Today I was joined by the legendary Rob ‘Stats’ Guerrera to discuss his recent interview with Russell Wilson, the state of Seahawks and 49ers plus a few other topics surrounding the NFC West and NFL…

When the season ended, Pete Carroll made it clear what the priority was.

They had to improve their pass rush.

Clint Hurtt took it to another level, recently revealing in a radio interview that adding a game-wrecking edge rusher was necessary.

Then there was Jake Heaps, revealing on 710 ESPN that the Seahawks landed Sean Desai by reassuring him over personnel additions.

On top of this, there’s plenty of talk about a more aggressive defense next season. Not to mention increasing pressure to win now for various reasons, including Carroll’s age and a hotter than usual seat after a 7-10 season.

In the past the Seahawks have been able to trust in their process because they were making the playoffs. After all, it’s easy to have an ‘ah shucks’ attitude about the loss to the Rams a year ago that ended the 2021 season. It was the wrong thing to do, because clearly there were bigger issues building (as we came to find out). Yet the fact the Seahawks were 12-4 in the regular season was a useful counter.

There’s no such security blanket now. Another year like 2021 and Carroll probably won’t get another off-season.

It all points towards a different, less conservative approach to team building.

I suspect Chandler Jones will be the target when free agency begins.

He’s a good fit for the Vic Fangio scheme, which the Seahawks are leaning towards. He has a proven track record as a top-tier pass rusher. At his best he’s a game-wrecker. He’d be an excellent complement to Darrell Taylor and Carlos Dunlap.

This would be the big splash move to galvanise fans and — just as importantly — the franchise quarterback.

The key question is — are the Seahawks willing to do what it takes?

A year ago they dipped their toe in the water with the likes of Joe Thuney and Kevin Zeitler, before settling on Gabe Jackson (trading for him just as he was about to be cut by the Raiders).

In 2020 they talked about retaining Jadeveon Clowney as a ‘priority’ — only to fail to meet his demands and be left pivoting to Benson Mayowa and Bruce Irvin.

Can the Seahawks deliver a top free agent? Are they prepared to go out of their comfort zone and take a risk?

Or will they once again stick to their principles, miss out and be left searching in the bargain bin?

For me — this is the key question of the off-season. Not Russell Wilson’s future. Because if the Seahawks make a statement early in free agency, Wilson’s future will be a moot point.

Take a chance. Spend the money to land someone like Jones. Structure the deal with a low year-one cap hit — just as the Rams did with Leonard Floyd, the Bears did with Robert Quinn and the Cardinals did with J.J. Watt.

If it doesn’t work out for whatever reason — his play drops off, he gets injured — at least you’ve tried. The Seahawks are at a point now where trying and failing is much more attractive than doing the same thing every year and it never working.

Relying on the 2022 version of Kerry Hyder, Mayowa, Irvin or Aldon Smith deserves criticism. Rolling the dice on a proven stud, and it simply not working, does not. That will simply be misfortune.

Aside from unpredictable injuries, I wouldn’t be worried about production. Desai just coordinated a defense where Robert Quinn bounced back to record 18.5 sacks. Jones is only three months older than Quinn. I think this is an ideal match for the coaches, the scheme and it addresses Seattle’s biggest need.

Of course you can’t make a player sign for your team. It’s possible Jones ends up being too expensive or simply doesn’t want to cross the NFC West divide. That’s understandable. Yet the Seahawks need to be ready to pivot and go after a proper alternative if that happens. They need a great Plan B.

A year ago, Cincinnati’s priority was to retain Carl Lawson. When he chose to sign for the Jets instead, they quickly snapped up Trey Hendrickson for a similar price.

If Jones isn’t possible — they need to make sure they land a Von Miller or Harold Landry. They can’t come away empty handed, sifting through what’s left after a few days of the market opening.

There’s another reason for taking this approach.

Although the pass-rushing options in this draft are strong, there’s a chance none of the top names will last to #41. Certainly Aidan Hutchinson, Kayvon Thibodeaux, Jermaine Johnson and David Ojabo won’t be there. I am convinced Boye Mafe will go in the first round too.

After that, there’s nobody quite with the same exciting profile.

Likewise, I wouldn’t expect Jordan Davis or Devonte Wyatt to be there for Seattle.

Thus, if improving the pass rush is the priority, it’s probably best to make a big splash in free agency and address that need right off the bat. Then in the draft, you can keep your options open.

It might be that you still want to go for a defensive lineman. You can make a strong case for Travis Jones or Perrion Winfrey at #41. I think Josh Paschal would make sense as an inside/out rusher.

You don’t have to force things, though, if you land a top pass rusher in free agency. You have more options. There’s a reasonable collection of offensive tackles, for example. There are good cornerbacks and linebackers slated for day two. Dameon Pierce is a blog favourite who fits everything Seattle looks for in a running back. You might want to tap into a rich pool of tight ends.

Heck — with more and more people underestimating Abraham Lucas, I’m starting to think he might just last to Seattle.

Either way, you’ll have some great options at #41 and #72. If you can avoid having to address desperate needs with those two picks by having a much improved free agency period — all the better.

It all starts with that big move to begin a pivotal season.

I suspect Chandler Jones will be the prime target for the Seahawks.

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This is a good draft class.

It’s been described as the opposite for a long time because it simply doesn’t have legit top-10 prospects at the top of the board.

Yet the depth of talent available is attractive and value will be available going into day three. You can build a foundation from this class.

Kentucky defensive lineman Joshua Paschal is the latest example as to why.

I would describe him as a violent, aggressive run defending specialist who could develop into a league-leader in that regard. He is not a twitchy, dynamic EDGE using speed to attack offensive tackles and threaten quarterbacks with bend or balance. If you want someone to play the run on early downs, dominate their 1v1 match-ups, set the edge, fly to the ball and then provide some interior pass rush on third down — Paschal ticks those boxes.

He’s a running backs’ nightmare. So often on tape before they’ve even had a chance to read their blocks he’s in the backfield making a tackle. It’s highly impressive.

You need warrior type players. People who complement your athletic freaks. Paschal is that type. I can’t vouch for him solving Seattle’s pass-rush issues. Yet I want him on the team as an extra. A bonus. To elevate the physical toughness of this team, make them harder to play against and pair with the athleticism of Darrell Taylor.

He’s incredibly explosive, perhaps the most explosive defensive linemen I’ve watched so far. There’s so much power in his frame — backed up by a 39-inch vertical jump at SPARQ and an overall score of 120.24, complemented by a 4.30 short shuttle.

Those kinds of numbers put him in a rare category.

He is just so powerful and there are no concerns about him shifting inside.

His Georgia tape is excellent at times. He was physically imposing, knocking around Georgia’s line in a way few managed last season. He dumped Justin Shaffer on his backside on one snap. You see this quite a lot. He’s simply far more explosive than most opponents. Bigger offensive linemen bounce off him. Against Florida he was violently abusing the tight end trying to contain him and seal an edge. He is constantly in attack mode.

Paschal has a really underrated feature in his profile. He’s so explosive that he can engage and hold position extremely well. It means he can focus on keeping his eyes on the ball-carrier, reading the play and two-gapping with ease. He can read any stretch runs or misdirection, let things develop then just throw off a block to attack the area he needs to get to.

He’s also quick to knife through gaps against Georgia and break into the interior. He does this against everyone though. That 4.30 short shuttle time shows up in the subtle way he dodges blocks from the interior and just ends up in the backfield time and time again. For a player who plays like a bull on the loose — he’s got the burst and agility off the snap of a leopard.

If you give him a shot at the ball-carrier he chases them down, stalks them, like the T1000.

There is some stiffness and he’s not a bendy pass rusher. His hips are tight and there’s not a great deal of flexibility changing direction. Running in a straight line — he’s excellent. I’m not sure his three-cone will be that impressive though. That will provide a challenge working the edge but you’re not drafting him to be Darrell Taylor.

His frame is a curious one. He’s 6-3 and 278lbs. I’d like to know his arm length but the sense I get is it’s not going to be good news. He’s more of a compact ball of power and quickness. He’s a run-defense / TFL specialist who can make plays from the interior on passing downs rather than someone who notches 8-10 sacks consistently as a defensive end.

His college production backs that up. He only had 5.5 sacks in 2021 and that was a career high. He did have 15.5 TFL’s though. He had only one sack in 2020 with 6.5 TFL’s. In 2019 he had 9.5 TFL’s and 3.5 sacks.

Still, those TFL numbers are worth noting. Since 2019, he had by far the most TFL’s or tackles for no gain in college football (per PFF):

Josh Paschal — 37
Yasir Abdullah — 29
Kayvon Thibodeaux — 27

There’s no real evidence of speed rush or natural EDGE production. Even L.J. Collier could rush the edge effectively at TCU. Paschal’s more of a powerful destroyer — which means you’ll need to be creative to move him around the line and accept that as a pure EDGE he’s going to have limitations.

He’s maybe a little bit undersized to play five-technique but he could be a natural inside/out rusher. Kentucky moved him across the line and he’s had success in space and working through the interior. There are snaps where he drives interior lineman backwards and there are snaps where he plays the run brilliantly at defensive end or slightly off the line operating in space.

His first-step quickness really flashes. He regularly crosses the face of a tackle from end to attack the B-gap and just flies into the backfield. He can catch slower, bigger linemen off guard. He also shows evidence of an effective swim move from the interior and I’ve seen a good push-pull operating from the edge.

Paschal fights off blocks as an edge setter vs the run and is a real warrior to disengage and fight to the ball-carrier. There are no concerns about him as a run-defender and he’ll handle those duties at defensive end with aplomb.

His motor is relentless and his tackling impressive. He sets a physical tone and has the potential to become a ‘heart and soul’ type on a defense if he can develop into a starter.

If I was going to use him it’d probably be as a bulldozing chess piece. I think he needs to operate in an attacking front where he’s moved around the line to seek out opportunities. He can probably play power end on early downs then on third down he can kick inside and provide dynamic interior rushing.

He could be what Seattle hoped Collier was going to be.

Paschal was diagnosed with malignant melanoma on his foot in 2018 but has since undergone treatment and been cleared. So he’s also faced a degree of adversity and battled to make a success of his time at Kentucky. He was recently named the ‘Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year’ for 2021.

I’ve put him in round two on my horizontal board, with the idea he might be available later and provide value.

The Seahawks need to go and land another dynamic EDGE in free agency for me — plus a defensive tackle who can legitimately create pressure. However, someone who can do what Collier was supposed to would also be a benefit to this defense.

Put Chandler Jones, Calais Campbell and Josh Paschal on this D-line and you might have the most aggressive, bullying line in the NFC. I wish Seattle had more picks because clearly there are other really attractive trench players in this class that would also add even more. As I said, you can build a foundation in this draft.

Paschal is a player to watch at the combine. Length will be important — we know Seattle doesn’t draft D-liners with sub-33 inch arms. If he passes that threshold, he could be the kind of powerful inside/out rusher they lack.

A final quick thought for today. It’s been revealed that around 150 players, many of them top prospects, are threatening to skip the combine due to the NFL’s rules on creating a strict ‘bubble’ at the event.

The Super Bowl has just been played out with thousands huddled together for a week — including players, media, fans and people just looking for a good time. They literally had an enormous concert on the field at half-time.

If you won’t let players have a trainer with them to do their best at the combine, then the league is a total and utter disgrace.

The NFL wants the combine to be a primetime event. It needs to start listening to the players and drop this ridiculous notion of a bubble immediately.

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It’s very clear there are healthy pass rushing options in this draft class, particularly at defensive end. It’s a top-heavy group at defensive tackle — but if you want an ‘EDGE’ you can get one even on day three.

However, the more I study this class — the more attractive the offensive line options are becoming too.

Here are further notes on three players…

Obinna Eze (T, TCU)

A blog favourite for some time, I originally wrote an article about Eze when he was at Memphis two years ago.

In 2020 I thought he had first or second round potential as a pass-blocking stud who was light on his feet despite his great size. Here’s what I wrote in the piece:

The first thing that stands out on tape is his really light feet. In terms of pure agility and mobility — there aren’t many college tackles who can move like this. He drops with ease, there’s no labouring in his movement and his feet are so smooth he wouldn’t wake a baby with his kick-slide.

