then trade again only to stay in the 1st. round. Trade again??? probably??? Nawww….
The Patriots won the trade, hands down. You have the potential to add 3-4 very quality players in the first 2 rounds….. for a guy who was going to make MEGA bank at the end of the day. Cooks might get 17M / year. We know that the Patriots could see the writing on the wall…. and they got a deal they couldn’t refuse.
Glad you got that all figured out for us haha
If we did make a trade of 33 and 64 with Cleveland and they went RB with there second pick, not there first. I wonder who the options might be?
Based on this mock draft, the options would be…. non existent.
You can see the manifestation of some of this board who thinks the current crew is “a-ok.” Also what will happen when Seattle drafts ballage/ Scarborough…so that could be interesting…..kidding.
When you compare Mason Rudolph to Lamar Jackson. Yes, I believe that Jackson does have a higher ceiling. But Jackson also has a lower floor. Make no mistake about it. Rudolph is a STUD. I saw Rudolph do an interview with Steve Mariucci. I came away very impressed with Rudolph. Rudolph has the size that NFL Head Coaches dream of. Rudolph has the arm strength you are looking for. He has a high NFL IQ. Rudolph is also a very accurate passer. Rudolph already throws a consistent fade pass. When Rudolph does miss it is usually over the head of the Receiver. Yes, Rudolph had James Washington to throw to. But did Washington make Rudolph look good. Or did Rudolph make Washington look good. Also the other day Mike Tomlin was watching Rudolph and he had smile that went from Ear-to-Ear.
Speaking of Lamar Jackson I heard that Jackson picked his mother as his agent. You have to question his decision making. I understand(maybe) why Jackson didn’t run the 40. It’s no secret why Jackson didn’t run the 40. But I don’t think that helped him by not running. John Clayton was really sour on Jackson not running the 40.
Why do you have to question his decision making? Agents are parasites, good on him for looking after himself.
Agree. First there’s no prerequisite at all for being an agent. You just say you are and you are. Second I don’t know what Lamars mom does. what if she has a background in real estate, title, escrow, contractor contract writing, etc. There are tons of jobs that can prepare you for reading and hammering out a contract. Plus for rookies it’s not like the same Bradford days, it’s fairly cut and dried as to where he gets picked and what he gets paid to start.
As someone pointed out when Sherman acted as his own agent, there are a lot of subtleties that experienced NFL agents know that novices probably wouldn’t consider. Like putting in place insurance for the player that covers them from the time the contract is signed until they are in camp. Ask Malik McDowell about that one.
If people on seahawksdraftblog.com can figure it out, it’s not that difficult. I can kind of understand it when you’re after a big second contract or whatever, but rookie pay scales are set out in the current bargaining agreement.
Cooks for a 1st? A bit like a Percy Harvin trade a while back? How did that work out?
Seattle won a SB with him on the roster.
Well… We did win a Super Bowl.
Painful trade, great result. I’ll take the result in that particular case.
to be fair, we won a SB in spite of Percy, not because of him.
and the draft capital, salary cap hit and locker room drama may have helped lose the 2nd one
but will still take it to get the 1 win
I wouldn’t characterize it that way. Ripping off huge runs on the first possession. That sigh of relief kick-off return touchdown to start the second half. But make no mistake, he was a cancer and I wouldn’t want him on my team, but we didn’t win the SB “in spite of him.” He made major contributions in that game.
and the Seahawks lost a superbowl because they couldn’t integrate him the next year. That extra speed and ability would have been helpful.
Nope, we lost the Super Bowl on one stupid play call, and Harvin had nothing to do with that.
Rob-
Any concern the Giants or Eagles could go after Jones if we let him get their picks of #31 or #32?
Just asking as I see him mocked for the Eagles a lot.
This is funny. I was just thinking about Seattle taking a QB in the draft. I also thought round 3 and beyond might be where they pull the trigger.
I thought the Patriots had 2x 1st and 2x 2nd round picks now?
The 2 hot rumors are… #1 they would be looking to trade up in the draft for a QB or
#2, they will trade the 2 firsts for OBJ. (or some combo of 1st and second round picks)
I also couldn’t help but notice Seattle and NE are almost aligned exactly in points….
if you trade #31 and #63 and 136 and #210 for #18 and #158….. 920.5 vs 926.8
I would then think Seattle might trade back from #31….. slightly… say with Denver
#40 and #99 for #31…… 604 vs 600.
You then have a pick around #40, which could be a RB…. and you fill out the middle rounds better with some additional picks. Why would Denver trade up…. LT would be my guess.
Not sure why they would want to trade up from 31 to 18. Presumably they are moving up for one player, possibly a qb (in which case they probably will try to get ahead of Arizona). Beyond that, the strength of the draft is in round 2-3, so why move up from 31 instead of 23?
How about NE’s #43, #63 and 2019 2nd rounder for Seattle’s #18.
NE would have 3 1st round picks. #18, #23 & #31. That’s probably good enough to get Cleveland’s #4 IF that’s really what they want to do and IF Cleveland is selling.
On the 30th, in Jim Miller and Pat Kirwan’s most recent mock, we got 36, 37, and 104 from the colts
I would take the colts trade hands down, but for the life of me I don’t know why they’d do it. I guess if they targeted someone really soedualnto then on the lines.
Absolutely, but IF a team does move up like NE to get a Rosen or whoever, that means the Colts would be getting Chubb or Barkley and still be getting amazing value in the 2nd. They are set up perfectly to have an incredible draft.
don’t know if the value is right on that trade since it seems better than the browns 33/64/140 but if some world the Colts want that trade Seattle has to go for it. 36 and 37 would almost be better than whoever you get at 18 short of vita veae. (If he were to fall)
Yeah, unfortunately, I didn’t hear it live so don’t know the rationale (but they are football guys I trust more than most talking heads). They took Harold Landry at 18 (which I think Condotta mocked to us earlier today in that spot)
Dismissive could well just be a guy who’s not interested in dealing with the usual nonsense from front offices. I’ve got a lot of time for players who do things their own way.