When he’s asked to defend a speed rush he drops with suddenness to wall off a route to the quarterback. He surprises defensive ends with his ability to mirror and often they’re forced too wide and deep — making it really hard to work back to the quarterback. He’s not troubled or fazed by speed in the slightest and that’s a good start for any prospective left tackle.

On the negative side — he needed technical work (he was more of a ‘catcher’ than a lock-on, attacking blocker) and his run blocking wasn’t a plus. He also needed to refine his frame.

As I’ve been putting my horizontal board together, I’ve been watching a lot of Eze’s 2021 tape to see what kind of developments he’s shown. It’s been tremendously impressive.

Some of the same issues remain. You’d never mistake him for Trevor Penning in the aggression stakes. A lot of his run blocking duties were to force his opponent inside to try and create an edge. At the next level, he’ll face a much more varied challenge and I wanted to see more evidence of him getting off the ball and really driving his defender off the LOS — or subtly turning his man to create lanes.

Nevertheless, the positives are evident. There simply aren’t many players with his combination of size and athleticism.

For that reason I’m giving him a second round grade.

He’s 6-6, 327lbs and has 36 1/8 inch arms and an 86.5 inch wingspan according to Shrine Game measurements. He is huge — and would feel at home playing either tackle spot or kicking inside to guard in some schemes.

The immediate thing that stands out is how easily he slips into his set and looks comfortable handling the edge rush. I love the way he plays inside/out — a challenge a lot of tackles struggle with. When you have +36 inch arms — make your opponent take the long route to the quarterback. Don’t let them counter inside and shorten the journey. Eze often begins his rep by reaching out his right arm to touch the left guard, shutting off the inside. From there, his kick-slide is smooth and athletic. He can wall off against speed and handle everything that comes his way.

These are basic skills he does very well.

When he locks on and engages he’s incredibly hard to shake off. I felt more at ease with his less-attacking style watching him for TCU. If you can manage the inside counter, get into position well and just hold your position — you can do your job at left tackle. He doesn’t give up a lot of edge pressure. That’s what you’re after.

In fairness, he man-handled Oklahoma’s undersized pass rush. How he’ll fair against the Nick Bosa types is another challenge. You can only judge what you see on tape though. Eze’s combination of length, athleticism and experience showed well enough to believe he has a legit shot for the next level.

Adding to that — and this is always good to see — he combo blocks very well. He is often blocking his man initially then shows awareness to pass that defender off if the opportunity arises and seal a second block. He would progress from block A to B in a way that was very satisfying to watch. It’s something Jack Conklin did very well at Michigan State and Eze is impressive in this area.

For me he’s a highly underrated prospect.

Testing will be key. If he struggles in the vertical, broad and bench — it will limit his stock. Teams across the league value explosive traits. An athletic run in the forty or strong agility testing might help — but more than anything, teams want explosive offensive linemen. We see it in the profiles of early draft picks every year.

Here’s a quote from Florida State coach Mike Norvell on Eze, when they were both at Memphis:

“Obinna is going to be successful no matter what he does… He can play this game for a long time. Whenever the last day of football comes, he’ll continue to have success, because of the drive he has in every aspect of his life.”

He’s a player worth keeping on your radar when the combine begins.

Nick Petit-Frere (T, Ohio State)

When NPF was being mocked as a top-15 pick all over the internet, I pushed back and called him overrated. It’s funny how this happens a lot. The ‘draft media’ types get a lot wrong during the season — then they adjust, for whatever reason, and provide more realistic analysis.

Take Roger McCreary, for example. It’s not that long ago one analyst (who generates a lot of traction online) declared he was a ‘top-20 lock’ on Twitter. A well known former NFL scout chimed in to say he hadn’t spoken to a single team with a higher grade than round two. Low and behold, when said analyst posted a top-100 prospects list recently, McCreary was at #43 — one spot below average mid-round lineman Darian Kinnard (who is listed 33 spots higher than Boye Mafe).

I do not have all the answers in the slightest. I am a bloke with a blog and a comparatively tiny audience. But come on. This is absolute rubbish.

Kinnard (#42 overall) was tried at guard at the Senior Bowl and is limited strictly to the right hand side, where he’ll get tight end support, or right guard. I think he’s a fringe third or fourth round pick. In this top-100 list, he’s 41 spots higher than Abraham Lucas and 47 spots higher than NPF.

Anyway, enough complaining. You watch the tape and make your own minds up.

When a player is promoted well above their station, you end creating a dislike for no real reason. I didn’t like NPF in the top-15. But now he’s being talked about as a late third rounder, I feel obliged to flip and say he’s become underrated.

Yes, you can linger on the Michigan game. Unlike Rasheed Walker (see my Friday piece), he had a torrid time against Aidan Hutchinson. It flagged some issues.

Unlike Eze he doesn’t do a good enough job playing inside/out. There are inside counters he concedes that are easily avoidable. He needs to engage better with his hands. The hand placement is poor or at times, non-existent. He doesn’t attack blocks well enough and he’s just too passive and defensive.

You fear a little bit if Hutchinson can get after him so easily, what will other quality rushers at the next level do?

However — his Oregon tape was a lot better. His Minnesota tape was somewhere in the middle

NPF is very good at dropping into his set and you can see he’s very athletic. You can see why he was a five-star, #13 overall recruit. He blocks superbly on the move and his kick-slide eliminates the speed rush threat. I think he’ll do a better job against the quicker edges where he can match-up as an athlete. He needs to be able to show he can do a better technical job against the more brutal power ends. That could be a case of tweaks to his technique and some extra strength training.

I want to see his length measurements at the combine. The inside moves are a concern and while Eze trusts his length, NPF is the opposite. Is there a reason for this?

Even so — he clearly is a tremendous athlete with left tackle potential. And whenever you talk about players with his apparent profile and upside — you have to remember how desperate the league is for this type of player.

All of the tackles in this class have warts. Charles Cross doesn’t bend his knees properly and has played in a pass-friendly offense for two-years which has called for a very limited set of tasks. Trevor Penning showed he has a fair bit to work on with his technique after a very hit-and-miss Senior Bowl. Bernhard Raimann struggled in Mobile.

You are not going to draft the perfect tackle in 2022. Whoever you go for, they will present a set of challenges. They all need development.

The Seahawks are likely going to need to add at least one tackle this off-season. I’m not convinced they’ll retain both Duane Brown and Brandon Shell. They might view Stone Forsyth as an option but he’s a sixth rounder who generated little buzz in year one. Nobody on the staff talked him up publicly as a 2022 starter.

There will be options for Seattle at #41 and #72. While it’s a tackle class with a lot of rough diamonds — it’s also a class that could provide great value and a ton of upside.

Cameron Jurgens (C, Nebraska)

I know I wrote about Jurgens on Friday already but I felt obliged to share more after watching a couple more games. There’s a reason why I’ve put him in gold on my horizontal board.

His aggressive playing style is beyond enjoyable. Watching him play is a treat.

When I put together a mock off-season for the Seahawks and had them paying Brian Allen a small fortune, that was before I properly studied Jurgens. Frankly, he’s a far cheaper, viable alternative.

I love how he pulls and blocks on the move. He can snap quickly, drop and pivot to the left hand side and actually block the edge in space, while moving laterally. His athleticism is incredibly impressive. Everything is controlled. It’s controlled violence.

There was one block against Minnesota where he got on the move after the snap and I can’t believe he got across as quickly as he did to take on the unblocked defensive end. Not only that, he still managed to get his hands inside for the perfect placement, he anchored and stoned the rusher. You just don’t see many center’s do this.

On the next snap he literally did the same thing to the right side. How many teams have their center peel out to block edge rushers in space, on the move?

It’s interesting that they occasionally pulled him into space so quarterback Tyler Martinez could roll out. Jurgens was basically his personal protector on the move. You couldn’t help but wonder if some designed bootlegs for Russell Wilson, with Jurgens wheeling out to the right, could work for Seattle.

He’ll gladly progress to the second level when given the opportunity. He plays to the whistle, often looking for someone to hammer if there’s no direct responsibility in front of him. When he turns defenders he gets them on skates, driving them off the spot to create interior rushing lanes.

There are viral clips online of him progressing to the second level and running defensive backs out of the play 40 yards downfield, before throwing them to the turf:

Watch @HuskerFBNation Center #51 @CameronJurgens on this play! #Effort #Finish pic.twitter.com/uFrNczBYpS

— Joe Moore Award (@JoeMooreAward) September 19, 2021

On some snaps he’ll hit three different defenders. It was like watching Gimli recording kills in Lord of the Rings.

Again against Minnesota he engaged a defensive lineman, blocked him out of the play with a powerful turn — then identified a stunting linebacker looping around. He passed the D-liner off to the right guard and slammed the door shut on the linebacker.

Look at this pocket — and look who’s holding position from the interior, not allowing any interior pressure:

Check out the power and movement he creates:

good Monday to Nebraska center Cameron Jurgens (#51) and no one else pic.twitter.com/aoU21g2yMu

— Mike Golic Jr (@mikegolicjr) July 19, 2021

Everything about Jurgens is impressive. The athleticism, the power, the attitude, the agility. He has a BAMF vibe.

At SPARQ he ran a 4.98 forty and jumped a 32 inch vertical which suggests he’s explosive. That will help his stock. I really hope he has +33 inch arms but even if he doesn’t — I want the Seahawks to consider drafting him. For me, he’s the right combination of physical profile and tone-setting ability. He is a similar size to Brian Allen — who excelled in the Rams’ blocking scheme.

I’m putting Jurgens in round two on my board. He’s seriously underrated and one of the more exciting players to watch in this class.

Horizontal board

(Click on the image for a better view)

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— Penn State left tackle Rasheed Walker has the potential to be one of the better left tackles in the NFL. We need to see how he tests at the combine (his SPARQ testing wasn’t good) but on tape there are reps that are highly impressive — particularly against Michigan where he faced off against Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo.

He didn’t win every 1v1 but I’d say he won most of those battles. He’s light on his feet, can control blocks when engaged and he anchors and holds position well. He combatted the edge speed of Ojabo and handled the power and physicality of Hutchinson. It was an ideal tape to watch to get an angle on his potential.

However, if some of that performance screamed top-10 pick — there are other reps where you’re simply left scratching your head. His effort and body language is highly inconsistent. There are occasions where he doesn’t seem to know what he’s doing. Like he doesn’t understand the call, or he just gives up. It’s weird that a player who is willing to ‘celebrate’ a block by doing this also doesn’t play with a frothing at the mouth aggressiveness.

Squaring that off vs what he does well is going to make for a tricky evaluation. It wouldn’t be a surprise if in 3-4 years time Walker has established himself as a legit starting left tackle, claimed at a bargain price on day two. It also wouldn’t be a surprise if you had to get on him every training camp to play with a level of consistency and fire.

The combine will be huge for him. If he tests well in the bench, vertical and broad and can show teams a degree of effort and work-rate to prepare for Indianapolis — it might calm any fears. He’ll also have the physical profile of a first round pick if he pulls that off. If he underwhelms at the combine, then he could sink down boards. In that scenario I’d still wonder if he’s worth a flier. There is definitely something there.

— I know I talk about Boye Mafe a lot but it still baffles me to see him graded in the middle rounds while other players (particularly the quarterbacks) are being discussed as potential top-40 players.

He’s going to show at the combine that he’s the complete package. Size, length, natural athleticism, quickness, power, repertoire of moves. He’s a top-20 pick and the Senior Bowl was all the evidence people needed to propel him into that range.

I’ll say this though — if he somehow lasted to pick #41 — Mafe and Darrell Taylor could be the best, young pass-rushing duo in the NFL. They would have the potential to be a special pairing. If the Seahawks still had pick #10, I’d be writing an article about the prospect of taking Mafe there or after a small trade down.

— In previous years players I’ve really liked have risen through the process. That hasn’t happened yet. Whether it’s Abraham Lucas, Dameon Pierce, Channing Tindall, Montaric Brown, Kerby Joseph or a whole bunch of others. Things might change at the combine but I’m starting to wonder if an opportunity is emerging here to get untapped talent, just as Seattle managed in 2010, 2011 and 2012. There are quite a few overrated players being pumped up in the media and a lot of better prospects continue to fly under the radar.

— I have updated my horizontal board having studied new players over the last week:

I will continue to review and assess but there won’t be any dramatic changes like you see in the national draft coverage where suddenly a player rises to #15 from no ranking in a top-50.

— One new name I’ve added to the board, with a gold highlight, is Cameron Jurgens the Nebraska center. He’s slightly undersized at about 6-3 and 290lbs but to me he might be a cheaper alternative than going after someone like Brian Allen. I really like the way he pulls and gets on the move, locating blocks and creating running lanes. I think he does a good job with his anchor and stays square. He’s a physical blocker who really competes and there were some good reps on tape against players like Perrion Winfrey.

At SPARQ he ran a 4.98 forty and jumped a 32 inch vertical which suggests he’s athletic and explosive. I really liked watching him and he doesn’t get talked about much. I’ve put him in round three but wouldn’t be surprised if he goes a bit earlier if he tests as expected and has 33 inch arms. If the Seahawks want to draft a center — Jurgens has the experience there, the potential athletic profile for this blocking scheme, he’s explosive and you’re going to get a really good player. Keep Jurgens on your radar.

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Today I was joined by Jeff Simmons to discuss various Seahawks off-season talking points. You can see our conversation below. Everything was discussed.

If you missed my last two articles on free agents and underrated players or my big mock off-season don’t forget to check them out too.

— Last week in my three-round mock draft I had Boye Mafe at #17 to the Chargers. I am convinced he will be a top-20 pick. His combination of size, smooth and subtle quickness, power and repertoire is everything you look for at the position. Based on what he showed at the Senior Bowl, he might have the highest upside of any defensive end in the draft.

I’ve read a handful of mocks and top-100 lists recently and it’s incredible to see him being graded in the middle rounds, or at the back-end of those lists.

He needs some technical refinement but he’s what teams want at the position. He makes the difficult aspects of his craft look easy. The way he glides beyond tackles and just slips by with balance, agility and suddenness. It appears effortless. Yet he’s just as good in combat, using his hands and engaging/disengaging, using speed to power or even driving backwards with a one-arm bull rush. He rips away attempted blocks and already has a variety of ways to win.

Reportedly he’s capable of a 41-inch vertical and a 10-6 broad jump. He’s been timed at a 4.56 in the forty. Even if that ends up being a 4.66 at the combine — he has the size where that would be a superb time.

How does this equate to anything other than round one?

Mafe’s personality and attitude are also major positives. Teams are going to love what he offers. After the combine, he’ll be talked about as a top, top prospect.

If he somehow lasts to #41 he would be an ideal complement to Darrell Taylor. I just can’t see it, along with the likes of Abraham Lucas who are equally underrated. Again, how is he being graded as low as he is? He’s a wonderful athlete who has run a 4.30 short shuttle. He has good reps on tape against Kayvon Thibodeaux. He has excellent size and length and looked the part more so than any other tackle in Mobile. Is Lucas flawless? No. But how could you watch the Bernhard Raimann’s out there, think round one, and then place Lucas far lower?

When you see the quarterbacks in this class marked in the top-40 or some of these really overrated players being propelled into the first round range. It’s staggering.

This was always going to be a year with a lot of different opinions, such is the nature of this particular draft. Reading mocks is increasingly an exercise in bewilderment though. I could be completely wrong on Mafe and Lucas. We’ll see. But when you generally combine outstanding physical tools with high-quality reps on tape — then you perform well at the Senior Bowl, you don’t tend to last very long.

— It was interesting to see Jim Nagy note on Twitter that some league sources expect Cole Strange to go in round two. He was one of the players I highlighted in gold on my horizontal board:

He had some bad reps at the Senior Bowl but he often bounced straight back on the next 1v1. He kept improving as the week went on and he fought and battled. He remained upright, locked his back and anchored well. When he gets his hands inside in the right positions, he was immovable. He has the ideal length and frame and it’s worth remembering that he only switched to center for reps in Mobile.

If he tests well in the broad, vertical and bench at the combine — there’s every chance he could do a Quinn Meinerz. I’m not sure the Seahawks would take him in round two but if he lasted into day three — he would be a strong center project with the upside to be a much needed long-term starter.

— I can’t believe nobody’s talking about Arkansas cornerback Montaric Brown. I re-watched the Ole Miss game yesterday and he did a tremendous job sticking on deep routes and breaking up passes with ideal coverage. His mirror is good, he has excellent quickness and size. There are issues biting on double-moves and he needs to lean on his physical traits more than guessing and trying to jump opportunities. Yet overall, he has legit starter potential.

To see so many other cornerbacks get attention and Brown basically be the forgotten man of this class is quite strange. Remember, he had five picks in 2021 — second most in college football. He is a tremendous talent. If he lasts for whatever reason, I hope the Seahawks are ready to pounce.

— The defense hasn’t been aggressive enough for a long time. The more and more I watch of Channing Tindall, the more I think they need players like this. He flies across the field to make tackles. He attacks the LOS, is quite capable of dumping a lineman on his back to get to a ball-carrier. You can’t run stretch plays with him playing in space. As a blitzer he is frightening for opponents — knifing through gaps with incredible speed.

He carries himself with a high degree of confidence without seeming arrogant. I want to see a more attacking, violent unit in 2021 that can rush the passer properly and play with a greater intensity. For me, Tindall is exactly what they need at linebacker.

The most aggressive defenders I’ve seen so far on tape are Tindall, Perrion Winfrey, Lewis Cine and Cam Taylor-Britt. Travis Jones also played with a high degree of power and toughness at the Senior Bowl.

The Seahawks have to find that tougher edge. They’ve been too passive in their scheming and players like Bobby Wagner have become too hesitant. They already have younger, more aggressive players (Darrell Taylor) and now they need to keep adding and complement them with veteran toughness.

I don’t care that Calais Campbell is 36 this year. He was on the UK broadcast of the Super Bowl and the guy was practically ready to run on the field and make a tackle, mic in hand. He spoke passionately about his desire to get to a Super Bowl and I spent the entire three or four hours thinking — get this man in the locker room. He was frothing at the mouth, desperate for success.

His PFF grade was 80.8 in 2021 so it’s not like his play is dropping off either. On a one-year deal to add some interior presence, leadership and physicality — I’d be down for that. If he does nothing other than keep your linebackers clean, I’ll take it. Combine him with some of the names listed above and you’ll have a far scarier defense next season.

— Sheil Kapadia has released a very interesting list of prospective free agents. He has 75 names ranked and it helps identify potential targets. I wanted to highlight some of the names that stand out to me.

#6 Chandler Jones (DE)
Kapadia notes his durability (+15 games in five of the last six seasons). People quibbling about his age should remember he’s a year older than Aaron Donald (I’d happily sign him). A salary similar to Shaquil Barrett’s $17m a year is being touted. That’s similar to the $16m I wrote about in my plan on Sunday. To me he just adds class and quality and immediately upgrades your pass rush.

#11 Von Miller (DE)
It’s clear Miller isn’t what he used to be as he approaches his 33rd birthday. Yet he’s already signalled his intention to play on and while he might not take over games like he used to — he guarantees a level of production. Kapadia projects a J.J. Watt style $28m contract over two years. The Cardinals structured that to be $4.9m in 2021 and $15.9m in 2022. Such a deal is the kind of front-loaded contract Seattle needs to make to add talent on the veteran market this off-season. It’s time to be aggressive. Also, what a mentor for Darrell Taylor.

#14 Ryan Jensen (C)
Kapadia calls Jensen a ‘tone-setter’ and ‘arguably the best’ center in the NFL. That alone has me sold. Although it’s worth noting Jensen isn’t listed in the top-10 for pass-blocking or run-blocking win rate per ESPN for 2021 and his PFF grade was good not great at 70.3. Kapadia projects Corey Linsley money. That included $6.6m in year one and a $12.5m average. Why on earth didn’t Seattle top that?

#16 Odell Beckham Jr (WR)
The ACL tear complicates Beckham’s situation. Otherwise, I think he’d just re-sign with the Rams. To be honest he probably will anyway. Provided Sean McVay and Aaron Donald don’t quit — LA may well do what Tampa Bay did a year ago and bring the band back together for another go. Even so, the importance of a quality WR3 has been shown this season. Russell Wilson and OBJ are very close. In a much more aggressive off-season, they might be able to convince him to move to the North West.

#18 Jadeveon Clowney (DE)
I think it’s highly unlikely Clowney comes back to Seattle. Among fans he seems to have become a divisive figure based on the contract saga of 2020. However, he’s still very capable of winning you a game on his own and there aren’t many players like that in the NFL. It doesn’t happen often enough, I get it. That’s why he’s a free agent and not locked up like Aaron Donald or T.J. Watt. However, with no help in 2019, he won you big games in San Francisco and Philadelphia (playoffs). I think he’d be a wonderful partner for Taylor and Carlos Dunlap. He had nine sacks in 2021, he ranked fourth in the NFL for pass rush win rate and his last contract cost just $8m. I’d give him a call.

#19 Haason Reddick (DE/LB)
A former blog favourite with 23.5 sacks over the last two seasons. He has a fantastic athletic profile and while he might be more of rusher from a wide position rather than a pure DE, he would be a terrific addition to a rotation. Kapadia thinks he could get $13.6m a year like Matthew Judon but I get the sense he’s become a shorter-term, rental type player. He’d be a good option if others are unavailable but not my first choice personally.

#20 Harold Landry (DE)
Kapadia says that since 2019 Landry has played more snaps than any other edge defender or defensive lineman in the NFL — tallying 26.5 sacks. That combination of production and availability should be attractive. For me he seems like the 2022 Trey Hendrickson. Kapadia reckons $16m a year is a fair estimate and frankly, I’d seriously consider it. Landry is a good age (26) and look at the impact Hendrickson’s had for the Bengals. Go and get him.

#26 Austin Corbett (G)
I wasn’t aware that Corbett was so highly rated but Kapadia thinks he could get $9m a year. He was a big blog favourite when he was at Nevada. I’m not sold on spending big on a guard but I’m also not a fan of Seattle being wishy-washy with a shift to the Rams’ blocking style. If you want to create a line as effective as LA’s — why not have their personnel? LA’s O-line ranked first in the league in pass-pro.

#28 Brian Allen (C)
Kapadia doesn’t give a dollar amount for Allen but his close proximity to Corbett suggests $9m a year might be right (which is also more or less what I was projecting in my article on Sunday). Again, if you want to run LA’s O-line and blocking scheme — steal their players to execute it. Allen is 26 and could be a long term fixture at center.

#29 Bradley Bozeman (C)
I liked Bozeman a lot at Alabama but his arm length and hand size made him an unlikely fit in Seattle. Not to mention he ran an 8.25 three cone and a 5.17 short shuttle. It’s not clear whether he was asked to run these drills while giving another offensive lineman a piggy-back. That said, he’s carved out a decent career and he’s played 48 games in the last three seasons. His PFF grade was 73.3 in 2021. I wouldn’t want to break the bank for him but he’s tough and he’s produced results.

#31 Christian Kirk (WR)
Kirk just has something about him. He’s not productive or consistent enough to warrant star-status but he’s also very capable on a given day of winning you a game. As noted earlier, having three quality receiving options is the name of the game in the modern NFL. Kapadia thinks a deal worth $11-12m a year might be forthcoming. I think that’s a bit rich unless you decide you don’t want to pay D.K. Metcalf, trade him, and then look for a replacement. If Kirk’s market is colder than that, I’d be waiting to strike. It’d be nice for this team to pull off a surprise prove-it deal for the first time in a while.

#32 Akiem Hicks (DT)
He’s missed 20 games in three seasons due to injury and he’s 32. Kapadia suggests a contending team will take a chance on him. I’d love to have him in Seattle but that injury record bothers me. The price would have to be right — yet they’ve needed a player like this for a while.