Jones reminds me quite a bit of Adoree Jackson as a runner. Silky smooth, incredible acceleration – but not quite that insane top-end speed some guys have. He’s a lot of fun to watch, and I like how much damage he does running inside. Partly it’s a function of most college defences being absolutely pathetic, but it does show a willingness to bang.
The Hawks have looked slow on both sides of the ball for a couple of years now, and I think they know that as well. Jones would be a departure from the norm, but he might be exceptional enough to make it worth it.
Didn’t looks fast against the the rams late in the season but we looked plenty fast against the eagles. I don’t think it’s been a couple of years.
Has RoJo tested? At this point all I know is he pulled up lame running a 4.6 40. I think he’s lots faster than that and looks great on tape. Still, I prefer backs with some more size. I’d rather draft Chubb/guice/Kerryon and pick up the actual Jamal Charles as a change of pace back. Would still be stoked on rojo don’t get me wrong.
I heard on the radio today (you know how reliable they can be, radio hosts)
that ET might be a big draft day trade…… day #1.
I think that is kind of crazy, if he hasn’t been dealt yet…. likely not happening.
Then I remembered that…. JJ loves draft drama and a big splash. How much bigger of a splash could you make than bring in a ProBowl/AllPro type fo player the day of the draft, right before you pick.
Even many years later, several of the most talked about trades of yesteryear are still talked about and discussed. Walker being a primary one, but also Dickerson as another trade still talked about 25+ years later. This is EXACTLY the type of move JJ would pull………
There may be something to this. The stories seen to have just….well stopped. Maybe Jones can’t do the deal yet because he needs a rowdy fan base at the draft. Kind of hard to have that if you have no 1st rd pick and you know you already have earl. But a draft day surprise would be all kinds of fun for cowboy fans. I guess we need to keep an eye on Dez to see if they cut him for cap room….probably also on draft day…
Schneider has a history of finalizing trades at the winter meetings, and those just wrapped up. I wouldn’t be surprised if we find out later that whatever initial deals we make on draft day were set up then.
I think Jerry Jones would rather have a guy walk out on the stage and hold up a Cowboys jersey.
The presupposes he’d be giving up his first this year (not gonna happen). But what if the deal is for a 2nd this year and a 1st or second next year? Jerry gets his cake and eats it too and makes a big splash on draft day.
Seems a bit much to give up.
It’s certainly less than we’re asking for at the moment.
So if see that ET attends the draft…
Naw, that’s not how it would be handled. If Dallas traded us a second (and perhaps more), when their pick came up, there would be a big announcement at the podium. “Dallas has traded their pick to Seattle for Eal Thomas. Seattle is now on the clock.” And the pundits would go scurrying looking for footage of Earl and gushing about what this means for Dallas.
Rams don’t have enough room to add Cooks, they only have 4 mill in cap space at the moment.
they will have to either re-structure some contracts or cut some guys.
they are going to have to let guys go next year, and they will not have young draft picks to replace them. And Donald, Gurley, Goff will get their $$ soon.
they could be the Redskins West if this does not work out (hoping, hoping….)
Ya, they have a 3rd and 3x 4th’s. It’s funny that on Turfshowtimes the consensus of the fans seem to think it wasn’t a good trade, as they’re giving up a 1st for either a year of Cooks or an expensive extension (I tend to agree).
They still need an EDGE and a LB and their LT is 35 years old.
Not sure how this all plays out (Percy Harvin), but their team is going to look very different next year, regardless.
Shaquille actually said in a TV interview that his brother (Shaquem) goes by Shaq and he goes by Quill (pronounced “Kill”)
From: Morgan, “Lets not nickname Shaquem ‘Quim’ okay? Trust me.”
Quill made that clear last year after being drafted. He stated ( his brother is shaq )
Yep, i remember. Fans were still pretty insistent on calling him ‘Shaq,’ regardless, but I’m sure if we draft his brother then we’ll all call him Shaq instead, haha. SOMEONE has to be called Shaq!
My main point was the OP that prompted my comment had written ‘Quim Griffen’ and I was like…oh no. Rob probably knows the slang, it’s very British.
Rob, Derrius Guice seems to be the top back off the board after Barkley in most mock drafts. I realize he hasn’t displayed the pure explosiveness of the other top backs and there are durability concerns that might rule him out for the Hawks. However, he certainly has his legion of supporters and he does seem to have some Lynch-ness. Would you please restate your current evaluation of Guice.
Hey Dale Rob has been asked about Guice quite a bit especially by one commenter. Basically he doesn’t see the Marshawn comparison see’s him more as Thomas Rawls with his run style, as in aggressive, sporadic/wild. He isn’t against Guice just likes Jones, Chubb, Kerryon Johnson more. Go back and find an article where Running back is the topic if you want Rob’s words exactly. Or maybe Rob will reiterate how he feels to you. Peace
Go SDB!
I’d be interested to hear Rob’s thoughts, too. Guice appears to be the closest to Marshawn Lynch in this draft, but he’s been avoided as a possible pick to Seattle.
Guice is nothing like Lynch.
Character concerns, needs to mature. Screams the second coming of Rawls.
Ironically, that exactly describes early Marshawn, at least in Buffalo–character concerns, needs to mature.
Jon LedyardNFLDraft
#Giants and #Seahawks meeting with Derrius Guice following his pro day workout, per source.
I like Guice but I’m also concerned about character. If HAwks say he checks out including durability I’m good with that. The issue I have with all the backs I like is production & durability.
I watched the Ronald Jones highlight video. Saw him dab after a touchdown….I’m out 😂. He’s so different from what I’m used to seeing run the ball for the Hawks. He’s only 6 foot? He looks a lot taller, weird
So in this scenario we have DE’s flying off the board and there isn’t value there at our pick? Haven’t seen Green, Hubbard or brown mocked that early anywhere else.
Do you think Andrew Brown will actually go round 2? You never know but I haven’t seen him projected that high anywhere. I’d love to get him with our 4th round pick.
Brown is a 2nd. rounder…
OK, maybe early 3rd….
Yes I expect Brown in R2-3. A big winner at the Senior Bowl and combine. I have seen him projected in that area by scouts too.
I’ve seen Hubbard fairly often mocked in round 2.
Leighton Vander Esch will be a VMAC visitor. Very interesting.
Can’t argue with that.
How can Earl not be worth a 1st if NE got one for Cooks? Both in last year of contract and will be paid. Pats are the ultimate opportunists. Only difference I guess is that we may wreak of desperation. No one will bite on the deal. Too bad. And I don’t even want to trade ET.
Maybe NE wants Earl… 🙂
Earl is definitely worth a first.
Cooks is younger and the WR market is red hot. Earl is pushing 30 and the safety market is ice cold.
My guess is the Vander Esch visit is a smokescreen. You have to show interest in some of the players who might be there at 18 in order entice other teams who might be interested in moving up for your pick.
I like your mock draft Rob the reason is if Cleveland drafts a QB first pick you might want to get a decent tackle Joe Thomas retired it would make sense plus new England lost their left tackle Nate S. in free agency I could see the possibility of new England drafting a tackle as well. You might want to jump ahead of them.we all know Michael Bennett and Sheldon Richardson are no longer on the team but the thing they had a llot of quarter back pressure last year can the current DL put up similar numbers I am not sure
Leighton Vander Esch. To put it mildly a very nice story. I predict good things for Vander Esch in the NFL.
+1
I like jones but 1st pick in your 2018 draft? If he is going to be part of a duo I don’t think part of a rb duo is worth your first pick. The hawks are so snake bitten with health in the running back room they are so due for some good luck. You mentioned Kamara with the saints. That was a luxury pick. They had already drafted the droty in lattimore. Their starting right tackle in Ramczyk. A safety in the second and Kamara in the Third as the their 4th player drafted. They had Adrian Peterson and mark Ingram already. I’m not saying jones is a terrible idea but they have a guy that’s better imo in Prosise. He whooped on the patriots and eagles pretty good in 16. Those teams were the SB participants this last season. I think we are going to learn a lot about the roster in 2018. They changed coaching staff after a winning season. Pete must really believe in what he has in the player department for the most part and their moves in the offseason are kind of pointing that they don’t really have holes and they are acquiring depth and competition. Give me one of those guards that were gobbled up right before the hawks picked at 33. I would rather have Wynn at 33 then part of a rb duo. Not saying your idea is shit at all. I like it but If it were me I would go trenches at 33.
To be fair, if teams had known Kamara’s full potential, I doubt anyone would let him out of the top 10. The saints had him highly ranked enough to trade a future second for him.
You obviously haven’t watched much of Ronald Jones II then.
Absolute superstar potential. One of the best players in the draft. The Seahawks would be lucky to get him.
As for a guard, yet another high OL pick that just leads to Pocic or Fluker not starting is not a good use of resources.
I’ve watched him and I agree that he is good rob. But you are talking about getting the 3rd maybe even the fourth best rb in the draft. That’s what most thought last year with the deep DB class. The hawks weren’t targeting Kevin king, the 3rd or 4th best DB in the draft they were looking at Value in who they could get latter in the draft a la Shaq Griffin in the Third round. Just from the perspective of what the hawks have done previously and recently maybe looking at the 8th or 9th best running backs would be a good conversation. I think JC/PC did a terrific job of picking their spot in the third round with multiple picks last draft and the group they targeted seems like a good haul as of right now. For instance, Ballage, Freeman, Darrel Williams, and Bo Scarborough will all probabaly be there in the 5th round. There is value in RBS all the way through the 5th round every year and this year is deeper then most years. Also imagine a fully healthy Chris Carson and C.J. Prosis. That’s a pretty damn good one two punch that Seahawks thought they would have last year. If they go into camp with Price, Wynn, Hernandez, Corbett or Miller(2nd round pick after trade down) to compete on the oline at or any number of the defensive linemen that will be available at pick 33 then say Ballage and Scarborough(5th round picks) to compete with Prosis, Carson, Davis, and Mckissic would be quite the statement for the running game. With a little good luck on the healthy train I think they would kick some ass. There is always value at rb throughout most every round into the undrafteds. I’m looking forward to what the hawks do with those 4 5th round picks.
1. “you are talking about getting the 3rd maybe even the fourth best rb in the draft” — No I’m not. I’m talking about getting the second best RB in the draft. And not only that, the clear #2 RB in this class.
2. They were able to ‘pick their spot’ at CB last year because it was a class that had depth deep into round three. The top RB’s WILL go in the top-50 this year. Just because the CB was class deep last year it doesn’t mean the RB class is equally as deep or that they’ll use the same plan. There’s a major cliff at RB outside of the top 6-8 that didn’t exist with the CB’s a year ago.
3. ‘We’re going to fix the run as a priority… by drafting the ninth best running back in the class’. I don’t think so.
4. They’ve already spent pick after pick after pick after pick on the O-line. Only last week Carroll was talking about the need for consistency. It’s time to focus on other areas and let Mike Solari develop the players they’ve drafted or added in the last 1-2 years.
5. Ballage and Scarborough are soft, big time underachievers. That’s not going to cut it.
I like your logic Rob, to bad you have to keep repeating it over and over again!
You have to believe Pete will have some very solid insight into Jones given his prior USC connections. Why not pick up a top RB to come in and compete with Carson and Prosise for backfield work? Let’s see who’s really hungry and wants to play ball.
We need to give Solari a chance to work with his linemen and see if he can build a solid unit. If not, then we blow it up and start over beginning next year.
It will be fun to see what they do Rob, you keep bringing up the point of fixing the run game is a priority when they have done a ton already. Firing your offensive coaching staff after a winning season is pretty radical. You always have to invest in the trenches. Your Opinion is RoJo is the second best running back in the draft not everyone else shares that opinion. You say there is a major cliff at running back at 6-8 and yet every year there are running backs that make an impact drafted in the 4th and 5th rounds. Griffin wasn’t even on your radar last year as their first Db picked and he turned out as a great pick. There are other scenarios to explore with 3 weeks left to the draft and the hawks are always doing surprising things.