#38 Trent Brown (T)
I touted Brown to Seattle in my article on Sunday because he’s a highly successful, proven right tackle. Kapadia notes he’s only played 14 games in the last two seasons which I hadn’t noticed. That’s a problem. I kind of feel like it’s worth a gamble though, given what he’s shown when he’s healthy.

#50 Morgan Moses (T)
I had Moses pegged as ‘Plan B’ to Brown but maybe it should be the other way around? He hasn’t missed a game in the past seven seasons. Kapadia is projecting a $7-8m contract which is more than I thought. That said — stop scrimping and saving. Moses has shown he can stay healthy and produce. He’s a good right tackle.

#58 Ben Jones (C)
He isn’t a player I know a lot about or previously thought of. However, Kapadia says Jones has been active for 160 of a possible 161 games since entering the league in 2012. His PFF grade in 2021 was a 77.8 and he had a 78.6 in 2020. I’ll take that level of performance and durability.

#59 B.J. Hill (DT)
Another former blog favourite from a previous draft. He once ran a 4.99 forty and a 4.53 short shuttle at 311lbs. He isn’t an explosive player but he’s quick and he’s starting to make it work. He had 5.5 sacks in 2021 and the Seahawks need some interior pass rush production.

#68 Calais Campbell (DT)
I will never apologise for my Calais Campbell appreciation. The guy is a warrior. He is incredibly passionate about making another Super Bowl and I want his leadership, presence and evergreen performance level in Seattle.

#74 Marcus Maye (S)
If Quandre Diggs moves on, Jamal Adams’ old friend in New York could be available at a bargain price. Injuries hampered him last year on the tag. His stock is lower than it should be. There could be a nice opportunity to be had here — and we know he has chemistry with Adams.

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With the recent coaching staff changes, I wanted to do a broad review of what I think the Seahawks could/should do this off-season.

As noted on Friday, I think the addition of Sean Desai to work with Clint Hurtt and Karl Scott is positive news. Provided the Seahawks avoid a ‘too many cooks’ situation, it’s a hint to change.

The next step is a more aggressive free agency period. The Seahawks are not as close as Pete Carroll suggested at the end of the regular season. They need to bridge the gap with some bold personnel moves. The focus needs to be more on quality not quantity. Do that and there’s no reason why they can’t be a much more serious threat in the NFC.

My target with this plan is to add three key players on the veteran market, retain the bulk of the existing roster, make some difficult decisions and set up the draft to finish things off.

Before we get started

I am not a cap ‘expert’. This is supposed to be a fun article. Quibbling over a million here or there isn’t treating the piece in the spirit that’s intended.

I want to review options, possibilities, share some opinions on what I’d like to see and piece together a possible pathway to success.

Cap space

The Seahawks are currently slated to have $34,740,761 in effective cap to spend, per Over The Cap. That is the eighth most in the NFL.

There are ways to raise even more.

Here’s a list of players and what they would save if they were cut pre-June 1st:

Bobby Wagner — $16.6m
Poona Ford — $5.25m
Jason Myers — $4m
Chris Carson — $3.4m
Gabe Jackson — $3m
Ugo Amadi — $2.5m
Nick Bellore — $2.15m
Kerry Hyder — $2m
Benson Mayowa — $1.5m
L.J. Collier — $1m

The Seahawks should be ruthless with the following question at the heart of their decision making…

‘Are we getting value for money?’

Seattle’s problems over the last few years are rooted within mixed drafting results and failing to pad out their depth with cheap, young talent — combined with spreading their money too thinly on average journeymen signings, spending too much on the wrong positions and of course the abysmal Jamal Adams trade.

I think you could easily look at the list above and say every player other than Poona Ford isn’t providing value for money.

You’re not going to get rid of everyone, of course. The Seahawks already have enough holes to fill and they don’t have extra draft picks — or a first rounder at all. Yet they should be prepared to add to their $34,740,761 so they can make some serious moves in free agency.

The future of Bobby Wagner

It’s time to add $16.6m in cap space by cutting a mainstay of the team.

Wagner has been catching too many blocks, he’s played with hesitancy, at times he has avoided contact and he simply doesn’t make enough impact plays.

Wagner was the 15th ranked linebacker per PFF in 2021 but he’s the second most expensive. His performance and ranking warrant a salary in the $8-10m range based on average salary — but I’m not even convinced he’s worth that.

The Seahawks have already invested in the linebacker position. They spent a first round pick on Jordyn Brooks — a player who played middle linebacker in college.

There’s no viable argument to say you need two big investments at this position. One is enough. The NFL is filled with examples of younger linebackers being productive. There are attractive, appealing options in this draft.

Further to that, you have players like Jarrad Davis potentially available on cheap prove-it deals. There was no noticeable difference when Cody Barton started instead of Wagner at the end of the season. Ben Burr-Kirven is still on the roster too.

For me it’s simply time to move on and save $16.6m.

As we’ve been arguing for over a year, they should shift resource to the trenches. You can only do this by making a difficult decision on Wagner’s future. Otherwise you don’t have the cap space to retain players you want to keep and add to the O-line and D-line. It’s that simple.

The Seahawks can’t be sentimental about this. Wagner has been a great player but he’s become too expensive, he isn’t playing well enough and he doesn’t make the kind of difference making, impact plays to justify the investment.

It’s time to put Brooks at middle linebacker and fill the other position at a much cheaper price.

I wouldn’t be against using #41 on the position, provided Seattle addresses the trenches in free agency. This is a class with some excellent linebacker prospects.

This defense needs to be more aggressive and attack-minded. Channing Tindall is explosive and lightning-quick. He’s constantly in attack-mode, flying to the ball-carrier with reckless abandon. He’s tough, physical and would establish a new path forward for the Seahawks, combining with Brooks.

You see this on tape time and time again:

crazy closing speed by channing tindall pic.twitter.com/5d1SQzodAn

— charles (bic fizzle stan) mcdonald (@FourVerts) September 5, 2021

I was watching tape recently and noticed this play. Look how he takes on the offensive lineman, despite a 100lbs weight deficit, dumps him on his backside then hammers the ball carrier:

Levi Onwuzurike’s earns $2m a year on his rookie deal as the #41 pick last year. I’m not a huge fan of spending yet another high pick on a linebacker. Yet if you truly address the O-line and D-line in the veteran market and then replace Wagner with someone like Tindall — I think it’s tolerable.

He’s not the only option. You could justify his two Georgia team mates — Quay Walker or Nakobe Dean at #41. I’m not convinced Devin Lloyd will go as early as some people think. Brian Asamoah will be a second rounder. You can make arguments for Damone Clark, Chad Muma, Christian Harris and Troy Anderson on day two. I think Nate Landman is going to provide excellent value for someone later on.

Yet it’s Tindall who plays the way I want to see on this defense. Head down, fly to the ball — speed, tenacity, impact.

Regardless of how they replace Wagner, change is needed. Seattle’s defense has been too passive and not aggressive enough. I’m afraid to say, Wagner is part of the problem.

Cut him, move on and take your available cap space to $51.3m.

Keep Duane Brown as a priority.

I think you need to re-sign Brown. He’s the best chance you’ve got of finding value and performance at tackle.

It doesn’t make sense to pay $18-20m for Terron Armstead. He’s 30 himself and battled knee injuries in 2021. It’s only a worthwhile signing if his market comes to you and I’m not sure it will.

Andrew Whitworth signed a three-year contract with the Rams at age 37. That should be the framework for a deal between Seattle and Brown. Whitworth’s average salary was $11.25m with $15m guaranteed.

Brown turns 37 this year. He’s likely to be more focused on the guaranteed money rather than the base salary or cap hit. Thus, you can probably restructure this deal to have a reasonable cap hit in 2022 (around $6-7m) with a backloaded final year, including an ‘out’ for the team.

He might not have had a brilliant 2021 season and yes he’s getting older. He isn’t a liability though and there’s no clear alternative for Seattle. He graded at a 71.5 according to PFF in a relative down year where the team struggled.

If that’s his floor, I’ll take it.

Make changes to the O-line elsewhere

The Seahawks tried to mesh Mike Solari’s blocking concepts with Shane Waldron and Andy Dickerson’s in 2021. Now, they’re going all-in with the new staff. It’s time to look at what the Rams do and try to mimic them.

After all, the Rams’ O-line graded seventh in the league per PFF in 2021. The Seahawks were 25th.

The make-up of LA’s offensive line is quite interesting.

They have two enormous tackles in Whitworth (6-7, 330lbs) and Rob Havenstein (6-8, 330lbs). Their left guard is David Edwards (6-6, 308lbs), their center is Brian Allen (6-2, 303lbs) and their right guard is Austin Corbett (6-4, 306lbs).

This is very different to the approach Seattle has used. Gabe Jackson is 6-3 and 335lbs and Damien Lewis is 6-2 and 327lbs. Both are huge, pure guards. Edwards and Corbett are lighter, more athletic college tackles who transitioned inside.

Ethan Pocic is 6-6 and 310lbs. That is bigger than Allen for the Rams.

I don’t want to see the Seahawks do things by half. They’re making the change to Waldron/Dickerson and need to commit to the types of players they want. If that means moving on from the interior power blockers Solari preferred, so be it.

I’m not going to assume Jackson, Pocic and Lewis don’t fit. They might do. Yet the Seahawks should be prepared to make changes if that’s what the scheme calls for.

If you spend $7m on Brown’s 2022 cap hit you would still have $44.3m in available cap space. That’s ample to reshape your line.

I would invest in bringing Brian Allen to play center.

He graded at 80.2 according to PFF with a 87.4 run-blocking grade. He is a bit of a ‘one-year-wonder’ type and that should cap his value somewhat. However, he knows the scheme and the Seahawks are crying out for a good center.

Allen is ranked here as the eighth best guard or center reaching free agency. Thus, he’s unlikely to break the bank but I’d do what it takes to bring him in.

I’d be willing to make an investment worth $9m a year. That is a million less than the $10m a year Arizona is paying Rodney Hudson. It would match the three-year $27m contract Connor McGovern signed with the New York Jets in 2020.

It’s time to make a commitment to this line and take a risk. Allen is playing in the blocking scheme you want to adapt. Invest in familiarity and upside.

He’s only 26-years-old so you can make this a 3-4 year deal and limit his year-one cap hit into the $6m range. This would leave you with $38.3m to spend.

I would consider going a step further and make further changes.

Gabe Jackson was going to be cut by the Raiders a year ago before Seattle swooped in with a trade to prevent him reaching the open market. He did not play well in 2021, grading at 63.6. I am not convinced he is a fit for the new-look line.

I would cut him to save $3m (taking you to $41.3m in cap space).

The Rams, as mentioned, are starting two former tackles at guard. They are tall, lean players. I would consider moving Stone Forsyth to left guard to be Seattle’s answer to David Edwards.

Forsyth is 6-8 and 307lbs. He too played tackle in college. It fits with how the Rams have built their line and he’s a left-sided player.

This in turn would allow you to move Damien Lewis back to right guard. Lewis had a torrid time after moving to the left side simply to accommodate Jackson. His PFF grade in 2021 was 63.6 compared to his rookie grade of 70.2 when he played on the more familiar right side.

He dominated at LSU at right guard. He impressed in Seattle at right guard.

He’s a right guard.

He might not ideally fit the blocking scheme as a bigger, power blocker. Yet I think he’s worth persevering with in 2022 to see if he can return to form.

Trading or cutting him only saves $774,351 so you’ve more or less made your commitment there.

If the Seahawks wanted to be truly radical, they could bring in Austin Corbett because like Allen — he too is a free agent. He likely wouldn’t break the bank either.

I don’t want to give up on Lewis though. At least not this year.

The final position to address is right tackle. Brandon Shell is a free agent but he does at least fit LA’s preference for size (6-5, 324lbs). I get the sense, however, the Seahawks will move on.

There are options. I’ll run through a few and then suggest what I’d prefer.

This could be a position where Seattle looks to the draft.

Washington State right tackle Abraham Lucas, for me, is a top-15 pick and I expect he’ll show that at the combine. I think I’m the only one grading him in that range currently. If, somehow, he lasted to #41 — he would be a fantastic, home-run pick for the Seahawks. I don’t think it’ll happen. If it does, run to the podium.

It’s plausible Bernhard Raimann could last to the Seahawks in round two. He’s a fine athlete with major potential but he clearly needs a lot of technical refinement.

The Rams like size so Darian Kinnard could be a mid-round option. Keep an eye on Obinna Eze — a blog favourite during his time at Memphis (he transferred to TCU). He has outstanding size and major upside.

You can run through different combinations.

Perhaps Stone Forsyth gets an opportunity to start at right tackle?

Phil Haynes and Jake Curhan also received positive reviews for their play at the end of the season. I’d rather both be depth and competition than starters but we’ll see how things shape up.

My preference above all else would be to continue spending in free agency.

I would make a play for Trent Brown of the Patriots or Morgan Moses of the Jets.

Both fit the size ideals of the Rams at tackle. Brown is absolutely enormous and for some time now has been an excellent right tackle. He gave up one sack in 2021 and graded at 77.6 per PFF.

He signed a one-year deal with the Pats with a $7,588,235 cap hit. I would gladly match or even better that to bring him in. He’s 28-years-old. Sign him to a two-year, $20m deal and solidify the right side with proven quality.

I would structure it so his year-one cap hit is $8m and then $12m the following year with a potential out for the team. It would leave you with $33.3m in effective cap space.

If you can’t get it done, Moses is a fine alternative. He has equally been a productive starter for a long time. He graded at 71.0 in 2021 and had a cap hit of $4.3m. He might cost half as much as Brown and would be a good ‘Plan B’.

So what are you left with? Two big investments on the O-line for proven players, while retaining your starting left tackle.

It’d look like this:

LT — Duane Brown
LG — Stone Forsyth
C — Brian Allen
RG — Damien Lewis
RT — Trent Brown

A reminder of where we’re at

So far we’ve cut Wagner and Jackson to create an extra $19.6m in cap space. We’ve signed a new center (Allen) and right tackle (Brown) plus retained Duane Brown.

There’s $33.3m to invest in other positions — with improving the pass rush and the retention of other starters the remaining priorities.

Keep key players

While I don’t agree with Pete Carroll that the team is ‘really close’ and ‘has what it needs to be great’ — I do think some players are worth keeping around.

Quandre Diggs has back-to-back five-interception seasons. For a team that has a really hard time turning the ball over, I think you need to make sure he sticks.

His injury makes this a really challenging situation to project. Will his market suffer? Does it hurt his value further that Jessie Bates, Marcus Williams and Marcus Maye are also scheduled to be free agents? Are you best to let him test the market?

I never expected to write this earlier in the off-season — but I think I would use the franchise tag on Diggs. It gives you another year at a relatively fair price (approximately $11.1m). It means you continue to spend a lot at safety — yet I think if you’re losing Wagner, you need an experienced leader of the defense. Just one who is still producing at an impactful level.

It would reduce your cap space to $22.2m.

Thus, I would use the franchise tag as a starting point to negotiate a longer term contract. Perhaps seeking security post injury, I would approach Diggs and offer him the same contract John Johnson signed with the Browns a year ago.

That was worth $11.25m a year. Johnson signed that deal following a 2020 season where he graded at 85.6 per PFF. Diggs, in fairness, only graded at 71.2 in 2021. So I think this is a fair offer.

The Jamal Adams deal does complicate things. Diggs could easily say he’s outperformed Adams — yet there’s a noticeable difference in salary.

However, the Johnson-style contract comes with $24m in guarantees and provides some degree of security for a 29-year-old safety coming off a bad injury.

The good news from a cap perspective is Cleveland structured Johnson’s contract to only have a $3.65m cap hit in year one. They are fully committed for three years with no outs. This would be a risk for Seattle, given it takes Diggs to age 32. However, I think this a gamble worth taking for a player still producing. Several players at Diggs’ position have played deep into their 30’s. I’m rolling the dice.

By lowering his cap hit post-extension, you raise your available cap space to $29.8m.

The other thing I wouldn’t have expected to write a few months ago — I would pay to keep Rashaad Penny.

He showed enough in those final few weeks that he can elevate your running game. Do I trust him to stay healthy? No. Do I fear what could happen? Yes, absolutely.

However, I’m choosing to take a chance — and I won’t complain if the Seahawks make that choice either.

Austin Ekeler, Nyheim Hines and Kareem Hunt all earn $6m a year. I will offer Penny that for 2022. It’s a reasonable amount to stay in Seattle. If he has a fantastic season, he can return to the market in 2023 and potentially cash-in.

You’re now left with $23.8m.

This kind of move has to come with a consequence. Thus, I’m cutting Chris Carson and saving $3.4m. He has a long history with injuries and while he might be everything Seattle looks for in terms of physical running style and explosive traits — you can’t have two running backs with questionable injury records leading your attack.

Penny gets the nod, for Carson it’s time to move on.

I would look to replace him via the draft. My immediate thought is Tyrion Davis-Price at LSU. I think he deserves a third round grade but he might be available much later. He is big, explosive, physical and has surprisingly quick feet. I think he has starter potential and would be a nice complement to Penny.

There’s a whole host of alternative options. This might not be a running back class with many first or second round prospects but there’s a deep pool of names.

Of course, I’d be ready to select Dameon Pierce at any point after round two. He is the epitome of everything Seattle looks for in a back and would be the ideal replacement for Carson. If he goes in round two like I suspect, there are a ton of other names on my horizontal board that could provide cheap depth.

Cutting Carson takes your available cap space to $27.2m.

The other players to consider retaining are:

Gerald Everett
Rasheem Green
Al Woods
Sidney Jones
D.J. Reed
Will Dissly

I think some difficult decisions are again going to need to be made — for two reasons. One, you’re running out of cap space. Two, I still want to make another move in free agency.

For that reason I am protecting $6m of our remaining $27.2m for a pass rusher. So we’ve got $21.2m to spend on the list of names above.

The cornerback market is incredibly challenging. A year ago, several players were paid big money. William Jackson, Shaquill Griffin and Adoree Jackson all received +$13m a year.

This list of free agent rankings has D.J. Reed as the #8 available cornerback. The eighth highest paid free agent at corner a year ago — Chidobe Awuzie — signed a three-year deal worth $7.25m a year.

It’s plausible that Reed could be looking at a contract worth between $7-10m a year.

Awuzie’s cap hit in 2021 is $6m. So you can’t even really spread it out that much.

I really want to keep Reed though. His PFF grade of 78.6 passes the eye test and he truly solidified one of the cornerback positions. Therefore, I’m going to sign him to a three-year, $30m contract that is back-loaded to keep the year-one hit at $6m.

We’re down to $15.2m to spend.

I’d quite like to keep Gerald Everett. He has the potential to be a playmaker. However, his $6m salary didn’t show up on the stat sheet in 2021 and the turnover-strewn game against San Francisco — plus the horrendous dropped touchdown in Arizona — are tough to shake.

I want to retain him but at the cheaper price of $4m. That feels fair. In order to create the money to make this happen, I’m making a difficult decision and cutting Nick Bellore and Ugo Amadi. Moving on saves you $4.6m. I would hope that would be enough to retain Everett and it’s better bang for your buck. Amadi regressed last year and is now quite expensive. Bellore, as brilliant as he’s been on special teams, might have to be a very difficult cut.

I’m challenging BBK to replace Bellore’s impact on special teams, while Marquise Blair and Ryan Neal make up for the loss of Amadi.

If Everett is going to cost more than $4m I would pivot to O.J. Howard — who has the feel of a player desperately needing a fresh start and could provide solid value on a one-year prove-it deal.

This is also an excellent draft class at tight end. It might mean you have to make a difficult choice on Will Dissly. Perhaps you can get him back at a reasonable price? Otherwise, you’ve already spent a pick on Colby Parkinson. Time to trust him to take a step forward. Then add a rookie.

I’m very interested to see where Cade Otton falls to due to his injury history. Could he end up being a day three steal? Is Jelani Woods available on day three? There are alternatives — from Cole Turner to Chigoziem Okonkwo to Charlie Kolar and others.

This is a terrific, deep class at TE that is worth tapping into.

If we retain Everett at $4m, while cutting Bellore and Amadi — there is $15.8m to spend.

With Rasheem Green and Al Woods — I’m going to cut L.J. Collier and Kerry Hyder. That saves $3m. I’m hoping that enables you to keep one of them. The other will probably need to be replaced in the draft.

Again, it’s about getting value for money. Collier has shown nothing and Hyder is a journeyman who had almost no impact in 2021. Green at least had 6.5 sacks last season and is worth retaining for the pass rush rotation. I hope $3m would be enough to bring him back on a prove-it deal. If not, you pivot to Woods (who cost $2.5m in 2021).

I’d like to keep Sidney Jones but at a team friendly price. His return will be dependant on what his market is. If it’s cold, then that’s when you make your move. I think you have to let him test free agency and see if you can get him back at a cheap cost, with a legit chance to start and re-enter the market in a year.

Ryan Neal can be kept as an exclusive rights free agent, as can Bryan Mone. So they will cost the league minimum which was $660,000 in 2021.

Signing Neal and Mone leaves us with $13.9m to spend. Remember — we’re saving an extra $6m on top of this for one final free agent splash. Thus, there is enough room to sign Sidney Jones for $2.5m — which is a doubling of what he was paid in 2021.

We’re down to $11.4m.

Phil Haynes is a restricted free agent. I think you have to roll the dice here on him not being signed elsewhere and be prepared to move on. It’s not worth paying him +$2m for the basic RFA tender (original round or qualifying offer). They might believe in him enough to tender him and then extend his contract but I’m not convinced we’re at that point with Haynes.

With the $11.4m left over, that is ample to see what other opportunities are out there. You could bring back the likes of Bellore or Amadi, for example, just at a cheaper price. You can pad out some of your lost depth.

The key thing is though — this padding occurs after you’ve already made significant moves. It’s not the meat of your free agency plan. You seek the value only once you’ve addressed key positions.

There’s a lot to get done this off-season for Seattle. They have a lot of players to retain. I appreciate that my amateur attempts to break down what they can or can’t do this off-season are not a true indication of what is possible. Yet I do think we’ve shown, to some extent, that they can keep a lot of their players and still add some keynote signings.

And it’s time for one more…

Add to the pass rush

By this point we have the $11.4m left over for depth signings and opportunistic moves. We’ve also saved the $6m for one last big tilt.

That $6m doesn’t sound like much. It’s all we need for this year though — and clearly there’s wiggle room to extend it by a million or two if needed.

Leonard Floyd signed a deal with the Rams worth $16m a year. They limited his 2021 cap hit to just $5m. That then accelerates to $20m and $19m over the next two years. They can cut him in 2024 to save $12m.

Robert Quinn signed a deal with the Bears worth $14m a year. His year-one cap hit was $6.1m. It then accelerates to $11.2m and $17.1m for the next two years. The Bears can save $10m by moving on in 2023.

These deals are the framework to add a pass rusher.

And I’m going after Chandler Jones.

Sean Desai worked wonders with Quinn in Chicago. He had 18.5 sacks in 2021.

Quinn and Jones are the same age. Thus, their value and potential could be aligned. I would bring in Jones and challenge Desai to work his magic, just as he did with Quinn.

I would offer Jones the Floyd contract. $16m a year — with a lower cap hit in 2021 ($6m). Yes it’ll be expensive down the line, especially if his play drops off. But if you’re going to run it back and try to win in 2022 — you have to make aggressive moves like this. You have to be prepared to take risks.

Now is not the time to be conservative. If you want to play it safe — rebuild. Create a five-year plan. Otherwise, it’s time to go all-in.

Pairing Jones with Carlos Dunlap and Darrell Taylor (and potentially Rasheem Green plus Alton Robinson and Benson Mayowa) would give you a serious edge rush group.

If his market is higher than this — and you can’t structure a deal to bring him to Seattle — I’m turning my attentions to Harold Landry. He had 12 sacks for the Titans in 2021, he turns 26 this year and he could be Seattle’s answer to Trey Hendrickson — who has had a major impact for the Bengals.