1. The work they’ve done so far absolutely does not constitute fixing the run. There is a lot more to do, including addressing the RB position. Mike Davis is average. Prosise can’t stay healthy. Carson played four games in 2017 and took 49 carries in 2016. He also missed time in 2015. It’s a major need.
2. Ronald Jones II is the second best back in the draft. Not everyone shares that opinion, lots do. But plenty of people didn’t have Sheldon Rankins in the top-15 or Keanu Neal in round one. Jones II is the second best back in this draft. Book it.
3. No, there aren’t impact RB’s in rounds 4-5 every year. You only have to go back to 2016 to find a draft class with no impact RB’s in rounds 4-5. Here’s the problem you’re making and you’re not alone to be fair. Assumed conventional wisdom does not apply to the draft. Football rhetoric is a menace. You start assuming things are always true. And they aren’t. You must judge every class on its own merits. And this year there are 6-8 RB’s that will go in round two. And then a major cliff.
4. ‘You always have to invest in the trenches’. Yes. And the Seahawks have consistently drafted for the trenches for 2-3 years. Ifedi (R1), Pocic (R2), Odhiambo (R3), Brown (R2 + R3) and Britt (extended after R2). That’s as much on one unit as pretty much any team in the league. Not to mention their other high picks on the D-line (McDowell, Reed, Clark). Eventually you have to actually trust and develop some players and move on to other areas.
5. Griffin was on my radar last year. Immediately after his combine performance I wrote: “Shaq Griffin warrants a closer look after his performance. He ran a 4.38 at 6-0 and 194lbs (with 32.5 inch arms) and jumped well too (38.5 inch vertical, 11-0 broad).” In a detailed piece breaking down the players they might consider round-by-round, Griffin was listed as a round three target here: https://seahawksdraftblog.com/seahawks-seven-round-mock-draft-3
It will be fun to see what they do! Parsing Pete and Schneider is very difficult to do. All the radio talk show hosts have a such a hard time doing it. Fixing the run game as a priority to you is getting an explosive RB. That’s cool and I totally respect your opinion. More times then not the hawks find value in hidden places is all I’m getting at. Every draft we see it. I believe Pete has a lot of faith in his players. The off-season has shown that. If RoJo is as good as you think other teams won’t let him slip to the second round imo. Cheers Rob! Thanks for the back and forth!
Fixing the running game to me is not just about getting an explosive RB. Let’s not pretend that’s the only thing I’ve been contemplating here. For weeks we’ve talked about offensive linemen, scheme tweaks, blocking tight ends and a loaded running back group for the top-50 of the draft. They’ve signed Fluker, they’ve retained everyone else on the O-line, they’ve admitted they’re tweaking the scheme under Solari and they’ve brought in Ed Dickson. They haven’t done anything at RB aside from retain Mike Davis. And given the strength of the early part of the draft and their lack of early picks, it all connects. They will draft a RB early. It’s just a case of who and what the scenario is.
+1
Spot on
I remember Shaq was firmly on the radar here. We focused a lot on 1st and 2nd round talent, but he was certainly not forgotten on the blog.
Wait…patriots get cooks for 32 and flip him for 23 after year of use. Send John for internship under Belchick!
Really impressive, makes me wonder what Bill is up to.
James Cobern is surprisingly high on Luke Falk, comparing his profile and potential to Nick Fole:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpfwk2wwRHE
Cobern is the sharpest guy out there, IMO. Nobody in close proximity. His combo spotlight of Market Share, Age and Athletic Ability is breakthrough stuff.
The single most ignorant aspect of personnel evaluation is to ignore age. I’ve been astonished at that all my life. A year or two is such a significant percentage of how long these guys have been alive, let alone playing football. The clear method to ongoing mediocrity is to find a steady stream of late blooming stiffs. Yet Cobern is the first guy I’ve ever seen to properly weight the age category. He is simply on a different level than anyone else in terms of understanding variables and outcomes.
Cobern also emphasizes that dominance in one category is needed in terms of athletic ability, and not an overall blended score like SPARQ. Again, that makes perfect sense to me as a sports bettor. The one superb trait has led to countless cashed tickets, whether it’s team or individual.
Subjectivity retains minimal value but more and more is clutched by the conventional wisdom dullards who simply won’t let go. Tape not only lies it has such an abysmal record I always have to laugh when it is touted. In any other profession a bust rate like that would never be tolerated, especially given the time and resource expenditure.
I love his analytics! Truly fascinating stuff.
I loved him in “In Like Flint” 🙂
Hey Rob:
Interesting, thought provoking article. At RB, I would think the Hawks may look at Darrius Guice. He is a between the Tackles runner. I don’t think they would take a QB that early in the draft with all the other needs to fill. I totally agree with you about not drafting more OLiners. The guys they have need to play together another year with maybe a little tweak or two.
Guice we’ve discussed a lot. Some character concerns there and maybe a bit too much like Rawls in play and personality. Not as explosive as they’ve drafted previously either and there’s just something about the pick that seems unlikely. I keep coming back to the moment he was yapping about Alabama being scared of him. And then they absolutely kicked his arse for four quarters for something like an eighth straight win against LSU. To me he needs to mature for a few reasons.
Will also say — they do have a lot of needs. But don’t assume round three is going to provide a solution to one of the holes. If I didn’t go QB there it might’ve been a number three TE.
I can see Seattle selecting falk in the third. Seems very Seattle like. I actually like fall as a back up.
However I think he could be safely taken in the fifth. I get the feeling he is going w/o so much hype that he’s not really a develop and trade kind of player but rather….I’m future casting here a keenum like journey men who carves out a nice solid career.
I really like the choice like the article but would like to see a better “value pick,” there. My man settle has a terrible combine but I think he’s a third round lock and at his age? I think he’s great value.
When do you project Justin Reid to go? I didn’t watch any of his games (unfortunately don’t really have the time to watch much college football) but loved his highlight tape.