Hendrickson signed a deal worth $15m a year in Cincinnati. The Bengals structured it differently so his cap hits are $12.4m, $14.4m and $15.5m. They also protected themselves with an out as soon as this year. In my off-season proposal, the Seahawks couldn’t do that. They’d have to take a bit more of a risk to get the lower 2022 cap hit — meaning bigger money down the line and no out for 2-3 years.

I’m willing to take that chance.

By adding a quality pass rusher you can elevate your unit and then look to make another addition in the draft.

One final option — according to Mike Garafolo — Von Miller ‘fully expects’ to test free agency. He turns 33 in March but he had 9.5 sacks this season. I would not be unhappy to see Miller finishing his career in Seattle.

One last, final, bonus signing

I would call Cordarrelle Patterson and speak to him. People forget that the Deebo Samuel-at-running-back idea was inspired by what Patterson was doing in Atlanta.

I want to steal this. I want Patterson in this offense doing a bit of everything. Screens and quick hitters to get the ball in his hands. Some creative runs from the backfield. Sweeps. I want to use him as an elite kick returner.

He is a playmaker. I would challenge Shane Waldron to make him an X-factor complement to D.K. Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, Gerald Everett and Dee Eskridge.

It would also improve your running back depth, knowing he’s shown he can take snaps there and be highly effective.

Patterson cost the Falcons $3m in 2021. I would be very willing to do that again with the remaining cap space left over.

The plan for the draft

Based on what we’ve done so far, I think the following areas need to be addressed as a relative priority:

Defensive tackle (preferably a pass rusher)
Linebacker
Running back

Obviously we’ve run through different possibilities. If you don’t sign Trent Brown, it might be that you draft a right tackle. As I’ve mentioned, if Abraham Lucas is there at #41, I’d probably take him anyway.

If you don’t sign D.J. Reed and/or Sidney Jones — then you probably draft a corner.

Losing Quandre Diggs would put pressure on you to find a young free safety.

If you don’t add an EDGE rusher — you might need to do that at #41.

Based on the plan above, I’m going to suggest the following moves to round-out the roster…

Pick #41

If a player such as Perrion Winfrey is there I’m giving it serious consideration. Likewise if Devonte Wyatt somehow lasts and depending on how he tests at the combine, I’d also consider Travis Jones.

Winfrey could be your Akiem Hicks type interior rusher — beautifully complementing the edge threat of Jones/Dunlap/Taylor. That, to me, would be a threatening and much improved pass rush and you could go into next season believing you’d made serious progress in the trenches.

It’s certainly possible, however, that Winfrey and Wyatt are not there at #41. If that’s the case (and the Seahawks will have a rough idea after the combine of their range) — I would be more inclined to see if there’s any way to bring Akiem Hicks to Seattle.

I’m prepared to take my chances on Barton or BBK next to Jordyn Brooks if needed next season. As I’ve said, I’m not that keen on spending yet another high pick on a linebacker. However, I think there’s potentially some serious value to be had.

I’m giving very serious consideration to drafting Channing Tindall. I want his aggressive, run-and-hit style. I think there are potential stars among this linebacker class — so it doesn’t have to be Tindall. He is the kind of linebacker I’d like this team to add, though. I want an attack-minded defender.

If you get a chance, I think it would be wise to tap into Georgia’s front-seven based on what they showed in 2021.

I do think the depth at linebacker stretches to round three, so that’s another thing to consider.

If you don’t sign Jones or Landry and perhaps sign a player such as Hicks instead to rush from the inside — you could then pivot to the rich pool of EDGE rushers in this class. I don’t think Boye Mafe will last to #41 but Myjai Sanders, Arnold Ebiketie, Drake Jackson, Travon Walker, Kingsley Enagbare and others could well be there.

Based on the available talent in this draft — DT, DE, LB and T are the positions I’m looking at with the #41 pick.

Pick #72

I would consider linebacker here if not addressed in round two — with Darrian Beavers, Chad Muma, Damone Clark, Christian Harris and Troy Anderson all plausible options. Failing that, I’d be willing to target Nate Landman on day three.

If cornerback hasn’t been fully addressed, this is where I would seriously consider Montaric Brown, Cam Taylor-Britt or Akayleb Evans.

This could be a reasonable range for a running back or tight end addition. It could also be the range where you look at a Max Mitchell or Obinna Eze for the O-line.

I think Travis Jones has elevated his play beyond pick #72 but it’s not totally out of the question he lasts. Ditto for Phidarian Mathis at Alabama or John Ridgeway at Arkansas.

If you need an EDGE there will be options. Sam Williams could be available at #72. DeAngelo Malone had a very impressive Senior Bowl. David Anenih is flying under the radar.

There’s a very good opportunity for the Seahawks to add two impact players in rounds 2-3. They’ve had success in this range before — such as Wagner/Wilson in 2012, Clark/Lockett in 2015 or Taylor/Lewis in 2020.

Overall breakdown

Key additions in free agency

Brian Allen (C)
Trent Brown (T)
Chandler Jones or Harold Landry (DE)
Cordarrelle Patterson (WR/RB/KR)

Retentions

Duane Brown
Rashaad Penny
Quandre Diggs
D.J. Reed
Sidney Jones
Gerald Everett
One of Rasheem Green or Al Woods
Ryan Neal
Bryan Mone

Cuts

Bobby Wagner
Gabe Jackson
Chris Carson
Ugo Amadi
Nick Bellore
L.J. Collier
Kerry Hyder

Draft focus

Defensive tackle
EDGE
Linebacker
Running back
Tight end
Tackle

Conclusion

I don’t think this a flawless plan by any stretch. It’s also written over a weekend and I don’t have the intel nor the man-power to run through the scenarios in the kind of detail and preparation a NFL front office would do.

I think, however, what I’ve been able to put together is reasonable and worthy of a conversation. Reinforcements to the O-line with proven players at a good age. A key pass rusher added. Most of the existing group brought back.

An improved pass rush, a continuing shift towards the Rams blocking scheme and all of your 2021 skill players returning apart from Chris Carson sets you up for a better season in 2022.

I’ll also add — I would do anything else to add proven talent. It’s time to get the credit card out. If you’re not going to rebuild, if you’re intent on winning now — prove it.

It’s a loaded free agent class at receiver, for example. If a player like Christian Kirk suffers as a consequence — I’d be ready to make a move. Likewise Cedric Wilson. I think you’ll have a hard time dragging Odell Beckham Jr out of LA — but I would go back to him and see. I know for a fact that he and Russell Wilson have a strong relationship and a mutual interest to play together.

The cap specialists in the front office need to be creative. The Seahawks need to be prepared to take a few chances.

They always say they’re in on every opportunity. Yet so few come off these days. Time for that to change.

Let me know what you think in the comments section.

A final note

It was inevitable that Super Bowl Sunday’s ‘splash’ reports would include something about Russell Wilson’s future. Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero delivered, stating Tampa Bay is prepared to enter the veteran trade market to replace Tom Brady.

The chances of Tampa Bay putting a workable offer together are remote. They, like others, simply don’t have the stock. Teams like Washington and Denver are desperate, with higher (or more) draft stock. Unless the Seahawks are secret Kyle Trask fans (I think it’s unlikely) — there’s no quarterback option they can exchange.

Thus, it makes it incredibly unlikely the Buccs can present a tempting offer to the Seahawks.

However, with Green Bay making it clear in another ‘splash’ report today that they are prepared to do whatever it takes to help Aaron Rodgers win another Championship — the focus for the next few weeks will be firmly on Wilson and Seattle. This will especially be the case if Rodgers signs a new contract, which increasingly appears likely.

If Rodgers isn’t available, teams are going to be throwing offers Seattle’s way.

I still can’t imagine any trade that would tempt Seattle. There simply isn’t a quarterback solution that makes sense in any offer, short of Derek Carr (and even then — is that a tempting proposition for Carroll? I doubt it) or the Seahawks seeing greater value in this rookie class than virtually anyone else.

But if they do resist incredible offers — which are forthcoming — this will set up the big talking point for Seahawks fans in 2022.

If the season doesn’t go well and/or Seattle isn’t a serious contender in the NFC — fans will debate a lot the decision not to take a haul and re-set, knowing Wilson’s trade value will never be higher in this unique off-season.

The Seahawks might not be interested in a trade. But they have to listen. And if they ultimately reject any offers, they have a duty to be more aggressive than ever to put this roster in a position to challenge.

Clinging on to Wilson, rejecting eye-watering offers and then doing the same old thing in free agency — meaning they start the season with the same prospects of the last five or so years, isn’t acceptable.

It’s as simple as this. If you’re keeping Wilson — be aggressive. That’s the only choice. Otherwise, move on. Embrace change.

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There’s a lot to get into today. So here we go…

Seahawks coaching moves feel like a step in the right direction

Having expressed concern about what happened with Ed Donatell on Wednesday, I said I would reassess when appointments were actually announced.

The news today that Sean Desai is joining the Seahawks as ‘Associate Head Coach for Defense’ is extremely welcome.

Yes, the original plan of three Vic Fangio protégé’s working together (Desai, Donatell and Clint Hurtt) was preferred. I do think losing Donatell’s experience is a disappointment. He could’ve acted as a nice bridge between his friend Pete Carroll and the younger members of the staff.

Nevertheless, he received a better offer. There’s not a great deal the Seahawks could’ve done about it.

Desai was highly regarded in Chicago and has coordinator experience. He has no connection to Carroll and isn’t being brought in to make tea and pick the music for training camp.

Presumably this is a sign of Carroll actively seeking out new voices. New talent. Bringing a fresh, outside presence to a staff that had become very familiar to the Head Coach.

It’s a continuation of a year ago when Carroll went outside of his comfort zone to appoint Shane Waldron. And while the jury’s still out on Waldron, it showed a willingness to try something different. The Seahawks were trying to find young and progressive.

I have no idea whether Desai will be a good appointment. I don’t know whether Clint Hurtt will be an adequate defensive coordinator. Karl Scott, who’s also said to be joining — is a relative unknown with only a year of experience in the NFL.

This isn’t really the point though. Short of just going out and landing Fangio himself, this feels like an acceptable alternative. You can buy into the thought process and be prepared to give it a shot. As with Waldron, it creates some intrigue and anticipation.

When they appointed Brian Schottenheimer and Ken Norton Jr in 2018, there was none of that.

Now, I’m fascinated to see how this plays out. I want to discover whether any of this trio can work their way into potential Head Coaching spots in the future. I’m eager to see what kind of defensive plan they put together. I am a little bit concerned that it could be a case of ‘too many cooks’.

Fans just want to feel like their team is making moves they can get behind. I think this is a positive first step this off-season.

The success of Seattle’s defense, though, will be down to the additions they make in free agency and the draft. This is a good start — now they need to deliver in terms of improving their personnel.

There was also news today that Mike Solari has been ‘fired’. This was surprising, given it’s happened weeks after the end of the regular season.

I’m not convinced this is a ‘firing’ as reported. Rather a change of direction.

Solari improved elements of Seattle’s O-line (admittedly it wasn’t starting from a strong position) and the Seahawks didn’t exactly ‘go big’ financially in the trenches during his tenure.

He was asked to make the most of a collection of mostly journeymen and younger players. I don’t think we can describe Solari as having done a bad job, even if the results were mixed.

Promoting run-game coordinator Andy Dickerson to O-line coach feels like a greater commitment to Waldron and his way of doing things.

Dickerson came to Seattle with Waldron. It stands to reason that the offensive coordinator would have a blocking scheme and an O-line coach working to techniques best suited to what he wants to do.

Solari’s approach feels very different to what they do in LA. The Seahawks have added bigger bodies. Hulking linemen.

The Rams have a 6-2, 300lbs center and a 6-4, 307lbs guard. Their tackles are admittedly massive — yet the interior linemen have a different skill-set.

This feels like a further display of passing responsibility on to Waldron. Again, that would suggest Carroll is willing to cede a little bit of power and control, in order to commit to the coach he brought in to run his offense.