I’d love the trades like these, but if I’d be Schneider, I’d try to trade back 4-7 spots from 33 if Rojo, Chubb, Johnson, Michel, Guice is still there at 33. They might miss out on Rojo or Chubb, but plenty of alternatives still and they might pick up a late round 3 pick (if they also ship a 5th round pick with the 33rd) or a 4th round pick.
I’m more in the camp Chubb than in camp Rojo. Rojo might be a more interesting runner, but Chubb seems like a better fit. I like the Griffin pick. He might be a gamble because he’ll be only a situational player….but his ceiling is really high if they use him well IMO. And he’s such a fighter, it’d give a great locker room boost to the team. I’m OK getting a QB, but not pumped about it… The team has huge needs and if we do not absolutely love a QB not sure about insurance and leverages level missing out on other good prospects at other positions.
And I get that we pour a ton of resource into OL already. I won’t be mad if we’d leave that group alone during the draft day. BUT there are a couple of really good interior OL prospect this year. We’re OK and most likely set at OT with Brown (but his contract only for next year if I’m correct), and Ifedi and Fant. But who do we have for OG? Odhiambo? Roos? Fluker? Pocic? Not sure about Odhiambo or Roos. They might be valuable backups, but they’re more backup than starters. Fluker might be a great pickup, but also might not be a fit. Pocic was mehh last year. High potential but lacked some stuff and needed some bulk. He’ll be better this year I’m sure. And I think Pocic could be a legit good starter OG or even OT. But that’s only one guy. If we’d pick up Corbett/Wynn/Hernandez, we could potentially have our future starter LG/RG for the next 4-14 years.
Depending on the ETIII situation I think our biggest needs:
1, RB
2, DB (CB or S if ETIII is either gone or won’t get an extension. If S then the next one is the CB)
3, EDGE
4, LB
5, OG
6, TE
7, K
8, WR
9, QB
10, DT
11, OT
But this draft is not completely suitable for this list. Based on this draft I’d attack based on something like this:
1, RB
2, LB (or S if ETIII is a question mark)
3, OG
4, TE
5, CB
6, EDGE
7, DT
9, WR
10, K
Reid — late first early second. Could go as early as the Bengals at #21 though.
Running backs — I don’t see the point in trading back 4-7 spots and missing out on the guy you really want just for the sake of moving down again.
Offensive line — considering Mike Solari worked with Fluker last season I’m pretty sure they think he’s a fit. For all we know Wynn, Corbett or Hernandez could have exactly the same rookie type season as Pocic. That is distinctly possible. Eventually you have to actually try and develop a player. You can’t just keep spending high pick after high pick hoping someone is going to turn up and be Steve Hutchinson year one.
Have you heard anything about Pocic’s ability to add strength and weight in the off season?
Yes, apparently he’s already up to about 320lbs which is a good sign.
Top Mock, good work as always. I especially like the lb picks, i love this LB class and would be all over double dipping the position.
Dont like the idea of Falk, I personally think back up QB is overrated, givr me a cheap vet since you’re vasically screwed if you lose your QB1 regardless.
With that third Id be all over Shultz to really help the run game. But as another option, since he’s available in this mock still
What about Gesicki from Penn State, I know he’s basically another Graham. But his physical profile is so intruiging, since we finally figured out how to use him it might be really cool to have a Graham on a cheap deal that still has his speed. Especially if we still added Dissly late on.
Pass – we had Graham and have seen the pitfalls of a “pass threat only” tight end, even though he was the best in the league at that. And I wouldn’t feel good about a TE you’d have shore up shortfalls for by drafting the same position again.
If we’re going tight end, give me a nasty-ass blocker who can go out on the occasional pass route. I think the Hawks value that type of TE more than the rest of the league, so should be able to find him in the later rounds.
Rob, do you think the Patriots having another first round pick at 23 makes a trade up with the Seahawks more likely? They certainly have enough ammunition in the first few rounds. Would anyone want to move up to 23 if we traded with the Patriots though?
It’s possible. I think they will look to move up for a QB or LT
Team’s would move to get a CB, DT, OG or maybe one of the TE’s. I think Oliver is the most underrated CB in this class by the way.
And RB!!!! 🙂
Thoughts on swapping ET + #18 with the Browns for #4 & one of their 2nds or 3rds (#33/35/64/65)?
I’d be down with it if we could draft Saquon Barkley…
The Browns wouldn’t make that trade
The browns aren’t making that deal. I said that would be a fun scenario a while back, but they look locked in to try and get Barkley at 4 now. It doesn’t make sense for them at this juncture and he may threaten to hold out if he’s traded there. I would do it, but would the browns?
Ha, ha. I wish the Browns would make that deal.
I would have really liked to have seen Pocic more at center. He doesn’t seem to have bulldozing strength for guard but he seems smart and capable at center (based on his college tape). No doubt another year of NFL training and Pocic will continue to bulk up. But I still think he’s going to make for a better center than guard. What could we get in a trade for Britt? A high enough draft pick to find a suitable starting L guard?
I don’t think trading Britt would be a good thing for this team. They don’t need more inexperience on the line.
I think Britt is at best a fifth round pick. I also don’t get this desire to swap out a guy with two years of NFL starting experience for a guy with college starting experience. Is Britt unger? Not yet. But unger wasn’t good until the team settled down.
The interior play last year was clown shoes across the board. Getting rid of Britt to move in pocic to then find another guard? That’s a net negative, for me.
I’m hopeful but with fluker manning the right and pocic getting a bit more comfortable I think there could be an adequate line. which for a change would be amazing.
Never draft a FB. Words to live by.
But…but…Owen Schmitt!
John
L.
Williams
John l. Williams. Those are the words to live by.
What an absolute STUD J L was!!!
What ever happened to that guy? He was a lil nutzzo
Self-induced CTE from headbutting his own helmet.
Leonard Weaver was a good pick.
Never mind, he wasn’t drafted. I guess that helps your point.
Seven round Post FA Seahawks mock
Trades
-Hawks Trade #18 + #159 to NE for #23,63 (NE trades up for OT)
-Hawks Trade #23 to Denver for #40, 71,133 (Den Trades up for Will Hernandez) his UTEP college coach is their OL coach now.
-Hawks Trade Earl Thomas to Dallas for #50+#81 (With Draft in Dallas Jerry makes a splash but won’t trade his 1st pick)
I want to stress the first two picks of this is a draft are based on what I think the Hawks will do. Not what I would like to see them do. I am not a huge Corbett or Chubb fan but they seem like Hawks players. The rest of the draft would be players I would like to see I Seattle.
R2 (40) — Austin Corbett
R2 (50) — Nick Chubb (RB, Auburn)
R2(63)-BJ Hill (DT, NC St)
R3 (71) -Kemoko Turay (Edge, Rutgers)
R3(81) -Equinious St. Brown (WR, ND)
R4 (112) — Shaquem Griffin (LB, UCF)
R5 (132) — Kameron Kelly (DB, San Diego State)
R5 (133) — Quenton Meeks (CB, Stanford)
R5 (137) — Leon Jacobs (LB, Wisconsin)
R5 (147) — Will Dissly (TE, Washington)
R7 (226) — Michael Dickson (P Texas)
R7 (248) — Khalid Hill (FB, Michigan)
Lots of good names in there and familiar ones. Looks like a lot of us like the same guys. Side note, I would be willing to bet Nick Chubb might get pissed if someone said he was from Auburn…lol. Them SEC boys take it serious.
Nice picks. I like the St. Brown pick a lot. Seen it before a few times in other mocks but he seems a bit overlooked in my opinion. He got a bit of Martavis Bryant in him. Hopefully more of the good than bad. I don’t get the Dissly pick. Not a fan. Don’t know if Smythe or Herdon would be there in 5th but i prefer other TE’s. Hill seems bit of a waste. They have 2 FB’s on squad and you could snag another in UDFA. Rather have a Kicker or flyer on best athlete.
I like the Martavius Bryant comp for St. Brown except without the off field baggage.
A lot of nice players here. I am a little worried about the safety spot though. Trading away Earl and not drafing anyone to compete for the job? I like Kelly a lot, but do you see him as a possible replacement to Earl? MacDougald is a fine player, but has no way near the upside Earl has. And then you may be left with Hill as you strong safety, who was no way near the staring line up last year, even with all the injuries. He looked good in pre season, but regular season is something else.. Kelly could also be an option at SS, but I am just not sure that secondary would be good enough if you trade away Earl, without adressing that spesifically in the draft.
As for the Safety sport my thought was they sign Eric Reid to play SS and move Mcdougald to FS and let Kelly / Thompson compete for the spot as well.
Not bad! Lots of moving parts though with all the trades. After moving ET its probably more important to target a replacement FS early on, maybe Reid or Bates. Like the Chubb pick if he’s there at 50, but I’d also love to target another playmaker at either 40 or 63, perhaps a receiving TE like Gesicki or Goedert. Let’s give Russ some new weapons to work with.
Nice work! I’d be happy with this draft.
Maybe grab Eric Reid as a FA. I’d also love to pair Ito Smith with Chubb if possible, then grab a K with the last pick.
All good ideas
Here is a Mock, using Rob’s trade picks that addresses the running game in spades.
We all know that PC/JS have been known to attack their major needs by drafting multiple players. It has been noted that would likely be the case this year with the Seahawks perhaps drafting a Day-1, Day-2 RB & double dipping at RB with a later round pick. I came up with the idea that maybe, just
maybe, the Seahawks could draft RB’s with their top 2 picks to once & for all fix the running game,
but how does that effect the rest of the draft?
MY MOCK, 4/04/18; with Rob’s recent trade picks, Rankings from nfldrftscout.com latest update.
Trade #1-18……to Cleveland for 33, 64 & 150, THEN trade #64 to….Cinn. for 77, 112. This mock
attempts to fix the RB problems while also still selecting most other positions of need. The current
rankings will change some, but at this point in time……..
2-33…RB-Ronald Jones(46) -or- RB-Kerryon Johnson(50) -or- RB-Nick Chubb(69)
3-77…RB-Rashaad Penny(76) -or- RB-John Kelly(107) -or- RB-Royce Freeman(119)
My personal preference would be Jones/Penny or Johnson/Penny (if Jones is gone) Mix & Match the
above RB’s and bring in a couple UDFA FB’s to compete & the Running game is FIXED, a mid-round
OT & 3-OL as UDFA, maybe fixes the OL? .. Maybe, Possibly? NOTE: OLB-Shaquem Griffin(85) = IF,
he drops to 4-112/4-120 – He very well could end up being their pick.
4-112..OLB-Fred Warner(115) -or- EDGE-Kemoko Turay(102) –I’d prefer Turay IF there–
4-120…DE/OLB–Josh Sweat(135) -or- OLB-Oren Burks(143) –Not sure on Sweat, but…–
5-141…OT/OG-Joseph Noteboom(141) -or- ILB-Genard Avery(144) –an ORT candidate?–
5-146…TE-Durham Smythe(145) -or- TE-Chris Herndon(163) –position of some need–
5-150…DT-Andrew Brown(150) -or- DT-Justin Jones(175) –couldn’t go wrong with either–
5-156…CB-Holton Hill(157) -or- CB(slot)-Nick Nelson(154) –I’d prefer Hill IF there–
5-168…WR-Cedrick Wilson(184) -or- OLB-Leon Jacobs(203) –WR= tough pick = need–
7-226…SS/CB-Tre Flowers(238) -or- DT-P. J. Hall(226) –Flowers as a CB convert–
7-248…FS-Natrell Jamerson(249) -or- WR-Marquez Valdes-Scantling(246) –Get the FS -IF avail.–
PRIORITY-UDFA’s: PK-Griffin Oakes(285), P-Trevor Daniel(999), QB-J. T. Barrett(264).