Anything that helps the Seahawks get closer to what the Rams do on offense is a positive to me. And with their center Brian Allen — who graded at 80.2 per PFF in 2021 — a free agent this off-season — it might time to steal a little bit more from the NFC Champions.

Quandre Diggs has a lot to say

Diggs spoke to Ben Baller this week and unloaded with some honest criticism of the Seahawks.

Here are the notes of what he said:

— Pete has final say on the defense
— He feels there were too many people involved in the defensive decision making
— They didn’t get calls in on-time during the season
— He suggests the ‘cover-3’ system Carroll uses has gone stale
— Pete knows he needs to do something different (aka — he needs to)
— They don’t have good enough players on defense
— Clint Hurtt is a great coach and has the respect of the defense
— He says ‘everyone’ needs to be on the same page (implying they weren’t)
— ‘We need to let our rushers rush and let our pass defenders handle the pass’
— ‘We were lacking accountability last year’

To be honest, I never expected to hear what he had to say. But this speaks to a team that sounds like a shambles behind the scenes.

And to be fair, that’s what a lot of us have been sensing watching this team.

Schematics, leadership, organisation — it all sounds off. This isn’t a random blogger speaking or some talking head on the TV. This is Quandre Diggs. Calling out the system, a lack of accountability, the way the play-calling operated and the lack of talent on defense.

Firstly — this doesn’t sound like a player who’s going back to Seattle.

Secondly — this should worry any fan. Because the status quo remains. And none of what is said here is indicative of a team on the cusp of challenging.

We have to hope that Diggs said all of this to Carroll — and perhaps other people have done the same — with changes on the cards. As mentioned above, I think the coaching hires are positive. It speaks to a willingness to change.

Yet clearly, they desperately need to change.

They also need to make it clear things are changing. Diggs was just at the Pro Bowl. You better believe he talks to friends in the league (he seems to have many) and will be relaying these concerns — perhaps in even stronger terms.

If the Seahawks intend to try and recruit players to play for them, rather than opening the chequebook — good luck if this is what they’re hearing about Seattle.

It’s also possibly another sign of why Russell Wilson continues to keep his options open. How bad is this thing behind the scenes? The on-field performance has hinted at a mess of a situation for some time. Here’s a respected player basically laying it all out. No holding back.

To me it speaks to why this team should’ve fired Carroll and gone in a completely different direction. Now we just need to hope that change is coming — and that it’ll be effective change.

This was a concerning listen.

And the fact he specifically said there were too many people offering input isn’t a great sign for a defensive staff made up of multiple new voices.

The challenge now is to have a far better off-season than the last few years — with a more organised, structured and effective defensive plan, executed properly, combined with a more aggressive free agency and a good draft.

Three round mock draft

I wrote this before the coaching news and the Diggs interview — so thought I’d publish it anyway in list form with some notes on Seattle’s picks at the end.

Round 1

1. Jacksonville — Aidan Hutchinson (DE, Michigan)
2. Detroit — Kayvon Thibodeaux (DE, Oregon)
3. Houston — Evan Neal (G, Alabama)
4. New York Jets — David Ojabo (DE, Michigan)
5. New York Giants — Derek Stingley Jr (CB, LSU)
6. Carolina — Charles Cross (T, Mississippi State)
7. New York Giants — Trevor Penning (T, Northern Iowa)
8. Atlanta — Kyle Hamilton (S, Notre Dame)
9. Denver — Jermaine Johnson (DE, Florida State)
10. New York Jets — Treylon Burks (WR, Arkansas)
11. Washington — Abraham Lucas (T, Washington State)
12. Minnesota — Sauce Gardner (CB, Cincinnati)
13. Cleveland — Jordan Davis (DT, Georgia)
14. Baltimore — Kyler Gordon (CB, Washington)
15. Philadelphia — Trent McDuffie (CB, Washington)
16. Philadelphia — George Karlaftis (DE, Purdue)
17. LA Chargers — Boye Mafe (DE, Minnesota)
18. New Orleans — Garrett Wilson (WR, Ohio State)
19. Philadelphia — Daxton Hill (S, Michigan)
20. Pittsburgh — Tyler Linderbaum (C, Iowa)
21. New England — Chris Olave (WR, Ohio State)
22. Las Vegas — Devonte Wyatt (DT, Georgia)
23. Arizona — Tariq Woolen (CB, UTSA)
24. Dallas — Bernhard Raimann (T, Central Michigan)
25 Buffalo — Ikem Ekonwu (G, NC State)
26 Tennessee — Trey McBride (TE, Colorado State)
27 Tampa Bay — Arnold Ebiketie (DE, Penn State)
28 Green Bay — Jameson Williams (WR, Alabama)
29 Miami — Quay Walker (LB, Georgia)
30 Kansas City — Drake London (WR, USC)
31 Cincinnati — Jalen Wydermyer (TE, Texas A&M)
32 Detroit — Devin Lloyd (LB, Utah)

Round 2

33 Jacksonville — Greg Dulcich (TE, UCLA)
34 Detroit — John Metchie (WR, Alabama)
35 New York Jets — Jeremy Ruckert (TE, Ohio State)
36 New York Giants — Zion Johnson (G, Boston College)
37 Houston — Myjai Sanders (DE, Cincinnati)
38 New York Jets — Nakobe Dean (LB, Georgia)
39 Chicago — Logan Hall (DT, Houston)
40 Denver — Channing Tindall (LB, Georgia)
41 Seattle — Perrion Winfrey (DT, Oklahoma)
42 Washington — Kenny Pickett (QB, Pittsburgh)
43 Atlanta — Travon Walker (DE, Georgia)
44 Cleveland — Brian Asamoah (LB, Oklahoma)
45 Baltimore — Lewis Cine (S, Georgia)
46 Minnesota — Chad Muma (LB, Wyoming)
47 Indianapolis — Rasheed Walker (T, Penn State)
48 LA Chargers — DeMarvin Leal (DE/DT, Texas A&M)
49 New Orleans — Matt Corral (QB, Ole Miss)
50 Miami — Dameon Pierce (RB, Florida)
51 Philadelphia — Damone Clark (LB, LSU)
52 Pittsburgh — Malik Willis (QB, Liberty)
53 Las Vegas — Jalen Tolbert (WR, South Alabama)
54 New England — Kerby Joseph (S, Illinois)
55 Arizona — Kaiir Elam (CB, Florida)
56 Dallas — Kingsley Enagbare (DE, South Carolina)
57 Buffalo — Travis Jones (DT, Connecticut)
58 Atlanta — David Bell (WR, Purdue)
59 Green Bay — Drake Jackson (DE, USC)
60 Tampa Bay — Kenneth Walker (RB, Michigan State)
61 San Francisco — Andrew Booth (CB, Clemson)
62 Kansas City — Jaquan Brisker (S, Penn State)
63 Cincinnati — Sam Williams (DE, Ole Miss)
64 Denver — Troy Andersen (LB, Montana State)

Round 3

65 Jacksonville — Nicholes Petit-Frere (T, Ohio State)
66 Detroit — Phidarian Mathis (DT, Alabama)
67 New York Giants — Jake Ferguson (TE, Wisconsin)
68 Houston — Cameron Thomas (DE, San Diego State)
69 New York Jets — Jahan Dotson (WR, Penn State)
70 Jacksonville — Roger McCreary (CB, Auburn)
71 Chicago — Sean Rhyan (G, UCLA)
72 Seattle — Montaric Brown (CB, Arkansas)
73 Washington — Christian Harris (LB, Alabama)
74 Atlanta — Brian Robinson (RB, Alabama)
75 Denver — Desmond Ridder (QB, Cincinnati)
76 Baltimore — Kenyon Green (G, Texas A&M)
77 Minnesota — John Ridgeway (DT, Arkansas)
78 Cleveland — Cade Otton (TE, Washington)
79 LA Chargers — Isaiah Likely (TE, Coastal Carolina)
80 Houston — Darrian Beavers (LB, Cincinnati)
81 New York Giants — DeAngelo Malone (LB, Western Kentucky)
82 Indianapolis — Nick Cross (S, Maryland)
83 Philadelphia — Bryan Cook (S, Cincinnati)
84 Pittsburgh — Zach Tom (T, Wake Forest)
85 New England — Cam Taylor-Britt (CB, Nebraska)
86 Las Vegas — Wan’Dale Robinson (WR, Kentucky)
87 Arizona — Tyrion Davis-Price (RB, LSU)
88 Dallas — Haskell Garrett (DT, Ohio State)
89 Buffalo — Akayleb Evans (CB, Missouri)
90 Tennessee — Kyle Phillips (WR, UCLA)
91 Tampa Bay — Cole Strange (C, Chattanooga)
92 Green Bay — Jelani Woods (TE, Virginia)
93 San Francisco — Jalen Pitre (S, Baylor)
94 Kansas City — Max Mitchell (T, Louisiana)
95 Cincinnati — Obbina Eze (T, TCU)
96 Denver — Zach Carter (DE, Florida)
97 Detroit — Tyreke Smith (DE, Ohio State)
98 Cleveland — Sam Howell (QB, North Carolina)
99 Baltimore — Nik Bonitto (LB, Oklahoma)
100 New Orleans — Breece Hall (RB, Iowa State)
101 Miami — Isaiah Spiller (RB, Texas A&M)
102 Kansas City — Calvin Austin (WR, Memphis)
103 LA Rams — David Anenih (DE, Houston)

Notes on Seattle’s two picks

Perrion Winfrey starred at the Senior Bowl and played with an attitude and intensity that won’t have gone unnoticed. The Seahawks have needed an interior pass rusher for a long time and that’s what Winfrey can do. He’s 6-4 and 303lbs with incredible 35.5 inch arms and a wingspan of nearly 86 inches. If he tests well at the combine, he’ll be right up Seattle’s street.

The Seahawks have tended to go for experience on the O-line and youth on defense. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them add a veteran center and right tackle, while retaining Duane Brown, then using the draft to address the pass rush.

Why does Winfrey last to #41? Consistency. His tape is a mix between first rounder and late rounder. He was an ill-fit in Oklahoma — mixing between nose tackle and sideways slasher. He needs to bully the man in front of him and shoot gaps. In the same way Chris Jones lasted to pick #37 due to concerns around his consistency — Winfrey could also last a bit. If he does — he could be Seattle’s top choice. They need someone with his fire on the D-line. I think they should shoot for greatness with their top choice.

Their second pick is a blog favourite — Arkansas cornerback Montaric Brown. He stood out to me on tape and could be an ideal fit for Seattle’s defense. He’s tight in coverage and competitive. He has reasonable size and good length — he’s lean and looks the part. He had five interceptions in 2021 — tied for second most in the nation.

I like the way he tracks the ball in the air, he has good recovery skills, he’s physical and he mirrors well covering routes. I think he’s one of the most underrated players in the class and he could be a good option in the middle rounds.

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A year ago it was quite an experience to see how desperate Bears fans were to bring Russell Wilson to Chicago.

This was a franchise that had gone decades without a competent quarterback.

12 months on, the furore over Wilson possibly being interested in the Washington Commanders is creating a similar reaction.

While sections of Seattle’s fan base quibble about a quarterback who has won more games than any other player at his position at this stage in his career, it’s perhaps easy for some of those fans to forget what life without a good quarterback looks like.

Commanders fans (still feels weird to write that) are falling over themselves with hope that Wilson lands in Washington. I’ve watched a handful of YouTube videos and perused a couple of forums. They want Wilson. Badly.

They’re making the kind of arguments Seahawks fans should be considering.

For example, Wilson had an injury-plagued 2021 season with his finger clearly impacting him. Many consider it a bad season, or at least a well below par season.

He still had 27 total touchdowns and just six interceptions, in 14 games.

There are teams out there not just desperate for that level of production. They dream about it. The fans in Washington want their team to throw the house at Seattle. First round picks. Chase Young. More more more. To have this player and his production.

They want to believe in a quarterback. They want the hope that comes with having someone of Wilson’s caliber. They haven’t had that in a long time.

Of course, these are all of the reasons why Pete Carroll won’t ultimately make a trade.