UDFA’s: QB-Brandon Silvers(454), OG-Maea Teuhema(291), OT-Greg Senat(280), OT-Aaron Stinnie
(378), WR-Byron Pringle(312), WR-Justin Watson(364), RB/FB-Ryan Nall(410), RB/FB-Chris Warren
(306), CB-Charvarius Ward(417), FS-Jeremy Reaves(426), SS-Foyesade Oluokun(446).
https://twitter.com/bootang25/status/941394431571349504/video/1
Does the guy in the highlights remind you a little bit of someone on the Seahawks? Combine snub but his pro day is in a couple of days. Will be interesting to see how he does.
👍
Love this mock more than any you’ve put together to date, Rob! Very realistic scenario, and great value and fit throughout, in my opinion.
Now I’ll just be disappointed when it doesn’t come true… :-/
I don’t see NE taking a CB in round one, especially since pass rush and OL are top needs for them. maybe they stay put and take BPA, but i would see this move as a way to be even more aggressive in round one. If we can flip #18 for a late first and late second I would take that deal over anything the browns can offer. In reality there is no way we pick in rd 1 unless someone falls.
Even though they have already invested a ton of early capital in the OL I think they may pick from that tree again. Fluker is a hedge and you have no idea if he is going to pan out here. Get one of the top 5 Guards and add more competition to the line then go RB with our second pick.
What do we think of Fumiagi, the TE from Wisconsin? Marginal athlete but he should fit the all football mentality. Seems like he would be there with one of our fifths.
Distant great-nephew to Mr. Miagi of the Miagi dojo. Has tremendous patience and focus. Good balance and probably the best footwork of any TE in the class. Doesn’t let trash talk get into his head. Has a devastating kick-step that he modeled after a large bird. Could be a good pick.
Excels at wax-on, wax-off.
In the instances he struggles he against top competition like Cobra-Kai, his heart will power him through.
Just realized NFL Draft is the same day as the release of infinity wars.. first world problems
Oh god, I didn’t realize this! *Panic mode* Which do I choose?!?!
Infinity Wars will still be the same movie whether you see it on opening night or a few days after. Just have to avoid those spoilers.
Infinity Wars is already sold out in all the theaters nearby be, so that decision was already made for me lol. It’s crazy the hype this movie has.
Chasing a true #1 WR- Cooks is big time, but a true 1?-the rams have used major draft capital.
Rams get: Cooks, 2018 4, 2019 3 comp
Rams give: 2018 1, 2018 2, 2018 6, Sammy Watkins.
Cumulatively their moves give them a great shot at the SB in 2018, while narrowing their long term window. With the Hawks in a reboot I’m cool with the Rams going for it. Ill give them 2018, while focusing on 2019 and beyond to get back into the big dance.
Rob “From Ronald Jones II to Shaquem Griffin to Leon Jacobs to Natrell Jamerson — there’s a lot of speed. The Seahawks would be a faster team on both sides of the ball.”
This is an absolute truth. While I’m not a fan of the Falk pick in this exercise, we hash through tons of different players, positions, draft value, etc. If the primary goal of this draft is to get more team speed, and I think it is, Jones, Griffin, Jacobs, Jamerson achieve that hands down.
I’m a fan of the Falk pick, but not necessarily in R3. I think he can be had in R5 with one of their 4 current picks in that round, and I’m all for taking him there.
Otherwise, love the mock. I’ll miss Nick Nelson (and Rasheem Green, even if he never really was a likely option).
Why isn’t Green a likely option?
He’ll require their first pick, and I’m convinced they’ll take a RB first.
Falk won’t last to R5. Promise you that.
You would know better than me. What’s his basement?
I think R3.
Pricey for a backup QB in a rebuilding year. Almost a luxury pick.
I like Falk. He reminds me of Brady – Michigan Brady. Also the air around his draft seems similar to Brady’s. It’s been a long time, so maybe I just want to remember Brady’s draft that way. I dunno.
Aside from mocking him to SEA in R3, would you be satisfied if that was their actual R3 pick? Kinida hard to answer without knowing who they passed on to take him.
As noted in the piece, I don’t think anyone should view it as merely a ‘backup QB’. There are significant reasons to, this year, bring in a young QB.
I get it. You aren’t drafting him to make a significant contribution for a couple of seasons at least.
Love this draft, not strictly for every player taken, but for the quality we would get.
You project Corbett to go late R1, but his virtual twin Braden Smith to fall R3. Either a vast overpay, or the steal of the draft, possibly at #77. Too good to pass by.
Also, Mike Gesicki on the board R3? This seems weird, he is arguably a more dependable target than D.J. Moore. Hard to pass by for team with a not-so-good receiving corps. Also, would be interesting to see, how long Hayden Hurst waits. Some writers make a thing out of his age, saying, he is, what he is.
I wonder, if the projected battle for RB talent in R2 will happen. The first three picks will be interesting.
Gesicki is very stiff. Great athlete but doesn’t necessarily translate onto the field. His best aspect is still going to be boxing out in the red zone. Not convinced he’s going to be dominating over the seam or creating separation. And he’s not in any shape or form a blocker. So actually while he’s a great athlete, he’s also the type of tight end that often lasts on the board.
For me Corbett is a very different player to Braden Smith. One played left tackle at a very high level, the other has always been a pure guard.
Rob, have you ever looked into Logan Woodside, Toledo, QB?
Really liked the film I could find. Seems he could be there in R5.
I haven’t, sorry.
If if the Hawks may or may not take Falk in RD3, his draft value at that point might make for a potential trade value for another team.
Kiper has Josh Jackson to the Hawks at 18
McShay has Marcus Davenport to the Hawks at 18
Rob, you said that day 2 is where a real value is this year. And after this mock it seems like round 3 isn’t that good.(not to say it’s bad)
There’s plenty of value in round three. Not sure why you got that impression.
Because at the pick #64 all of the best pass rushers , RB and OL were gone.
There were O-liners left. Loads of value left at receiver, linebacker. Some tight ends, defensive tackles. Lots still left on the board.
Random lunch time thought before Rob posts his next article…
Isn’t chicken, cheese and avocado one of the best food combinations?! 🙂
Only if there is bacon involved.
+100
Not if you don’t like cheese.
Good work Rob! Thanks for the effort you put into this blog!
What are you thoughts on any possible draft-compensation for the Earl-trade rumors, since the B. Cooks trade to LARs? A first round pick, and change, for Earl isn’t looking likely to me when teams are placing more value on WR’s than Safety positions. It would be disappointing, but that’s what the market is looking like, IMO.
Seahawks meeting with LSU RB Derrius Guice
This from NFl.com’s roster reset series…
“This seems to be the year in which John Schneider will undoubtedly use Seattle’s first-round pick instead of trading out of the draft’s opening night. (Yes, I’m aware he took Germain Ifedi 31st overall in 2016 — don’t ruin my narrative.) Schneider essentially has to use the No. 18 slot. We encounter the Seahawks in the beginning stages of what appears to be a fluid rebuild, indicated by the release of Richard Sherman, trade of Michael Bennett and signings of a handful of lesser players (Tom Johnson and Barkevious Mingo, for example)”
That right there is some terrible journalism and a logic that simply doesnt ad up. The seahawks lost several players and have multiple holes, therefore they should only pick once in the top 3 rounds.
Who wrote that?!? Terrible.
Nick Shook… never heard of him before. Will avoid in future.
I imagine they had the Seahawks taking a Corner also…lol
For people that do this for a living, they sure seem to not know the teams specifically.They are always just “Cliffs Notes” versions of what they were told, not what is reality.Do your homework..geez I know that there are 32 teams but come on.Journalist that do just football have no excuse. Maybe I am being too harsh..thoughts?
nice mock. agreed on no need to take OL early. They’re all development projects anyway. I like what changes they’ve made to the coaching staff and personnel.
Of all the RBs to be taken early I like Jones the best. But I’d still prefer a later round for that position. I am comfortable with Carson/Davis/JD RB room, with Procise still having a foot in the door.
Random thought: Is Trace McSorley a prospect in this draft? I remember being very impressed with him when he played UW. He has decent numbers as well.
Hmm… 70.3 completion percentage last year.
Penn St. QB-Trace McSorley will likely be in the 2019 draft, one to watch for sure. Also of note, he is 5-11-3/4″ tall (& 195-lbs.) so he compares in height to that QB that plays for the Seahawks.
I can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt based on the diagnosis, the only way McDowell is coming back is if the Player’s Union successfully sues the NFL, his doctors, or the Seahawks. His injury was THAT significant. He’d done unless they let him come back to avoid a lawsuit now in favor of one down the road when he gets hurt worse.
Hey rob I haven’t heard much about Anthony miller from Memphis. Where do you think he could go and maybe we could pick him in the late second/early third? Given the scenario we trade down plays out?
Really like him. Has been a lot of talk about injury flags and mediocre athleticism. But he’s a terrific player. If he’s there in R3 he’ll be a steal for someone.
With so many needs I don’t see the Hawks taking RJ III as early as the second round, they will most likely trade down to get a 2nd and 4th an look to take a Kalen Ballage or Bo Scarborough in the 5th to add to their stable of RB’s. They will address defense in this draft with the earlier picks and I see Holton Hill as a later round target for CB as well.
The Seahawks might not draft Ronald Jones II, but they’re not going to pass on the top running backs to draft Ballage or Bo Scarborough instead. Two soft, underachievers with no history of consistency or reliability.
I’m interested to hear your thoughts on the two running backs from N.C. state. I know they list Samuels as a tight end but I see him more as a RB/FB. Do you think Hines could be a change of pace back for the hawks?
The problem with Hynes is he isn’t much of a receiver so if you’re bringing him in to be a third down type, you’re going to have to develop that side of his game. Weirdly he’s a better RB than anything else. You’d think being the athlete he is he might be a really good receiver. Some Tarik Cohen potential there maybe but everyone’s going to be looking for that type now.
Just curious as to what you think about this scenario Rob Staton
1. Trade round 1 pick 18 to Cleveland Browns for round 2 pick 33, round 2 pick 64, and round 4 pick 101.
2. Trade Earl Thomas to the Indianapolis Colts for round 2 pick 36 and round 2 pick 37
3. Trade round 2 pick 36 to San Francisco 49ers for round 2 pick 59 and round 3 pick 74.
4. New draft order round 2 picks 33, 37, 59, 64. Round 3 pick 74. Round 4 picks 101 and 120. Round 5 picks 141, 146, 168. Round 7 picks 228, 248. Total of 12 draft picks with none in 1st or 6th round.
5. Draft Picks
Pick 33. Derrius Guice, Nick Chubb, Ronald Jones
Pick 37. Isaiah Oliver, Carlton Davis
Pick 59. Dallas Goedert
Pick 64. Christian Kirk
Pick 74. P.j. Hall
Pick 101. Shaquem Griffin
Pick 120. Dimitri Flowers
Pick 141. Quenton Meeks
Pick 146. Tre’quan Smith, Dante Pettis
Pick 168. Ade Aruna
Pick 228. Eddie Pinero, Aiden Schneider
Pick 248. Justin Fowler
We trade down with the browns in a scenario that has been speculated since before the combine.
Bills trade with Colts for the 3rd pick colts in getting 2 first rounders and more are willing to part with the 2 2nd rounders to get all pro future hall of famer Earl Thomas and John is happy because he at least gets the value of a first round pick.
And San Fran moves up to 36 to get D.j. Moore.
Colts drafted Malik Hooker last year so won’t be in the market for Earl.
Apart from that you’ve addressed a lot of needs but I can’t see them going CB that early.
Then say if the browns trade up with us they go darnold, Allen, chub/barkley and take kolten miller. Are they in talks to trade us the 35 and 65th. In which case we still trade back from 35 with San Fran for the same picks skipping the pick of oliver or Davis and leaving us with an early 3rd rounder instead perhaps for luke or maybe someone else??
Or maybe Arden key if we like him or Braden smith to back up fluker and for the future?? And what are your thoughts on sweat and hurst do you think they fall because of health concerns??