To Carroll, the #11 pick this year means what exactly? And future first rounders? How do they help him?

I’m sure he’d love Chase Young, particularly given he’s stated they need to bolster their pass rush as a priority. Pairing Young with Darrell Taylor and Carlos Dunlap would give Seattle the kind of X-factor D-line they’ve been lacking for years.

Yet without a replacement quarterback, it’s all for nothing — isn’t it?

If you’re trotting out Mitchell Trubisky, you aren’t contending. Carroll isn’t able to finish his career how he wants. The Seahawks just become Washington.

And ultimately, this is where the trade talk falls down.

Unless of course I’m making an assumption. After all, Carroll said the following to Fox 13 at the end of the season when asked if another chapter of the Wilson saga could be avoided this off-season:

“Whatever is there, we got to exhaust every opportunity for our club and right from the owner, she wants us to take a look at every single opportunity to better the franchise. That’s what we do. It’s going to take us some time to put it all together and we have a lot of difficult decisions to make this year.”

You can interpret those comments in different ways. There was no definitive ‘no deal’ talk though. ‘Not for sale’ wasn’t mentioned. ‘Not going anywhere’ weren’t words that were used.

Maybe Carroll actually thinks they’re better off moving on? Getting a haul, adding a piece like Young and opening up a quarterback competition. After all, having a mediocre veteran take on a rookie in camp produced Russell Wilson in 2012. Maybe he thinks he can do that again? And with the saved money, load up the roster?

There’s only one slight problem. There’s no Wilson in this draft.

The excitement and fervour will build over the coming weeks. There will be endless talk of Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson being moved. Yet it simply doesn’t make sense for either the Packers or Seahawks to trade their quarterbacks unless the players actively say ‘trade me’.

If Rodgers and Wilson do that, I don’t think you can just ignore it and hope it goes away. You can’t live in that world where the most important player on your team is saying they want out.

You can try. The Packers to some extent pulled it off last year, by ceding a lot of ground to Rodgers and listening to his concerns, then acting upon them and winning a lot of games. This can’t be an annual thing though. The uncertainty can’t be there, or the chatter, every year.

I’d argue, for starters, that unless Wilson’s future is certain by free agency that it will have an impact on the open market. It just will. If the Seahawks are trying to do things ‘their way’ again — how can you recruit players at value in this environment? It doesn’t matter what Carroll says. Players know the deal. Everyone knows Wilson isn’t sold on the direction of this team.

Every free agent should (and probably will) ask — what’s happening with Russ?

I’ll go back to what ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said earlier this week. He says he spoke to two people in the organisation and they would be surprised if Wilson was dealt. He then qualified it by saying, ‘Wilson would have to force the issue and request a trade’. He then mentioned the Seahawks held trade talks in the past, with Cleveland and Chicago, and that a trade was ‘always, sort of, on the table’.

This, to me, is at least someone in the organisation revealing quite a lot. The Seahawks don’t intend to just willingly trade Wilson. But if he actually requested a trade, all bets are off. And I think the person passing on this info perhaps is open-minded to it. Otherwise the only comment would be ‘he’s not going anywhere’ — there wouldn’t be all this stuff about prior talks and him forcing his way out.

Let’s say Wilson did request a trade. By that point you have to consider your options. Clearly they considered them a year ago because they talked to the Bears and Carroll simply rejected the deal.

If Wilson gets to that point — and there’s nothing to indicate currently that he will do — what potentially happens?

From the Washington Commanders’ perspective, it looks as if their ‘Plan A’ is Wilson. We know Denver’s Plan A is Aaron Rodgers. They appointed his offensive coordinator. Mike Klis has reported Rodgers is the target. He also stated Wilson is ‘Plan B’ for the Broncos.

Washington would obviously be interested in Rodgers too but they’re maybe accepting that they’re better off focusing on Wilson and then, perhaps, Derek Carr.

I think Washington’s offer for Wilson — and I think it’ll come — could be obscene. After all, as noted on Tuesday, they asked journalist Mike Silver to write an article for the team website detailing their interest in making a big push for a veteran QB.

Have you ever seen anything like that before?

Imagine the Seahawks asking Peter King to do a piece for Seahawks.com detailing how they want to make a big trade for a great pass rusher. It’d never happen. It has happened in Washington. That’s how up front they’re being about this. They’re paying respected journalists to advertise their ambitions in the trade market.

It appears they’ve equally filled in Albert Breer on their desires, plus Mike Garafolo. All are singing from the same hymn sheet regarding Washington’s intentions.

It wouldn’t surprise me if local Washington DC radio host Kevin Sheehan’s sources, stating Wilson is interested in a trade, are also from within the Commanders’ building. And I wouldn’t be surprised if the root of their confidence in Wilson’s interest ultimately has been provoked by some gentle nudging by a certain Mark Rodgers.

Maybe it’s all from Rodgers? I noticed this tweet yesterday.

‘His team is doing preliminary due diligence on destinations that want him.’

‘Washington could be on new shortlist of teams he’d be willing to waive no-trade clause for this offseason.’

It does feel a little bit like something is driving this. There’s chatter again and I have a hard time believing people like Kevin Sheehan etc are just plucking this out of thin air.

But again — there’s a difference between Wilson being open to a trade, Wilson waiving his no-trade clause, the Commanders being aggressive to make it happen and the Seahawks actually accepting an offer.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Washington threw the house at Seattle for Wilson within the next few weeks. And I won’t be surprised if they make it very clear to the media that they’ve made that offer so their fans know they’re active.

They are losing the PR game in Washington. Countless negative headlines, poor ownership, a toxic culture and a bad on-field product has hammered ticket sales and interest. They need a big move, something to generate excitement. Something to ensure this name change and relaunch isn’t a damp squib.

They need a star quarterback like Wilson who can define the franchise. Be the face of the new era. Turn over a new page.

They’ve tried it before.

In 2012 they spent the following on Robert Griffin III:

2012 — R1
2012 — R2 
2013 — R1
2014 — R1

Would you be surprised if that’s their starting point in talks for Wilson?

An opening gambit could look like this:

2022 — #11 pick 
2022 — #42 pick 
2023 — R1
2024 — R1

It’d be a very good offer, to be fair. It isn’t one that produces Seattle with a pathway to winning in 2022 though. That, ultimately, is the drawback.

So I don’t think it would be accepted.

Washington would have to offer more than picks. Unproven rookies are not the order of the day for a 70-year-old Head Coach who would be forced to scramble around for a quarterback.

He’d need proven players. People he knows can deliver.

So what’s the make-up of a deal? Because this is when the negotiation gets tricky.

Let’s say Washington dangles Chase Young. Do you remove a first rounder from the deal? Has he shown enough in 24 games for that to tempt Seattle, with only nine sacks?

If the Seahawks say the original four picks plus Young, does it become too expensive?

If the Commanders then return with the four picks and Daron Payne — is that attractive to Seattle? Payne is a good not great player. He’s also approaching a contract year. It could be a rental.

Does he elevate your team in the way Young (who has club control for three more years) might?

If you ever wonder why trades of this magnitude rarely happen, this is why.

What is the biting point in negotiations where both teams are satisfied?

How much are Washington prepared to mortgage their future and lose a key player? They would have Wilson and you could argue with Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne, Montez Sweat and Matt Ioannidis their D-line is still strong. They’d be being Rams-level aggressive though in terms of draft stock and they’d be losing a good player.

I will say this — I’ve seen Commanders fans pitching three firsts and Young as an appropriate deal. So many of the fan base is down with that kind of offer — and that won’t go unnoticed by Washington’s ownership.

At the end of the day, if they trot out another bad quarterback situation next season — they’ve blown it. They’re under severe pressure to land a name. That’s why they’re making their intentions clear. They have to do something.

There are players they can’t include in a deal (Terry McLaurin for example). Can they sacrifice a defensive lineman and cope? Yes, probably.

From the Seahawks perspective I’m sure they’d love to pair Young with Taylor and Dunlap and have a pass rush that can potentially match the Rams and Niners. They’d also probably quite like picks #11 and #42 to go with #41. They could really bolster the roster. They’d have extra funds to retain the players they want to keep, extend D.K. Metcalf and have the wiggle room in free agency to add more.

Yet they’d be losing a franchise quarterback. It feels like a question you simply can’t overcome unless you don’t believe in Russell Wilson any more (and there’s no indication Carroll feels that way, even if John Schneider might be leaning in that direction).

It would make a lot more sense for Seattle if there was an experienced veteran quarterback available at a reasonable price. Think Carson Palmer when he went to Arizona to rebuild his career. Or even Philip Rivers when he spent a year in Indianapolis.

Carroll would probably think they can help him win. Do what he needs to lead the offense.

No such player exists this off-season though.

The likes of Trubisky, Tyrod Taylor, Marcus Mariota and Jacoby Brissett simply don’t inspire that same feeling. It’s not even close.

Minnesota appear to be preparing to rally behind Kirk Cousins. Jimmy Garoppolo isn’t being dealt to a division rival.

Trades for Baker Mayfield or Tyler Huntley don’t cut the mustard either. I’d probably rather take a flier on Kellen Mond.

It’s impossible to project a scenario where the Seahawks move on from Wilson and find a quarterback they can challenge with this year, unless it’s Derek Carr and Las Vegas.

Even if the Seahawks rate some of the quarterbacks in the draft higher than I do (I don’t have anyone higher than R3 currently) — is Carroll honestly fielding a rookie this year? And trying to win? From this class??

I can imagine a collection of fans being excited at the prospect of a Malik Willis-led Seahawks with Chase Young and picks by the boat-load. I’m not Willis’ biggest fan and have discussed why.

Even still, I must admit it would be more intriguing than more of the same in Seattle. At least it’d be something different.

I just don’t trust the way those acquired picks could be spent, given the form of the reset since 2018, or Willis’ ability to function outside of a Greg Roman-style offense.

He could also be over-drafted. There’s a big difference between getting him at #41 or #42 versus needing to take him at #11.

Some would argue it’s futile for Carroll and the Seahawks to reject such a bold Washington offer because they aren’t likely to contend this year anyway — with or without Wilson. It would take a miraculous off-season loaded with key additions, the kind of which the Seahawks haven’t made in nine years.

I sympathise a lot with that argument. Don’t get me wrong, I think the Seahawks should retain Wilson and aggressively build around him. They aren’t good enough to contend in 2022 at the moment — but a good off-season, where they lay it all on the line, can close the gap quickly and eliminate any future drama.

However, if Seattle’s intention, or Carroll’s intention, is to continue doing the same thing they always do — it’ll just mean more squandered seasons and Wilson’s trade value could drop dramatically.

If that happens and Seattle’s post-season futility continues then people will second guess Carroll forever on turning down a massive haul.

This must pray on Wilson’s mind too. Are they going to do the same thing again in free agency? Is he going to waste another year of his career? If he asks for a trade is it kind of now or never?

Meanwhile, you’ve got a full-court press from the Commanders highlighting their O-line, their weapons, their D-line and that they have the cap space to go after players you want. They’ll presumably do whatever it takes to attract their man — a big say in offensive philosophy, input in personnel.

You know, the things Carroll seemingly won’t offer.

The whole situation is an intriguing talking point as we enter the period where talking points are all we have (the gap between the Senior Bowl and combine). I’m sure some people will get sniffy about speculative pieces like this — but why not have the conversation? What else is there to discuss?

And at the end of the day, people are reporting Wilson having some interest in Washington — citing sources. We might as well have the debate.

I still think if a deal is to be done — Las Vegas is the team to monitor. Simply because they were on Wilson’s list of four teams a year ago, they have a quarterback they can trade in Derek Carr and Mark Davis is said to like the idea of Wilson in Vegas.

Washington will make a huge push though. I do believe the tweets suggesting Wilson’s team are doing ‘preliminary due diligence on destinations that want him’. This feels like one great big leaving your options open process.

I just wonder if there’s a deal that turns Carroll’s head. And what it would look like. I remain unconvinced such a deal exists but we’ll see.

As I keep saying — the Seahawks best bet, if they want to contend in 2022, is to aggressively build-up their roster, draft better and build around the quarterback they already own.

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